Bagini Glacier Trek 2017

The Journey Begins

We started our journey by Doon Express from Howrah station on 28.09.2017. Thirteen of our member boarded together from Howrah and two more were to be joined later. The train departed at the scheduled time of 20:20 p.m. We had our packed dinner for that night and had a comfortable sleep.

Day 2 :

The next morning we reached Mughal Sarai Station about half an hour late at 10 a.m. It was quite hot out there and we saw that the train toilets were being filled with fresh water. We asked the person if we can have a bath outside the train with the watering pipe and he agreed. Some of us including me had a great bath in exchange of Rs.10 per head. After leaving Mughal Sarai the train started being late. During the late afternoon while we were crossing Faizabad we saw numbers of  peacock, peahen, sambar from the train window. We reached Lucknow around three hours late at 21:15 p.m.

Day 3 :

The train was scheduled to reach Haridwar very early in the morning instead that while we woke up that moring we found our train is running slowly through dense fog and its about four hours late. Finally we reached Haridwar at 9:45 a.m. One of our team member joined us here who reached earlier. We hurriedly packed our rucksacks, tents, bags on the roof of two tata sumo which we pre-booked for our whole day journey till Joshimath.



We had a short breakfast near the station and started the next part of our journey at 10:30 a.m. It was the day of Dussera and the roads were full of vehicles which took 2 hours to reach only Rishikesh that was just 25 kms ahead. After Rishikesh it was less traffic and our cars were going on in a decent speed. We reached a place after Byasi and stopped for lunch. After having lunch their we started again and crossed Devprayag and then Srinagar. After that we reached Rudraprayag around 4:30 in the late afternoon. The two drivers of our cars stopped and told us that its getting dark as evening closing in they aren't going to drive further. We were very confused as we were preparing to reach Joshimath that night and they were not willing to take us there. There were some argument started going and we called up the agency from which we hired those cars. After briefing the owner our problem he talked with the drivers and they agreed to take us to Joshimath which was further 175 kms ahead of us. In a nearby dhaba we drank tea and headed towards Nandaprayag. We reached Chamoli at 21:00 p.m. and stopped there to pick up some food. Our drivers had their dinner and we took off again. We came about one kilometer or so from Chamoli and on a bumpy road one of our car broke down at 10:30 p.m.. The rear left suspension of that car broke. We were struck at first then realizing no other option in the middle of nowhere we started to find things that can somehow manage the breakdown. We found a wooden log which we tried to put within the broken suspension plate. With the help of a screwdriver, one big knife, multiple stones of various sizes and shapes and all of our efforts we got the car running again. After 20 minutes or so the wooden log fall. We stopped and put that again. Half an hour more it fall again. We put it back again, this time with a metal wire and the screwdriver we bound it together. The car was running again and after 2-3 minutes the screwdriver fall but we didn't stop. We went all the way to Joshimath and reached at 1:15 a.m.

Taken somewhere between Pipalkoti and Joshimath at 23:03 p.m.

We had booked a guest house at Joshimath. It was the guest house of Garhwal Scouts of Indian army. We were showed our rooms and put our luggage inside. After a very short dinner we went to sleep.

Day 4 :

We woke up at 5:30 a.m. next morning. Had our things packed for the next leg of our journey. Our car arrived at the guest house at 7 with our guide for this trek Mr. Kamal Negi. After putting all our bags and luggage on the car we started our journey at 8:00 a.m. towards the villege named Jumma which is another 45 km ahead. We stopped at Tapovan to have a short break and to catch up with the second car. The second car arrived soon. Our guide Kamal told us that there are number of meat shops here from which we can buy good quality mutton for tonights meal if we want. We all agreed and bought 3kg meat at a cheap rate. We then headed for Jumma village. In some places the road was in bad condition. We crossed river Dhouli Ganga and after a while we lost mobile phone network. At 11 we reached Jumma village alongside the road led to Malari which is the last Indian village.

Road to Jumma

After reaching Jumma we saw 4 mules were waiting for us with their owners. We started to bring down our rucksacks and other belongings from the cars and gathered around. The place was very windy and we could see the river Dhouli Ganga alongside us. After loading up other things like our rations and utensils on the back of our mules we started off for our first day trek to Ruing village carrying our own rucksack.

At first we came down from the main road to Malari towards the suspension bridge connecting Jumma and Ruing. After crossing the bridge we were on a wide dusty road in front of us. The wind coming from the river bank were capable to create enough dust storm till reaching the Ruing village only just 3km away. In coming years this road will be a motor able one as its work is in full progress. There was one big bridge is also being built from the main road of Malari at Jumma to connect Ruing. It was a pleasant walk till Ruing except the dust.

