Gulabi Kantha Trek - Day 0 | Dehradun to Hanuman Chatti

Gulabi Kantha Trek

Highest Altitude: 4023m (13200ft)

Location: Uttarkashi District

State/Country: Uttarakhand/ India

Base Village: Hanuman Chatti

Trek Open: Year Round

Total Distance: 26km

Number of Days: 4 Days

Difficulty Level: Easy - Moderate

Beyond the rubbles

When I landed in Dehradun (1-Jan-2026), the entire place was covered in fog. It was cold. I took a taxi to town. Since my hostel was next to the BSNL office, the driver thought that I wokrked there. Moreover, since I have been to Dehradun so many times, I know the pace well and acted so. I played along to his assumption until he finally asked me if I worked in the BSNL office. He must have been madly disappointed to know that I did not. 

I stayed at Nomads hostel where I had stayed a few years ago while doing Kedarkantha trek. Everything looks the same in the area. I had Makki ki roti and Sarso ka saag in a Punjabi restaurant close to the hostel. When I returned to the dormitory, the young men in my room were playing guitar and singing Bollywood songs. I enjoyed the session. When the boys were invited to the adjacent room for a jamming session, I went decided to go to bed.

I slept in till 8AM that morning. I got ready and stepped out to Paltan Bazaar. The long walk was refreshing. I had burger and bread roll at the famous Buffet shop. I bought a woollen shawl at the shop where I had bought one last time. At night, the boys were jamming again. The boys next-door were noisy but I managed to sleep undisturbed as I was very tired. May be it is the mood or the age, I cannot tell exactly. I don’t feel the need to join the group anymore. I prefer my solitude - been there done that!

Next morning (3-Jan-2026), I got ready and left hostel at around 6:45AM. I took a shared autorickshaw till the railway station where I was picked up by a taxi arranged by my trek organisers. There were two other guys on this trek. Manan has just finished his masters in surgery and is waiting to apply for his specialisation. Basically from Gujarat, he lives in Mumbai now. His cousin Bhavya is from Mumbai too. He is studying law in London. He is in his last semester. He has already bagged a job in a corporate law firm. So, it was just the three of us on this trek. 

Along the way, our driver spoke politics and told us how the present government, in the name of development, is destroying the mountains. He spoke of a new local party called Uttarakhand Kranti Dal which is gaining prominence among the locals. I feel that for a country like India, local political parties are a must to voice specific interests of the region. 

The entire drive was filled with filled with traffic jams and dust due to the construction work. A road widening project is in progress. Trees are being cut, houses are being demolished and mountain is being excavated to build wider roads leading to Yamunotri - a popular pilgrimage site. “This is development” - our drive said with a sarcastic smile. 

We reached Hanuman Chatti at around 2:30PM. Our trek lead Amit welcomed us and allowed us our room. Hanuman Chatti is only 10km from Yamunotri. The small stops along this Yamunotri route is often crowded during the Chaar Dham season when the devotees overflow. 

We settled in and took a short walk to Hanuman temple on top of a small hill adjacent to the village. A small boy and an old Sadhu were there. The Sadhu told us a few stories that linked Hanuman to the place. The river flowing adjacent to the temple is called the Hanuman Ganga and the sangam of it and Yamuna river happens right in front of the temple. 

We were served tasty potato wedges and tea at 4PM. It was exceptionally cold out there. I had to pull out my down jacket. For dinner, we had Roti, mutter paneer, rice-dal. The food was absolutely delicious. 

That night, we saw the wolf moon. Thanks to the cosy bed and thick Razzai, I slept well that night. 

To Be Continued...