18 September

We leave our Harsil base early in the morning by Gypsy, having despatched the porters we brought with us from Uttarkashi, by the local bus. Our Gypsy winds up the Bhagirathi valley, and the route gets quite steep in patches. About a half hour later, we arrive at the bridge of the Jadh Ganga, a major tributary of the Ganga, and as I drive across it, I recall what Major Abbey said. Stopping, I peer over the edge of the metal beams and suddenly feel a hollowness  in the area of my stomach cavity! A sense of nothingness prevails till finally my eyes focus on the ribbon-like river below, so far that I can barely see the large boulders lining the riverbank. Surely one of the highest drops from any bridge anywhere! I quickly focus back on the track and we drive on to Gangotri, reaching in another half hours' time.

Here, we recruit another two porters, and meanwhile instruct the present chaps to get their last hearty dhaba meal. While we distribute the loads and specially the heavy Betacam television equipment, the porters argue about each one's load being heavier than the others'. Since it is already evening, we all start marching out of town quickly, cross the roaring Ganga at a bridge across the Gaurikund falls, and start making our way down the valley, through the deodar forest. Within an hour, just as the sun's last rays begin to falter, we choose a suitable campsite in the open deodar forest's understory, and pitch the tents. Since there seems to be no water nearby, two porters are sent with a flashlight to fill the jerrycan, while two others search around for dry firewood; soon we have a roaring deodar wood fire, the heavy resinous fragrance of the Himalayan cedar being carried up over the treetops and wafted down the valley. The sky is clear and the moon soon rises to illuminate the scene of our baked beans and sausages dinner, in the orange glow of the campfire. Back in our sleeping bags, we doze off to a restful night's sleep.

Previous Next