A Detailed Photoblog of our trek to Pangarchulla Summit

By
TrekNomads
-
2
1133
pangarchulla summit blog
Pangarchulla trek
Pangarchulla summit trek is easily one of those trails that is well-rounded and poses just the right amount of challenge for trekkers. The trail starts off with lush green and turns into a snowy wonderland. The trail that you follow through the trek also gives you a close-up view of some of the highest peaks of the Garhwal region.

The 9-Day trek started right from the witnessing the Ganga Arati in Rishikesh to trekking in the snow was just an amazing experience. The team that trekked with us was extremely happy that they were able to trek through the challenging trails with ease.

We always believe in knowing when to turn back. A million things could go wrong when you’re in the mountains at a higher altitude, but knowing exactly when to leave the trail and turn back is extremely important and a crucial decision that the trek lead/captain has to take.

We have gained a lot of insights during this trek and made a lot many memories as well.

Click here to read more on our trek to Pangarchulla Summit.

The Pangarchulla Summit Trek is the perfect choice for anyone who wishes to:

  1. Start Trekking in the Himalayas
  2. Take on the thrill of snow-trekking
  3. Capture the diverse terrains of the Gharwal mountains.
  4. Celebrate a special occasion in the mountains!

Highlights of the Trek:

  1. 4 Treks in one trip
  2. 3N camping stay along the trail
  3. Travel via the 5 confluences of River Ganga
  4. Camp along the trail to Kuari Pass
  5. Trek to Khullara and get a glimpse of Pangarchulla Peak
  6. Visit the sacred Badrinath Temple, one of the Char Dham’s
  7. Explore India’s last village Mana
  8. River Rafting in Rishikesh

Click here to read more on our trek to Pangarchulla Summit.

Here’s a detailed photoblog of our trek to Pangarchulla Summit:

Nomads at Lakshman Jhula!
Ganga Aarti at Rishikesh.
View of Devaprayag. Holy confluence of the river Bhagirathi on the left and river Alaknanda on the right which mergers to create River Ganga.
Happy faces witnessing the beauty of Prayag or Holy Confluence of rivers for the first time.
View of Rudraprayag. Holy confluence of the river Mandakini on the left and river Alaknanda on the right.
View of Karnaprayag. Holy confluence of the river Pindari on the left and river Alaknanda on the right.
Chair car ride at Auli.
Our first trek to Taali via Gorson Bugyal.
All happy and excitted for the first trek of the trip.
pangarchulla summit trek
First incline before we hit the forest stretch.
Some fun photo session in the forest area.
Few more inclines before we reach the Gorson Bugyal/meadows.
Quick lunch at Gorson Bugyal.
We cross the Gorson mountain sideways to reach the other side of the mountain.
pangarchulla summit trek
Some small patches of snow on the route. Gorson Bugyal and Auli recieves almost 15-20 ft of snow during the winter season.
We hit some flat routes so that it helps to gain some pace.
Some furry frinends we met on the way.
Crossing some boulder sections.
First view of this beautiful Pangarchulla Peak.
pangarchulla summit trek
Some Altitude details for you on our exact position.
We need to cross this beautiful yet tricky narrow strech which goes across the Gorson mountain.
Some more beautiful views of Pangarchulla peak.

Click here to read more on our trek to Pangarchulla Summit.

Narrow path continues.
So does our trekking.
Beautiful Rhododendrons flowers.
Here the narrow path ends and its a relief.
Old campging site of this trek.
Beautiful views of old camping site as we cross the same.
The beautiful Taali lake. This lake used to be the main source of water for mules/pony which used to get the camping equipment to the old camping site nearby.
Group pose for a photo at Taali Lake.
Another stretch of 15-20 mins before we reach our Taali campsite.
Whenever you check in a hotel, you tend to check the bathrooms. That’s what we are showing you as well.
Our tents pitched and ready before we reached.
Our dining area or tent.
Dinner! And we remind you once again, all this variety at our camp site.
All happy with the arrangements and of course with the hot and tasty food.

Click here to read more on our trek to Pangarchulla Summit.

