Uttarakhand 87
in plenty. I have seen Bharals in hundreds, negotiating sheer rock
faces or crossing the ridges.
Ascent on the sources of Ganga
From Gaumukh onwards, I have ventured journey on two
occasions, one towards Tapovan and then undertaken an ascent
on right shoulder of the Shivling, upto a height of 19,500 ft. The
area beyond Gaumukh, after crossing the ridge, the entire scenery
is exceptionally beautiful. There is a big even ground which is inter-
sected with small streams and in the background of which lies
magnificent peak of Shivling. A little ahead is Kedarnath dome,
the climb to which consists of crossing big crevasses. We
halted at Tapovan, in the lap of Shivling and had three memorable
days of climbing there. The climb upto right shoulder of Shivling
was a memorable feat. From the top we could glance on the
other side of the valley and see magnificent range rising over
Chaturangi Glacier.
Ascent on Bhagirathi group of peaks
It was in the year 1968 when we marched quickly upto
Harsil and from Gangotri to Gaumukh. At Gaumukh we
had intensive training of ice and snow craft. We did scrambling
on the rocks and enjoyed the evenings with campfire. After
having fully acclimatised ourselves we proceeded determined
onwards on our journey. The trek from Gaumukh to
Nandan Van is very difficult. It lies overs heer rocks and
huge boulders. While we walked and walked we had crossed
Chaturangi and Rakta Varna Glacier. As we moved on, we
saw Shivling and Kedarnath dome from different angles. The
other peaks visible at close range were Karchha Kund, Chauk-
hamba, Bhagirathi sisters, Bharat Kuntay, BhrighuPanth and
numerous other peaks. We could see the vast plains of Tapovan
which we crossed last year.
We halted at Nandan Van which was at a height of 15,000 ft.
The colours and dramatic change from sunset to night and the
appearance of noon which we viewed there is unforgettable. The
wonderful moonrise behind the Bhagirathi can be put into words
only by a celebrated poet, like Kalidas. Next morning, we got
up early and left for Vasuki Tal. This part of the trek was easier