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well, these are my trek diaries..of most of the high-altitude treks that I did in areas like Kumaon,garhwal,Himachal,ladakh,Sikkim..I know I'm not a gud writer so bear with it

Har-Ki-Doon Trek, Garhwal ( Uttarakhand)
13 March-
13th march 2006- I left for the Har ki doon valley (Garhwal, uttaranchal) on a bus from ISBT,Delhi at 9pm.I had read a lot about the Har-ki-dun valley before and was always anxious to get there.The entire Har-ki-Doon area is a national park with different species of endangered and endemic species. It might also b the wildlife that was attracting me .I went through every minute details of the area before leaving.I was actually following a guide by MR harish kapadia’ TREKKING AND CLIMBING IN THE INDIAN HIMALAYA’.One of the best trek guides I ever went through.and the man…HARISH KAPADIA -great explorer of the Himalayas has kinda explored every nook and corner of the Great Himalayas …My plan was to visit har-ki-Dun and then visit a near by lake called the Ruinsara lake in the Ruinsara valley.
Har- Ki Dun is at an alltitude of about 3500mtrs. And the area have long been visited by trekkers and climbers.Some of the peaks in the area worth mentioning are Swargarohini 1,2 and 3 (altitude-average20000ft.),Kalanag and Black peak.
My route was Delhi to Dehradun by bus,Dehradun to Sankhri (200kms)by bus.Sankhri was the starting point of the trek and there wasn’t any bus service after Sankhri..So, Sankhri wa the place from where I had to start trekking.I reached Dehradun at about 5 am the next morning.It was still dark and I was suppose to take another bus from there.I had never been to Dehradun before so dint really had ny idea of the place.I had to ask one of the passengers ,the one sitting next to me about wher I might get a bus to Sankhri from and the intersting part was that he had never heard of a place called Sankhri .He asked some of his frndz and they were all the same,but then there was this only one young boy who was sitting behind me who had heard about Sankhri coz he had a frnd from that place.Sankhri actually is a very small village,popular only with seasoned trekkers and climbers who visit the area and that might be the reason why not many people had heard of the place.He told me that a bus’l be leaving in a sort while from that place only and it’l go straight to Sankhri.He took me to the bus,a 407,very old ,where I took a seat in the middle by the window .The driver said we'd b reachin Sankhri at abouit 4 in the afternoon..so I was like going to travel the whole day in the jig-jaw mountain roads in a small old bus which might just break down at any time anywhere.The very thought made me sick.But I had no choice.The bus set off exactly at 5.30 in the morning with about 20 ppl.I soon fell asleep as it was still dark and I had nuthin else to do.When I woke up it was about 7.30 in the mornin.The view outside was beautiful.we had already crossed Mussorie-better known as the Queen of Hill Stations.The bus made a lotta noise and the ppl too.And I was just enjoying the view.The whole day the bus kept moving at the same pace, stopped at times for passengers at small settlements and then moved on again.The bus moved along the Yamuna river into the Tons valley.Though it stopped at a couple of places for lunch and tea I couldn’t eat ,they were too unhyginic. I bought some fruits and ate them in the bus later.Though the journey was tiring the views enroute were awesome …..I had never travelled on such a road before.I had been to various places and seen different sorts of mountain roads but this was really different.The 200 km drive from Dehradun to Sankhri…..the views were awesome.I reached Sankhri after crossing Mori and Netwar at about 5 in the evening.At Netwar I had to pay the entry fee for the national park and the camera fee.It was a mere 100 bucks.Sankhri was a very small but beautiful place with a few small tea-stalls and a GMVN ( Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd) rest house,which normally are very clean and cheap.The GMVN guest houses can be found almost in all trekking points in the Garwal Himalayas just like the KMVN ones in Kumaon which makes it very easy for a budget trekker,without have to carry tents and stoves.When I reached the rest house there were some kids playin cricket and on seeing me ..two of them ran to call the chowkidar..and the others gathered around me and were staring at me like I was an alien.To get rid of their attraction I took out my binoculars and gave it to them.It worked.They forgot me and got busy with my binoculars.The chowkidar came running and offered me a room in the 1st floor.Though the room was nice ..with carpets and curtains there was no electricity.He told me that I’l have to go to another small hotel near-by for diner at night..and he went there and placed an order for me…Diner was to b served at about 8.I thought of taking a lil nap…zzzzzz and when I woke up..it was 11.30at night.I felt hungry but nuthing cud b done…It was soo fucking cold outside and there wasn’t a single person nywhere.When I came out I cud see nuthing except the snow clad peaks all around shining in the moonlight .The whole environment was a bit scaring….I went back to my bed… lit the candle next to my bed and closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

(to be continued )

