Auden's Col
| Auden’s Col | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 5,490 m (18,012 ft) |
| Location | Uttarkashi district, Garhwal division, Uttarakhand, India |
| Range | Garhwal Himalaya, Greater Himalayas |
| Coordinates | 30°52′25″N 78°53′31″E / 30.8735°N 78.8920°ECoordinates: 30°52′25″N 78°53′31″E / 30.8735°N 78.8920°E |
Auden’s Col is a high altitude mountain pass connecting Rudugaira valley and Bhilangna valley. It is situated at 5,490 metres (18,010 ft) elevation and connects the ridge coming from Gangotri III (6580 m) peak on the north-west and the ridge coming from Jogin I (6465 m) on the east, and also binds a glacier coming from Jogin I on the north side of Rudugaira valley, and deadly Khatling glacier on the south side of Bhilangna valley.
Rudra ganga stream or Rudragairu (gairu means deep) or Rudugaira gad drains Rudugaira glacier and eventually flows into Bhagirathi (Ganga) river near Gangotri, and Bhilangna river originates from Khatling glacier and meets Bhagirathi near Old Tehri.
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. Mr Harish Kapadia and Mr Romesh Bhattacharjee from the Himalayan Club repeated Auden’s explorations in the late eighties.
Auden's Col is arguably one of the most dangerous passes in Garhwal Himalaya as the pass and the Khatling glacier are heavily infested with crevasses. Also, by crossing Auden's Col and then Mayali Pass, one can trek from Gangotri to Kedarnath, both among holiest Hindu temples.
Trekking route, schedule, and plan depends on a trekker’s ability, experience, as well as prevailing weather condition. Since the trek is strenuous and dangerous, it is advisable to secure, well in advance, services of a guide who has first-hand knowledge of the trek, and possibly has done it several times. A typical route plan in good weather condition is as following.
Reaching Gangotri (3050 m) : There are train, bus, car/taxi services from New Delhi or Dehradun to Haridwar / Rishikesh. From Rishikesh, taxis and buses are available to go to Gangotri via Uttarkashi. Uttarkashi is the last point to purchase food provisions. Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, one of the best mountaineering schools in India, is conveniently located in Uttarkashi and is good place to rent various trekking and mountaineering equipment. If one needs to hire guide and high altitude porters, Uttarkashi is the last (and the best) possible point to do so on the way to Gangotri. Forest permissions needed for the trek can be obtained either at Uttarkashi or Gangotri. It is a good idea to spend a day in Gangotri doing acclimatization trek.
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Wikipedia