“It was as if man was not a native of the earth at all but some clumsy intruder. Perhaps the reason we are drawn to mountains was precisely because they were not man’s place at all- Greg Child”
Trishul, the holy trident of lord Shiva, is a peak of the Garhwal Himalayas scaling to a height of 7120 m. Lying southwest to Nanda Devi (7817m) (the highest peak in India) and connected by a narrow crest, Trishul was one of the first Garhwal Himalayas to be climbed and most importantly world’s first ascent of a 7000m peak. Now it remains as the most frequently climbed 7000m peaks in India. Trishul overlooks various valleys, towns, rivers and glaciers consequently attaining a reverend position to the locals. One of these sylvan towns which has retained its primeval beauty and remains virtually unscathed by modern encroachments is Gwaldam.
Gwaldam perched at an altitude of 1960m lies at the border of Chamoli district of Garhwal and Bageshwar district of Kumaon. Thus it commands a magnificent view of both Garhwal Himalayas to the northern side and Kumaon valleys and villages to the south. It has been a popular destination amongst adventure seekers who have used it as base camps for Himalayan explorations
Gwaldam is easiest accessible from Almora-Bageshwar route moving west towards Karnaprayag. It lies40 kms north to Kausani via Baijnath (Famous for its ancient temples). The other option is entering through Garhwal via Rishikesh-Deoprayag-Srinagar-Rudraprayag-Karnaprayag-Tharali and Gwaldam. This route although longer (average speed 20 km/hr) runs along various sources of river Ganges like Bhagirathi, Nandakini and Pindar. The route from Karnaprayag to Gwaldam retraces the Pindar River flowing beneath in a deep gorge till Tharali which gives a serpentine appearance to the whole valley. The whole route passes through thick rainforests of Chamoli and thus it is advisable to drive in light.
After 8 hours of a tortuous road trip from Srinagar, when I finally reached Gwaldam at 5 pm it took me some time to settle down off the inertia. Gwaldam marks with a Bodh Math, Baghtoli village on the northern side and SSB academy campus on southern side. (Irony, with peace at north and war at north) The occasional sounds of firing and cadets moving on the road gave me a cantonment feel which during the colonial era would have been a summer retreat. A small artificial pond can also be noticed on the northern side probably being used as a fish breeding area during the British raj. Luckily for me the GMVN tourist rest house was in the beginning of the town with only few steps to ascend. The rooms were decent with all the basic amenities and good views. They also arrange for food if ordered early. With only 3 options of accomodation in Gwaldam the TRH has enjoyed its monopoly. After dumping my stuff in the room and a small informative chat with the hotel manager I ventured out to explore the virgin land. As it was still early September, Monsoon clouds shrouded the peaks in distance. But keeping a belief in the Mountain karma Theory (In a mountain trip, one should not keep a mountain load of expectations, rather just perform the karma of reaching the right spot and satisfy yourself with whatever visual treats the mountain god has to offer) I trudged forward on a small ridge.
After walking for some distance the Himalayan flora of pine, oaks etc started overpowering the human habitations and all I could see was trees.
That is when Nature struck me with an unparalleled view of the last rays of sun glistening behind the Chamoli hills giving it crowning glory. The sky changed hues from golden to scarlet red and finally to achromatic black studded with stars. It left me wanting for more. After a late dinner and a chat with Mr. Saha the caretaker of the resort I started chalking out the plans for next morning. According to him one can go to villages Mundoli (25kms) and continue to the mysterious Roopkund Lake trek, famous for its human skeletons. But transport facilities being at a standstill due to elections it was difficult to commute. Badahangarhi, a temple shrine located around 6 kms was another good option and I decided to give it a shot. In seasons, the TRH has also 10 day adventure camps undertaken by the government. It comprises of mountaineering skills together with knowledge about ecology of the Himalayan belt.
Hoping for a bright sunny day next morning I got up prior to sunrise. A cold breeze was trying to deter me from going out. But with adequate cover and extra adequate perseverance I went out. And voila! I could see the huge Trishul massif floating partly about the clouds shining like a beacon. I started walking briskly to locate a vantage point for an unobscured view and finally found a hillock. Slowly the other peaks were out of their night robes welcoming the new sun. From west to east one can locate, Nanda Ghunti (6309m), Trishul (7120m), Mrigthuni (6855m) and Maikatoli (6803 m). The recent snowfall had given them a unique look of white streaks running in the midst of blue surface (Hue due to the clouds). The higher peaks were totally snow covered and all of it looked right from a picture postcard.
But my happiness was short-lived and the clouds rising from the valleys below started covering the peaks again. With ample time in my hand, I had a leisure breakfast of egg omelet with local bread and tea, cooked in a traditional way using firewood. This is the best time to chat with the locals as they also prefer to spend the lovely mornings at leisure. Thoroughly refreshed I started moving towards Badahangarhi Temple. Badahangarhi (52 hills) at 2260 m is a temple shrine dedicate to goddess Kali built by the kings of past era. (Evident by the fort remains) It is a 2 km trek from Benatoli which is a 3km drive from Gwaldam towards Tharali. It offers splendid panoramic views of greater Himalayas and katyuri valleys of Kumaon. However as like any other high altitude areas it was under total cloud cover. From Benatoli one can also go to Agyari Mahadev (ancient Shiva shrine) 4 kms trek from Benatoli. Gwaldam nag temple dedicated to serpent gods another 2 hour trail from Benatoli.
Thus gwaldam is a complete package of luxury, spirituality, adventure and especially serene beauty of the Himalayan foothills.
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