Harsil Kyarkoti Trek

Imposing peak at the head of the Jalandari Gad (please leave a comment if you know it's name!)

This was our first attempt at a multi-day trek with children: Ishan, 5, and Samarth, 9. We chose a route that starts at Harsil and covers the first few days of the Lamkhaga Pass trek, a route that crosses over from Garwhal into Kinnaur over a 17000 ft pass. Gyan, our friend in these parts was our guide, and for company we had Bipra, fellow runner from Bangalore and retiree from the army (which would prove to add a unique dimension to this trip), Ankush, his immensely talented son in his 20s, Nanda, fellow runner and constant source of entertainment, Ranjita's sister Anita, on her first Himalayan trek since her college days, and her son Samarth. Our destination --- Kyarkoti Lake, at about 13,000 ft, with a sufficiently padded itinerary to give us extra days for weather or a quick visit to Gangotri.

Topo map of the area with the start and end points of the trek marked in blue

Getting there (Sept 30-Oct 1):

Over the prior weekend, I made a short but fun trip to Calicut to attend the wedding of a friend and colleague. The wedding was up in the hills east of Calicut city, with great views of the Western Ghats. So this trip to the Himalayas had a nice prelude that started in the mountains at the other extremity of the sub-continent. We flew into Delhi’s Terminal 2, which had recently been converted from a Haj Terminal into a regular commercial set up. From the airport we drove to Nizamuddin Railway station 25 km away, which took about 45 min on a hazy New Delhi evening. The couple of hours we had to kill at the station was facilitated by the agonizingly slow service at the food court just outside it. Finally, we boarded the Nanda Devi Express, which trundled in from it’s starting point at Kota at around 11:30 pm. Keeping Ishan awake till that point in time turned out to be easier than anticipated, and he was absolutely thrilled with the prospect of an upper side berth in the AC III tier coach. He slept soundly. I didn’t. The train rolled into Dehra Dun at 5:30 am, where we walked to Hotel Ashrey, an easy walk from the station to spend an hour or two to “freshen up” (a uniquely Indian euphemism for morning ablutions). At the hotel I got to exchange anecdotes with another trekker from Bangalore, who specializes in taking elderly women on little known trek routes in Uttarakhand by befriending porters rather than guides.

Murari from Dhunda (a village near Uttarkashi) drove us out of Dehra Dun in his Bolero at around 8 am through torrential rain, with a tarpaulin that was woefully small and inadequate to cover our luggage. Result --- Bipra’s sleeping bag was later found to be nearly soaked through. The breakfast stop at a roadside shack involved most of us guarding our maggi and omelets from the hawkish eyes of a gang of monkeys ready to pounce on the least vigilant. The drive progressed through continuing sheets of rain via Musoorie, Dharasu Bend (lunch stop), Uttarkashi (3 pm shopping stop), Gangnani (snack break), and finally Harsil (6:30 pm). Gyan had set us up at “Swiss Hotel”, a typical trekker lodge in Harsil’s market with minimalistic rooms, and a functioning dining hall, where the daal was piping hot, the paneer fresh, and the rotis right off the fire.

Oct 2: Harsil, Rest and Acclimatization Day

School kids celebrating Gandhi Jayanti at Harsil

Bhagirathi River at Harsil

It was apple season!

We spent the day acclimatizing in Harsil (9000 ft), a wonderfully located town in what is perhaps the first broad valley of the Bhagirathi after it descends from Gangotri, another 1000 ft higher up and 30 km away by road. In the morning a bunch of school kids observing Gandhi Jayanti paraded through the muddy main street endearingly chanting slogans to keep our rivers clean: “Ganga saaph ki jung mei, hum aapke saath hai”. Adjacent to Harsil is the charming village Bagori, which is where Gyan owns an apple farm, his second home. We were told with pride how Bagori had won recognition at the district level for their commitment to the Centre’s “Swachh Bharath” Program, and were shown the toilets built with govt aid. We met Gyan’s brother-in-law as well, who told us that he and his family had to move to Bagori in the early 1960s in the face of Chinese aggression near Baironghati and have stayed here ever since. The Buddhist village (which also celebrates Hindu festivals) is struggling with the issue of younger people migrating to urban centers at lower elevations. We bought some prickly sweaters and shawls from the family, and the kids played with their newborn lamb, before which we spent an hour or so on the boulder-strewn banks of the Bhagirathi enjoying the sunny morning. The afternoon was spent sorting through gear, and later in the evening, we walked around the more urban parts of Harsil, including a visit to the GVMN guest house. All in all, a relaxed day with about 7-8 km of walking to ease into a trekking frame of mind.

