u/parthjoshi

Auden’s Col (5,490 m / 18,010 ft) is one of the most challenging and remote high-altitude mountain passes in the Indian Himalaya. It connects the sacred shrines of Gangotri and Kedarnath in the state Uttarakhand, traversing the vast Jogin and Khatling glaciers through rugged moraine, crevassed ice, and steep snow and rock slopes. First crossed in 1939 by British geologist and explorer John Bicknell Auden, the pass remains a demanding expedition that requires prior experience in mountain travel and careful acclimatization. Beyond its physical challenges, the route offers some of the most dramatic alpine scenery in the Garhwal Himalaya, with towering peaks, pristine glacial landscapes, lush meadows and a profound sense of wilderness.

Read the reminisces of the trek here: https://traveltravailsandheck.com/2026/06/26/audens-col-and-a-bedazzled-tramp/

Grandala is one of the Himalaya’s most spectacular high-altitude thrushes, inhabiting alpine meadows, rocky slopes and cliffs between 3,500 and 5,500 metres. Males are a striking cobalt blue, while females are brown with pale streaking, often foraging together in large flocks. They feed primarily on insects and berries and are frequently seen soaring or moving across open alpine landscapes during the summer breeding season.

Auden’s Col (5,490 m / 18,010 ft) is one of the most challenging and remote high-altitude mountain passes in the Indian Himalaya. It connects the sacred shrines of Gangotri and Kedarnath in the state Uttarakhand, traversing the vast Jogin and Khatling glaciers through rugged moraine, crevassed ice, and steep snow and rock slopes. First crossed in 1939 by British geologist and explorer John Bicknell Auden, the pass remains a demanding expedition that requires prior experience in mountain travel and careful acclimatization. Beyond its physical challenges, the route offers some of the most dramatic alpine scenery in the Garhwal Himalaya, with towering peaks, pristine glacial landscapes, lush meadows and a profound sense of wilderness.

Read the reminisces of the trek here: https://traveltravailsandheck.com/2026/06/26/audens-col-and-a-bedazzled-tramp/