It was around 5:30 in morning when I woke up after a deep sleep though my body still was aching. I came out from the dormitory onto the side balcony and stretched myself. It was still dark outside and silent. One could see the giant gate on right that welcome tourists while bus stand of Gopeshwar at the left. Gagan was up to, and then almost all one after another. We refreshed ourselves and the Independence Day parade down on the road started with student representative from different schools marching with their school flags followed by other students in long queue.
School Parade, Independence Day. Also seen is the gaint gate in the backdrop.
One after another, the student of all class and size; boys and girls; in blues and reds and whites and greens; passed by like marching ants in perfect line and the teachers mandating the line and their behavior. I clicked few of them but there was low light. Meanwhile our time was ready and
out for adventure. But there was no transport to drop us at Sagar to start our adventure.
We spotted a jeep, two fellows smoking and talking inside. They agreed to give us a drop for 100 bucks which we readily agreed for. Sanjeev and Mohit started to gag among themselves and then soon the environment became lively with Sanjeev and Gagan streaming in. I was enjoying quite much but we were late by some one and half hours. The time was 6:50 am. We reached Sagar some 6kms from Gopeshwar. The gate along the road says, ‘Rudranath Ji Mandir Ka Rasta - 22 kms’ (Rudranath temple - 22kms) and the small iron gate was locked. So we jumped.
Sagar, the start point of Trek
We met two locals on the way after walking 2kms. One was the meat-seller and was going to fetch some meat from Shepherds at Panar. The other one did not talked or introduced. They asked about us and asked us to join them to smoke ‘Bhangnath’ (Opium Grass). Mohit volunteered and took few drags. 
We started moving up again. Next I remember meeting an old village woman (from Gangolgaon, a nearby village) who was also going to the temple. And we started walking along. Sanjeev was with me and the other three fellows were behind us. Me, Sanjeev and the old lady were walking along. Soon we reached a flat ground which was some 5kms from Sagar. It had one ‘Rudresh’ Dhaba.
Meat-seller (left) & his companionWe decided to sit and wait for our companions to come. Soon they came and together we sipped upon tea and ate maggi.
The old lady took tea with us while awaiting for her companions from another village to come and join her there. Soon people flooded and we were like a herd of coloured s
heep. The time was 9:50. We resumed our trek. The real trek starts from here. Till Panar, it was some 9kms sharp, steep uphill trek. The track was all muddy and quite slippery. Our eyes could see clouds approaching us fast. And in no time the downpour started gradually. We had our raincoats out soon. We (me and Sanjeev) lost our companions (Mohit, Gagan and Sanjeev 2)) again and joined the villagers and a group of 6 students from IIT Roorkee. Sanjeev would often sit for rest, ask me to wait for him and make faces while cursing his life. In the meanwhile villagers were out of sight.
Sanjeev-2(green); Sanjeev (khaki) and Mohit (black) seen here with Villagers
I would ask him to speed up despite knowing that we were not in competition to anyone. Villagers any case have 
this competitive advantage over anybody who would occasionally go to such straight uphill treks. I was also feeling tired by now and the path between the damp land, slippery surface, dense forest and amidst fog and occasional rain won’t end. Besides, the other three were nowhere to be seen. We must have covered some 6kms by now which total amount to be around 11-12kms. The time was some 1:30 now. We decided to halt down near a water source and eat the bread and butter that we were carrying. Now that we two were alone and all the villagers and even the IIT guys have disappeared.
Lots of water streams & falls were visibile along the route
After 20 minutes, we started again. Sanjeev was agitated. Resting too often. Asking me to slow down, shouting from behind. Me too was tired but I had to keep ourselves going. I was wondering how come everyone could get so much ahead of us that they become hardly visib
le from the place we were at. I doubted my capabilities too. We both were by now become so much negative. I was also worried about my fellows who were still down and assumptions surrounding my mind – Would they come along or just return back from there? Sanjeev was not carrying any cell phone and my Idea connection displayed ‘no network coverage’.
Soon 3 villagers crossed us whom we asked about our fellows by giving them the description of them. To our shock we were told that our friends were still quite down. And, I again feared about them – if they would come or not.
Clouds floating upon the ValleyAt 3 around we reached Lyuti Bugyal, and found little comfort in a small hut owned by Bisht Ji. We were half wet. It would rain sometimes and than after a flash it would go and then keep coming back and again. But at Lyuti, it got worse. It started raining hard. 