Oct 3 (Trek Day 1): Harsil To Lal Devta

The Lal Devta Temple

We started hiking at 8:30 am and re-traced our steps towards Bagori. Near the village, at a check-post marked with prayer flags, we turned right and north into a valley that would be our home for the next few days. The next 2 km or so was an easy, level walk along a newly paved trail alongside the Jalandari Gad, the river that descends from the area drained by the Lamkhaga Pass and joins the Bhagirathi near Bagori. Soon after, the trail started climbing steeply via switchbacks through dense forest, rather inexorably and without respite, all the way until Lal Devta, a milestone 8 km from Harsil, marked by a makeshift local temple at 10,400 ft adorned by the skulls of ibex and prayer flags. Bipra, Ankush and Nanda led the way, while the rest of us brought up the rear with the kids. Ranjita had to keep a variety of improvised story telling going to keep Ishan entertained and I supplied the periodic rewards via pieces of candy or yoga bars. Remembering my struggles on the first day of the Langtang trek the previous year, I decided to carry only my day pack for this trek. From Lal Devta it was a quick 15 min downhill hike to the campsite. It was a drizzly afternoon, which Gyan and Amandeep (the cook) helped us combat with excellent khichdi. Ishan remained quite hyper all through the afternoon and evening, likely from all the sugar he had imbibed on the way up.

Oct 4 (Trek Day 2): Rained out at Lal Devta Camp

It rained heavily overnight, and continued through the morning restricting us to our tents till about 11, when finally it seemed to pause. There was a fair amount of giggling from an adjacent tent that was housing a few students who arrived in the dark the prior evening, without enough food, and worse, woefully ill-prepared for the rain. At our end, Ishan was coughing a little, and Samarth was complaining of stomach cramps. Though it made for a sleepless night for some of us, they were both fine in the morning.

Wet but enjoyable day hike beyond Lal Devta

There was no way we would move camp today, so we spent a couple of hours day-hiking further up the valley. It was overcast, but the walk was enjoyable. The elevation increase was gradual, with the trail first leading through a small forested area, followed by a slightly challenging stream crossing, before opening up into large meadows flanked by a ridge on the right with a fresh blanket of overnight snow, and an impressive rock face on the left, bisected by a beautiful waterfall. We spent some time sitting around, watching a shepherd manage his flock and decided to head back to camp soon after, which was just as well, as the rain returned just after lunch. We spent the rest of the day variously playing Uno and discussing what the next few days might involve.

Oct 5 (Trek Day 3): Lal Devta Camp to Gangnani

Clear skies, fresh snow, and sunshine on the way from Lal Devta to Gangnani

It was a cold night, which meant the skies had cleared. True enough, the morning was brilliant. We set out at 8:30 am, with a plan to hike to Gangnani and then look for a safe place to cross the river to its right bank. Based on feedback from the local shepherds it was apparent that the normal location for the river crossing was too dangerous on account of the rain and increased water flow. We retraced a lot of the previous day’s hike and moved further up the valley remaining on the left bank, and within a few hours reached a lovely campsite on a small meadow, bounded on its far end and it’s right by a set of boulders and steep forested slopes. On it’s left was a drop off of a hundred feet or so to the river, and just before it, a moderately strong side stream flowing rapidly downhill towards the Jalandhari.



It was a short hike - by 11 am, we had pitched our tents. Manu (Gyan’s younger brother) decided to go back to Harsil to vote (on behalf of the whole family) for the local Pradhan elections and would come back and join us by evening. He was also expected to bring news of the arrival of Gyan’s daughter’s first born, due any day in a hospital in Dehradun.

