Revisiting Gangotri

In 1966, My uncle, Sujal Mukherjee and his friends had formed a club, based in Calcutta, called "Gangotri Glacier Exploration Committee" (GGEC). For over a decade after that they kept organizing expedition to Gangotri glacier complex, to peaks such as Kedarnath, Satopanth, Bhagirathi,Mandani etc. This year in June -July 2010, I am organizing a trek to the head of Gangotri glacier. We plan to start from the temple of river Ganga at Gangotri and finish near the mighty walls of Chaukhamba, from where the Gangotri glacier originates.This is a pilgrimage for me and will certainly be a grand adventure for anyone who joins me.

This expedition will take about a month from Delhi. Whether the Himalayan glaciers will vanish by 2035 or 2053, we don't know for sure. But one thing we know as a fact that the glaciers are melting and retreating alarmingly. You gotta see it to believe it! This trip can be a eye opener for some of us..who would like to believe in Global Cooling!!!

On another note, ( but related to this topic) 3 years ago, I had started a porter shelter and medical post at Bhujbas, near the snout of Gangotri glacier (http://indiaporter.tripod.com/) National park fees and current regulations were not in favour our little project. This was supported by IPPG (www.ippg.net) and Dr. Jim Duff knew what was happening. But its a thing of the past.

This year's trip will also give me another opportunity to re-look and restart the project, that we long desired, at Bhujbas. Having a medical post and free night shelter for the porters' up there certainly deserves a second boost. If at all I am able to form a group for this adventure, profits made will go to rebuild and restart the shelter at Bhujbas.

I have set a departure date for this trek on June 28, 2010 from Delhi. Would be more than glad to answer and supply further info if anyone find this project interesting!

The false-color image attached show the Gangotri Glacier, situated in the Uttarkashi District of Garhwal Himalaya. Currently 30.2 km long and between 0.5 and 2.5 km wide, Gangotri glacier is one of the largest in the Himalaya. Gangotri has been receding since 1780, although studies show its retreat quickened after 1971. (Please note that the blue contour lines drawn here to show the recession of the glacier’s terminus over time are approximate.) Over the last 25 years, Gangotri glacier has retreated more than 850 meters, with a recession of 76 meters from 1996 to 1999 alone.

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