We took shelter under the roof. Sanjeev stretched himself on the big black plastic sheet spread over the dry grass as a mattress after eating. This was the only provision to sleep the night at Lyuti Bugyal. However, Lyuti was a plain terrace on the ridge on the chest of the mountain and the head was not too far now.
The head was the Panar, our destination for today. From Lyuti we started to march again after great resistance from Sanjeev, but I was adamant. As rain slowed down, we resumed. We would often sit and walk and then sit. We could feel our heart sinking. It was a state of breathlessness. We walk little, and get tired so we would sit down soon. It was getting quite tough for us to climb with our bagpacks. It was cloudy all over and rain may comeback anytime soon, I said to myself. 
Sanjeev at Lyuti BugyalWe reached Panar finally, which was 2 kms from Lyuti, in more than one and half hour at 4:30 pm. It started to rain again and we moved to a hut nearby.
The guy arranged for our rest while we ordered for tea. We were dead tired having walked some 13-14kms overall. And, Sanjeev found his comfort over the mat, covered with blankets on the ground which was not certainly clean and smell of goat and sheep.
He covered himself with two blankets and retired to sleep. I retired soon after clicking few pics around and sipping tea. The time was some 5:10. The rain stopped 
and sunshine recovered.
Panar was the flat terrain of vast grassland, a plateau with 3 small huts that belonged to shepherds. Although only one was commercially operating. We slept however semi-conscious in the cold since it got chilling in the night and the surface under the mat was uneven and not true flat.
One of boys of the Hut at PanarIt was not a good night I realized when often I woke up first at 2 am, then 3:20 and finally up at 5:30 at the sound of footsteps of ponies. Ponies made themselves comfortable under the steel shed outside our room which later I got to know were the forest property.
It was raining outside. Everyone else was sleeping. I suddenly remember some village girls were singing songs last night in the adjacent room which was not very much entertaining but then I had nothing else to listen to except the sound of rain drops on the steel shed and Sanjeev’s snoring. 
I asked Sanjeev to get ready. In the meanwhile I ordered the guy in the hut, for a bucket of hot water to bathe and tea to drink. We were ready by 6:30 to do the remaining of the trek. Sanjeev suggested why not request the hut-guy to call up at Lyuti and ask whether our fellows are there or not. I appreciated his point and requested the person. He agreed and sent his boy for the same. The boy would hold the reliance cell phone up in the air and locate for signals while walking towards a particular point where he knew signal would come.
Me @ Panar, awaiting to make call to Lyuti for my friends
I was with him and I managed to speak to my friends who rested at Lyuti Bugyal. I told Gagan to come up. Soon they were up in an hour while I sipped upon another tea and Sanjeev on phone with his ‘her’ on the phone that he borrowed from Sanjeev-2. I clicked few pics. It was pouring from the clouds though marginally.
Soon all three of them up were up and we rejoiced the moment of our re-union. I inquired with them why did they could not manage to reach Panar. The answer - Gagan was unwell. The other day he ate some 7-8 corns at a time despite my best efforts to stop him.
Sanjeev at the Hut, we stayed the night in room on left to the Hut (seen open window in the pic)
I giggled in my mind while Mohit smiled exposing his frontline teethes out of which one was missing. We left our bagpacks at Panar only and started for the road again. 
Road to Rudranath Ji, that is now more enjoyable with all 5 of us together. But soon this joy ended when again we begin to experience the tiredness but for me it was due to empty stomach. The time was 8:30 and we covered some 2kms from Panar.
Gagan leading this time shouted my name in excitement after seeing the gate that resembled the gate of the temple at Tungnath just before the temple comes at some 500 mtrs. Gagan thought we were almost there, at the temple. Little did he knew that temple is some 5-6kms from here.Happy Trio (We met at Panar)
We walked along the hill side and after we cross this temple gate look alike, we were inside the valley. The trail first goes down and then along the hill side with front side (opposite to hill) opens wide. If weather would have been clear (no mist), one could see the great Himalayan ranges along the valley. But we preferred the rain drenched, wet muddy land and cloudy views over it so there we were experiencing it. We reached the temple at 12:30 around. Almost everyone that once walked with us the other day – the villagers, IIT boys and some others, were returning back.
