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Seven days in Auli? exclaims the travel agent. The snow has melted, theres only grass on the slopes! Youll be bored out of your wits in four days, let alone a full week! It sounds wonderful, we say. He adds that cell phone connectivity is poor there. We say nothing could be better. The hotel we have booked is at a height of 10,500 feet above sea level, accessed only by a ski lift or a steep hike uphill, he says finally. I hope none of you have breathing or heart problems, he adds. But we want to experience summertime in the place that lays claim to being one of the highest ski resorts in the world, so off we go.
In some ways, the agent was right. Auli is not for the faint-hearted. The drive through the mountains is peppered with landslides, rockfalls and bumpy roads. The air is thin, and gets thinner as one hikes to higher altitudes. The ski slopes higher up transform into green meadows sprinkled liberally with wildflowers in the summer, but one has to be in reasonable shape to even reach them. And as the locals say, the weather in Auli and fashion trends in Mumbai are equally unpredictable.
Having said that, summer in Auli is a time of crisply cold weather, stunning vistas and some of the best high-altitude hiking and trekking opportunities in the world. Grassy meadows stretch for as far as the eye can see, flanked by more than a 180-degree view of snow-clad peaks, from Kedarnath and Nar-Narayan at one end to Nanda Devi and Trishul at the other. In the centre stands the majestic Brahma Kamal peak, so named as it resembles the national flower of Uttarakhand. Cows and sheep graze peacefully upon these high pastures, and the tinkling of their bells and the buzzing of the bees are the only sounds audible for miles. It begs the inevitable comparisons with Switzerland but in a piquant take off from the bucolic Alps, each peak and every meadow in Auli is redolent with mythology and stories. After all, the region isnt called Devbhoomi, abode of the gods, for nothing.
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Nanda Devi, the godly giver of bliss, presides over everything in Auli. If at the beginning of the skiing season it hasnt snowed sufficiently, locals sacrifice a goat at her altar, entreating her to blow her icy breath over Auli. In summer, lit by the light of the setting sun, she dances seductively with the clouds, blowing away wisps to offer tantalising glimpses of herself.As for the days, well the travel agent couldnt have been further off the mark when he said there isnt much to do here. For anyone who enjoys tramping around in the hills, few places can rival the attractions of Auli. Numerous well-marked hiking trails surround the chair lift. All around are meadows so carpeted with wild irises and daisies that it seems almost criminal to walk on them. Masses of pink and purple saxifrage cover the rocks, providing a fragrant refuge to insects. Fringing all this is a dense forest of ancient oak and flowering rhododendron.
One of Aulis best hikes is the 3-km walk to Gorson Top, where a series of impossibly green meadows, roll on and on for over five kilometres to end in a glacier. Our guide, Bhagat Singh, patiently watches our delight in the stunning flowers. These irises do look like theyve been tended by a gardener, he comments, amused by my contorted efforts to photograph them. Actually it is the touch of god that they experience As we find the downhill path easier going, we make plans to return to Gorson Meadows another day. Next time, Ill bring you here via Chatra Tal, he promises. Aching hamstrings notwithstanding, we cant wait.
The next day, as we head into the secretive forests beneath Gorsons Peak, we hear the call of a monal. Although the rare pheasant (also Uttarakhands state bird) eludes us, its a good omen. Chatra Lake is small, its waters naturally black. The stillness and quiet of the area is compelling. Ahead we notice a tiny hut, once built by a hermit who wanted to meditate and study undisturbed. He couldnt have chosen a better spot.
On our way to Gorsons Meadow, we see the clouds gathering. Distant thunder augurs rain. Gone are the fluffy benign clouds of yesterday mighty black rain-bearing cumulus clouds release sheaths of rain. We take refuge under a shepherds tent. He shares his tea with us, and we, our picnic lunch with him. Warmed by his campfire, he tells us about his solitary life in the mountains. My watchdogs give me company and ward off wild boar and the occasional leopard or bear that wanders my way from the forest, says he. His sheep mill about in the rain, while his two horses and a foal graze peacefully on a hillock. Thank you for your company, he says. Once in a while it does get lonely up on the mountain!
The rain brings fine mists and much-needed relief to the dry soil that rises in flurries when the wind blows. The sun emerges again, and in the balmy meadows beneath Gorsons Peak, we find masses of wild strawberries, smaller and tarter than their urban cousins. After we render half the slope bare, we realise that they seem to grow best near the tallest and stinkiest mounds of cow dung.
As we walk back, we see the last of the daytime revellers leave by the last ski lift. Not more than a hundred tourists visit Auli daily these days, and it is peak summer season. Some sit in the dhabas and enjoy the weather and view. Others even hire ponies to go up to Gorsons Peak. But they dont have the luxury of leisure that we do. Will you stop for some tea and pakodas? asks Satinder, who works in the tea shop we like best there. Well come back after the crowds have left, we promise, we have all the time in the world
Of course, we dont. The week flies by, even though we all feel that the clocks run slower in Auli than they do back home. When its time to leave on the ski lift, a mad impulse to stay here longer overtakes me. I eschew the lift for yet another hike down Aulis meandering trails. Even though I walk really slowly, I soon encounter a car packed with tourists careening down a hairpin bend. Its the first Ive seen in seven days. Thats when I realise that my Auli idyll is finally over and Ive returned, unwillingly, back to the rest of the world.
