It all started with a Ruskin Bond essay about Tungnath and its ladder of heaven. Reading through his countless short stories and essays back in school, I would often stumble upon mesmerizing accounts of snowy peaks and quaint hamlets in the mighty Himalayas and form mental images of these remote places. But Tungnath and Deoria Tal were exceptional in the way they captured Bond’s imagination and mine through him. I may have consciously put my yearning for these places aside but the thoughts kept coming back from time to time- pushing me back to the road that snakes along the Ganga, higher and higher.
Most travellers will suggest to do it in one go- Deoria Tal, Tunganth and Chandrashila, in that order but when you have a full time and demanding job like mine, taking out 5 days together can be tough or should I say next to impossible. Hence, I decided to do it, one at a time, taking not more than 3 days off work at once, thus making 2 trips in less than 8 months.
In April of 2015, I set out on my first trip to Deoria Tal. Nestled atop an 8000 ft hill, this lake is surrounded by thick forest on one side and snow covered peaks on the other three. One of these peaks is the imposing Chaukhamba whose reflection can be seen in the waters of the lake during the day.
This phenomenon is a nature photographer’s delight and one can see several tripods lined along the shore on a good weather day. We started our journey from Delhi on a state roadway bus which brought us to Rishikesh by evening. It was almost dark by the time we got there and were forced to abandon the idea of continuing further uphill. After getting some rest in a small hotel in the city market, we started early next morning for Sari, the village which was to be our last road head before beginning the trek. Unfortunately that morning, there were no jeeps/trekkers plying uphill and we had to turn to the bus. Typically the trekkers move faster and are marginally more comfortable, naturally being the
first preference for less hardy travellers like ourselves. The bus began its uphill climb from Rishikesh, along the winding road we call NH58 with Ganga flowing all along. As we passed one little village after another, the air became cooler and the scenery more breathtaking. I cannot recall the number of times I have travelled along this road but each time is a treat unto itself. Our next stop was Srinagar where we changed buses to continue our onward journey to Rudraprayag and then further towards Ukhimath. On the way to Ukhimath, the bus became smaller and more crowded. As a result, the two of us found ourselves cramped up in a corner with another young couple who were headed for Chopta. They were nearly our age and it was a relief to meet someone nearly as crazy as us. After having changed transport 4 times in 14 hours on the road, we were tired and somewhat irritated (at least my co-passenger was). On the bus, we googled about camping arrangements near Sari so we could camp overnight at the lake and luckily enough we stumbled upon the legendary ‘Mr. Negi’ of Deoria Tal fame. Mr. Heera Sing Negi runs a small guest house for tourists in Sari along with camping equipment rental. He offered us a night of camping on the shore of the little lake and meal for two from a small dhaba which is located just outside the camping grounds for a sum of 1800 INR. Without much thought, we decided to head straight for Sari.
Upon our arrival in Sari around 4 pm in the noon, we were greeted by Mr. Negi and his family. He told us how he was the first choice among campers at Deoria Tal and had been in this business for long. The equipment he offered was basic- a tent for two, 2 sleeping bags and 2 mats. The sky was clear and there was little chance of rain which gave us confidence and we decided to camp after all. After some tea and chit chat, Mr. Negi’s son asked us to follow him up the mountain trail which was going to take us to the lake. This trail is cobbled for the most part, thus making it easier to climb in regular sports shoes.
There are mules available on hire for those who are unable to climb themselves. There are several vantage points on the way up where you can stop to catch your breath and feast your eyes on the spectacular views. You will need these pitstops as the climb is steep and a young healthy individual could take upto 2 hr to complete the trek.
By the time we reached the top, it was almost dark. So we decided to pitch our tent as quickly as possible. Our guide gave us his torch before leaving which proved to be very helpful as it gets completely dark up there once the sun has set. There were other tents around but the light coming from them was not at all illuminating. Not only had it gotten dark but the cold also started creeping in on us. We pulled out our sweats and jackets and rolled out our sleeping bags. At this point, we decided to open the Red label we had carried with us so carefully. We mixed our drinks in plastic water bottles for the lack of anything like a glass and sipped on them while time ceased to exist. As we reminisced over childhood memories and complained about overprotective parents, we began to feel hungry and were reminded of the dhaba where a simple but heart-warming meal awaited us. The meal we had that night was simple but nutritious. Dal, roti and sabzi made us contented and we were ready to call it a night. After all it had been a long and tiring journey so far. After dinner, we came back to our tent in the pitch dark using just the light from the torch, got in our sleeping bags and dozed off.
What we witnessed the next morning can hardly be described in words. Bring on all possible filters in your DSLRs and iphones but you cannot rival what we beheld in our eyes that morning. Having arrived after dark at our camping site, we had not been able to assess the quantum of beauty that lay around. In a way, I would say it worked for us, the feeling of waking up to such heart-breaking beauty is indescribable. In front of us lay the mighty snowcapped Chaukhamba and several other peaks. On our right were the crystal clear waters of Deoria Tal and right behind us was a dense forest of Oak trees.
Rhodendrons were in full bloom and could be seen all around. Along with the red, there were several shades of white, pink among others.
The weather was cold but the scenery warmed us up inside. We took a stroll around the lake and even got up on an observation deck on the other end of the lake. From here, you get a 300 degree panoramic view of the Himalayan range and a multitude of bird sightings.
Most of these birds were unknown to us but their brilliant hues will remain etched in our minds for a very long time. After an array of selfies and much fresh air in our lungs, we returned to our tent and began to pack up. Before heading back, we stopped for a quick bite at the same dhaba and this time around we were treated to aloo parathas.
As we trekked our way down from the lake, I remembered a quote from Kipling – “That is the true smell of the Himalayas, and if once it creeps into the blood of a man, that man will at the last, forgetting all else, return to the hills to die.” I don’t know about death but I had to return in less than 8 months, once again to these hills, this time to romance the highest shrine dedicated to Shiva- Tungnath.
HOBOinkaps 