Bhojbasa

This day was the shortest of the whole trek. Just 5km from Chirbasa to Bhojbasa. But the beauty of this day was much more than the previous day. Just after the beginning of this day trek we got the full view of the beautiful mount Sudarshan. The name of this peak itself defines it. While walking we encountered with Himalayan goat or the Bharal (as locals called it) at a distant high up in the mountains. As we approached Bhojbasa the Bhagirathi Sisters become more clear and the view is just astonishing. The bottom of Bhagirathi Sisters as we predicted was the mighty Gangotri Glacier. We were just stunned to view this from the distant and we realized what would happen when we actually reached that point. Near about 1:30 pm we reached Bhojbasa Campsite and we had a whole day to enjoy. I started clicking pictures here and there and the main attraction beside the ganges and Bhagirathi sisters was the trolley crossing across the Ganges towards Gaumukh and Tapovan. I clicked pictures of the trolley crossing too. After that we had our lunch and took some rest till afternoon. At the golden hour started at the mountain the Bhagirathi sisters peaks looked more gorgeous and beautiful. We just started and clicked many pictures of that hypnotic moments.At night around 1-2am we got out of our tents and looked at the sky. The moment I couldn't forget. There are millions billions trillions of stars at the sky. The whole sky looked like a Planetarium. I just stared and thought if I can sat there till the morning but as it was freezing cold I had to get back to my sleeping bag.

The camp site there was huge. I got to know beforehand that it'd be cold and windy there. It was evident. I was excited seeing volleyball court. We were asked to pitch our tents. Pooja selected a place for her tent and the rest happened with the remaining place. There was one more batch who had started a day before. It was acclimatization day for them so it was empty when we reached there. They reached by the time we had lunch. It was good to see some new faces. Also, their trek leader Aashay seemed to be a crowd's favorite. I could see why, once their batch came. He seemed to be fun. I actually met him when I was having lunch in a nearby place.Post lunch both the teams joined together and played Empire. It was a fun game where each had to say a name to the one who conducts the game and people would guess who's who. One who acquires everyone would be the winner. As it was a big group it was fun to play. Aarthi and I could find each other's names as we knew each other, otherwise it was tough. She won a game once, though. The trick was to select a name which was totally unrelated to you.

The first day from Gangotri to Bhojwasa was easy. The weather since past two days was fine with come clouds coming in by the evening with no rains. Bhojwasa offered some spectacular starry skies at night too. Milky way core was easily visible by our naked eyes.

It is after Chirbasa that one can notice the vegetation getting sparse, giving a feeling of trekking in a dry desert like Spiti Valley or Ladakh. Please tread carefully on the trail post Chirbasa, as it is a frequent landslide/rock falling zone. It is always useful to watch your steps and be aware of your surroundings. After trekking for about 3 hours and covering a distance of about 5km, one approaches the last inhabited settlement on the trail, Bhojbasa.