Road To Ruing village

River Dhouli Ganga and on the Left we can see the road led to Malari.

Road To Ruing village

It took roughly one and half hour to reach Ruing. Just outside the village by the river bank was our campsite.

Our Campsite outside Ruing Village

We pitched our 5 tents and the kitchen tent. We ate some biscuits and dry food. After a while we came to know that the water connection till our campsite and to the village was broken somewhere one and half kilometers above Ruing village. So a group of team members went to bring drinking and cooking water from above Ruing village. It took nearly an hour till they came back. The cooking started, and we all grabbed a cup of tea.

Our tents at Ruing

After finishing the tea break some of our team members wanted to have a look whether we can be any help to solve the water connection. So we went up to the place where the last team got water from a pipe joint. It was a very steep climb through the trail. And after 25 minutes or so we reached the place. We found two villager and a local plumber were trying to find where the the problem was. We started to help. After a while we found a faulty piece of pipe which was actually filled with mud and rust causing this entire problem. One of our civil engineer team member made the solution by took it out from the ground completely and striking through it the get the rust and mud out. Then with all of our effort we put the piece in right place and that worked. We came down to the campsite in the darkness of evening.

Dinner was ready by 20:00 and we gathered around the kitchen tent. We were served hot rice and a super tasty mutton curry at an altitude of 2700 meter. We went on having chitchats after dinner while walking on the campsite. Then around 21:00 we got into our tent and call it a day.

Day 5 :

The next morning we woke up around 6. Packed our things, wrapped our tents and was waiting for breakfast by 7. After having breakfast with maggie and boiled egg we started off for the days trek to Dronagiri village which is about a 10km distance ahead us.

Gandhi Jayanti celebration at Ruing village

As we started to walk through the village we some of the villagers asked us to join them at their Panchayat House to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti. We all gathered there talked with them.

First few steps towards Dronagiri village

After a while we were on our trek route which was initially a steep climb of 2 kilometers. We crossed some beautiful turns bends like one in the below photo.

The most beautiful turn

And then there was a sudden descend of about 2 kilometers or so.

The descend

The descend was easy. On our left the Bagini nala was flowing down to Dhouli Ganga river. The surrounding were full of trees, birds and plenty of wild flowers.

The trail from behind

Our team members

After a while the ascend started. It was a gradual one, with small patches with some steepness. The photo below was a behind view of the trail.

Behind view of the trail

It was a continuous ascend through the forest. There were some openings like the photo below. It was a lovely place with a small hut. From the top of this place the Hati Parvat can be seen. From here, its about 4 kilometers more to Dronagiri village.

We had already walked almost 6 kilometers. Ascending ahead was still no issue as it was not that much steep. After a while the road ahead of us was the landslide zone. It was merely a 250 meter area which was not likely that scaring as I have read in previous blogs where described. There were a few overhanging boulders, although the path was easy, and it hardly took 5-10 minutes to cross the area.

Landslide zone ahead

Backward view of Landslide zone

After crossing the landslide zone there was a steep ascend of 300 meters through slippery small boulders and dusty soil. It took more time and effort than the landslide zone. At the top of this climb we saw the Dronagiri village just in front of us.

Dronagiri village first view

It was a concrete ascending path all the way to the camping ground which took another 45 minutes to reach. As camping inside Dronagiri village is not allowed there is a campsite just outside the village. There were several tents pitched up by the village authority which they rent the trekkers. We took two large tents, put up our kitchen tent beside. There was a GMVN tourist rest house also which is a little far from the campsite.

Dronagiri village

Dronagiri village is situated at a height of 3600 meters and there are about 50-60 houses including a village temple at top of the village, but most of them are abandoned. On the above photo the pass which can be seen above the village houses is the Kanari khal.

Hati Parvat as seen from Dronagiri village

Our campsite at Dronagiri village

When our whole team reached at campsite we sat together ate some dryfood and drank tea. There was plenty of daylight available as all of us reached before 3 in the afternoon. Some of us played cards, some were wandering through the campsite. During late afternoon we took a stroll within the village. Saw the village temple. Talked with the few remaining villagers. Dronagiri village has a satellite phone booth also. As evening was closing in we returned to our campsite. It was cold outside, so we all got inside our tent. Dinner was served at 8 in the evening. After dinner we went inside our sleeping bags.

After midnight we heard that something was going on outside our tent. When we woke up in the morning our guide told us that a herd of cow ransacked our kitchen tent looking for food but the damage was nothing much to be concerned about.