Buran Ghati : The best of Himalayan Meadows

“with house nowhere, I belong everywhere” I was eating through the pages of “The shooting star” by Shivya Nath, experiences of modern day digital nomad and her travel throughout the globe when pilot made announcement of landing on Chandigarh airport.

 Flight from Pune to Chandigarh was through cloud and turbulences and I could see the reason why, when we landed in Chandigarh, murky river and water filled fields were sight which I was not used to seeing in north Indian city at this time of the year, we knew our trek is not going to be rain free.

“Depression has been formed in Indian ocean causing untimely heavy rains” Vikram supplied the information, rainfall pattern had been weird this year otherwise this late into the September we should only be getting clear sky and warm afternoon up in the hills.

We were in Chandigarh and on the way to Shimla for our Buran ghati trek with Indiahikes, trek rated as one of the most beautiful meadows trek, but with weather like this we didn’t knew what to expect.

Day 0: Shimla to Janglik

We were following the news since last day and it was not encouraging, heavy rains were predicted in next 48 hours in nearby mountain areas of Shimla and Manali. Indiahikes had arranged the vehicles for us, group of 22 set off for a long 8 hours journey to Shimla to janglik, the road was scenic but not exactly comfortable, incandescent rains had caused landslides and rivers were overflowing on roads in some areas thankfully the local drivers knew shortcuts and had amazing control over their vehicles with otherwise tires so flat can only be used for ice skating.

By the time we reached janglik after 10 hours of drive and a small hike of 1-2km, rain had intensified, We were put up in a comfortable homestay , this is where we were first introduced with our calm headed trek lead Braham ( not bhram :P) 

Shimla

Bridge collapse near janglik due to heavy rains

diversion

Day 1: Janglik (9200Ft )

Woke up to the sound of heavy rain, it had been raining continuously since last night and hasn’t stopped for a minute. We caught up with Braham over early morning customary black lemon team. “Red alert has been issued, all the treks in the area have been halted, for next 48 hours heavy rains are predicted, they have already caused havoc near Manali so we cannot move today”, and we went back to the comforts of our rajai.

We used rest of the day to get to know each other well, played some games, we were a mixed group from 18 to 50 yrs however gelled well at the end of the day.

We also had international representation, Eleen - Duncan & Jake – Marlo were on the exploration trip to India and were trekking in Himalayas for the first time.

Finally in the evening rain halted for a while and we had a chance to explore janglik village and typical himachali built Jakh temple. We prayed for clear weather.

With whatever internet connection we could get Ninad checked the weather status on his WeatherBug app and announced that we will have clear weather from tomorrow morning, Braham had got the similar tip from the indiahikes main office that we can expect clear weather from tomorrow onwards and some rain fall is expected on day 4. The news was encouraging, having used our buffer day well we were all set for trek next day.

getting to know each other

Jakh Devta Temple in Janglik

Day 2: Janglik ( 9200ft) to Dayara Thatch (11,075Ft)

Woke up to the clear skies and some sunlight, it felt nice after 2 days of continuous rain and gloomy weather, the waterfalls which were looking monstrous on the nearby hill tops and the river thunder had slightly mellowed now, sign that it hasn’t rained much since last night.

After a healthy breakfast of paratha’s and subji we were all set for the walk, there were few clouds in the sky but they were largely blue hence we had nothing to immediately worry about.

Braham introduced our technical guides, Kuku Negi and Vijendra from Janglik village, and after briefing of dos and don’ts and few tips about how to use trek pole, adjust rucksack, we started our walk out of the janglik village towards dayara campsite.

Today we would be gaining around 2400ft of height while walking through the dense jungle and meadows, usual sights on the Buran ghati trek. After an hour into the walk we had left janglik behind, passed charangchu meadow and were approaching the pine forest. Rains had created many small streams and mud patches which in a way enhanced the beauty of already amazing “Simbar Forest”. Sun was shining through forest patches and it was creating a beautiful spotlights on green moss covered rocks and the setting was just too surreal, sad that we had to cover it quickly and reach the campsite else the forest was worth spending entire day in it.

Simbar forest finally opens up in a meadow at 10Kft , you can see the tree line thinning now , rock made shepherd’s hut and sheep herd made for a picturesque settings , a gradual walk from here , a stream crossing and a short but steep hikes takes you to another meadow at 10700ft, this is where first time you can see the end of Buran valley , a snow clad mountains forming a wall at a distance ,”to the left of those mountains is where the pass is , to the right from there is another galli (narrow ridge) which connects to the rupin pass , we also use Gunash pass ( 16kft) often as well but it usually opens up in Oct - Nov” Kuku bhaiya was supplying us all the information while few were busy gazing at the huge griffin vultures flying right above our heads probably going after the sheep / horse carcass we had seen on the way.

