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 of today, it has evolved into a semi-modern town, and offers some of the best Himalayan hashish. It is also one of the last stops where you can buy good Chinese jackets and shoes for trekkers.

Joshimath is ostensibly a "temple town" where enough superstition is etched with vermillion on foreheads all around. I searched all over for Lassi (fermented/ sweetened buttermilk), until I was finally told that in winters, I would be better off drinking alcohol instead. The liquor store, just beside the mutton store, was badly stocked, but the beer was tolerable.

 To get a sense of size and proportion, please see the houses on the side of the mountains.

 A mother and child walking down a village enroute.

Humanity does blend in well, on the mountainside, when seen from so far, in the middle of the trees.

 Where did I see this picture before? It seemed so reminiscent of my numerous treks..

 Campsite at Akhodgetta

 Still Life - Trees at 50 years, Himalayas at 50 million, Earth at 5 billion, Stars at 15 billion years.

 Raining stars.

Sorry for the blurry photo of me.

 Dawn with the sun about to rise over the mountains

 Yours truly

 A beautiful sunset, bathing the mountains in golden hues.

 At one point, we had to negotiate ice. Even with crampons, it seemed tough, largely because the other side was the drop of the mountainside.

 Some of my trekmates.

 Kuari Top was the highest point in the trail, at 4,264m.

 And finally, Kuari Pass!

 The view from Kuari Pass

Does every high place need to have a temple and a flag? This one seemed to have been recently planted by an ardent Shivaji-lover from Nagpur who must have thought he had just climbed Everest.

 A view of our Khulara campsite on the way back.

 The descent was far more difficult on account of the incline. If you can observe closely, the dots at the top are people descending.

 From the Bugyal. Dronagiri range is visible (apparently the largest mountain, though only 7000m). At the right, you can see the magnificent Nanda Devi (7800m).

 Dronagiri to the right, Kamet to the left.

 A semi-frozen lake in the Bugyal.

The path through the bugyal was steep, and at times, slippery with treacherous, transparent ice on the mud.

Inclines of 45 degrees to 60 degrees are common, sometimes made scarier when you are carrying heavy backpacks (as one of my trekmates), by compacted snow turning to ice, and by the sheer drop on the mountainside.

A glimpse of Auli, where in another few weeks, skiing will be very active. Auli has one of the best high altitude ski slopes across the world, and is known as the Switzerland of India.