The Frozen Journey
Christmas (Dec 2015) long weekend was around and once again we were set to grab some Vitamin M(Mountain).
No. of travelers: 3
Vehicle: XUV500
Duration: 4 nights and 3 days
Deoriyatal Trek uphill – 2hr 15 min approx.
Tungnath Temple trek uphill: 3hr
Route: Delhi-Muzaffarnagar-Rishikesh- Rudraprayag – Ukhimath-Sari-(to and fro trek to Deoriya Tal from Sari Village)- Baniyakund – Chopta (To and fro trek to Tungnath temple from Chopta)- Rudraprayag-Rishikesh-Meerut- Delhi . End to end journey of around 1000km.
Tungnath is the highest Shiva temple in the world and is the highest (elevation 3680mtr) of the five- Panch Kedar temples. The temple is located in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand. Trek of approx. 4kms to the temple from Chopta.
Deoriya Tal (elevation 2438mtr) is a small lake located on a 3km ascends from Sari Village in Uttarakhand. Sari village is located on Ukhimat- Chopta road in Uttarakhand.
We started from Delhi around 11:30 PM and reached Rishikesh at 5:00AM in the morning. We had covered the distance earlier than we expected because the roads were smooth, weather favorable (zero fog) and normal traffic. We decided to take a break for an hour and relaxed in the vehicle after having some tea. We started again at 6:00 AM. The driver shuffled and I was on the steering, also because I love cruising on hills. After a drive of 45 minutes in pitch dark we saw some daylight. At around 8 we stopped for some tea and snacks. Luckily found a public washroom which was super clean, but with bum chilling water.
Someone had burnt a plastic dustbin installed by the local Municipal authority and it was emitting dense smoke and smelled very bad. We quickly grabbed a bottle and to our rescue there was a hand-pump nearby, which helped us in extinguishing the fire. Post that we had some food and moved ahead towards Ukhimath.
Ukhimath is a small town and a Hindu pilgrimage site in Rudraprayag. During the winters, the idols from Kedarnath temple and Madhyamaheshwar are brought here and worshipped here for six months. This temple has a very important place in Hindu Mythology.
The priest of the temple was generous enough to show us the whole temple and some very old idols which were kept in locked rooms. In a room there were multiple Shivlings preserved.
Once we completed the temple tour we headed towards our destination and reached there around 11AM. As we reached there the weather turned cloudy and we could clearly see the snowfall at Chopta, on other mountain. By the time we relaxed and had our lunch the snow reached us. It was not a heavy snowfall, but enough for a person who was experiencing the snow for the first time. I was literally dancing and was so overwhelmed seeing snowfall at that moment. Definitely can’t be expressed in words. Once the clouds passed by we packed our bags for the night and moved up towards the Deoriyatal.
One can also reach Deoriyatal by trekking from Ukhimath to Sari and then beyond. It’s a steep climb of around 8km to Sari Village.
The route starts with steps in the beginning, followed by a well-defined trail. Initially, the climb is gradual. After walking for some distance there is a local temple and some houses, post which the hike became steep. Just before reaching the lake, the valley facing end gave a mesmerizing view of Chandrashila. Moving from there, it is a short down-hill trek towards the lake which will take a couple of minutes. On the way there is a resting spot and couple of eating joints.
By the time we started, it was sunny again and as we proceeded we had to lessen our layering of clothes. On the way we spotted patches of fresh snow from couple of hours ago. We also met a localite who was accompanied by his dog. The metal covering around the dog’s neck caught my attention. The guy told us that the metal harness around the neck, increases the chances of dogs’ survival when attacked by some beast like leapord/ lion etc. The predators first try to grab their prey from neck, with a metal harness it will be tough task.
The first view of the lake with Mt. Chaukhamba massif in the background made us realize that it was completely worth climbing the mountain.
Deoriyatal has its own story of Q&A session between Yaksha and Yudhishtira. Yudhishtira brought back his brothers back to life by answering the questions of Yaksha. They died because they did not answer Yaksha’s questions and drank water from the lake.
On a clear day the reflection of Mt. Chaukhamba can be clearly seen in the calm lake.
There are a couple of dhabas (also provide tents and sleeping bags) at the point from where the downhill starts. We ordered some tea and maggi and in the meantime pitched our tent & took a round of the area around. We enjoyed our meal and relaxed for some time at that place only. As the dusk came closer the winds got intensified both in speed and the chillness. We tried to absorb all the heat from sun to keep ourselves warm for some more time.
