Mayali Pass trek Blog

Mayali Pass : The journey to paradise

 The treks in Uttarakhand, are no doubt so underrated. You wont see too many tourists loitering around. Hence this place is out of the world. On 4thMay , one of my friend suggested me to this this uncharted trek, located in the Garwhal Himalayas ie Mayali Pass.  Whenever I hear about new treks, it makes me happy and do some research about the place, history , culture and the peaks that are located around that area. To be honest , I wasn’t sure about doing trek , I doubted myself , yet again I have some tougher treks than before. I did write about Bali Pass.  Crossovers are anyways tough especially in Uttarakhand. . The peaks are so huge that sometimes I wonder “ did anyone ever climbed the untouched peaks” This is what happened on the way to Mayali Pass.

Every journey to mountains , I have had been I have something to tell to the world, my friends. It was only 4 of us heading towards the lake and no one. There were lot of routes and treads which made us got confused . Every time, it  was luck and of course our brainstorming sessions which favoured us throughout our entire journey. This time I have witnessed the worst hailstorm(I have had horrible experiences before), on my to the top of the lake(Vasukital) Weather becomes very unpredictable at any point of time, some of the shepherds known as gaddis helped us way through the hurly burly storm, when we got stucked and provided  us with shelter and food. I was wondering what if I I hadn't encountered the Gadis? Maybe the night would have spent in those jungle along with hailstorm.

Such encounter makes you a stronger person and a story teller. This was one of the horrific encounters of my life.  The pass will take you to the remote places of Himalayas, where you won’t find any civilization. The trek is very different from other Himalayan treks . Be it their culture, their lifestyle, the traditional dresses they wear, ornaments. These are main highlights of the trek. The Garhwali culture of Gangi village is something to watch out for. It is a trek full of surprises, not meant for faint hearted.. Before attempting this trek, make sure you do couple high altitude treks more than 15kft. I was totally awesome by the sense forests and gushing you of the Bhilgana river, the majestic sights of Khatling Glacier and Thalay Sagar Peak. Not many have attempted this trek, hence this trek remains untouched. It is considered as an explorer trail.  Me and 3 of my friends dared to this trek without a guide, which is again a risky thing we had done. Reading on the net helps a lot , I did lot of research ,so did my friends. We about the queries as how to go about and all. Called up couple of local guides. We had a plan and promised each other to stick to that plan. If something happens , we will see what's gonna happen. We had taken a leap of faith. The treks starts from the village Ghuttu. We boarded the bus from Delhi to Dehradun and then took a tax till Ghuttu. It is a beautiful village located at an elevation of of 1578M. I was mesmerized by the flowing in of the Bhilangana river which is the tributary of the Bhagirathi River and stream source of river Ganga. The first day is just an exploration day around Ghuttu Village. The next day we started our journey from Ghuttu to Reeh. We were welcomed by the  colorful wild flowers on the way and undulating meadows. The walk is mostly through the Rhododendron trees and oak forests. It has beautiful surroundings and the landscapes would ready to charm you. In every trek , I make sure that I star gaze at night. Being an astro enthusiast, I like chasing milky ways and identify the star patterns. With each passing day, the trail became tougher and steeper. I.knew it will be more tougher once reaching the pass and after crossing it. The third day was the journey from Reeh to Gangi. The views that you get to see is very serene. I and my friends got to watch the magnificent peaks of Panwali Kantbi and south Ghuttu. Also it is recommended to do the trek post monsoon. As there are high chances of getting of landslides. There will be lot of ridge and boulder crossings. In few hours we reached Gangi. The trail beyond Gangi is treacherous. My heart didn’t stop panting as I had to take the hell of my friend to cross the boulder region. They say the hardest climb offers the best views. And I am not lying. You do get to witness the astonishing views of snow capped mountains and lake -Bhimtal and Sahasratal. This is the basecamp of Kharsoli. It  is at the confluence of Bhilan Ganga. The campsite of Kharsoli is adorned with blooming meadows. The JOURNEY has been thrilling so far. I was too pumped up for the fifth day. Everyday is a surprise. I left behind the meadows of Kharsoli and started my trek Chowki to Tambakund. You can see the astounding views of Thalay Sagar and Khatling Glacier. I couldn’t stop myself photographing this beautiful glacier. It was shimmering in the light and my eyes caught the glimpse of the melting ice of the Khatling Glacier. I spent almost an hour taking photos of that place and huge the vast grasslands of the campsite. Today’s sceneries made my day. Though I was very tired , the adrenaline rush was soaring very high. I was just 8km away from Masar Tal . The trail is along the bank of the river. I came across boulders, grasslands, and rivers. As you go higher, the lush green grasslands of Chowki is visible. This trail is used by the shepherds which further leads to Marsar Tal. There is one trekking route . It is is known as Auden’s Col. It is a high altitude mountain pass located at an elevation of 5400m. Aiden’s col trek is regarded as one of the most toughest routes in the Indian

