September 21-22, 2009 – The Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt are located in the Indian Himalaya near the Chinese border and that’s where I’ve been trekking for the last two days. Needless to say it’s absolutely beautiful!
Neeraj, Ankur, and myself have been basing ourselves in the village of Ghangharia. It’s only reachable by foot or horse. It’s 8 miles from the nearest road. The village is situated around 10,500 feet within a lovely Himalayan mountain valley. It’s full of concrete brick buildings set up with rustic accommodation and restaurants for trekkers and pilgrims heading to Hemkut and the Valley of Flowers. The village is very interesting but nothing fancy. On both ends there are makeshift horse camps set up by Muslims who offer their services packing people and supplies up and down the trail. Parts of the village look relatively nice and clean while the far end is littered with garbage and horse manure. The valley itself is surrounded by steep cliffy mountains that rise thousands of feet overhead.
Almost everyone visiting Ghangharia is Sikh and from the Indian state of Punjab. The biggest attraction to the area is for Sikhs wishing to make a pilgrimage to the high alpine lake of Hemkut where one of their Gurus meditated. Ok, Here’s Sikhism is a nutshell. They have 10 or so gurus, also known as teachers, whose teachings make up their spiritual book not unlike the Bible. They believe in one God and the ultimate goal is to be a good person so they can be one with god. Sikhs are accepting of all religions. Some of their customs include wearing a turban and not cutting hair or beard. After living amidst a village of Sikhs for the last couple of days I must say they seem to be really good people. I feel very comfortable around them. I like taking a picture with them and them like taking a picture with me. Many know a little English and they are all curious as to where I’m from. I tell them I’m from USA, Texas.
Hemkunt is spectacular. Apparently the elevations is about 15,200 feet but I can’t seem to get that accurately confirmed. Hemkut consists of a high alpine lake set amidst steep rocky mountains with cliffs that continue to rise thousands of feet above. There is also a Temple and other buildings. On the hike up I was accompanied by many people hiking or riding horses. I started with Neeraj and Ankur but chose a little quicker pace so I trekked ahead. Traditionally Sikhs made the journey by horse and today many still do. I find it really interesting that all of the horse operators are Muslim and they’re helping Sikhs on a pilgrimage! That’s India for you. One of the finer points of Indian culture, tolerance. Horses passed frequently with clanging bells and mane decorated with colorful garlands. Although I’ve recently contracted a minor cold I felt no pain on the hike up. I stopped for photos and a quick chat with others on the path as I steadily climbed upwards. When I arrived at Hemkut it was cold with a cloudy mist drifting about the mountains. I continued further up a little ways off trail to get a view above it all. It seemed like hundreds were making the journey. In one building they were offering food and chai. In the Temple prayer was taking place. A loud speaker put out music and chanting. Some jumped into the lake for an ice cold swim. Although I felt welcome to participate I did not feel drawn to do so. I am not Sikh and I do not understand the real meaning of their pilgrimage. I felt more comfortable observing and enjoyed just watching what was going on. After about an hour and half I began a leisurely walk back down. Just as I started down I saw Neeraj and Ankur. They seemed to be having a good time.
The day before Hemkunt we spent our time hiking the Valley of Flowers. Although most all of the flowers were gone we greatly enjoyed sunny skies and peaks rising above 20,000 feet. Also, there were hardly any people and the trail is immaculate. Very clean, peaceful and quiet. It was a much needed hike for me….
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