After taking some much-needed break in shining and comforting sunlight we were back walking again, gradual ascent of few hundred feet is where the valley opens up and shows the vast expanse of buran ghati meadows and tiny yellow indiahikes tents at the base of a mountain, Dayara campsite was now well within reach.

Took us another hour or so as we steadily reached the campsite, breathing in the beauty of the meadows, clicking photos and were greeted with a lemon juice.

We were about to get comfortable near out tents, sunbathing when like an alarm went off clouds gathered in the valley from nowhere and it started pouring in, all the weather predictions had gone for a toss. For next 3 hours it rained so heavily that we couldn’t even think of getting out of our tents. Many cuddled in the dinner tent itself to seek warmth and protection from rains and winds.

Finally after the nightfall, rains retired for the day and we could see moon shining behind the clouds, much needed relief for the drenched souls. Thankfully it did not rain after that and we could enjoy the comforts of hot food and sweet kheer served to us.

Simbar forest

Shephard's Hut

Dayara Campsite

Day 3: Dayara ( 11,075 ft) to Litham ( 11,737ft)

Today would be shortest of all the days, weather in morning looked promising, there was no sign of even a single cloud it was all blue, it was just 3 hrs gradual walk to the litham camp site.

The entire walk was through the meadow parallel to the pabbar river flowing in the valley nearby, clear weather meant we could take it slowly. Total height gain for today was not more than 400-600ft hence it was like a nice stroll in the meadows.

Lithum is arguably the most beautiful campsite in the entire buran ghati trek, snowclad mountains to the east, besides the pabbar river and surrounded by hilltops in other directions.

Everyone made appropriate use of the shining sun, few took the sun bath, few went for the long walks and we decided to try hands at addictive game of rock balancing.

Weather gods were finally smiling at us, the next day was supposed to be sunny as well but we expected showers a day after, we did fiddle with the idea of skipping the next day which was exploration day to chandranahan lake and instead reach Dhunda campsite and cross the pass before the weather gets bad but after discussions with local experts Braham decided that we will go as per the plan , do chandranahan the next day and cross the path once the bad weather day is over.

The griffon Vulture

Lord Nitin Tidke

Ninad Bartakke

Litham Campsite

when it rains dont miss the sunset , it would be the most colorful

Rock Balancing

                    

Day 4: Litham(11,737ft) to Chadranahan lake ( 13400ft) and back

Chandranahan (Chandra = moon, nahan =bath) at the height of 13400ft was an ideal acclimatization hike before we take on the mighty buran pass. The weather prediction was a sunny day and indeed it was as there was no sign of even a single cloud in the turquoise blue sky.

The legend of the lake says once Shiva went for a swim and lost his crested moon in the lake hence the name however the name could well be due to the reflection of moon visible during full moon day.

After regular warming exercises we started the steep hike, Kukku bhai had chosen an exposed track to avoid river crossing but it was proving to be difficult for few hence it took us some time before we crossed the exposed track and landed at the base of chandranahan waterfall after 2 hours.

An hour later we had crossed the 13kft barrier and we were on top of the waterfall with majestic snow peaks in front of us, lake was just few minutes from here.

Size of lake disappointed many but the snow peaks reflecting in the clear glacial lake waters were breathtaking, there are 6 small lakes, we were at the biggest one drinking it’s refreshing cold water while listening to the lake’s legend from vijendra.

After first few days of rain, for the first time we had a bright shining sun above our head and beautiful site in front but we reluctantly had to start our descent for campsite, lunch was waiting for us.

It took us around 2-3 hours to descend , we had to hurry as the clouds were gathering and as soon as we reached the campsite it started raining , unpredictable Himalayan weather was again unleashing its wrath on us but by now we had got used to it , we gathered around in dinner tent , listened to Braham’s travel stories and learned to use oxygen cylinder in case of emergency , rains had stopped after a while , having gorged on tasty kheer and amazing food we were all set to go back to the comforts of our sleeping bags.

chandranahan fall

Chandranahan lake

Gene Delheye

At litham camp site, in the evening we saw another single man tent pitched nearby and a tall old man was walking around chatting with Madhavi, in matter of time we would know everything about him. “He is from Belgium and has been solo trekking in Himalayas for last 20 years” Madhavi supplied the information.

