Hampta Pass Trek - Day 04

CONTINUED FROM: Hampta Pass Trek - Day 03

Day 04: 05-Oct-2022

Route: Goru (3810 m / 12500 ft) to Chatru (3560 m/11680 ft)

Distance: 7km (4H)

I woke up in the morning and witnessed a spectacular sight. As the sun began to ride, the blanket of shadow covering the snow-capped mountains began to retrace. 

At around 8:50AM, we were ready to leave. The first task was to cross the cold stream that was running by the campsite. If you want to avoid crossing the river. But it is fun trying this. 

I was the first to cross the stream and my legs went terribly numb once I reached the other side. The first river crossing done two days ago, wasn’t this bad. In the morning, the water was freezing cold. 

After having crossed, we had to attend to our numb feet. They needed a massage. We had to run around to warm the feet quickly.  

One of our trekkers, Ayush, had hurt his leg the previous day and he struggled to maintain pace. The spray I often carry with me, came of little use to him but his condition seemed severe, perhaps a ligament tear.

The walk on the last day is not difficult at all. Most of the trail is an easy descent. On my way, I had an interesting conversation with Bharath about life in general. Ayush told me later that he got a chance to give our "not so friendly" guide a good Ted talk on reasoning behind rising temperature and melting glaciers. 

I was also trekking with two young engineers from MP – Rishab and Rohit. I also enjoyed my conversations with Sarab, a happy-go-lucky Punjabi guy from Delhi. His ability to take every situation lightly, with a smile, reminded me of my friend Aman. And with those two data points, I tried to legitimize the stereotype related to Punjabis as fun-loving and light-hearted. Varun, who hails from Delhi as well, was mostly silent but always a part of a good conversation. 

During the last leg of the trail, I got to speak with Samar, who is a commercial artist from Delhi. He was with his buddy Tarun and Tarun’s brother Yash. It was interesting to hear to Samar’s journey as an artist. Tarun is also following the same path and Yash works for corporate. Well, I think, I have covered all the trekkers in my series of posts. 

We descended towards the Chenab River in Chatru. The views were amazing. Our campsite was visible from a distance. We reached there by 1PM. Lunch was served as soon as we arrived. 

Three jeeps were arranged to take us to Chandra taal. The  bumpy jeep ride of 2.5 hours (one way) took away all the excitement that the trekking experience had built. 

The Road from Chatru to Chandra taal, is unpaved, dusty and bumpy. By the time we got there, all the dust from the road was on our faces. No mask would help here. One must perhaps carry a blanket. This is also the route taken up to Kaza by bikers and tourists doing the Spiti circuit.

Despite that terrible ride with some loud music played by the driver, the lake was a terrific place to end the day at. As we reached there, a little before sunset, the lake was shimmering with the setting sun. 

We spent some time there and returned after the sun had set. You are not allowed to camp by the lake but there are some tent accommodation available a few kilometres away from the lake.  The lake is located at 14100 ft. 

Back at the campsite, a special dinner awaited us. Our cook Ram Bhai had prepared some egg curry, Kofta curry and Gulab Jamoon along with roti, rice and dal. The food was amazing and ensured a good sleep that night. 

I had no expectation from this trek. I just wanted to be in the Himalayas. But this turned out to be a great trek with an incredible team, beautiful views, fairly challenging and exciting trail. And as always, I returned back from the Himalayas, with some realisation. Here is the thought I developed over, during this visit. This clarity has given me so much of peace. Thank you Himalayas!

Checkout my Video on this Trek experience: