Adventures in India

Index

Six years ago, in 1995, Tali and I went to India for two months and had wonderful treks in the state of Himachal Pradesh and in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. We walked the Bias Kund trek in the area of Manali, the Darcha-Lamayuru trek in Zanskar and even had time for the Markha valley trek, near Leh, the capital of Ladakh.

That time we left India with a taste of "more" in our mouth. India is a sub-continent which has much more to offer than what we experienced. We are especially attracted to visit the Kinnaur area which was first opened for foreign travelers in 1992 as well as the Dharamsala area, both are in Himachal Pradesh. In these areas Buddhism is predominant. Other areas in which we are also interested include the Garhwal and Kumaon districts which are located in the new-born state of Uttar Anchal (formerly Uttar Pradesh, UP) and where Hinduism is the main religion practiced.

From right to left: Dunagiri 7066m', Hathi Parbat 6,727m', Ghori Parbat 6,708m', Nilgiri Parbat 6,474m', Chaukhamba 7,138m', Nilkanth 6,596m' as well as Tali ~1.68m', as seen from Kuari Pass 3,640m'.

Due to time constraints we have only one month in order to accomplish the following two long-distance treks:

1. The Kinnaur Kailas Circuit. It involves crossing the 5,260m' high Charang La pass. We hope to add to this trek a crossing to the UP side (possibly via the Borasu pass ?) The main problem about this crossing is a lack of information about the route, its level of difficulty and the possible need to apply for a permit from the army. As we don't succeed to get this information at home, from the web or the Indian embassy, we decide not to give up, and continue trying on the spot...
2. The Joshimath to Mundoli trek, via the Kuari pass. We will add to it a three days detour to Rup Kund, at 4,478m'. I quote Lonely Planet: "Set beneath the towering summit of Trisul (7120m'), Rup Kund is sometimes referred to as the 'mystery lake' on account of the large number of human skeletons (over 300) found here. The skeletons are thought to be 500 years old, and various theories have been proposed as to the calamity that overcame them. The most probable is that they were a party of pilgrims en route to Homekund to pay homage to the goddess Nanda Devi. While crossing the precipitous bank above the lake, the pilgrims evidently lost their footing, with those higher up falling on their brethren below, and the whole cursed party tumbled into the icy lake. Other theories hold that the skeletons are the remnants of an army of the Dogra general from Jammu, Zorawar Singh, who tried to invade Tibet. The vision of these human remains presents a rather gruesome spectacle, the atmosphere enhanced by the desolate nature of the landscape. Nevertheless, trekkers with a taste for the macabre continue to make the arduous trek to Rup Kund".

A technical note: all photos were taken by us with an Elan IIE Canon camera, with zoom lenses of 18-35mm (Sigma) and 28-105mm (Canon). The photos were scanned in 200-300 dpi only, in order to decrease loading time. It is best to browse the following pages with a screen resolution of at least 1024*768 pixels and with small fonts. Your comments regarding the photos or text are more than welcome !!!

Tali wrote our adventures a short time after coming back home and sent it to our friends in two letters by e-mail. I tried to edit the letters in a minimum way, in order the keep its freshness and enthusiastic flavor. I hope I've succeeded !

Letter 1 - The Kinnaur Kailas Circuit.
Letter 2 - Joshimath to Mundoli trek.

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