Bali pass – a perfect summer vacation!

It was a warm summer evening as I was in my bed mindlessly scrolling the phone when I came across an advertisement (Adventure treks in Garhwal Himalayas! 30% discount!). I wondered hmm, why not… the next moment I was scrolling through Discovery hikes company catalogue. One particular trek caught my eye! “Bali pass trek” seems a bit grandiose? okay then let’s find out shall we… 

(Me at Bali pass trek)

The journey to the heart of Garhwal Himalayas… and a magnificent one too!

I booked a trekking package at Discounted price, my journey was set to begin at Dehradun railway chowki, our tempo driver Suresh was already waiting for us at the pickup point, sipping his warm Chai…  he said, “aii Chotu trekkers agaye bag load kar” which when translated to English, he is gesturing his subordinate to load our luggage into the tempo, there were other trekkers too with us in the tempo, we introduced ourselves, there was another batch of friends and a family and two couples with us. we were cruising through bustling streets of Dehradun, we sat there anticipating all the wonders we would see, the snow, the food, the memories…. but this trekking journey gave us something else!

PIT-STOP – Rishikesh

We had a brief stop in our 8-hour journey from Dehradun to Sankri. we ate hot Parottas( Maida pancakes.) dipped in tomato sauces with a panorama of northern Himalayas filling our heart and soul as we quell our hunger with mouthwatering local beverage’s and cuisines. 

We continued with our stomachs and hearts already filled to their content! we crossed many rivers, streams, gliding through the endless expanse of Himalayan region! Our fellow trekkers introduced themselves and shared some of the hot “pakoras” they bought earlier. Though i was a solo traveller , i never felt alone this entire time! that was the beauty of it!

It was mid-day and already the sun was scorching us, then suddenly i noticed this strange phenomenon , after we stopped for a 15 min pit stop near the tons river, we got into the spine chilling fresh water tons! we got back to the  tempo, the strange thing earlier i told you we noticed was, it was sunny and humid until we got into the radius of Garhwal Himalayas, suddenly the entire atmosphere changed it was sure sunny, but no longer humid, it was cool, we almost felt as if we were entering into the domain of mountain gods!

(Tons river on our way to Sankri.)

We stopped for lunch at a “Pahadi Dhaba” it translates to Local restaurant and believe me when i say the “anda burji and Chilly panner gravy with Naans” is the thing you would want to try definitely on every visit! the local folk prepare them with perfect blend of local spices to make it more interesting!

Sankri guest house. Sankri – Uttarakhand.

Our minds were already blown as we were 1 hour away from destination the fresh Himalayan air filled our lungs! It was already evening and the sunset was a magnificent one! we were approaching the Himalayas as the sun settled into the towering horizon of shiny Himalayas. we were warmly welcomed by the staff and were allotted our cottages. we were upon our arrival were served some hot bread pakora with tomato sauce and some filter coffee.

i went for a short stroll into the bustling market of Sankri in the evening the as i got to see the locals spreading their culture in the form of art and embroidery. i tried the local chicken soup and chili chicken which almost melted my taste buds. i bought everything necessary for the trek the day i arrived as in Sankri to avoid any commotion on the D – Day of trek.

Sankri to Taluka, Taluka to Seema camp

The short journey from Sankri too thanga involving a short ride of 4×4 open traveller, it was less of a ride and more of a roller coaster ride. i hopped on the roped threading on the top of the traveller as i wanted to get a good view and it turned to be one heck of a ride of my life.

We reached thanga in around 30 mins from where our trekking started, the trail, trust me, was a path to heaven, we were walking along a muddy trail, amidst the dense forests of Govindpashu Vihar national park. the entire forest resonated of exotic Himalayan birds and insects which were a major part of Himalayan spectrum.

At one point you could start hearing the sound of majestic Rupin River, it was mesmerizing to trek the Himalayas as the rivers and wild life themselves sung us a motivational Rapsody!

Seema camp : Altitude : 2900 mts

As we trekked for hours we reached our first camp Seema, this is an interesting camp, as it sits directly across the legendary Osla village. this particular village is about 5000 years old! the moment we reached base camp we were given some refreshments and snacks. Imagine biting into a spicy veg cutlet (Indian dish) after a long day of trekking as you sip a fresh rejunivating sip of orange juice! we were allotted our tents and we had nothing but time in hand!

We rested for a hour, it was almost evening by the time we finished our snacks. i rested for a while, i woke up to noises of people screaming! i woke up and went out to find out what’s happening, it was already dark, the moment i looked at the night sky,, my mind was blown to a million bits! there were trillions of stars twinkling across the horizon! it was as if i was viewing the beauty of milky way from front seats in a theatre!

