Kumaon Trip V: Descending to the banks of the Gomti

This is one of a series of posts describing short strolls/hikes from a trip of Kumaon undertaken with my family during December 2012. While sightseeing was an important aspect of this trip, it had added significance since I have family roots in this Himalayan region (indeed, both my parents were born and brought up here). I myself was born and brought up in the middle of the Indo-Gangetic plain (and visited limited parts of Kumaon only a few times), but almost all the family stories I heard as a child were rooted in that area. Interestingly, I myself acquired a love for the hills while living halfway across the world, when I moved to the NYC area for work, and became a (day) hiking enthusiast. This trip was an opportunity to both visit the places I had often heard about as well as acquire at least a passing acquaintance with a part of the mighty Himalayas that span the northern frontiers of India. Some hiccups at the start of the trip required us to modify our plans to omit long walks from our itinerary, but there were still enough opportunities to experience and visually document the natural beauty of the area, as well as some of the worrisome signs of its spoilage.

Date: December 12, 2012

Location: Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, India

Description: Somewhere along the stretch of road between Garur and Bageshwar (which follows the banks of the river Gomti...not to be confused with the Gomti on which Lucknow is situated), there is a nice spot where one can descend a pine forested slope to reach the riverbed. The surroundings are quite picturesque. We stopped here during a day excursion from Kausani to Bageshwar and its vicinity.

A view of the river

The slope along which we descended from the road

A footbridge of stones and planks