Kedarkantha: A quintessential Himalayan Trek

The breath taking view of Himalayas

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. – Albert Camus

Himalayas, the snow clad mountains dancing on the tunes of the breeze making rustling of leaves, will call you back. You can’t, never ever wave off a goodbye to the Himalayan ranges. It’s an addiction!

My journey for Kerdarkantha Trek, a windy trail through snow peaked mountain located at 12,500 ft in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, started with over-night journey to Dehradun. I registered for the trek with Indiahikes and met the group members at Dehradun Railway station. From the railway station, we were transferred to the base camp located in the quaint valley of Himalayas at Sankri village. And the journey had started.

Day 1: Dehradun to Sankri

From Urban populace to green meadows

Sangri Village

I was lost into the wilderness of the Himalayas. Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the roads leading to the Sankri village was an eye candy. We finished our breakfast near Kempty fall and started our journey to the base camp. While heading towards Sankri, I was introduced to a sleepy hamlet, amazingly scenic beautiful village, surrounded by greenish and yellowish paddy fields, Mori. It is located on the banks of renowned Tons River. Mori is a part of the Tons valley, have a unique culture and history. Local folks boast that they are the descendants of the Kauravas and Pandavas, the mythological royal warriors and kings in the epic age of Mahabharatha. The village tucked away in the breath-taking ranges of Himalayas was the attraction of the journey. We crossed major commercial markets of Uttarkashi including Purola and Netwaar and reached Sangri by 3 pm. Karthik, an IIT-dropout and a reckless mountaineer, who was as young as 22-year-old was our trek leader. We noted important tips including green trails, adjusting back packs and do/don’t in Himalayas. When was last you looked at the sky full of stars and got lost into connecting the dots? A star gazing session organised by Jude still remains one of my favourite take-way from the trek. From forming constellations to scientific tales, the man who has studied stars for years unveiled many secrets hiding behind the glittering stars. It was a dreamy night and we headed to bed for a new day, a new start.      

Chilling near Ton River

A wooden bridge en-route to JKT camp

Day: Sankri (6450ft) to Juda Ka Talab (9150ft)

A walk to remember

Juda Ka Talab Camp

Rhododendron Flower

Smitten by the view of the Himalayas from the terrace of the guest house, I started my day with a balmy sunrise healing my soul. The sun seems to hibernate behind the mountains after sun set and sets your mood to travel to Himalayas with its soothing rays. We completed our breakfast, which was surprisingly delicious. Indiahikes is perfect for a foodie trekker. The hot meals with authentic Himalayan taste will tickle your taste-buds. As soon as we completed our breakfast, our trekking kick started with basic tips for trekking, using trekking poles, breathing during trekking and stretching. The uneven steep mountains covered with dense Deodar trees and Rhododendron flowers welcomed us providing a shield from the unrelenting sun rays. We started our trekking with Jai Ram (guide) and Vimlesh Rangar (co-guide), who introduced us, to the dense forest and the eco system of the Himalayan ranges. The red Rhododendron flowers gave the forest a whimsical look. With steady steps and confidence we headed towards our next camp at Juda Ka Talab. We took our first long break at a Dhaba located in the middle of the green meadows covered with pine trees. A small water source snaking through the meadows took my breath away. Nature gives a sigh of relief during the tiring treks. Huffing and puffing, we reached our first camp of the trek surrounded by dense forest snow and lake. The tents pitched on the edge of the riff overlooking lakes were a sight to die for. We were welcomed with hot meals and warm hospitality of Naina Bhai, the head cook of the camp. Karthik, our trek leader, introduced us to the tents and taught us to roll the sleeping bags. We played virtual volleyball all the day. It was fun and helped us to remembering the names of the co-trekkers. We sat near the calm lake and sipped tea looking at the sky changing its colour from white to ochre. Soon after sunset, our dinner was served. We headed to our tents for a peaceful sleep.

PS: I was introduced to the craziest fun-game ‘Mafia’. Thanks to Pune Gang!