There is a minimal fee of INR 150/- per person for overnight camping at the lake, which is to be deposited at the forest guard office over there only.
We paid the fee spent some more time exploring the place. All three of us were wandering alone by ourselves over there – sometimes near lake, sometimes over the small ridge, relaxed on the boulders, walked up the hill and descended. We all were just trying to spend quality time with ourselves in the lap of the nature. Although in between all this we never forget to click some pictures.
It was now completely dark and moon had started rising and the glare of the moonlight could be seen behind the mountains. Slowly the moon came up and we realized that it was a full moon night and complete area was lit with the ambient moon light. There was no need of any artificial light to wander around the place.
Bonfire is not allowed in the area around the lake, but some people do engage in such activities once the forest guards are gone for the night.
Sitting by a campfire in the winter is many people idea of perfect winter evening. I remember reading somewhere that sitting next to a log fire causes our blood pressure to drop and leaves us feeling more at ease. In prehistoric times even the Stone Age man socialised around camp fires and felt safe and warm while bonding with friends and relatives. (courtesy- mail online)
We also settled by the campfire but the one lit by the dhaba guys in front of their dhaba only. Once around the campfire we started feeling much more relaxed and enjoyed some drinks and snacks. The flickering light and the sparks flying up high made the evening even more beautiful. The nature is so beautiful even in its smallest form; we just need to look with a peaceful mind and heart.
After spending couple of hours around the fire, we had our dinner at the same dhaba and bid goodnight to the dhaba guys and moved towards our camp. The sight of the night was so beautiful that we didn’t felt like going inside. The whole place was shimmering with the moonlight. The snowcapped peaks were playing hide and seek with the clouds. We couldn’t stargaze as it was cloudy. After spending around an hour with the nature we went to sleep.
Around 3 AM in night I woke up only to realize that my feet were too cold and my left toe seemed to be frozen. I put on two pair of socks, wrapped the extra clothes around my feet, but nothing was working. I even tried to do foot movement but toe was not coming back to life. My feet were too cold and pain had also found its way to my toe, due to excessive cold. It felt like, that the toe can be broken like a cookie. After spending around 2hrs in the tent trying to get some comfort and sleep, but failing to do so, finally decided to step out of the tent and walk around just to increase the blood circulation in my foot especially the toe. First thing I noticed that the water and juice we had was frozen and there was nothing to drink. It was then I realized that how cold the night was.
The next challenge was to wear shoes with almost frozen toe and slippers was not an option as it was too cold. I massaged the toe, tried to move it with my hand, blowed out some warm air from mouth toward the toe, but nothing seemed to be working. I was able to bend it with my hand but not by its own. At a point of time I even thought of warming up with the lighter. Yes, it was too stupid to even think of that. It became very difficult to wear the trekking shoes due to paining and motionless toe and also the shoes were hard due to cold. Somehow I managed to slide my feet in the shoe.
The first step I took and I heard a voice of glass crystals being crushed under my feet. First thought came to mind was that someone had broken a glass bottle our tent, but within seconds I realized that it was ice. The dew drops had frozen and with every step I could hear the sound of ice being crushed under my feet. The grass was all white and it was so much fun walking on the frozen dew. After walking for around 15-20 minutes I was able to feel back my toe and also the pain subsided. As soon as it was daylight I walked towards the lake to check if it was also frozen, but only the ends were frozen, that too a thin layer of ice. Being my first experience, I was super excited and started breaking the sheet of ice at the ends of the lake. The lake looked like a frosted mirror as it was dead silent and relecting all the surroundings. I went back to the tent to wake up other people and noticed the layer of ice on our tent.
Soon we were clicking pictures of the whole place. We were also able to spot the snowcapped peaks of mighty Chaukhamba and its reflection in the lake. It seemed as if someone has scattered white crystals all over the place. It was such a feast for the eyes. We spent a lot of time clicking picture all over the place.
We couldn’t stay there forever, as we had to cover other places also. We packed out stuff and started to descend towards Sari village without having any breakfast. Descend was very smooth and chill in the air make it even more fun. We were back to village in less than an hour.
To be continued……..
Vagabundo's Libro 
Really enjoyed your another lovely story.. eagerly for the rest part of the story.
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Thanks… Next part coming soon
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