Braham had invited Gene for dinner where we had a chance to interact with him , “I left Belgium 20 years back and since then I have trekked solo in India , Nepal , Baltistan and Tibet , I have been in india for last 12 years now” , soft spoken gene was answering our questions, most obvious of it was how he funds his travels “I was a bartender back in Belgium , had saved enough that helps” he was clearly not used to so much chatting and crowd but was probably used to such questions. Next one was how he stays fit, evident as Gene has covered distance from Janglik to Lithum in one day which took us 2 days, “I do yoga and I swim in lakes”, gene must be 50+ but was fitter than any 20-year-old.

Next day we saw gene leaving chandranahan hike in his shorts while we waited for sun and some warmth in bitter mountain cold, after chandranahan he was going to stay in Dhunda, our next campsite. After buran pass, gene was coming back for Rupin pass as well.

It’s amazing what drives people to trek solo in such extreme areas, equipped with a small tent, stove and minimum essentials this “Belgium Bhai” as kukku bhai called him has been wandering in these mountains, swimming in its lakes for past 20 years

Gene Braham and Ninad

Day 5: Lithum ( 11757 ft) to Dhunda ( 13300ft)

We decided to start little early than usual as there was a forecast of rain in the afternoon, considering how well it rained yesterday when it was supposed to be bright sky we did now wanted the risk of being caught in torrential rains at 13kft.

Dhunda would be our advance base camp before we take on the mighty pass the next day, from litham we continued our walk towards the mountain wall we have been seeing from day 1, Litham to dhunda would be about 4-5kms walk and a small hike of around 1000ft, Dhunda is almost at the same height as chandranahan lake hence the acclimatization hike was important.

After two hours of following the river bed, crossing streams as Kukku bhai and Vijendra created those man-made bridges, we reached a point at the end of the basin, “Dhunda is just behind this hill” Kukku bhai pointed as we saw our mules and porters on top already.

As we began our ascend, it started raining, Ponchos came out, in a while rains turned into hell storms but slowly and steadily we managed to reach the top , our yellow tents were shining in otherwise foggy surroundings.

As we settled in, rains intensified, hell storms turning more violent now. I have not seen hail storming of such proportion before, it was like western Ghats monsoon rains in form of hailstorms. Everyone looked concerned, in such conditions if we will be able to do the pass tomorrow, what if it continues snowing through the night, few positive souls asked, “can we rappel down tomorrow” after all buran ghati is famous for its quick descend after pass and its snow slides. While we were busy cursing nature for not providing us the good weather, nature was at work outside making next day easier for us but we would only find it out the other day

We stayed in dinner tent for next 3 hours almost and when we came out it was dark and our tents hidden in snow, we could see the pass glowing in moon shine “It’s good that it snowed, it would be easy tomorrow” Kukku bhai smiled, we were busy shaking our tents so that we could get in.

Kukku Bhai and vijendra building bridge

View from dhunda campsite

Hail Storming

After few hours

Day 6: Dhunda ( 13300ft) to River Camp ( 11,800ft) via Buran pass ( 15000ft)

Like all pass / summit days we were to start before sunrise, woke up at 3, tea was ready at 4 and we were to leave by 5 but it was difficult to do all your chores in such cold conditions hence we were running late by half an hour.

Braham had purposefully created a line up with slower trekkers in front and with strict instructions that no one would leave his rank and overtake other. This would keep the average group pace low but we would be steady.

After an hour into ascend we could see the peaks in the back receiving first rays of sun, it was a beautiful sight but a warning for us that we must hurry. The fresh powdered snow which we were walking on was very supportive of ascend but once the sun comes out and it starts melting we would be walking on a glass floor , we had to hurry , but now we were at 14000ft and each step was tiring , front was slowing down and suddenly we heard Christmas carols playing, Canadians and aussies had taken up the job of motivating the group ,were singing and cheering everyone up , Christmas carol and “Jai mata di “ did inspire us to march on but there was still a long way to go.

Distances are so deceiving in high mountains, pass which looked very nearby was draining every ounce of energy we had in store but finally after 4 hours of hard work we were just few meters away from the summit.

Smiles all around as we reached the pass, had first view of kinnaur valley and dhauldhar range ahead of us, my garmin GPS was reading 14268ft, as per documents the pass is at 15000ft but it could be the other top of the pass not sure however garmin had been showing 600ft less that the height mentioned in indiahikes website.

The difficult part however was yet to begin, snow had helped us ascend but would prove to be an issue on descend, Kukku bhai was leading and started descending from what seemed to be impossible point. With just white blanket of snow ahead of us, we had no clue where to place our foot, most of us were walking in ankle deep snow for the first time and we were soon to realize the horror of it.

Kukku bhai had instructed us to dig in heel first and then rest of the foot, we have done many exposed routes in sahyadri before so exposure is not new to us but difference between those sahyadri routes and buran pass is that no matter how exposed the route is back home, you could see the route ahead and know where to put your feet but when you are walking on the blanket of snow you have no idea where you should be putting your next feet.

At the beginning of the descent I was confident and was doing good suddenly my left foot sunk in till the knee length and I was down on my bum, before I could realize what’s happening I was at the edge, and snow under me was sliding, I could see kukku bhai trying to run towards me as I hold on to my trek pole tightly, fortunately pole worked as anchor and prevented further slide as I got up to my feet. My heart was racing at speed of light now, took a sip of water to calm down as I glanced to my right, spot where my slide was halted was almost the edge, few centimeters more and I would have fallen straight 3000-4000 ft down, it was game over. Reality of how dangerous the snow is stuck me. Few others had had similar realization by now, I could see Abhishek struggling as he was not carrying the trek pole and had nothing for the support.

We were a large group, we had 4 technical leads for our help but I could see only kukku bhai running around, “Where are others?” we asked, Vijendra was supporting the group at back, I could see Raju da and other technical guy at some distance, descending quickly with a porter, “Guys we need your help here” we had to shout so they could help us. This turned out to be the scariest descend for most of us, we may have never concentrated so much on anything, now we were taking each and every step with a caution, we had no ropes to rappel (or they were not brought out, for next 2 hours we fought with the snow and demons within.

Finally, as we reached the flat plateau I could see relief on everyone’s face, ice field was not over yet but we were now safe from the sliding snow. Happiness of completing the pass has long vanished, we just wanted to be out of the ice field by now.

One by one entire group reached safely and smiles were back as we continued our descend towards the river camp which was visible at a far distance. Sun was shining and snow was melting, we were now walking on the glass floor, slippery and hard. Took us another hour and a half to get out of the snow field, loose rocks felt a lot better option to tackle then.

Descend of around 4kft from the pass to river camp was testing our feet and knees but the thought of reaching the comforts of the campsite was reassuring so we kept at it.

Around 1 AM hail storming started again but we knew it wouldn’t last long as we move deeper into the kinnaur valley, relatively less precipitation prone than meadows of buran ghati, and like we assumed, it did stop after a while.

After 4 hours of tiring descend we reached the river camp, we had finally conquered the buran pass.

We had a special dinner of Gulab jamun and soya bhaji, while it continued raining outside, we shared our experiences, Braham had distributed the certificates but what we gained during the trek was lot more than that. Weather was adverse but we were adamant, while it kept raining outside, we kept our smiles intact, when going got tough we inspired and supported each other. 22 different people were now a one unit. Adversity brings people together.

dhunda campsite 

Buran Pass

Kinnaur valley as seen from buran pass

Day 6: River camp ( 11800ft) to Barua ( 6800ft)

On every Himalayan trek for first two days you will always feel “why these hardships , why not go back to the comforts” and on the final day invariably you feel “why go back , why not stay back here , its so peaceful” , same was the feeling on last day , we would be descending about 6000ft towards the civilization now , from tomorrow onwards , no tents no ascends or descend we would be back to the comforts of our home but none seemed to be happy about it , sorrow of going back to the boring desk jobs was seen on everyone’s face , well not everyone few fortunate souls like our foreigner friends still had few weeks to wander around in india and Nepal and Madhavi was all set for her 1 month volunteering in kasaul.

Going back was harder than the pass itself, we tried to soak in the beauty of the route as much as we could for one last time.

The route leads through beautiful silver birch trees for a while and then further descend into local shepherd meadows before disappearing again in the thick autumn colored jungle.

3 hours into the descend after the forest cover you can start seeing signs of civilization and barua village

Takes another hour as you move past gorging kinnauri apples right off the tree and reach barua village where the vehicles are waiting for the further journey till Shimla.

Everyone says good byes and promises to meet in Shimla again for the afterparty , trek officially ends but not the journey , everyone by now knows “Mountains will call you back !!”

Morning view from River Camp

Silver Birch Trees

Autumn is coming

Kinnauri apples

Barua Village