Morning Sunshine at our campsite.
Breakfast set up before we head out for acclimatisation trek.
Breakfast for the day.
Post breakfast we head out for acclimatisation trek to gain altitude.
Look at these majestic and tall trees.
Trek trail continues and the weather clears up.
Some more beautiful Rhododendrons Flowers.
Such beautiful Rhododendrons Flowers.
How can we not take a photo with these beautiful flowers?
From left Hathi Parvat, Ghoda Parvat, Barmal Peak.
Gorson Top/Peak, Hathi Parvat and Ghoda Parvat
Altitude Analytics with Dronagiri/Dunagiri in the background.
Altitude Analytics with Pangarchulla in the background.
We continue our trek in the beautiful meadows.
Majestic Dronagiri/Dunagiri Peak.
Narrow paths again
Quick break to control your heart rate and catch your breath. We usally suggest participants not to sit while taking a break. It drastically cuts down the heart rate leading to unnecessary problems.
Narrow path continues
Another stretch of Rhododendrons Flowers.
Altitude Analytics!
Just few more mins before we reach Girgad point.
Beautiful Pangarchulla Peak
Altidue Analytics at Girgad point.
Breathtaking views!
Hathi Parvat, Ghoda Parvat, Barmal Peak
Our Nomads at Giragad Point
The majestic Pangarchulla peak definitely stands out.
Inclined climb continues
So does some of the descend climbs
As the day goes by, the sun gets stronger draining you out to your fluids. It is important to take short breaks and keep hydrating yourself.
Snow patch on the route. It was not difficult to walk on this. However, as it was melting, it was very slippery.
Pangachulla Peak and Kuari Pass trek.
Almost reached our lunch break point.
Lunch break with this view.
Shepards with their sheep. We were quite surprised to see this flock so high up in the mounatins.
Post lunch we decided to go back to our campsite at Taali.
Our Nomads walking cautiously on the snow pataches.
Long tail of boys.
A light lunch at the campsite. We are always grateful to our staff who provide us with such nutritious and delicious food during our treks.
Campsite for the night before the summit.
A glimpse of the campsite in the late evening.
All set for the summit trek early in the morning.
Lush green meadows with snow-capped mountains. This trail is filled with wallpaper worthy views!
Waiting for the sunrise.
The sun seeping out on the shoulders of some of the most massive mountains in the Indian Himalayas.
Sunrays on the Pangarchulla peak.
Soaking in the first rays of the sun on a Himalayan trek is one of the most sought-after moment especially after a cold camp night.
We finally see the sunrise.
Taking it one step at a time.
Some more views on the way to the summit.
Inclines along the way.
If you observe carefully, you will see how the terrain constantly changes on this trek making it extremely interesting and adventurous at the same time.
Narrow pathway begins.
Gorgeous carpet of flowers.
A quick lunch break before we proceed towards the summit.
Trekking up to the summit.
Getting closer every step of the way.
How it looks when you trek up to the peak.
Reaching there.
The snow path begins and our Nomads are all equipped with their jackets to keep themselves warm.
Sometimes you have to look back just to see how far you’ve come.
Taking a break.
All in high spirits.
Nearing the peak.
It is challenging, but definitely worth it.
A slopy climb
Details on the altitude.
There are massive boulders along the way.
The terrain here looks completely different.
Our trek guide helped our Nomads climb this steep incline with the help of rope.
Almost there.
A short break and waiting for the group to reassemble.
About 100 meters away from the summit. This is the very popular ridge walk.
Our trek captain Naveen and our trek guides.
And we start our descent back to the base. Notice how sloppy the descent is, we decided to make it fun and slide down.
Leaving the gorgeous views behind
Notice the flock of sheep?
Our campsite for the night.
Night after completing the summit calls for a celebration with some warm soup and snacks!
Dinner is served. We loved the fruit custard.
Breakfast the next morning.
Our campsite at Khullara
Our Nomads at the campsite.
Descending again.
Ah, these views!
See the tiny houses?
Heading back
Waterfalls along the way
Campsite at Dhak.
Mornings at Dhak.
A picture with our staff before the final trek back.
Our Nomads at the Badrinath Temple.
Post which we went on to explore Mana Village.
At Vyasa Ghufa in Mana Village. This is the place where Vyasa Muni recited the Mahabharata story.
Our Nomad with Aghori Baba.
Ending our trek to Pangarchulla Summit at India’s last tea shop in Mana Village.
Pangarchulla summit trek will be one of the most awesome week of my life.
The experience has been great with every detail accounted and planned for by TrekNomads team. This was my first “snow trek” in the Himalayas and it has indeed left with greater respect for the Mountaineers. Special note of thanks to Naveen for guiding all of us and providing us with a quick lesson on ascending and descending technique while climbing a snow clad mountain, crossing across a snow slope or even walking on a plain snow. Though it seemed easy from far off, it does indeed need presence of mind and technique to manage the walk/climb. I was happy to know that Naveen, has passed out of Jawahar Institute of mountaineering, Pahalgam, No doubt he seemed like fish to water on the snow/mountains.
