After crossing the Vishnu Gali the track eased out downwards towards Gadsar. From the top of the pass, the climb of Mount Vishnu seemed quite tempting. There is an inclined rock ridge leading to the summit.

It would be a good rock-climbing effort. We trekked along the track which was for some distance straight and then gradually inclined downwards. After traversing a kilometre or so we came to well shaped small lake. It looked like a huge ink pot. The water was blue-black in colour and the lake had many ice-floes which had been falling in it from the mountain sides. The horsemen called it the Yemsar. It was late in the afternoon and the sky had got covered in thick dark clouds. Soon it started drizzling. After traversing along the ridge for sometime we started moving down towards a green plateau. At some distance was another lake. It appeared quite shallow and had also muddy water.

This was supposed to be Gadsar. In fact, Gadsar area was better known by the green plateau at the foot of the mountains. The stream coming from the Vishnu Gali was going straight on the left. Our track lay on the right across a steep but grassy mountain. We camped at the foot of the mountain. When we had finished pitching our tents, Khan Sahib found a lamb wondering in the meadow. He caught hold of it and tied it to one of the kitchen tent poles. Due to increasing rain we went inside tents and it was soon dark. After sometime we heard some people shouting near our camp. We went out and found that these were nomadic shepherds who had lost the lamb. We told them we had found it running round in the meadow and had tied it for safety. We handed over the lamb to them. They invited Khan Sahib and others to their camp which was nearby. They offered some salt tea and also gave a large portion of freshly slaughtered mutton. It made our dinner fulsome and we enjoyed it. We got up early in the morning as we had a long day ahead. It had been decided to march straight to Gangabal.

The climb on the green mountain was little tough but interesting. The entire mountainside was full of flowers and plants of umpteen varieties. Khurshid who is basically a botanist informed me that there were dozens of different species of plants on the mountainside. It was a delight for a botanist. In our enthusiasm we climbed very fast initially on the track. We were passing jokes on Khan Sahib who was quite slow and was the last man to climb. He was trudging along slowly. He had a steady pace. We soon got tired and started panting. In fact, ultimately Khan Sahib reached the top before us. On the top we stopped to take some rest. We also had our pack lunch. Khan Sahib gave us some advice about trekking. According to him one has to find the most suitable pace for marching. One has to stick to this pace which does not tire one out. Once this pace gets established one can trek along enjoying the scenery and at the end of the day one does not feel tired. Subsequently we adopted Khan Sahib’s strategy for trekking and enjoyed our walks. The other side of the mountain was also grassy for some distance. It was a mixed descent, gradual and steep. Soon we reached a valley in which a stream was flowing on the right downwards. Here we had to turn left and climb gradually along the stream.

Soon we came to Satsar lakes. These are seven lakes in a row cascading one over the other. A couple of lakes are small while others are of reasonably good size. The track runs along the right side of the lakes. The water from these lakes flows down through a stream which after some distance vanishes into a huge opening. It completely disappears. It is called Doobta Pani which means sinking water. We were informed that the stream reappears and goes down to Tulail. After crossing the lakes the track goes along a continuous field of dry boulders. It was very tricky to move along all these virtually endless boulders. One had to be careful to step on the right one so as to avoid slipping. The long staves which we had carried along were very useful. As the boulders started becoming less in numbers, the track divided into two branches. One path went up on the right side and the other descended along the valley downwards along a stream. The path going up was narrow and was not suitable for ponies. Therefore, some of the members went along the descending path with the ponies. Four of us, Dr. Rauf Mir, Khurshid Malik, Meharaj-ud-Din and I took the upper route. It was quite steep and winding one. The climb never seemed to end. After sometime we started getting panicky. A pass called Zicha Gali was supposed to be at the top. The crossing of the pass would take us straight to Gangabal Lake. The other track which was wider would descend quite low along the stream and then climb up to Gangabal. While climbing I asked Dr. Rauf as to how long a man could survive without food? He laughed and said if one only drinks water, a man can stay alive even for 72 days!

Our worries were brought to an end as we sighted the top of the pass. It was like a wall with some snow on our side being in the shadow. We slowly climbed the last bit and were thrilled to see a fantastic view on the other side. Sun was setting on the magnificent Harmukh massif. We could see the shimmering Gangabal Lake and another smaller lake above it. The descent was initially steep and then it levelled out. The other side was completely dry without any snow anywhere. We were very eager to reach the Gangabal Lake and were also tired by now. Finally when the sun was about to set, we reached our destination. There was no sign of the other party. While scouting the Lake surroundings we saw a huge boulder between Gangabal Lake and the lower down Nanda Kol Lake. Under the boulder some shepherds were sitting. We went straight to them and they greeted us and offered Kashmiri salt tea and Sattu (roasted maize flour). We were so tired that we took at least four cups of tea each. It immediately removed our fatigue and refreshed us. The shepherd enclave had been a God sent boon for us. We were told the pony trail was quite long and our friends would take at least an hour or so to finally reach the spot. It was by now dark and we had no alternative but to wait for the other party carrying tents and other items. We prayed for them and waited impatiently for their arrival. In the meantime, we had also selected a spot near the Gangabal Lake for our camp.

(To be continued…)