The mighty Himalayan trek : Kedarkantha

Incredible! My first snow experience

A lot of folks wont understand the feeling of seeing snow for the first time,especially if you had ever got a chance to.. As strange as it sounds,Waking up to a white blanketed ground,a cold breeze. The excitement is real : I was like “Oh my God,it happened!”

Kedarkantha….

It is one of the most popular trek with a perfect picturesque in the lap of the Himalayas of Garhwal. It is usually good for a winter trek. It is also one of the finest summit climbs for beginners.The peak of this magnificent mountain is around 3800 meters. The top of this mountain is impeccable you will feel like an eagle with a bird’s eye of the surrounding. Kedarkantha trek is undoubtedly for the beginners. Beautiful campsites, amusing time with snow and the thrilling summit are few of the exquisite features of the Kedarkantha peak.

My journey to Himalayas started from Hyderabad Route for trek – Delhi -Dehradun-Sankri. Took a flight from Hyderabad to Delhi Took a train from Delhi to Dehradun (overnight journey)

Dehradun is located in the Doon Valley on the foothills of the Himalayas nestled between the river Ganges on the east and the river Yamuna on the west. Dehradun is also known as the School Capital of India (the famous Doon School is here)

Day1

Woke up at dawn to start our journey and got introduced to my fellow trek mates whom I had never met before except the organisers ( RK and Bharat from – Backpackers & City Freaks). I told myself “chalon naya dosth bana lethe hain”, as they are the ones whom I am gonna spend time with over the next couple of days 😛.

Drive from Dehradun to Sankri is absolutely a treat for eyes via Mussourie, Purola. Passing through Mussoorie and hairpin curves, swift turns! Bound to make anyone nauseous. I was not exceptional too 😛 .

For a large part of this drive river Yamuna accompanies throughout the journey, the brimming river and the gushing sound it creates is worth stopping by.

We halted at Purola for lunch and were mesmerised by the beauty surrounded by lush green mountains. Purola is a quaint little town situated at an elevation of 1,524 meters. above sea level and is untouched by the rapid development of hill stations. There is no mobile network available here and I got in a split- second detached from rest of the world and the journey continued through ghat roads to Sankri, where our trek starts.

Sankri – The paradise of Himalayas The Sankri Village in Uttarakhand is a route to “The Paradise of Himalayas” for every trekker One can even spot the majestic Himalayas perched in this serene village that gives one a visual treat. This tiny village Sankri is tucked in the hills of the Himalayas and is the gateway to the Govind Pashu National Park. Sankri is basically a base camp for Himalayan Treks which ranges from easy to difficult.

Ways to get to Sankri:

Sankri is located roughly 200 kms from Dehradun there are different ways to get to Sankri,one can go by bus or private vehicles. From Delhi one can take an overnight train to Dehradun then travel through the beautiful Mussoorie till you reach the serene village of Sankri.

By the time we reached Sankri, the sun was ready to set and we checked in at our homestay, we headed to the market of that village and my co- trekkers purchased few items like jackets, trek pole, batteries etc.which were required for the trek.

The temperature was almost 7-8 degrees and by the time we reached back to our homestay, the food was ready and they served us really hot yummy food . The water coming from the tap was so chilled that I had decided not to wash my hands and instead had my dinner with a spoon.

We had a briefing of the trek by our organizers and went to bed early as next day morning we have to start our trek This lands towards the finish of day 1

Day 2

Woke up early in the morning and gathered around a set up of boiling water to keep ourselves warm. We had our breakfast and started our trek to Juda ka Talab (Frozen lake) 2700 meter with full josh.

Going on your first ever Himalayan/snow trek seems a little scary. You doubt your fitness, your mental strength, and your ability to withstand the extreme weather. But remember, all major journeys start from a small step.

Being my first snow trek ever, i was super excited to experience the touch and feel of the snow ,hence took the opportunity of leading at the front in our group.

The trail was not so difficult and could do it with a constant slow speed and relaxing in between to click some beautiful photos.

It been two and half hours and there were no signs of snow on our trails which was a little disappointing , but can see mountains covered with snow.

So some hope for moving forward And I was like “Aur kithni dhoor” .

A little later I had noticed water flowing with half ice and that is where snow accompanied us on our trail and my energy is refilled with excitement.

Moving a little further ahead one can recharge themselves at a tea stall where Maggie, Tea and biscuits were available . so a quick stop there and we filled our water bottles had some Maggie, started again to reach our first camp site.

