Valley of flowers
In 1931, Frank S. Smythe was one of six British mountaineers who climbed Kamet. On his return to the plains, he crossed the Bhyun-dar Pass, standing at 5,086m, "with the intention of explor-ing the mountain-ous region at the sources of the two principal tributaries of the Ganges, the Alaknanda and Gangotri rivers." The next day, Smythe descended to "lush meadows… embowered amidst flow-ers. The Bhyundar Valley was the most beautiful valley that any of us had seen. We camped in it for two days and we remembered it afterwards as the Valley of Flowers" (The Valley of Flowers, Frank S. Smythe, Hodder and Stoughton, 1947).
The valley had long held a place in local legend, and was called Nandan Kanan — the garden of Lord Indra. But Smythe’s name stuck, and the Valley of Flowers it is. Though the Himalayas are home to countless alpine meadows, called bugyals in Uttaranchal and thach in Himachal, the Bhyundar Valley has come to occupy the popular imagi-nation as the place to see alpine blos-soms in the Himalayas. . If you stand at the foot of the valley, grassy meadows run down to the cleft of the stream, which, even in August, is still fringed by ice. On both sides, green slopes turn to dark rock as they vault into deep blue skies. Rising gently, the valley ends as a notch on the horizon, crested by the snows of the Rataban (6,166m) and Nilgiri (6,474m) peaks. And underfoot, the flowers that give the valley its name. Mercifully, you don’t have to climb Kamet to get to the valley — the next time Smythe visited the region, it was via Joshimath, which is today a major army station, and on the Badrinath route. DAY ONE: Govindghat-Ghangaria Distance 13 km Time 4-5 hours Level Moderate Govindghat (1,828m) is a humongous parking lot, catering to the thousands of Sikh pilgrims threading up to Hemkund Lake (locally known as Lokpal). The pilgrim traffic, and those catering to it, completely dominate the landscape and the walk is an unend-ing ribbon of stalls, providing tea, refreshments, full-fledged meals, phone calls and, as you climb higher, even massages! Leave your transport on the right bank of the Alaknanda. The ascent begins as soon as you cross, and join the cheerful groups heading up to Ghan-garia — now also known as Govind Dham. Tracing the path of the Lakshman Ganga, the mule track climbs past terraced fields and veget-ation, to the hamlet of Pulna (3 km). From here, the trail is a little wilder, and more forested, with occasional glimpses of snow peaks, and of the cas-cading waters that feed the Alaknanda. The 7 km from Pulna to Bhyundar Village are a steady ascent and, merci-fully, the altitude is moderate, so your lungs should have no problem coping. Shortly after Bhyundar, the trail cross-es the Laxman Ganga, over a bridge elevated by giant boulders. The going is somewhat harder now, but Ghangaria is only 3 km away. During the short season (Jul-Sep), Ghangaria (3,050m) can be enor-mous-ly crowded. You can always find a place to shelter — including a Forest Rest House, gurudwara, and associ-ated dharamshalas. But if you want some solitude, there is ample camp-ing both before and after Ghangharia. DAY TWO: Distance 8 km Time 7-8 hours Level Easy Leave Ghangaria with the stream of pilgrims heading to Hemkund. You need to veer left (north-west) as they climb east to the lake. The trail is well marked, and is a delightful ramble as it climbs gently through a coniferous forest, before dropping down to a bridge, shack and check-post that mark the official beginning of the Valley of Flowers (Bhyundar Valley, 3,858m). Pay your entry fee (Indians Rs 30, foreigners Rs 150 — for 3 days) here and climb up a rocky trail. The forest is now behind you, and the flowers begin to appear. As the trail levels out and turns right (east), you begin to get a sense of the valley. To the right, just below the trail, a marble slab marks the death of Margaret Legge, a botanist from Edinburgh who fell to her death here in 1939: "I will lift mine eyes unto the Hills from whence cometh my strength." The valley is exquisite and it seems a shame not be able to spend the night here — depending on the weather, snow bridges may still span the river below, and scrambling up-valley, cross-ing its numerous feeders, is a delight. If I were to visit the valley again, I would camp, not at Ghangaria, but as close to the valley as per-mitted, and spend a couple of days savouring its delights. In any case, do try and reach there early — both to catch the morning dew on the blossoms, as well as to make the most of the day. DAY THREE: Ghangaria-Hemkund-Ghangaria Distance 6 km each way Time 4 hours each way Level Hard Crossing the bridge over the Hem Ganga once again, head east up the heavily-trafficked path. It is a chal-lenging ascent, but derive some strength from the perseverance of the thousands of pilgrims who make the climb uncomplainingly. And, if you have done the Valley of Flowers trip the previous day, you will be better acclimatised than most others. If you nev-ertheless feel drain-ed when you reach the glacial lake (4,329m), you could try joining the more abiding in faith, who swear by the restorative powers of a dip in its chill waters. DAY Four: Ghangaria-Govindghat Distance 13 km Time 4-5 hours Return the same way.
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