Pindari Glacier
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The Pindari Glacier is a glacier found in the upper reaches of the Kumaon Himalayas, to the southeast of Nanda Devi.
[edit] Overview
The trail to reach the glacier crosses the villages of Saung, Loharkhet, over the Dhakuri pass, onto Khati village (the last inhabited village on the trail), Dwali, Phurkia and finally Zero Point, Pindari, the end of the trail. Though most of the trail is along the banks of the Pindari river you don't get to see the river till after Khati. As one approached the Khati village you can be confused by the sight of a river, that is not Pundari that is the Sundardunga flowing to meet the Pindari at Khati, its origin the Maiktoli Glacier.
From Khati you can trek to Maiktoli Glacier, which is on the other side of the river. If you are lucky you may be able to see the Nanda Devi from Khati on a clear day. At Dwali the confluence of Kafni and Pindari can be seen. The Kafni has its origin from the Kafni Glacier which is about twelve kilometers from Dwali.
The magnificent Nanada Ghat can be seen after Phurkia. From Phurkia till zero point one can see the Glacier but to get a good view you have to go further and climb a small ridge. The actual glacier is still one to two kilometers away and the snout of the river Pinadari can be seen from the top of this ridge. At zero point there is the Ashram of Pilor Baba who stays there, throughout the year.
The Pindari Glacier trail provides for a 90 km (56 mile) round-trip trek that most people find comfortable to complete in five days. With the town of Bageshwar as main city where medical support is available-one has totake shared jeep or taxi [Jeep] for base village SONG. 3 km of trek and you will reach LEHARKHET which is start of this trail.
A long ascending but gradual one awaits you when you start your trek, next morning. Slowly slowly trail winds up to high altitude and this is when you see DHAKURI PASS. After crossing this pass-you can camp here.
Next day trek to river bed which is where you will find KHATI VILLAGE. This is over OLD and FAMOUS village which had seen great expeditions to various mountain peaks and glaciers.
Dwali is further 11 km on banks of PINDAR RIVER and trail slowly gains height. Dwali is moist place and usually cold in every season.
From Dwali- trek is through dense jungle which is infested with leopards and bears. But a good trail to enjoy. Furkia is your next halt and if you have stamina and weather with you-walk 6 km further for PIOLET BABA's shed. This is also known now as DHARAMSHALA. But do not confuse this with paid accommodation as it is not, at least at present.
Glacier is still 2 km away and to see its full feature- you have to walk high with someone who knows where you are going. This region gets engulfed with heavy thick fog anytime and there had been some casualties here.
CAUTIONS: It is never recommended to walk alone here. Although this is simple trail but himalayas and high altitude create a scene which may be tough to handle for anyone who is in so remote a place. Do not venture beyond BABA's Dharamshala alone.
Route to KAFNI glacier which starts from DWALI is usually effected with heavy landslides and you may be alone in this area as very few trekkers go this side of the river.
