A 34-member team of the Science and Adventure Club, Tiruchi, has returned to the city after a 15-day high altitude trek to the Tons River Valley of Har Ki Doon and Ruinsara Thal in the Western granges of the Garhwal Himalayas.
Thirty four members, including 13 adults and 21 students from various schools from Tiruchi, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Hubli, were part of the 11{+t}{+h} annual trek. The youngest member was 11 year-old Roshan Srinivas from Coimbatore, for whom this was the fifth trek. The team was led by J.Ramanan and his wife, Vrinda.
The Tons River Valley is home to the mighty peaks of Swargarohini and the Kala Nag (the Black Peak). According to the Mahabharata, the Pandavas attained their heavenly abode from Swargarohini.
The team from Tiruchi arrived in Delhi on May 13, 2010 and undertook a 10-hour journey to Sankri via Mussoorie. The expedition included a 15-km-hike from Sankri to Taluka, a 10 km-trek to Chullu Gad, a two- hour trek to an ice patch in the Jaundhar Glacier and a trek to Kayyar Khoti (16,200ft.), a moraine-strewn glacier.
On the itinerary, was also an expedition to the village of Osla which is said to be home to the descendants of Kaurava king Duryodhana. The biggest attraction here is the temple dedicated to him.
The team camped at Har Ki Doon (11,500 ft) and Ruinsara Thal (12,100ft), which are the base camps for climbing Black Peak and Swargarohini peak.
Nature walks, photographic sessions and lectures were held for the team members who also interacted with the mountain-dwellers. Cleaning of the campsite was part of the expedition and the trekkers collected non-biodegradable waste on the way and handed it over to authorities.
The team made it to Sankri after a four-day trek downhill and returned to Tiruchi on Sunday.
