The Amazing Valley

The trek described here.

I cannot believe almost a month has gone by since that day!

July 25th, Day 5 - From Ghangria into the Valley of Flowers.

Everyone says "only 3 kms", but some 3 kms it was!  The walk into the Valley of Flowers from Ghangaria, while not in the league of our previous day's walk, was definitely not a stroll in the park!

But every moment was beeeyoutiful!!  No mule dung, very few people, mist, rushing water, imposing stonefaces, a mind boggling collection of flowers, and of course the company of eleven wonderful people, actually twelve including Rajneesh our guide for the day.

Rajneesh knows the Japanese names for all the flowers, (the Jap tourists come in droves), and soon my head was reeling with Liguleria, Rhubarb, Selinum, Anemone, poisonous, medicinal, weed....

That was where we were headed

To reach the path to the Valley, one has to go through Ghangaria town, which let me tell you is no fun.

The path through town is completely uphill (at 60 degrees according to me!), replete with mules and their dung.  The rains had converted everything into a brown slush, and horse flies were having a field day!!

The path levels off through the town, which has a gurudwara, a few lodges, some restaurants and a few souvenir shops.

You cross through the town, then the cement path ascends steeply, and there's a culvert over a rushing river.  I think the Lakshman Ganga river is met by the Pushpavathi river here.  The Pushapavati river comes gushing down the valley of flowers.

There is a fork then, the left one on to the Valley and the straight one through to Hemkund.

Wild asters distracted me, even before we reached the park gates!

Not great English, but well said DFO!

We entered the gates of the Valley sanctuary and immediately the whole ambience changed for me.  No mules, so hurray! It just became cleaner, greener, quieter, and there were flowers everywhere!!

We were joined by our guide Rajneesh and another Indian family from somewhere or the other.  They had a little girl who was being carried by the porter in one those baskets they sling on their backs.  She was a chirpy little thing and walked and rode in her basket alternatively!

This was the path in the beginning, lush trees on either side and all sorts of exotic flowers.

  We dawdled, took photos and delayed our progress to the Valley!

This glacier could be crossed las month.  You can see the walking path pressed out on the ice.  The summer remperatures had caused the centre to melt and crack, and so we had to go further up in order to cross over to the other side.

So we crossed here.  Where the water was flowing, but the flow was slow enough so that we could cross it.  Abhimanyu can be seen on the other side waiting for us, as we crossed with the help of Prem.  When we returned, the water levels were much higher, and this was the reason that Abhimanyu did not want to delay our return from the Valley.

A toadstool garden!  The area is so moist and green and amazing!

Large conifers, mist, crisp air, good company.  I was in paradise on earth.

The famous blue poppies

We were not yet in the Valley proper, but it was already heaven on earth.  I can't describe the joy in my heart that day.

Wherever I looked, the sights were amazing.  I could not get enough of the flowers, the green leaves, the dew drops on petals, the calls of the laughing thrush and rose finches, the moss on tree trunks, the rushing river water, that huge and silent mountain face.

And yet lurking under this scenic peacefulness was the raw forces of nature.  One cloud burst was all it would have taken to make this absolutely idyllic day of mine very nasty.

It is this reality that keeps people like Abhimanyu respectful and cautious of nature, urging us to take care, not displaying bravado.

One false step in some of those places and any one of us could have been in trouble from a sprained ankle to much much worse.

But that day was ours, and despite the drizzle that came down once we reached the Valley, it was all that we could ask for.

The Pushpavati, as we crossed it.  This time, on a proper bridge!

All along until we reached the Valley we saw this rock face, in and out of the mist and clouds, on the other side of the river.

A view of the path.  Still not yet there!

At the base of the rock face was this beautiful meadow, with remnants of the frozen river.  The meadow had a hint of yellow, and probably would be a riot of yellow a fortnight later.

You can see the path on the left, winding into the distance.  The rocks in the foreground are part of a rockfall that seemed quite recent.

Around the bend and we reached this point, the last crossing over this asbestos sheet and into the Valley!! 

Blue Himalayan balsam everwhere! The stony path, on which you are expected to stay, is on the right.

The "rock" under which we had our aloo parathas for lunch.  This seems to be a standard resting point for visitors.  Met another group from Mumbai, and some assorted foreigners.  That's all the visitors to the valley there were.  Abhimanyu said that many visitors return from here, becaue by the time they reach here, it's time to head back.  We had a ittle more time to push on.

Selinum in the foreground, another common flower

Everyone went crazy with their cameras!  Thanks to digital technology!! And we discovered Rajneesh's phtography skills as well!

The mist rolled in and out!

How many varieties can you spot?  No close-ups in this post.  The flowers need another post!

We got as far as this, and then had to head back, after seeing the lady's slipper orchid, rhododendron bushes and the cobra lily.  Those pics next time.

We seriously considered holing out under the rock and spending the night there!!  

The drizzle started as we headed back, and this was my last picture as we headed back, and I put the camera away, resolutely.

On our return, the mist and drizzle reduced visibility, and some people who had still not made it into the valley, were turning back.  Can you imagine coming all the way, and not getting even a glimpse of the magical Valley?

See the complete set of flowers here


My day in Ghangaria