Garhwal Himalayas Trek: Bali Pass Expedition – Adventure Diary

Day 1: Sankri to Seema Camp

After a much anticipated adrenaline-fueled wait we left Sankri to embark on the Magical trail leading to Bali pass. We were heading toward our first stop at Seema camp. We were flushed with energy as we traversed along the rocky trail leading to our camp. After an hour-long trek, we started to hear the gushing sound of the supin river rushing down the valley. Our joy met no bounds as we reached the start of the trail parallel to the Supin River. We had short and brief breaks between the trek. At our first pitstop, we were at a local Pahadi Dabha.

We had a hot Pahadi Maggi. As we moved away from the monotonous Humanity, the air got chilly and denser. It took us around 6 hours to reach Seema camp and we were welcomed with a cool refreshing drink, enriched with the tanginess of tangerine and sweetness refreshing our tired bodies. Our camp was set up at the banks of the supin River. after taking a short break we had some hot pakoras along with some hot chai after which we set out to explore the majestic mountain terrain. As the sun gradually disappeared along the horizon, we came back to our camps and awaited a delicious meal cooked by our cook “Munna”. We had some Local Sabzi, and dal along with some papad and achaar and the main attraction of the day was the delicious dessert prepared by our cook. Our trek leader briefed us on the necessities of the following day. To our astonishment, we had a Bonfire by the camp to rev up our body heat in the chilly wind gusting around the valley

DAY 2: Seema Camp to Waterfall Point

Everyone at our camp woke up at the crack of dawn awaiting an ecstatic day ahead, we had a heart breakfast of eggs, some bread with dipping of peanut butter and jam, and there was some tasty poha too. Usually, people cut weight due to the strenuous trekking activity. But thanks to the cook at the Himalayan shelter, we gained weight rather than cutting it. We started at 0800 hours. There was a gradual and moderately difficult ascend that day. Today was especially a memorable day as we got the chance to traverse through Devasu bugyal a beautiful and mystical meadow nesting between the pine forests. Various streams were flowing down the mountain therefore we had no scarcity of water. As we reached our first milestone (devasu), we sat down to have an appetizing meal of fruit juice along with chocolate along with some kichadi. After revving our batteries up again, we set out towards our next camp located freakishly close to the mighty sun. This day was particularly tiring but wonderful as we traversed along the thick jungle patches of pine, birch, and other majestic floral diversities. We had to cross the river along the way. For the first time in my life, I got to witness a hailstorm and it was a feast for our eyes. We had a brief stop at a local shack to restore our energy by having some snacks. That day was the first time I got to use my poncho; I was starting to think I would never get to use a poncho until then. We reached camp 2 at Waterfall Point at 0400 hours. As always, we were welcomed by fresh juice at our camp. some of our teammates were exhausted midway and were slowly making it to the camp accompanied by our trek leader Suresh who was a beast amidst the mountains. We were exhausted as it was a very long day. We did some yoga and cooldown exercises to take the edge off. After some delicious mouthwatering snacks, we explored the mystical Supin River. We played some cards and shared some heart laughs and giggles. After an appetizing dinner, we retire for the day.

Day 3: Waterfall Point to Thanga Camp

We had the best sleep one could have in ages as Our tents were warm and comfortable. Today we started our trek to Thanga camp and I had one of the most adventurous moments of my life. We got to cross the raging monstrous supine river, not by a bridge but by two separate logs placed adjacent to each other, and a fixed rope extended across the river to support us. It was one heck of a ride. We were tagged to the rope using a harness to not get swept by the raging river if we slipped.