Gagan overjoyed seeing temple gateVillagers went to celebrate Poornima and Rakhi otherwise it is rare that people could be seen walking to Rudranath Ji due to this tough trek. Perhaps among the toughest of the treks in India. We waited for Mohit and Sanjeev to reach. Gagan suggested waiting so that we all could offer our homage to the deity, together. So we ordered for tea. It was raining again. I preferre
d not to come inside the hut or to sit beside the fire like Sanjeev-2 and Gagan did. I enjoyed standing out, watching people, sometimes the temple in the front on my left and enjoy the nature. The floating clouds could make you fall in love with the anomaly with which they change shape. All I could do is imagine with a thoughtless chase for them.
We all joined in to perform the ritual. We paid our homage to the Lord Shiva without His permission we could not have been invited here. We thanked the deity and sought His blessings. The priest gave brahamkamal to each one of us. And, then we were offered mahaprasad and invited to eat at bhandara the poorie-choley that I have been eyeing on since I saw people enjoying them. We five and Priest@ Rudranath Temple They really tasted as good as the atmosphere was full of serenity and pureness. The drops from heaven, the vast grasslands and small purple flowers stretched all over, streams swelled with water flowing carelessly; and the face of the deity that has impressions I still could recall.
We started soonafter for come back to Panar. We dislocated again while coming back. I did it intentionally to preserve the scenes that I had experienced and was now exercising in my mind. I took some of best shots here while coming back.
Trail moving along the valley that leads to temple
Enroute Panar from the temple
Approaching Panar (Backview towards the temple)
Great Meadows & Vast Grasslands
Finally Panar
The weather was now that fine and rain stopped completely 
for the first time in last 2 days. The mist disappeared and it appeared all green all over. I was completely overjoyed. I would sometimes sit, sometimes lie down, smell the air, try to put it all in one go into my lungs and breathe out with ease. I was again thoughtless and chasing the views with my two eyes wide open.
Finally I reached Panar. Already Gagan and Sanjeev-2, had bundled themselves into sheets of blanket laid to rest. I ordered for milk. I wandered outside a little and then started to seek my place to rest. Gagan & Sanjeev-2 comfotably numbSoon, Mohit and Sanjeev also came. Sanjeev seemed to be in more painful state. I helped him in changing his wet clothes and he slept in between me and Sanjeev-2 as soon as he lay down. He looked unwell. 
We were not sleeping and neither talking. This time we got our bedding within the hut all five of us in a row. We had walked today some 16kms and all wet and tired. We took moderate dinner on bedside only and then I took some hot milk.
Morning we all were up by 6 and started to come down from Panar. Sanjeev was in bad taste. Deprived of good food, and tired of walking. We all had swollen legs, blisters and we were wet again. The rain started again.
Going Down (Back to Sagar)
Raincoats did not help much. Infact to me it seems umbrella is much better an option. It atleast allows you to breath. We were chasing a trail downwards that would seem nowhere to be ending. But we knew it would end. While it was getting hard for us to get down due to slippery surface. Every now and then we would slip on the mud or get our shoes wet while crossing the streams.
It stopped raining just when we reached back to Sagar but now for all of us we would never stop discussing this experience with the people about this road to the temple of Rudranath.
Itinerary Description
Day 1: 14th August 2008 - Rishikesh @ 7 AM (Boarded On Bus from Delhi at 12 P.M on 13th which is some 260Kms), Took Bus for Gopeshwar @ 9:30AM, Reached Gopeshwar @ 4 PM (210 Kms from Rishikesh, raining whole day), Rest at GMVN dormitoary @ Rs. 100 per bed.
Day 2: 15th August 2008 - Gopeshwar to Sagar (6kms) by Jeep, Paid Rs. 100/- and started trek@ 7:30 AM to Rudranath (some 22kms on foot of which 7kms is very steep and tough) Reached Panar covering some 14 kms and Night Halt.
Day 3: 16th August (Rakhi & Poornima) - Started trek @ 8 around and reached temple after covering 8 kms at 1 PM, Paid our homage to Lord Shiva and started comeback, Came to Panar back @ 5 pm and clicked lots of pics enroute.
Day 4: 17th August - Started early morning @ 6 AM and reached Sagar by 12, took bus and reached Gopeshwar and after lunch for Rishikesh, Reached Rishikesh amidst heavy rains and lots of landslides enroute @ 9 PM. Boarded Bus for Delhi @ 10:30 p.m and reached back @ 6AM. Then office @ 9:40 AM… with swollen legs…very hectic!!!
© himanshu For more pics please visit www.flickr.com/myth_drinker
