Kuari Pass: A trek through the Himalayas
In one of my earlier lives, around 2011, I had meticulously planned out the entire trek to Kuari Pass, via Joshimath, Khulara, and Kuari Top. I couldn't make it that year because one more trek took my time, but this year, I made it between December 22-30, 2017. You get to see some of the famous mountains including a spectacular view of India's tallest mountain, Nanda Devi (7,817 m). At a height of 4,264 meters, Kuari Top is considered a High Altitude trek. It is a beautiful winter trek, passing through the Gorson bugyal (high altitude alpine meadow) set in Uttarakhand. You can begin from the Joshimath side (more beautiful) and end at Auli, in four days. Lord Curzon's trail (named famously after him) from Ghat, via Ramni is the other route, that I didn't take. The busy town of Joshimath. You wouldn't believe that in the 9th century, it was established by Adi Shankacharya, a reformer, as one of the four "pithas", to protect of the Atharvaveda. As o...