Dodital is a high altitude lake at a height of 3307m. Situated
amidst pine forests with the backdrop of Darwa Bugyal, a high
altitude meadow, Dodital has a serene effect on the mind and
body. Dodital gets its name from Dodi, the local name for trout,
that are found in large numbers in the lake. Like most of the
high altitude tals, Dodital also has a legend associated with it.
We took the route from Barsu.
A 4-hr ascent on a clear trail through pine forests took us to
Barnala Bugyal. The peak Draupadi Ka Khamba can be clearly seen
all along the trail. Barnala Bugyal is situated in a pine forest.
There is plenty of water available at the campsite, however,
there is water available only at one place on the way. We also
find deserted Gujjar (Shepherd) huts there but these were not
habitable and we camp in our tents. We get a beautiful view of
a range of snow capped peaks from the campsite. Our cooks Gopal
and Bhuvan cook up a delicious dinner. The weather gods blessed
us all along the trail and through the night.
A 2.5-hr ascent through pine forests take us above the tree line
into the alpine meadows of Dayara Bugyal. The trail is well laid out
to the extent that it could become motorable someday.
Dayara Bugyal, with its beautiful sloping meadows attracts skiing
enthusiasts in winter. Another Himalayan range comes into
view as we reach the meadows. The prominent peak in this range
is called Kalanag. Water is scarce at this site and we have to
fetch water from a small hole (about a foot in diameter) fed by a
tiny stream near the campsite. It rains heavily in the
evening and night. As a result the night is very cold. Cooks
Gopal and Bhuvan continue to amaze us with their culinary
abilities. The sky does not clear till 9.30 am the next day,
nevertheless we decide to move.
Though the raingods were not too happy in the morning, they smiled
on us after a 30 minute climb through the forest. The top here is
very windy. We can see the Dodital campsite and Darwa Bugyal
across the valley in the distance, though it would take us
another day to reach there. We can also see the Sangamchatti -
Dodital route.
The route from here is through rolling meadows and rhododendrons. We spot the first Monal pheasant of the trek as he flies 10 meters across our trail, along with his harem, spreading his bluish tail and turquoise and maroon wings. A flat 1-hr trail takes us to the base of another 1-hr ascent. Another flat 1-hr trail from the top takes us to a panoramic spot where we can see the peaks Kalanag and Draupadi Ka Khamba on one side and a fairly deep valley right down to Dodigad. The Dodital campsite and the route from Sangamchatti seems much closer from here, just a valley in between.
From here the route, actually just a cattle path, is tricky and
descends through thick forest. A descent of 1.5-hrs takes us to
the beautiful campsite situated in the forest. Along the trail we
spot the second Monal pheasant. An inviting, though ice cold,
stream awaited us and we have our first refreshing bath of the
trek. The campsite is much warmer, being in the forest and
additionally, the altitude is much lower than Dayara Bugyal.
8 am to 3.30 pm - (16 kms)
The sky was absolutely clear in the morning. We descend for
about 2 hours through thick predominantly bamboo forest to Dodigad.
We cross Dodigad and have our second bath of the trek. From
here, the route ascends for about 2 hours through thick forest to
meet the route coming from Sangamchatti. We spot yet another Monal
pheasant along the trail. We also spot a brown coloured fox with
a white tail as it clambers to the top of a tree and disappears
into the forest. A flat 2-hr walk takes us to Dodital. This last
part of the trail is crowded with Homo Sapiens coming from
Sangamchatti. After 3 days of camping in noiseless natural
habitat, our feelings in the last part of the trail are akin to
walking in a crowded Mumbai subji market with blaring rock music.
Nevertheless, there are brief periods of respite. We spot a Viper
along the trail.
Dodital, when we reach, has atleast 100 people and most of them were noisy boarding school boys from Dehra Dun and Delhi. A group of 20 relatively silent school girls also cohabited the place. It rains heavily in the evening and the temperature drops by a good measure. Dodital has atleast 10 dhabas serving hot food and tea.
Dodital, also called Dhundital, has a temple dedicated to Dhundiraj another name for Ganesha. The priest, a sadhu, has 3 shishyas. The priest performs pooja twice a day and invites all the camping groups to attend the pooja and partake the prasad.
The scenic beauty of Dodital will compel any nature lover to park
here for days together. The Dhundital, the pine forest around
it, the towering Darwa Bugyal on one side and the valley on the
opposite side is serene and enticing. One is not surprised by the
choice of Ganesha for his abode. A route from Dhundital ascends
to Darwa Bugyal (8 kms from Dhundital) and then descends to
Hanumanchatti (32 kms from Dhundital).
Dhundital has a small Parikrama (circumambulation trail) of about 1.5 km around it and most people traverse this trail in reverence to the lord Ganesha. Two to three streams descending from the Darwa Bugyal feed the Dhundital. The skies have cleared in the morning and we lazed for most part of the day. We have our third refreshing bath in the Dodigad.
The trail to Sangamchatti is about 22 kms and passes through two villages Bhaevara (14 kms) and Agora (16 kms). The trail is a good cobbled path. Agora has beautiful red Chuha (Rajgira in Marathi) fields. The last leg from Agora to Sangamchatti (6 kms) is somewhat tiring. A 1-hr jeep ride from Sangamchatti takes us to Uttarkashi.
To conclude, the trek is easy, even for a beginner and offers beautiful views of snowclad Himalayan peaks. An extended stay at Dodital for the weak and, a climb to Darwa Bugyal followed by a descent to Hanumanchatti for the strong, is recommended.
On the return leg to Mumbai we rested at Kasauli, an Army cantonment. Kasauli is a 2 day bus journey from Uttarkashi passing through the small townships of Purola, Mori, Tuhni and the large town Shimla, a Dharavi in the lesser Himalayas. A night halt at Mori, on the banks of river Tons, is essential. Mori is on the Har ki Dhoon trek route. Tuhni, on the banks of the river Pabbar, is on the border of the newly formed state Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh.
Kasauli is a small town with guest houses at affordable prices for a normal trekker. Kasauli also has an Airforce station. From the Mankidevi temple inside the Airforce colony, you get a view of the Punjab plains to the south and Shimla to the north. From Kasauli we went to Kalka which is a 1-hr bus ride to catch the Paschim Express back to Mumbai.