The screams that i told about, were our group playing uno and screaming in excitement. it was milabsolutely dark outside. We roamed around in the darkness, using our flash lights! we were called out to have our dinner. Our menu today was extravagantly tasty! we had mutter paneer with roti, some kheer and rice with mixed dal, there were also papad to make things even better.

Later we were briefed upon our next part of trek. our trek leaders and cooks did a perfect job! i felt that discover hikes does one heck of a job hosting us! We felt we were at safe hands the moment we reached!

Seema to Rainbasera camp.

On this particular day, i felt the most exhausted of all, as our bodies are new to physical strain, trekkers usually take this entire day in exhaustion and despair to reach the camp. We started to Rainbasersa camp, this day took us closer to the isolated heart of himalayas, we crossed streams, we saw wild flora, we enjoyed vibrant flowers, we got to learn how things worked in this locality, we saw deep blue sky resonating the beautiful ambient music of the forest!

We trekked along the forest studded trail as we played a local Indian game called “ Anthakshari ” we have to sing songs in turns with the ending letter of the previous song sung. the fresh air, fresh Himalayan water as we refilled in fresh Himalayan springs rejunivated us to stay strong even during our exhaustion phase.

We briefly Halted at devasu bugyal, which literally translates to a garden. it was a vast field open field with grass greener than rest of the parts of wilderness. our trek leader being a highly enthusiastic person made us do muscle loosening activities, suddenly i felt as if i was in my younger days at school, the afternoons we spent at in the ground with our friends, running around in the sun with fun and zeal! i felt everything returning to me. 

We started on our journey, me being a person of self-indulgence, indulged in isolation from the crowd and connecting with nature. The whether changed rapidly, it went from humid sunny to downright mild and damp in a matter of 30 mins, i met many people as i trekked solo. i talked to local shepherds, them sharing their stories and me basking in the endless vastness of nature’s comfort was the highlight of the day.

The terrain was rough though! it battered our knees. I advise and urge all my readers to train your body of the minimum physical prerequisites of the requirements. This is not a necessary step, but taking this helps us enjoy the moments most instead of concentrating on the physical toll we take

There are numerous Himalayan streams on our way to any said camp. these waters are the result of ice caps, glaciers melting on the upper Himalayan regions. these waters are the purest as the water could ever get. this in itself is a ethereal experience.

We trekked for 8kms to reach Rainbasera camp. The most important aspect of this is panoramic back drop of the upper Himalayan ranges. Black peak, Swarga Rohini and many more peaks give you a constant company as you trek through the trail studded forest!

My favourite part of this day and also the profile pic of all my social apps for a month, was this wooden bridge built by the locals to pass the majestic supin river! We clicked well over 30 pictures of this spot alone!

We reached camp by 4 in the evening, we pit stopped multiple times at small Pahadi shops to have a spicy anda Maggie (egg Maggie) and local brauss (Rho dendron juice) which is extracted from a wild pink flower, it rejunivated your entire electrolyte count. One could never priorly imagine the taste and essence of the drink, it has a sharp honey / Rooh afzha blended into a one fine brew of Himalayan essence!

This particular day as i said earlier was a tiresome one, the moment we reached we were served some hot delicious tomato soup with a bucket of popcorn to kick back and relax, one could get green tea if he chooses to, but i wanted that caffeine kick to relax my muscles. We gossiped for a while, went back to our tents had power nap. 

i woke up to the sound of alarm, it was already dawn, we were served dinner, as yesterday it was chilly outside, only it was much colder. we had to wear multiple layers, to tackle the cold.

we sat down for dinner, the trek leader greeted us with a heart smile, with sigh i wondered will this man ever get tired!? We finished the gravy they served, gobbled up on thefresh local salads and curries along with good old plain rice. we had to retire without any enjoyment for the day, as we are already were exhausted.

Rainbasera waterfall to Thanga via Ruinsara lake (10kms)

By today, Day 3, we were battle hardened to whatever we thought could come or so we thought…. we can divide today into two parts, one, the part where we cross the mighty supin river! and the part of steep ascent

The first one and second one was equally exhilarating.

our trek leader’s skill fully set rope across the monstrous supin, we had to walk on a log ledged across the river and we are tethered to a rope which i said earlier is fixed into two rocks across each shore.

This is first hand exposure to a adrenaline filled adventure if you will! we trek forward to our next destination thanga camp, we get to experience the majestic surreal beauty of RuinsaraTal. This lake situated at whopping altitude of approx. 3500 mts is a high alpine beauty, with unparalleled essence of life you would find there. you could get to see the local flora such as Roh dendron and other Himalayan floral species.