We sat and rested here for a while as the rest of our team made it across the river. Himalayan shelters pulled off a brilliant move, they used a belay system to help the trekkers. One of the trekkers started panicking right in the midway. He slipped and slowly curved down to the surface of the river, but thanks to the belay and fixed ropes along with the Himalayan shelter staff’s presence of mind he didn’t even touch the surface of the river. We trekked for another 40 minutes reaching our mesmerizing campsite at Thanga. The monstrous Swargarohini was visible right from our camp along with other snow-capped Himalayan Mountain peaks around us. For most of the time, the tip of peak Swargarohini was hidden amidst the cloud. We were about to cross the tree line tomorrow and I couldn’t even sleep due to the anticipation my brain was boosting.

Day 4: Thanga Camp to Bali Pass Base Camp

We woke up early today and started warming up for exercise as today should be particularly tough as it was a steep ascend. We had a belly-breaking breakfast of aloo Kurma stuffed in dosa, some muesli, and coffee and set out for today’s adventure. After a trek of 1 hour, we reached Normakandi a straining hill series between the valley with snow studded at both sides. It was a very thin trail and almost close to around 80-degree climb. This part was a bit exhausting as there was no tree line along with us and we started panting after taking a few steps.

As we treaded along the trail, we started to walk on a complete patch of snow at some point. As I looked around the whole valley was covered with snow and there was no single vegetation was visible. My joy knew no bounds as we treaded along the snowy trail and the crinkle of the snow was music to my ears. After a trek of 4 hours approx. we reached our base camp via Odari. Our camp was sitting right below the summit of Bali Pass and there was only snow to be seen in all directions. After reaching our camp we had a brief walk of 20 mins near to the summit slope to acclimatize our body to the high altitude. We had hot appetizing snacks along with some soup and popcorn and dinner on an hourly basis.

Day 5: Bali Pass Summit and Descent to Upper Dhamini Camp

We woke up before the crack of dawn at 0300 hours and had a hot cup of tea under the warm blanket of millions of stars burning through the night. Today was D-day, The Summit push was around 2 hours and the weather was perfect for the final ascent. We strode on the snowy trail along the mountain and in 2 hours we were at a whopping altitude of 16,500ft. The final ridge crossing was marvelous and adventurous and perfect for adrenaline junkies and to the people who were frightened whole team was behind the trekkers to make sure nothing would happen. The moment one stepped onto the summit he would forget the rest of the world and the hardships he had to face the entire trek. That’s exactly what my team experienced. We rejoiced and embraced the fleeting moment in which all humanity seems far from our reach and we were the voyagers of time sent by this universe to grasp the grandeur of the universe. After spending a brief amount of time on the summit we started our descent to upper Dhamini camp. The view of monstrous Himalayan peaks like Banderpoonch and Swargarohini was breathtaking. After having the time of our life through decent, sliding on snow, witnessing the marvel of nature of the frozen lake, and skiing on the snow it was a complete package.

Day 6: Exploration at Upper Dhamini Camp

We reached camp at Upper Dhamini at around 11 in the morning. We explored the area, it’s astonishing how the Himalayas maintain the diverse flora and fauna even if the tower is at astounding altitudes and cold. We saw many types of oak, pines, and other trees. We saw Himalayan Ibex running near our camp. We had some snacks and went to rest. We woke up to the thundering sound of a massive hailstorm raiding our camp, ice pellets almost the size of 2-3cm were rocketing onto our camp, and in a matter of 2 hours, the green landscape around us turned completely white. We were delighted to witness this event. We had the routine food schedule of snacks followed by soup followed by dinner.

Day 7: Reflections and Conclusion

We knew today was the end of our trek so there was so much brooding among the group members and some were happy to return to the city so that they could have a warm shower and sleep on a cozy mattress. Nevertheless, on treks like these people from different parts of the world join together to experience the marvel of nature. We as a group are completely cut off from humanity, we are the only ones to be with ourselves for the rest of the trek, we would be one family, share memories, laugh, cry, and go through pain together. We often forget how social humans could be. At times like these, we set aside our boundaries of race, religion, or any other differences and travel with them until the end. This is the overview of a nostalgic trek through the Garhwal Himalayan ranges