At camp, we discovered Nanda was carrying 8 kg (!) of food thanks to Jyothi, and so the lemon rice, churmur, puliogare, and parathas underwent a fair amount of scrutiny. The sunny day allowed all of us clean up a little at the stream. While we lazed around at camp, Gyan was busy evaluating the next day’s route. Since the river was out of bounds at the designated point we would have to use a shepherd’s trail to move further up the valley over some high ridges staying on the left bank before descending to a safer location for the river crossing. Once he was back, we hiked a little bit of the way to get a sense of what lay in store for us. It looked steep, but if the weather held, it didn’t look like it would be a problem.

The night remained cold and I struggled as Ranjita moved to Anita’s tent to keep Samarth company. With just Ishan in mine, I made a mental note that it’s high time that I stopped taking my 20 year old sleeping bag's 20 F rating at face value.



Oct 6 (Trek Day 4): Gangnani to Kyarkoti Base

It was a slightly disorganized start to what would prove to be the trickiest day of the trek. In the process of packing up and getting ready by 8:30 am, each of Ranjita and I assumed the other was making sure little Ishan had attended to a specific bodily need that directly affects one’s sense of well-being. Very soon into the hike, even before the steep section started, we found Ishan to be uncharacteristically demotivated. He’s repeated asks for Frooti (a standard treat on Gyan’s treks for kids) got us wondering, and the root cause was quickly identified. The rest of the group plodded up the exposed steep hill in front of us, while Ishan and I made ant-like progress for about an hour. Finally, a boulder provided some privacy, and moments later, one among us emerged a lot lighter. At the top of the hill we stopped to enjoy some great views, and for Ishan to get his mojo back. He did, and soon enough he was off like a rocket. The trail was barely visible in places, and benefit of switchbacks was something the sheep in these parts hadn’t been made aware of. Consequently, the path simply cut diagonally across and down the mountain side with no concern for gradient or what might come in it’s way --- streams, boulders, tall grasses – until it made a sharp left turn through a forested area to finally emerge at the river, hundreds of feet below the crest. The previous couple of hours was a spectacular section of the hike, with great views up and down the main valley, with snow-peaks at either end (Srikantha in the Gangotri group to the South and the Lamkhaga area to the North). It was dulled only by concern and watchfulness for those who found navigating the steeper parts a bit challenging.

Mr Frooti had some minor troubles this morning

The detour while challenging, afforded some great views

Haven't been able to figure the name of this peak. It's the most visible one at the head of the valley.

The river crossing was executed in batches. Manoj carried Ishan on his back, and the rest of us formed two groups, each gripping each other’s hands to form a chain. The barefoot plod through the icy waters was easier than I thought it’d be and was over very quickly. We spent 30-40 minutes drying out in the late morning sun, snacking, and watching a herd of cows cross the river in the reverse direction. It was a beautiful spot, and it took a while for us to get going again. This time it was along the regular trail, undulating about a hundred feet above the river bed inching higher all the time. The last challenge before reaching camp required navigating a major landslide that had washed away the trail during the monsoon. It created a few moments of anxiety for Ankush and hence for Bipra who was helping him, but once that was overcome, it was an easy scamper to the campsite, which we reached at around 2pm. The campsite itself was relatively uninteresting, a non-descript clearing on the right bank, at about 12,000 ft, a few kilometers away from Kyarkoti lake. The rain returned in the afternoon, but didn’t last into the night.

