Gorson Bugyal tagged posts

The next morning we woke up early to go to Auli, a very well known skiing destination. As we stepped outside our guesthouse we were greeted by the morning sun shining on the snow clad peaks giving them a golden hue. It was almost as if the mountains were wearing golden crowns.

Rajesh was there waiting for us with the cab and on time as always. Auli is a steep 17 km uphill climb from Joshimath that takes one from an elevation of 6500 feet above sea level to an elevation of 10200 feet above sea level. The road was narrow, steep and winding with sharp curves and bends. The drive takes one through the establishment of the Indian Army’s Ibex Brigade who are specialists in high altitude warfare. Men from this brigade did wonders in the Kargil war...

A trip to the Uttarakhand Himalayas had been in the offing for a long time. It was realized during the long Easter weekend(10th April to 13th April). The destination agreed upon was Auli, a well known skiing resort in the Garhwal Himalayas. The itinerary, the route and the mode of transport were agreed upon and arranged for before our departure from Noida. We left Delhi on the 10th of April by the Hazrat Nizamuddin –Dehradun AC Special at 11:55 pm. The train was on time and we alighted from the train at Haridwar at 4 am on the 11th. Our cab, a Tavera, and our driver, Rajesh, were waiting for us at the railway station. We bought some packets of potato chips and had a few slices of bread butter before we started on our 300 km journey to Joshimath.

Rajesh is an exprienced and seasoned vete...