Sunni Bhunku Pass (Jot) 5060m – accursed pass to Lahaul from Kugti
In today’s world of information overload and the omniscient Google, it is rare to discover a pass, trail and a lake that is completely unknown to the outside world at large, save for a legend and folklore amongst the local shepherds and herbs collectors. Such is the way we heard about this pass along with a mysterious lake from the shepherds of Kugti during our trip to the Nikora Pass and Ravinder and I headed to discover this unknown region few days later. This trip was a real exploratory one, purely based upon some stories from the shepherds and we discovered a hitherto unknown and undocumented valley and a pass along with a marvelous lake barely a spitting distance from the popular Kugti Pass. Before retelling our journey, it is important to briefly narrate the legend of Sunni Bhunku, after whom the pass is named by the Shepherds. This name is purely local and has no mention in any survey of India maps or Google anywhere. Natural rock formations, perhaps a geologist c...