Latest News From Himalayas: Successful Start For Goechala Trek, Snow A...

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Latest News From Himalayas: Successful Start For Goechala Trek, Snow At Har Ki Dun, Clear Weather On All Treks

Category News

By Aditya Shankar

2018-04-28

“No news is good news” – says an age-old English proverb.

On the contrary, at Indiahikes we believe in spreading the correct news rather than staying silent.

We believe information has a vital role in prepping up a trekker.

A trekker must be informed of latest weather patterns and trekking routes of a trek. We support them with expert bits of advice from our trek leaders and guides and testimonials from our trekkers.

It is along these lines that we bring to you the latest from all our active treks.

What will you find in this week’s updates:

1. A successful season start for Goechala trek in Sikkim.

2. Latest News and  Photos from all our current treks.

3. Link to the best Trekking articles of the week

4. Bonus: 3 Important Trekking Tips for your high-altitude trek

Goechala

This much-awaited trek in Sikkim opened to trekkers early last week. Trekkers had a fun time walking on the beautiful Rhododendron-lined forest trails. They even had a brilliant view of the big mountain peaks.

Here are a few pictures from the trek.

Rhododendrons like these make the entire trail a view to behold. Picture By: Harpreet Singh

The picture-perfect views on the trail to Goechala

The first group of trekkers pose with the ‘Done’ flag at 16,200 ft.

Har Ki Dun

It’s snowing as usual at Har Ki Dun

Throughout last month this trek has had regular snowfall. The trek’s geography favours snowfall till late April or early-May.

Last week was no different – trekkers had good snow on the trail. The beautiful campsite of Har Ki Dun is surrounded by mountains and has a stream (now frozen) flowing right beside it.

Priyash, our trekker from last week sends us these photos.

The scenic campsite of Har-Ki-Dun as usual in its snowy avatar. Picture By: Priyash

The trail to Har Ki Dun marked by clear mountain views. Picture By: Priyash

Kedarkantha

Clear Views, Good Weather

Our decision to run Kedarkantha for an extended time period has worked out well for trekkers. April-May is actually a very good time for this trek.

Trekkers are having a great time on this trek soaking themselves in vast clearings and picture perfect campsites.We will share photos from this trek as soon as our team reaches the network zone.

Sandakphu

The Trek That Has It All

If you haven’t yet seen our photos of Sandakphu trek from last few weeks you should see them now.

April is the season for Rhododendron flowers as the entire trail lights up in the reddish hue. The weather has been favourable with clear mountain views. Here are few photos from the trek:

Trekkers make their way through deep forest trails.

The beautiful Rhododendron forests on the Sandakphu trail.

Pangarchulla

The Other Side Of Pangarchulla

Time and again we have shown you the tough, rocky patch of Pangarchulla.

But there’s another side to this trek. On the first 2-3 days of the trek, you can see lush greenery of the meadows of Auli. The scenic Tali Lake before reaching Chitrakantha is a sight to behold.

The entire trek passes through Nanda Devi sanctuary and is marked with beautiful mountain views.

A picture perfect screenshot of Tali Lake on the way to Pangarchulla peak.

Furthermore, because of the reduction in snow cover at Gailgad – our trekkers can now camp for the night at Gailgad. They can rest for the night before they start for the final ascent to Pangarchulla peak, early next morning. Trek Leader Samkit informs us that the issue of drinking water availability has also been resolved.

Kuari Pass

Less Snow, Clearer Views

Last week this trek was covered in few feet of snow. See this picture from 4 days ago

Trekkers make their way through the snow-covered trails of Kuari Pass Trek. Picture shot on 23 April

As per our latest conversation with Trek Leader Samkit Jain today most of the snow has melted and the weather has become favourably sunny.

There’s still a drop in night-time temperatures. Don’t forget to take your warm clothes, since snowfall at high altitudes can occur unannounced.

Kheerganga Buni-Buni Pass

When was the last time you went on a 3-day weekend trek and came back feeling accomplished for doing a high-altitude trek?

That’s Buni-Buni pass for you. A trek that gives you the perfect taste of high altitude trekking in Himachal Pradesh.

The weather is perfect. All trekkers from our last few batches have been extremely appreciative of this trek.

We leave you with this photo from the trek sent by our Trek Leader Samkit Jain.

Cattle grazing on the lush green meadows of Buni-Buni Pass campsite. Picture By: Samkit Jain

Dayara Bugyal

The beautiful meadows of Dayara have turned a shade of brown now.

All the snow has melted away but the night time termperatures are still favourably cool. All trekkers are having a great time on the trek.

Our technical guide for the trek – Rahul sent us this photo today from the trek:

The picturesque Dayara campsite in a shade of brown. Picture By : Rahul

Important Trekking Tips For Trekkers:

Are you gearing up for a High-Altitude Trek like Roopkund and Rupin in the coming month of May?

Are you looking for some expert tips (read cheat codes) that can give you a brilliant trek experience?

Don’t worry here are the top 3 tips that you must follow on your trek.

1. Get your warm layers sorted Very Important.

2. Get the basic gear such as Trekking Shoes, Ponchos, Trekking Poles, Backpacks, etc.

3. Get yourself fit – convert your brisk walks to jogs. Target  5 km in under 35 minutes.

Bonus Tip: Keep yourself hydrated all through the trek. Invest in a good quality Hydration Bladder from which you can sip water continuously.

Since most of these treks climb up to 16,000 feet and reach permafrost regions it is imperative that you follow the above tips.

Articles of the Week:

1. Author’s Pick – What Happens to your Body At High-Altitude: Swathi, our Editor writes this informative article demystifying the science behind effects of trekking on human body.

2. How my wife and I did 9 High Altitude Treks With Our Baby: Anirban Banerjee writes this beautiful article showcasing his inspirational story of trekking with his wife and their daughter, Tista.

3. 6 Practical Ways Of Making A Green Model Village: Our Green Trails Fellows from Jaubhari, a small village on the Sandakphu Trek have been doing amazing work. Read this article to know about their efforts.

Keynote Speech By Our Trek Leader Geet Tryambake

Trek Leader Geet called us yesterday and informed about his speech session at Indradhanushya Environment Centre, Mumbai.

Nature Walk Charitable Trust is felicitating him for his extraordinary achievement in trek leading.

We are immensely happy to see this and wish him all the success in life. Trek Leaders like him are a gleaming torch for the trekking community. Here’s an anecdote on him by Vishnu.

“Since his first day in office, he has been very pragmatic about his job. Geet has an amazing eye for detail. One of the few Trek Leaders, who sees a problem, solves it and then informs others on how to go about it. He sets an amazing example for others to follow” – Vishnu Benne, Head – Trek Coordinators Team

What you should do now

1. If you want to see a complete list of treks that we run: Head over to our upcoming treks page. You’ll find help in choosing a Himalayan trek in a specific season.

2. If you want to work with us: Head over to our careers page. We have lots of positions open. We also have lots of applications coming in. So the sooner you apply, the better.

3. If you want to see the 13 best treks of India: Then get our free guide here.

Aditya Shankar

About the author

Aditya Shankar is a Content Manager at Indiahikes. Prior to this job he worked as a Business Consultant for 3 years. His love for the written world and the great outdoors eventually brought him home at Indiahikes. A conversationalist at heart and soul, you can reach him at aditya@indiahikes.com