Tomichan Matheikal's blog

Maggie and I on the way to Hemkund Trekking in the Garhwal Himalayas is both fun and adventure. Thanks to the school in Delhi where I taught for a considerable period of my life, I got opportunities to climb many a peak in the Himalayas along with groups of young students. The best was the Hemkund trek. Hemkund is a glacial lake that lies about 15,000 feet (4572 metres) above sea level in the Himalayas. It’s a Sikh pilgrimage centre dedicated to the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh (1666-1708). There is a gurudwara on the bank of the lake. It is a two-day trek for ordinary folk who are not professional trekkers in the mountains. You climb about three-fourth of the total distance on day one. The trek starts from Joshimath, the place that was in news two years ago because of the catastrophic floods and landslides that wreaked unprecedented havoc in the mountains. Joshimath itself is at an altitude of 6150 feet (1875 metres). Our bus carried us up to Joshimath from where we started the trek...

It was the autumn of 2004.  Along with a few colleagues including my wife, I went on my first trekking in the Garhwal Himalayas. The school where we worked gave us that opportunity.  We took a group of higher secondary students to Hemkund. Walking up 14,200 feet (4320 metres)in the Devabhoomi on the Himalayas is a soul-stirring experience.  A cosy bus carried us from Delhi to Joshimath (a little less than 500 km) via Rishikesh and Rudraprayag.  The journey from Joshimath to Govind Ghat (22 km) is also by bus but it was breathtaking journey for us.  The road was very narrow and the sides were steep in most places.  I don’t know the present situation.  There were moments which made us gasp in anxiety. With Margret, my wife, at Govind Ghat The beginning of the Trek The trek begins from Govind Ghat.  Tighten your backpack and get going.  It’s a whole day’s climb to Ghangaria depending on the climbing power in your muscles as...

From NIM, Uttarkashi “I’M IN MY PRIME, THERE’S NO GOAL TOO FAR / NO MOUNTAIN TOO HIGH,” says a quote from Wilma Rudolf, displayed on the campus of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) at Uttarkashi in the Uttarakhand state of India.      Uttarkashi was the base camp of our Himalayan trekking simply because our tour manager has a resort in that place.   The resort consists of permanent tents which look like temporary ones.   The look is important.   We live in a world that gives much importance to looks.   The hospitality, however, was of 5-star standard.   The resort can indeed boast of a high standard.   My students were happy with the facilities provided there.   They love appearances.   Illusions are real at the age of 16 or 17. Our bus backtracked from here What I wanted, however, was the rough trekking and the challenge it would provide to my aging body.   We started our journey from the star-class re...