Auden’s Col is a lesser frequented pass. Elevated at 5490m (18012 ft), it is infamous as the most dangerous pass in the Garhwal Himalayas. The pass and the Khatling glacier are heavily infested with crevasses (deep open cracks in the glaciers) on the entire route. A very experienced guide is highly recommended to avoid falls in these crevasses, which otherwise could lead to futile search operations. The pass is named after John Bicknell Auden of the Geological Survey of India, who first discovered it in 1935 and crossed it in 1939. This pass was then explored only after late eighties.When I had read about this pass years back, never in my dreams had I thought that I’ll get a chance to ascend it. Our beloved trekker friend (a doctor) got obsessed with this trek and managed to convince “Team7” just a month before the plan. Adding to the difficulties, we included Mayali pass too in the same plan. Difficulty level: Demanding
Route: Gangotri – Nala Camp – Rudragaira BC – Gangotri BC – Auden’s Col BC – Auden’s Col – Khatling Glacier – Waterfall Camp/Zero Point – Chowki – Masar Tal – Mayali Pass – Vasuki Tal – Kedarnath – Gaurikund
Route: Gangotri – Nala Camp – Rudragaira BC – Gangotri BC – Auden’s Col BC – Auden’s Col – Khatling Glacier – Waterfall Camp/Zero Point – Chowki – Masar Tal – Mayali Pass – Vasuki Tal – Kedarnath – Gaurikund
Total distance covered: 115 km
Passes crossed: Auden’s Col (5490m/18010 ft), Mayali Pass (5000m/16400 ft)
No. of trekking days: Planned – 12 days, Actual – 11 days.
No. of trekking days: Planned – 12 days, Actual – 11 days.
Dates we trekked on: 1st Jun 2015 - 11th Jun 2015
This trek starts from a temple and ends at another, ticking off 2 temples of the Chardham. I didn’t know until I was there that I was on a religious trip!! (which I would have avoided in all cases, if not for a trek).The roadtrip to the base started from Rishikesh. After crossing beautiful valleys of Uttarkashi, Bhaironghati and Harsil, we arrived to our base Gangotri.