Such encounter makes you a stronger person and a story teller. This was one of the horrific encounters of my life.  The pass will take you to the remote places of Himalayas, where you won’t find any civilization. The trek is very different from other Himalayan treks . Be it their culture, their lifestyle, the traditional dresses they wear, ornaments. These are main highlights of the trek. The Garhwali culture of Gangi village is something to watch out for. It is a trek full of surprises, not meant for faint hearted.. Before attempting this trek, make sure you do couple high altitude treks more than 15kft. I was totally awesome by the sense forests and gushing you of the Bhilgana river, the majestic sights of Khatling Glacier and Thalay Sagar Peak. Not many have attempted this trek, hence this trek remains untouched. It is considered as an explorer trail.  Me and 3 of my friends dared to this trek without a guide, which is again a risky thing we had done. Reading on the net helps a lot , I did lot of research ,so did my friends. We about the queries as how to go about and all. Called up couple of local guides. We had a plan and promised each other to stick to that plan. If something happens , we will see what's gonna happen. We had taken a leap of faith. The treks starts from the village Ghuttu. We boarded the bus from Delhi to Dehradun and then took a tax till Ghuttu. It is a beautiful village located at an elevation of of 1578M. I was mesmerized by the flowing in of the Bhilangana river which is the tributary of the Bhagirathi River and stream source of river Ganga. The first day is just an exploration day around Ghuttu Village. The next day we started our journey from Ghuttu to Reeh. We were welcomed by the  colorful wild flowers on the way and undulating meadows. The walk is mostly through the Rhododendron trees and oak forests. It has beautiful surroundings and the landscapes would ready to charm you. In every trek , I make sure that I star gaze at night. Being an astro enthusiast, I like chasing milky ways and identify the star patterns. With each passing day, the trail became tougher and steeper. I.knew it will be more tougher once reaching the pass and after crossing it. The third day was the journey from Reeh to Gangi. The views that you get to see is very serene. I and my friends got to watch the magnificent peaks of Panwali Kantbi and south Ghuttu. Also it is recommended to do the trek post monsoon. As there are high chances of getting of landslides. There will be lot of ridge and boulder crossings. In few hours we reached Gangi. The trail beyond Gangi is treacherous. My heart didn’t stop panting as I had to take the hell of my friend to cross the boulder region. They say the hardest climb offers the best views. And I am not lying. You do get to witness the astonishing views of snow capped mountains and lake -Bhimtal and Sahasratal. This is the basecamp of Kharsoli. It  is at the confluence of Bhilan Ganga. The campsite of Kharsoli is adorned with blooming meadows. The JOURNEY has been thrilling so far. I was too pumped up for the fifth day. Everyday is a surprise. I left behind the meadows of Kharsoli and started my trek Chowki to Tambakund. You can see the astounding views of Thalay Sagar and Khatling Glacier. I couldn’t stop myself photographing this beautiful glacier. It was shimmering in the light and my eyes caught the glimpse of the melting ice of the Khatling Glacier. I spent almost an hour taking photos of that place and huge the vast grasslands of the campsite. Today’s sceneries made my day. Though I was very tired , the adrenaline rush was soaring very high. I was just 8km away from Masar Tal . The trail is along the bank of the river. I came across boulders, grasslands, and rivers. As you go higher, the lush green grasslands of Chowki is visible. This trail is used by the shepherds which further leads to Marsar Tal. There is one trekking route . It is is known as Auden’s Col. It is a high altitude mountain pass located at an elevation of 5400m. Aiden’s col trek is regarded as one of the most toughest routes in the Indian

Himalayas. It is done by experienced Trekkers and mountaineering. This trek is definitely in my bucket list. Marsar is a jaw dropping lake relatively unknown to many trekkers. Imagine waking up to a beautiful view surrounded by the undulating valleys amidst the turquoise blue lake. Every adventurer would want to experience such magical moments.  I kept one day for acclimatization as my body needs rest and get adjusted to the height. The trail gets really tough from Masar Tal crossing Mayali Pass. I was nervous , my hands were all sweaty. I was exhausted and tired, already. There is a steep ascent which would take one hour cutting through icy surface. I had to be very careful while crossing.  All the pain that ihad gone ws worth it . At the top , the views were mind blowing. From the snow covered mountains, green grasslands, glaciers, snow meadows, it was a picture perfect. We kept gawking at the mountain peaks of My Thalay Sagar, Kedardom, Bhartekuntha. The area is risky as one has to watch out for every step. Landslides can occur at any point of time.  The summit of Mayali Pass will overshadow all the pain. I never liked descending, because it hurts my knee. This time the descend was hard. The descend was towards the Vasukital. We had encounter the hailstorm which , I had written before beginning the story. All thanks to the shepherd, who helped in giving food and shelter. In two hours we reached Vasuki Tal. It was believed that Lord Krishna 's name Vasuki resembled Vasuki. I didn’t even think for a moment , I pitched my tent and went to sleep. Hard days are gone, the next days’ trek was from Vasuki Tal to Kedarnath.  It is a moderate ascent followed by a descent. Kedarnath is visible after the climb It is regarded as one of the holy pilgrimages of India. I kept walking towards Gauri Kund. This place is  dedicated to Goddess Gauri wife of Lord Shiva. There is myth behind this place. It is a hot water spring and   Gauri lived in this place to get love from Lord Shiva and then he admitted his love to her . The trek ends here , and I cherished so many memories. Headed back home from Rishikesh taking along with many memories . Mayali pass  will always be engraved in my heart forever. left me amazed .