The descent to the river was through a rough sheep path

Ishan got a ride

The cattle were far less fussy than us humans

Oct 7 (Trek Day 5): Day-hike to Kyarkoti Lake

The day started clear enough, but the clouds rolled in by 8 am. After a hot breakfast of upma, we gathered our rain gear and started out for the day hike to Kyarkoti Lake, about 5 km away. The first couple of k’s were along a trail similar to the previous day’s – staying high above the river which lay to our right and below. The trail headed north and west towards the now increasingly imposing peak with a giant cirque forming the main feature of it’s southern face. I wasn’t able to find a name for it on any maps. The river below us featured an impressive snow bridge, with a bright blue pool forming a natural reservoir just upstream of it. Another landslide, some wide switchbacks and a last kilometer of steepening gradient, and we arrived at a pass at a tad above 13,000 ft. Beyond this was a short descent into a massive high-altitude meadow, criss-crossed by glacial run off, punctuated by clumps of wild flowers, backed by an the enormous granite and glaciated face of the unnamed peak. This incredible place didn’t get its due thanks to the grey skies, continuous drizzle and foreboding sense of imminently worsening weather. However, in spite of the gloom, everyone was quite cheerful, and I kept Ishan going by telling him stories about Mt Everest and Nanda Devi. The quick snack break at the cold and windy pass helped, and we all trundled into the meadows below, hiking through rivulets and rocks until we reached the lake at about 11:30 am.

Ice bridge over the Jalandari Gad

Meadows near Kyarkoti Lake

Methi paratha at Kyarkoti Lake

The lake itself was a greenish pond, rather unimpressive as a final milestone to mark the end point of our trek, but it felt good to sit at its shore and gulp down some incredible spicy methi parantha that Nanda had brought. We could see an army camp about a kilometer away along the route towards the Lamkhaga Pass. Ishan (who can’t handle spicy food under normal circumstances) made incredibly quick work of his portion, a statement either about hiking-induced appetite or an altituide and cold induced numbing of the senses. It was a fast-paced hike back to the camp under steadily worsening weather. By the time we reached camp around 1:30 pm, it had started to snow. Nanda, who was training for an ultra-marathon, had to hit a certain target mileage for his training. So he ran all the way back in 45 min. After this he slept for 15 hours straight.

Late in the evening the weather cleared, and the moon lit up the surrounding peaks. With a thin layer of snow on the ground, a warm fire burning a little away from our tents, all seemed well with the world.


Oct 8 (Trek Day 6):

The morning was clear, with the previous evening’s mild snow storm having moved on. The overnight snow melted soon after the sun came up, and it set us up for a glorious weather day, as we hiked back to our planned campsite at Gangnani on the other side of the river. We received information that a makeshift log bridge had been constructed by local shepherds in record time, so the adventure quotient of the return journey was thankfully mitigated.

The views on this section facing downstream in the direction of Harsil and the Bhagirathi valley were incredible. The brilliant blue of the Jalandhari Gad was backed by the soaring snow peak of Srikantha (6631 m), part of the Gangotri Group on the far side of the Bhagirathi. And looking back, we had the grand views of the Lamkhaga region with fresh snow and brilliant sunshine.

Srikantha, part of the Gangotri group

The J. Gad put on its best for the last two days of the trek

At this point we got overtaken by a group from the army (the same one that was camping beyond the lake), and while initially we were admonished for taking pictures (“fauj ka photo lena mana hai”), when their leaders discovered we had Bipra with us, it facilitated some warm and interesting conversations. One solider remarked with good humour that he found it strange that “idher hum log ka phat raaha hay, aur aap log enjoy karne ke liye aa rahe ho”. One of the senior members turned out to be Dipu Kumar Ray from Dum Dum, Kolkata, who started his career as an engineer with Infosys in Bangalore. Inspired by the events of the Kargil War of 1999, he decided to join the army.

Soon after crossing the river (this time on a bridge) we climbed up a steep section to regain the main trail on the left bank, and found the army setting up camp at Gangnani, our second campsite. What we thought would be a quick “stop and chat” with Dipu and company turned into an hour-long halt thanks in part to Bipra’s camaraderie with the soldiers. We got treated to tea from the army tent, chocolates on offer for the kids, and an opportunity for Samarth to pose with a gun (no photos allowed), which really made his day (and perhaps the entire trek!).

We could see Gyan was getting a tad anxious to get going to go and supervise our campsite, so we eventually made our excuses, thanked the soldiers and fast-hiked the remaining 60-90 min kms to our first campsite near Lal Devta through the wonderful meadows, forests and streams that we were by now quite familiar with.