Playing Mafia at JKT

Day3:  Juda ka Talab (9150ft) to KK base camp (11250ft)

Acclimatising with Nature

Sunset at KK base camp

KK Base Camp

The day started with learning the dance steps for summit. Karthik and Rashika were marking the steps and I readily joined the bandwagon. Early morning, I was feeling little uncomfortable as my stomach was bloated. Karthik after listening to the symptoms said I was going through high altitude digestive disorder. After guzzling water and medicine, I was fit within half-an-hour. We started our trekking after waving off to the kitchen staffs and health check. Second day of the trek was relatively relaxed from earlier day. After taking short breaks and trekking for two hours we reached The Kedarkantha Base Camp. The tents put up vertically with snow peaked mountains at the backdrop was refreshing. The guide showed us the summit and I was relived, we were close. Close enough to witness the magic Himalayas create. After a relaxing lunch, I surrendered myself to the arresting beauty of Himalayas. Karthik introduced us to gaiters and micro-spikes. Sitting outside the camp, I witnessed the most tranquil sunset. From white to yellow to ochre to blue- the mountains got tuned with the intensity of the sun. It seems both mountains and sun were singing a lullaby. Dancing on the tunes of the mountain, we spent hours watching sun and moon exchanging their duties. The night glittered and we called it a day as we had to start for the summit at 3am. Night was fading and memories were created. I cuddle myself to the memories which will remain with me forever. The cold memories provided warmth to my soul.

Day 4:  KK base camp (11250ft) – KK Summit (12500ft) – KK base camp (11250ft) – Hargaon (8900ft)

Surrender to the mountains

At the summit

View from Kedarkantha Summit

It was cold, my hands were numb. Last day was little uncomfortable. The digestive disorder made me little dizzy. But the determination to witness the story weaved by the Himalayas, made me feel confident. Soon after heath check (heart and pulse rate) we headed to the summit. Layers with down jacket and headlamps, we were all ready to climb the summit. The reflection of t he head lamps reflect our determination to keep climbing. It was dark and we kept moving till we reached the Dhaba. It was located at the most exotic places I have ever seen. Surrounded with snow and mountains, the Dhaba was our last resort in cold. We sipped tea and saw sun all set to rise. The sky changed it colour from blue to pink. After clicking the sun rise and the snow clad mountains, we headed towards our summit. The snow restricted our move leading to slow pace. I was exhausted as last day was not comfortable with respect to my health. First half of the trek was difficult and I was struggling to gain pace. Vimlesh, the co-guide asked me to rest for awhile and start again. After a while, I was all set to leave. The panoramic 360 degree view of the Himalayas was engaging. The appealing snow-laden peaks encouraged me to keep trekking. After trekking for four hours, walking on the snow, balancing on the ridge, pushing our limits- we reached the summit.  We applauded for each other- showing the courage and confidence, helping each other through mountains and becoming one of the fastest batches to complete the summit. After performing our summit dance, we spent few minutes gazing at the arresting beauty. We celebrated our summit with a group photograph and started descending to the KK base camp. By now, the snow has started melting leading to difficulty in walking. Since it was difficult descending, the batch decided to slide on the snow. It was fun- balancing and snaking through the snow is not everyone’s cup of tea. At least not mine. We reached the KK Base camp and had hot lunch. The next batch had arrived and was ready with their curious questions. We waved off each other wishing luck for the rest journey. We descended to Hargaon. The never ending green meadows covered with pine trees and mountain was perfect place to chill after a long day. We slept on the green grass for a while recalling all the memories we handpicked. We had our snacks and tea relaxing, chit-chatting and bonding with each other on the last day at high altitude.

Good Morning from the trek

Dhaba enroute to KK summit

PS: We celebrated our summit pigging out at cake and biryani. Thanks to Karthik.    

Day5 – Hargaon (8900ft) – Sankri (6400ft)

The last steps together

Camp site at Har Gaon

It was neither a batch nor a team, it was a family. We took care of each other, helped and made it sure that each one of us completes the summit. It is a rock-solid bond now. We will cherish the bond now and forever. Descending to Sangri was a bag full of mixed feeling. Happy, sad and pain. Happy we completed the summit, sad we were descending and pain of waving off bye to the family. After trekking for 4 hours we reached the base camp Sangri. We were welcomed with hot lunch followed by debriefing. I decided to visit the nearest village Saudh. All equipped with my camera, I roamed in the village for a while decoding their culture, demographics and people. While ascending to Sangri, we played cricket with the kids. I was satisfied. I can’t ask for more, just promised to come back soon.

   

Day6 – Sankri- Dehradun- Delhi

Back to the hustle and bustle

My signature pose

Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting. So I said: “We will meet again” and meant it.

You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.

 

Batch- March 28, 2017

Things to carry:

• ·         Prescribed medicines
• ·         Trekking pole
• ·         Lunch Box
• ·         Warm Clothes
• ·         Sunscreen
• ·         Skull Cap
• ·         Water Bottle

Things to do:

• ·         Eat light before staring the journey to avoid digestive disorder.
• ·         Drink 4-5 litres of water to keep hydrated. It reduces the chances of Acute Mountain Sickness.
• ·         Keep your head, legs and hands warm.
• ·         Never sleep during day time once you reach camps.
• ·         Take proper rest. Avoid exhausting yourself after trekking.
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