Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

Bandar Poonch peak trekkers spread the message of eco-friendliness in daily life

ENCHANTING: Members of the Science and Adventure Club, Tiruchi, on the Bandar Poonch Peak.

TIRUCHI: The members of the Science and Adventure Club, Tiruchi, have successfully completed the ninth annual trekking expedition to Bandar Poonch peak on the Garhwal Himalaya.

The team comprised 29 students and professionals from Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The team led by J. Ramanan and his deputy Vrinda Ramanan had two 11-year-old trekkers _ Arjun of Chennai and Roshan of Coimbatore. Sunil Srinivasan, a local paediatrician, accompanied the team.

The highlight of the expedition was the creation of awareness of a clean, green environment free of plastics and non-biodegradable material. The old and young spread among those whotravelled with them – the porters, cooks and helpers, mountain guides and the tribals en route – the importance of using eco-friendly material on trekking expeditions and in the day to day life. The cleaned their campsites of all the rubbish thrown by predecessors as they enjoyed their tryst with the mountains.

After being flagged-off from Tiruchi on April 30, they reached Uttar Kashi by travelling by rail, road and air. From thereon, after a jeep drive to Barsu commenced the interesting trek to Barnala Thal which is at a height of 9,700 feet through a rhododendron forest.

A comfortable stroll across hills and valleys and huge sprawling meadows took the team to Dayara Bugiyal (11,500 feet), an enchanting open grassland. The team members enjoyed viewing the striking Black Peak or Kala Nag (20,850 feet), Bandar Poonch (20,640 feet) on one side and Srikantha, Jogin I and III, Gangotri I, II and III and Janoli on the other.

The hailstorms and very bad weather played spoilsport for a couple of days. Later, the team commenced its journey to Lamda (12,500 feet), crossing three ridges, climb steep slopes and saunter down sheer valleys.

A very difficult yet interesting ascent over snow patches and slopes led the team to the huge meadow – Gidara Bugiyal. The group had to glissade (a controlled slide, in either a standing or sitting position) steep snow slopes and climb tortuous slopes before reaching the destination which was at an altitude of 14,000 ft.

The team members had to reach the Gidara Top to slide down snow slopes about 1,000 feet to reach the cozy shelter of their tents.

The Bandar Poonch is a remarkable mountain, for it is from here that both the Ganga and the Yamuna get their water. On one side of the grassland there is a simple stream that gurgles down and reaches the Yamunotri, while on the other side there is a deep gorge that carries the Ganga. At this point the team came closer to all the mountain peaks of Srikanta, Gangotri and Jogin as also the Bandar Poonch. Once again bad weather confined the team to the tents.

Then started the return journey through the luxuriant green expanses and thick woods, over high hills and deep valleys to reach Gangnani, a pilgrim centre with hot springs. The return path was was slippery due to hailstorms in the higher reaches of the mountains and heavy rain in the lower altitudes. The team was back in Tiruchi on May 17.

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