Oct 9 (Trek Day 7):

The hike back to Harsil was eventless, except once we re-gained cell phone connectivity, Gyan heard that his daughter had given birth to a baby girl in Dehra Dun and that both were doing well! We returned to a shack in Harsil around 11 am, where the number of plates of egg chowmein held their own in competition with plates of momos. I got my customary shave and hair cut at the downtown salon, and then we arranged for a car to take us to Gangotri.

Happy to be back at Lal Devta!

Near the meeting point of the Jalandari Gad and the Bhagirathi

It was a reasonably busy time at Gangotri, even though it was the fag end of the pilgrim season. We arrived mid-afternoon, and checked into our usual home in this town, the basic but functional Mandakini Hotel, and got to enjoy real beds, moderately clean sheets, and after a lot of pursuation and some frayed tempers, hot water and towels for bathing. Later in the day, we went for a walk around town, touching the main highlights – Suryakund, a new museum to some guruji, then walked along the left bank of the river to take a circuitous route to the main temple. There were crowds, but the ambience near the temple is generally nice, so we spent some time there and watched the evening aarti. Finally, we came back to the restaurant beneath Mandakini Hotel, where loud enquiries from a Bengali gentleman regarding the availability of certain items on the menu (“achha - porota hyaay?”), the stern admonishment from his wife behind him (“ah! koto porota khabe?”), and then the compromise from the daughter (“achha – maggi milega?”) generated a lot of laughs at our table.




Oct 10 and 11 (Return to Dehra Dun):

Sudarshan Parbat from Gangotri

It was a beautiful morning at Gangotri, with grand views of Sudarshan Parbat (6529 m). The puri chhole was to die for, and the outdoor seating on a porch behind one of the numerous shacks that line the main street of Gangotri was just incredible. After a little more strolling around town, we finally had to tear ourselves away, and start the long road trip back with a night halt near Uttarkashi. The Kamala Bhavan Cottage at Uttarkashi (recommended by Gyan) turned out to have a great location – just off the main highway about a km outside town, right on the banks of the Bhagirathi. Oddly they had no other guests, very basic (and cheap) rooms, and no food service. So we had to hike out in the dark to another hotel, which also had no other guests, but did have a functioning restaurant that prepared a healthy and fresh meal that all of us really enjoyed. Uttarkashi looked a lot cleaner than it did on past visits (perhaps an impact of the Swachh Bharat mission). The next day we made an early start and had a smooth drive back to Dehra Dun, where Bipra guided us to “Kumar Sweets” a famous chaat and gulab jamun joint near the Clock Tower. It didn’t disappoint! At Dehra Dun airport we ran into Santhosh, Laxmi, Srini and Sushmita, who were returning from their trek to Dayara Bugiyal, all in time to make it to the Bangalore Marathon the next day.



Closing Thoughts:

This is a hidden gem that's perhaps not very well known because it's essentially a part of the harder Lamkhaga Pass trek and also outside the radar of commercial trek operators. At the time of this writing (Oct 2021), news of 7 fatalities on the pass came in a couple of weeks ago which underscores that it's not a route to be taken casually. But if you are not attempting the pass, the hike up to Kyarkoti and back is pure pleasure, though not necessarily someone's idea of an adrenaline fix. It can be done in less time than we did, given the low altitude and easy trails. For example, the first camp could easily have been Gangnani instead of Lal Devta. Day 2 could take you to Kyarkoti Lake allowing for an additional camp beyond the lake, perhaps within a day's striking distance of the base of the pass. On this trip our priorities were different - we had a very genial group and really enjoyed each others company while having a relaxed and stress free week in the mountains. Thanks are due to Nanda, Bipra, Ankush, Anitha and not least, Samarth and Ishan for a very memorable trip.

In the end we learnt that trekking with kids is possible, and that their physical abilities are not a necessarily a major concern. Keeping them mentally engaged and interested is the main task at hand. Of course, we had prepped both of them with numerous day hikes in and around Bangalore, and Ishan had made 4 non-hiking trips to the Himalayas in prior years (Kashmir, Chopta, and two trips to Kumaon). Luckily for us, these two happily they kept each other company a lot, and appeared to genuinely enjoy the wilderness experience. I certainly can't speak for all kids, but look forward to many more adventures with them!