’High in the himalayan ranges of Garhwal hills lies an enchanted valley. Here flowerful pastures with clear running streams are set against silver birches and shining peaks. Dew lies thick on the flowers, birds sing in the surrounding forests and the air is charged with floral smells. Hidden from the probing eyes of civilisation the valley remained virgin, untouched for a long time.’
In 1937 Frank S. smith a mountaineer and botanist reached the valley and perhaps he was the one to christen it the valley of flowers.Therafter thousands of trekkers have visited the valley to be enthralled by the its pristine charm.
we were a large group of 25 young trekkers and our destination was Hemkund.We reached Joshimath by road from Delhi taking the delhi -rishikesh=sirinagar-karnaprayag route. At a non descreipt place before Karnaprayag we had to stop for the night because of a major landslide. We were told that the brave men of BRO will come in the morning and remove the large rock which was sitting pretty in the middle of the road with the sole intention of stopping us for a day.There were no hotels around and the only roof available was a cowshed.The owner rented it to us for Rs 20 with the condition that no harm will be done by any of us to the animals.! 1 We had a good nights sleep after the full days bone shaker bus ride.
The next day as promised the rock was removed by the BRO men in an hours time and we moved on to reach Joshimath.
Joshimath to Govindghat is again 20 km by bus.The trek to Gagharia which is about 14 kms away starts from here.This is a pilgrimage route to Hemkund and every few yards there is a shop selling mineral water, biscuits and cold drinks. Half a Km from Gagharia the path divides into two . One leading to Hemkund and the other to the valley.The valley is 3 km from this point. we took the requsite permit on payment of a small fee. One is expected to follow the trekking discipline here keeping in view the ecology of the region. There are a number of places where you have to cross the pashupawati river .The trail passes through thick vegetation.The forests on the higher reaches are full of Birch trees also known as Bhojpatra whose bark was used by the sages to write many of our epics.
The valley stretches over an area of 87sqKms and has about 500 varieties of flowers.One of the rare flowers seen here is the Brahmakamal which is only seen in the higher reaches of himalayas.when the snow melts and the monsoon arrives this part of Garhwal comes alive in full colour. Flowers , orchids , poppies, primulas, calendulas and daisies adorn the earth for miles and miles.The locals told us if we go too far into the valley we may faint due to the fragrance of the flowers which is very strong.The valley is surrounded by snowcapped mountains on all sides as if to protect this valuable gift of nature.
People often come back from the valley and tell us that they havnt seen any flower there and it was a great disappointment.The ideal time to visit the valley in full bloom is august- september.If you are a nature enthusiast , botany student or someone interested in horticulture, or someone who just love flowers you will defenitely cherish the experience of visiting the valley.
It is a four to six hours strenuous climb to Hemkund from Ghagharia.This is not for the weakhearted. One member of our group a healthy looking 25 year old could not climb the last two kms and had to return.At the same time we could see a seventy year old sikh lady walking past chanting ’wahe guru wahe guru’.This is called the triumph of spirit over the body .
When I reached hemkund the weariness of the entire trek was washed away in a second.Is this earth or heaven?Encircled by seven snowclad peaks , the crystal clear water of the lake reflects the entire surroudings.Hemkund is ahigh altitude lake fed by glaciers. Apart from the most revered Gurudara, there is also a Lakhsman temple here. The water in the lake was icy cold and there was no question of taking a bath.We had to leave in half an hour as there was an anouncement over the PA system that one elderly pilgrim breathed his last due to the rarified atmosphere.
The valley of flowers Hemkund visit may be the first introduction of the himalayan ranges to anybody who is not an avid trekker because you need not carry any tents sleeping bag or even a backpack on this trip. Being a pilgrimage route basic logistics is available here.The gurudwaras enroute provide good food and simple accommodation.