14 March
When I opened my eyes it was morning….the candle was still burning...It was 7 AM then, and I came out for a little walk.It was really a beautiful morning…the ground wet with dew-drops..mountains all around..snow clad peaks….clear sky…fresh air.I walked all around the place and then I walked into a small tea-stall for breakfast…all of them had opened by then..The old lady in the hotel told me that they were expecting me the last night for dinner…I told her wot had happened the previous night and all the people there seemed to have found it very funny as they laughed out loud.I had some boiled eggs and tea for my first breakfast in the mountains ..there was this very pretty young lady preparing tea in the kitchen …She seemed to be the daughter of the old lady but she was very pretty and very fair..like creatures from fairy tales…Her beauty was very relaxing after a day's journey in the mountains and a hungry night.By then it was 8 and I was suppose to leave Sankhri by 8…coz I had to walk about 22 kms to a place called Seema,the next halt.She told me that it wud b better to go in a jeep till the place called Taluka,12 kms ahead.. rather than walk.I dint knew til then that jeeps do go upto Taluka..so it was kinda gud news for me…I took half a dozen boiled eggs with me to eat on the way.In the hotel I even met a man named Dayaram who was from the village OSLA..the last village on the way to Har-ki dun and Osla was just situated a couple of kms before Seema..wher I thought I wud spend the night.He was about 35 and seemed nice.So…I found a companion till Seema.When I checked out of the Sankhri rest house with my rucksack…the chowkidaar told me that the chowkidar of the rest house in Seema had gone to Dehradun and he gave me a letter and asked me to give it to a guy named Umral Singh ..who has a small tea-stall outside the rest house and said that he would be helping me .He said that Umral will go and fetch the keys of the rest house from the house of the chowkidar at Osla..and that he’l take gud care of me.The only thing I cud do was to say…OK.
I took a seat in a jeep that was ready to go till taluka.Dayaram too was in the jeep.It was 8.30 then and we started on our journey.It moved real slow…very very slow.It took us 1 and a half hour to reach Taluka which was 12 kms from Sankhri.Taluka was a very open place with typical mountain houses and the river Tons running by the side.I took a few photographs.The houses were all wooden..and I could found just one hotel that was open. Me and dayaram…we had our lunch in the hotel..He had a chat with the local people.They spoke in Garhwali and told me that there might b heavy snow ahead as there are reports of heavy snowfall in the Yamnotri area.I had heard such a remark before during my Pindari Glacier trek..but that was okay.Actually even the GMVN office at Delhi also told me about the snowfall thing.But then thats me,cudnt resist myself..Once decided,I had to do it.My mind told me that I would return from the point I cant proceed no further.After lunch we started for the trek to Seema.The route from Taluka to Seema runs along the Tons river and its 12 kms.Me and dayaram walked crossing the river at some points ..we used to sit at some places to take lil rest,or to drink water.The river water was fresh and cold.We walked past the village of Gangar which was situated mid way.It was a beautifull village with all wooden houses on the other side of the river.Dayaram was much faster than I was and I cudnt keep up with his pace.He knew I was tired like hell and he was always telling me 'its just a lil ahead'.He told me that Umral..the guy whom I was suppose to give the letter is his brothers’ son and that I need not worry about anything.He even invited me to stay at his house in Osla.But Osla was another 2 kms ahead but he cud understand my condition.By the time we reached Seema it was 4 in the afternoon and both the hotels there were closed.Dayaram told me to sit outside the rest house and wait till he get to Osla and send Umral with the keys and also food.The place Seema looked all empty.There wasn’t a single person.Only a couple of sadhus living outside a small temple.It looked like a place from where all the people had fled after a Volcano or something.Umral arrived after 15 minutes. He was a young boy of about 20 years.He opened the rest house for me …gave me a room …brought candles,water ,and then we sat down to talk.By then it was dark.and it was just me and Umral in Seema..we cud see the lights of Osla twinkling at night in the distance on the other side of the river.Umral told me that during the summers…its their business time and that he and his cousin Sirchand wud come down to Seema and run the tea stall.Mostly trekkers and climbers ,that too foreigners cross Seema on their way to the Har-ki-doon valley.For the rest of the year ..their tea-stall remain closed.He told me the tourists start coming from mid-april and I was one month early and they werent expecting any.Then he went out to his hotel to cook dinner for me.I stayed a while at the room getting refreshed and then went out to his tea-stall which was situated just infront of the rest house.It was very much like a dhaba..very open with the main cooking place at the right corner.That was the frst day of the year he was lighting up the fire at his hotel to cook for somebody.I came and sat on the bench near the fire.He had just started cooking the rice then.The firewoods werent burning well and it was very smokey.In a place so remote and that high..there wasn’t ny facility of LPG,electricity,TV,or phone..Another thing that caught my attention was a small radio by the side of the fire…and some cricket commentary was going on.I guess it was a live match.I was never interested in cricket so I dint know . Umral asked me where I was from and when I said Delhi..he asked me if I knew sachin Tendulkar or ny other players of the Indian team.And when I said no,it seemed like he was a bit disappointed.We talked for sometime while he was cooking.He said all about his village,the people,the other tourists,and a lot more.I told Umral that I’l b leaving early morning for Har-ki-dun situated 9 kmd ahead and he said that he’l cook something for me to eat before leaving and also to take with me to eat on the way.By da time we had dinner it was about 9..he had cooked rajma and rice.Umral told me that the chowkidaar of the rest house at Har-ki dun , was from Osla and that he was staying at the village at that time as there was heavy snow in Har ki dun .. We then ate together in my room and slept..He slept in the room next to me.It was too cold at night and I slept with the jacket , gloves,and my trek boots on with two heavy blankets.

(to be continued..have patience )

Awesome read! Seems like you had a hell of a time. I wouldn't have slept with an empty stomach if I were at your place haha. I would have gone out to eat snow from the mountains lol I envy you man.. Btw, are you still in touch with that pretty girl from the kitchen?? Do post some pictures of your trip also.