After an exhausting yet beautiful day of a trek! we finally reach thanga base camp. The same procedures of warm welcomed followed along with service of mouthwatering snacks.

Rest Day at Thanga.

Today was all about exploring, activities with the group and exploration. need i remind you that we are at the heart of mother nature? it was the perfect opportunity to capture not only the flora or fauna of himalayas but the magnificent views of bander punch and many other mighty peaks itself.

Me, Chitra and Ankush who were a couple played disc for hours which followed by a serious badminton championship among the whole group, which of course the trek lead won! Imagine running along wild flowers and hundreds of vibrant butterflies, and the heartwarming Himalayan peaks in the back ground felt like a eutopia!

The cook amazed us with every chance he got. He cooked up storms in his small tent of his, from remote Indian village delicacies to continental finger strips and pasta, he out did himself at every point! The nights were particularly memorable, every day the milky way got denser as we moved farther from humanity and light pollution.

(Night sky at balipass)

Thanga camp to Bali base camp.

This is the first day i encountered snow. Trust me the true beauty of nature would be visible here. we were out of tree line; we traversed for hours in snow. it was about 6kms. this is the part of journey which i never wanted to end. Everyone started vibing the moment, the memories of us having a snow fight, snow skating, forming a snow man elate me to this day!

The snow was slippery but thanks to our experienced staff at discovery hikes, they not only organised the entire trek, they even managed to train the trekkers with care and zeal unlike any other company i went to trek with.

We walked for couple of hours more before we reached the base camp, today entirely the trail was literal snow. the entire canvas of surroundings felt surreal. the crystal-clear snow bouncing off the sunlight in every direction! was just perfect!

Bali base camp to Dhamini.

Remember me saying thanga to base camp was the best day ? strike that off! today was on a whole other page! we started early in the morning at 0400 hrs. we had our lunch packed as we got yesterday. we had warm beverage. we had some eggs to give us the edge and we moved. we were slowly making our way across the last stretch. Imagine you walking under a blanket of trillion stars… combining the sound of snow crunching beneath our foot and flashlights amidst the pitch darkness was a dream come true.

The Pass itself was an adventure it was a thin trail with steep dead slopes on either side, one wrong step and you could end up dead! we felt as if we were summiting Everest itself, before the sun cracked we made it to the top of the summit, the morning son broke the black silent horizon, spreading warmth in all directions. we were proud of ourselves!

We had a brief photoshoot; the bander punch and rest of the Garhwal Himalayan peaks were feast to a passionate eye!

The descent.

The descent was tough though. it was a steep vertical slope studded with rocks, you could only see a mat of towering Himalayan peaks as far as you could see in the front. we stepped down very carefully. we used supplements like Rehydration salts, frequent water, nuts, dry fruits, to maintain our energy.

Remember me saying me buying trek prerequisites in the Sankri , market. its more of rent than buying, the trek pole, gloves , boots and other things made entire trek comfortable! by the time we reached the camp we were exhausted, maybe because we were too hooked up in posing wild poses for a picture with the group LOl.

Although i also took every medicine necessary here, i may have not used them, but a single strip of paracetamol or antibiotic or painkiller would prove to be breath easer at this height!

Dhamini camp to Janki chatti to Dehradun.

After a wild ordeal of descent we reached dhamini camp, we were flushed with adrenaline and hormones, throughout the trek, not a single trekker took their phone out. its as if we were one big family. we shared our memories of the trek until now. knowing this is the last day of our trek, we were sad. 

our trek leader cheered us up as he said “ koi na!… chinta mat karo , dubara ajaou, discount dialunga!”  it was a hilarious Indian pun, he invited us over again as he told us he would give huge discount for us! yesterday night’s dinner as usual was appetizing.

We woke up early this morning to organise a one last camp fire to cheer ourselves up. After a heart morning of pure laughter and mouthwatering breakfast in the heart of himalayas one last time! we had our meal and started our final descent to Janki chatti where our vehicle picked us up for Dehradun.

Conclusion.

This trek…. was nothing less than a character development to me, it showed me how vulnerable and puny humans compared to mother nature, it showed me how relations could be nurtured in a matter of weak. it helped me to break my limits physical, mental and emotional. Bali pass trek, is a trek i would plead everyone complete if i have to! This was not a Sjourney; it was a voyage! voyage into the heart of nature.

Bali Pass Trek | Har ki dun trek | Kedarkantha trek | Kashmir great lakes trek | Buran Ghati Pass Trek | Black Peak Expedition