When at Mountains, of all I have heard is ‘if the fatigue doesn’t kill the altitude sickness (AMS) would certainly be a major spoil sport’. Very thankful that none of us had any such issues. However we understood the importance of gradual gaining of altitude, acclimatising our bodies in those altitudes since our trek plan by TrekNomads was impeccable considering this very important and effective detail. The gradual gain of altitude spread across 3 days prepared us to acclimatise thoroughly, check the pace of trekking.
Not to forget the important fact – to remind ourselves that we are amidst the nature’s finest creation “The great Himalayas” and everything that is mesmerising about it. We were in awe as Naveen kept us telling the names of the peaks that were surrounded by us as and when they were visible to us, the higher we climbed. The beautiful Gorsan Bugyal, Ghoda – hathi parbath, Nandadevi, The great Dronagiri…. It was magical.
The camp sites were simply superb. The most surprising and astonishing part was that other than our tents, we had kitchen and dining tent, with dining table and camping chairs!!. Wow!!!. That was a super surprise to expect at that particular place in all of the world. Obviously, it was presumed that we would have a very limited variety of food for 4 nights of our camp. However TrekNomads team did not cease surprising us with the variety of food. Elaborate- Breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner. To be precise most of the items did not even repeat for 4 nights we camped. It is indeed a herculean task to manage all such variety and that too so far off from civilization, which comes effective on ground due to sheer planning and execution.
Our trek Captain Naveen ensured that he checked up on us every day in morning and evening on our blood oxygen levels and BP. He kept talking to all of us individually checking up our physical condition and also explaining on identifying the symptoms of AMS. He kept reiterating on do’s & don’t’ s- patiently. Naveen ensured that he kept on checking with each individual based on his observation of 3 prior days of trek, before starting the summit trek. As we all know each individual is different and may not match the pace equally, however he ensured that the slow movers were ahead and rest of them were following. This is a very important factor in boosting one’s (slow movers) morale and does not give a ‘let down’ feeling at all. Having said that, it is imperative to have all the guidelines followed on keeping oneself fit enough as per the pre trek planning provided by TrekNomads. They pretty much provide every detail right from what to pack to what to exercise. Must say that it does help and definitely something serious to follow up on.
Lucky us that we got a pleasant weather, cold evenings, rainy night, awesome snowy mountain, clear skies, lush green meadows …..Just about everything during our trek. To add to the story, we even add our 4 legged furry friends accompanying us throughout the trek until we said bye to them. On our way back as time permitted, we did get a chance to visit one of the Chardham temples – Badrinath, last Indian village – Mana ( We did even have chai in the last Indian chai shop J ). Got a chance to see all the Holy prayags – Dev Prayag, Rudra Prayag, Karna Prayag, Nanda Prayag & Vishnu Prayag (Holy river confluences) too.
It is a story indeed right from start to end. Alas it did end so soon too.
The Mighty Mountains beckons – when at its abode, it commands respect, it teaches humility, patience, discipline, it makes you to adapt and the list goes on and on… What more a better way than to partner with TrekNomads for such a beautiful trek which can become a beautiful memory.
– Mahesha Mallesh

Can I trek to the Pangarchulla Summit now?

Absolutely! We are delighted to share that we have started receiving bookings for our trek to Pangarchulla summit. You can trek with us anytime between October – November.

We are following a stringent set of safety protocols during the trek to ensure your safety at all times.

If you wish to book the trek to Pangarchulla Summit with us, please click here.

How can you help the trekking community during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The trekking community has taken one of the biggest hits in history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are 5 ways to help the trekking community sustain during this crucial time. To get through this crucial time and to help our on-ground staff, we have introduced #NomadsAgainstCorona campaign which will help revive the trekking community in these trying times. 

 

2 COMMENTS

    • Hi Nitika, Pangarchulla remains closed in the month of January because of extreme weather conditions. The trail opens up again in between the months of May and June. You can check more details on our June departure here: http://bit.ly/33t4OUU

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here