Roopkund - My second sojourn in Himalaya (Part 3)

Part 1: Preparation and Journey
Part 2: Lohajung to Didna Village
Part 3: Didna to Bedni Bugiyal (You are currently reading this.)
Part 4: Bedni Bugiyal to Pathar Nachani
Part 5: Pathar Nachani to Baghwabasa
Part 6: Baghwabasa-Roopkund-Bedni Bugiyal-Wan

After a peaceful night, we woke up to a crisp morning. All fears of rain were put to rest as blue sky greeted us as we came outside. After a modest breakfast, we started our hike towards our second camp - Bedni Bugiyal.

There was an immediate ascent as we left Didna village. Yesterday's rain had made the trail muddy and slippery. Soon, we came on a small plateau where we stopped for a small group photo. 

Mules were grazing joyfully in the bright sunshine and wisps of white clouds in the blue sky uplifted our mood and we cheerfully marched ahead in such a pleasant weather.

Our trek leader had asked us to carry one litre of water and asked us to fill the same at the water source on the trail. I and Amol were hiking together and we both missed to locate this water source and we were left with only half a litre of water each. We were slightly worried but group members asked us not to mind it too much and said that within the group, we could manage with the collective water stock.


Gigantic trees along the way:

Coming out of the thicket, warm weather welcomed us once again.

After resting on a small plateau, we resumed our ascent. Still the legs were fresh and we did not face any troubles in overcoming the steep ascent and came to top of the next mountain. 

One of the trekkers from Delhi was really exhausted yesterday and he was keen to quit the trek but with good rest at night, he decided to continue. Seeing his performance yesterday, our main trek leader Chandar Bhai decided to hike along with him to encourage him but he was painstakingly slow and walking at the last.

Chandar Bhai who was walking behind with the slow members had asked us to wait on this mountaintop till all the members joined us. After waiting for 15 minutes, there was no sign of these slow members. We persuaded our assistant guide not to wait any longer and he relented.

Now, it was the gradual ascent through the woods. A distinct trail was taking us to higher elevation. As the trail was narrow, we had to make some way to let mules coming from behind to pass.

As we came out of the woods, we were transfixed to see the mountain range on the North side with layers of white clouds adorning the whole sky. We rested a bit munching on some snacks.

Now, we were walking through the ridge of the mountains with deep valley on the left side. Valleys so deep that your eyes cannot reach to the bottom of it.

On reaching to top of the mountain range, vast plains of Ali Bugiyal greeted us. Ali Bugiyal is the largest meadow in the country located in the high altitude of Himalayas. We were elated to see carpet of lush green grass as far as our eyes could reach.  Definitely, this meadow is one of the main attractions of this trek!

Walking on this meadow was exhilarating. This kind of large meadow was something I had never experienced before. We spotted herd of sheep and few mules grazing on this large meadow without the care of the world.

After walking for minutes, we needed to climb another hill and we spotted few of our groups perching on the grass munching on the snacks. I was surprised to see them wearing jacket and monkey caps as I was sweating after climbing the hill. But within minutes, I realized why they were wearing the warm clothes. As my body temperature cooled down, I started shivering with the chilling wind and I too had to wear warm clothes.

We were supposed to get our packed lunch at this location but there was no sign of anyone bringing it to us. No one was really hungry and instead of shivering in the cold, we decided to march ahead on the trail.

We spotted campsite of other trekking group and felt envious about it as our campsite was nowhere in sight. 

We stopped at a small snacks joint specifically meant to feed the tired and hungry trekkers. Instead of waiting for the cold lunch, we ordered for hot noodles and omelette. By the time our order was getting prepared, our packed lunch also arrived. But it seemed tasteless as compared to noodles and omelette.

After feeding ourselves, we again resumed our hike. Now, we had to ascend a really steep trail. Weather was becoming cooler and cooler as we were gaining the height. It had become overcast and gloomy and we were enveloped with the fog for some time. As we were gaining the height, looking at the surroundings, realization dawned upon me that there were really no trees around and it was clear indication that there was less and less Oxygen to breathe. I anxiously welcomed myself into thin air and with fear and excitement alike, marched ahead towards the next camp.

Tents were already laid as we reached to the camp site of Bedni Bugiyal. We were not very amused with the lax services provided by our trekking organization and we made our displeasure known to Neeraj whom we met at this campsite. Though Neeraj was leading other camp, as Owner of Himalaya Climber, he agreed to provide better services for rest of the trek.

Hot tea was served along with hot rice. I was not feeling hungry; so just decided to sip hot tea. It was late afternoon and there was nothing better to do. So some of our group members assembled inside the tent and had a round of Rummy and Uno. It was advised not to sleep inside the tent which can adversely affect the acclimatisation process of the body.

I decided to have a stroll around the campsite during the evening. To remain true to its quintessential nature, weather remained predictably unpredictable. At one moment, all the mountains were in clouds and other moment some magical force lifted all the clouds providing us the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. Sometimes shafts of sun rays found their way through the clouds illuminating some part of the earth. I forgot the world while witnessing this spectacular manifestation of mother Nature. I was joined by Nana; we both wanted some privacy and both lost in our own worlds; soaking in the great vistas; freezing the precious moments inside the camera. Truly one of the most memorable evenings of my life!

Nana lost in his own world:

Cold weather and high altitude had really lessened our appetites and nothing appealed to the taste buds. Still to get some energy, we ate reluctantly during dinner time and retired inside our respective tents.

We were now totally in the wilderness and only protection from the unfavorable weather were our tiny tents. Amol and Vipin were my tent mates and we helped each other to arrange the tent neatly and decided to lie down as night was approaching. 

As we were about to sleep, rain started lashing us. Intensity of rain was quite severe. To add to our woes, wind also increased its force. It was quite frightening to be at the mercy of such a weather and we were sure that our tents would not survive onslaught of heavy rain combined with forceful wind. This fury of rain lasted for more than 30 minutes and suddenly it stopped. We came outside the tent to check whether tent was still intact. Few members from supporting staff also came to check the stability of the tents.

As I was about to get back to the tent, I just looked up in the sky and to my amazement, sky really had opened up with millions of stars twinkling gleefully. Nobody could have imagined that it was raining severely just few moments back. I was wonder-struck to see such a quick transformation of the sky and just revelled in this glorious display of terrestrial manifestations. 

Once inside the tent, we chatted for a while. Second day was gone and wondering how third day would unfold, we retired for the day. 

Part 1: Preparation and Journey
Part 2: Lohajung to Didna Village
Part 3: Didna to Bedni Bugiyal (You are currently reading this.)
Part 4: Bedni Bugiyal to Pathar Nachani
Part 5: Pathar Nachani to Baghwabasa
Part 6: Baghwabasa-Roopkund-Bedni Bugiyal-Wan