We played with snow and took photographs and then realized that our speed was too slow. As soon as the sun rays hit the snow, the reflection in-turn affected our vision, so we had no option but to put on our shades.

After one and half hour (total 4 and half hours) of following the trail we reached our camp site. Out tents were ready dropped our bags and did some stretching. By that time lunch was ready and everyone was like “chuhe daud rahe the pet main” (Damn hungry).

Post lunch we headed to Juda ka Talab ( frozen lake) . Our first stop on the trek once we started walking was Juda ka Talab.

There is a mythological belief that Lord Shiva once opened his locks of hair. The water from his hair dropped a little and this lake was formed. More than half of the lake was literally frozen and I could stand on it.The temperatures were really low as the sun started to set. Though this lake is usually frozen all the time ,during the winter season the temperature varies from -7 degrees to 16 degrees and the season starts in December This lake is completely snow-covered during the winter season and it is magnificent to visit during this season.And we were in the right season.

This “Talab” is located approximately 4 kilometers from Sankri village and takes one through lush green pine forest. It is an absolute visual treat for tourists and visitors.

We headed back to our tents and were served hot tea (less milk more water) Even though taste was not so good , that feeling of drinking something hot was a blessing. By 5.30 pm it was completely dark and we went inside the dinning tent and started playing cards.

By 7.30 pm our dinner was ready and had our dinner. We came out of dining tent and warmed up ourselves near camp fire, temperature was as low as 2 to 3 degrees. It was truly an amazing experience to camp here and spend night with bonfires under the carpet of twinkling stars.

Day 3

Early in the morning woke up to witness the sunrise and meanwhile i peeped out my hand from sleeping bag towards the water bottle and I was shocked to see that the bottle got frozen. Stepped out of the bag so that I can see the sunrise to my utter surprise the sky was painted with red orange and yellow colours.

The sun rising between the mountains and the mountains turning into Golden yellow in color. My eyes were in total surprise as that color seen can’t be described in words.

The view of the sunrise is probably one of the most beautiful sunrises you’ll ever see. After attending to the nature’s call with limited resources and also our breakfast we went outside to enjoy the beauty of the nature. Started trekking to Kedarkantha base camp (3400 meters). This trail was mix of both snow and normal land (more of snow covered). While walking on the surface of ice (A quick memory check on physics) Remember studying about frictional force in Physics ? Yes exactly applied the same by taking small steps so that we do not slip and fall .

There are hardly any chances of sweating while trekking in snow however one must consume a lot of water/ liquids , so that we aren’t dehydrated which may lead to headaches and high altitude sickness. After 4-5 hours of trek we reached the base camp covered with full of snow and ice water. I felt like our tents and trees are on clouds. We had our lunch, clicked some photos and played in snow.

Before the sunset we reached our tents for camp fire and had some gala time till our dinner. We had an early dinner and a briefing about the next day’s schedule by our organizer we planned to start our trek early in the morning at 3:00 am to summit. We were provided ice grippers for our shoes for the next day trek.

Day 4

The next morning came 2.30 am, we were served oats for the breakfast. We were ready for our final climb at 3:00 am . One relaxing moment in the entire trek is when you get to know that you have to no longer carry your back pack for the summit.

We were scheduled to hike to the summit today. Target was to reach the summit (3800 meters) before sunrise so that we don’t miss the opportunity.

The temperature was minus degrees and the queue of headlamps inching upwards in the darkness, looked like a giant radiant caterpillar. Other groups accompanied us, approximately 150-200 members. We followed queue and after an hour later the trail was plain, but soon after that strap trail has started.

I said to myself “I can do it” and started moving ahead. Few of them started taking more breaks and the sun is about to rise soon. So I did not took a chance by taking breaks but was moving slowly ( slow and steady can win the race).

The temperature alone would have been more than enough to make me uncomfortable ,but the worst part was the fierce winds.Those powerful cold winds made the temperature feel like it was minus 20 to 30. My hands were numb and felt like wind was pushing me down. It wasn’t easy moving up with the wind blowing forcefully. I took support of a rock and started moving ahead. At last me and my group reached the summit on time and was eagerly waiting for sunrise.

And that was the best sunrise ever in my life time. We could see the sun rising from the clouds and mountains covered with snow. The rays were falling on snow and the snow turned to Golden colour. The view from the top is jaw-dropping! 

The feeling on top of a summit is indescribable. There is a sense of achievement, the feeling you have earned this view. I can’t forget that moment, we sat there for almost 15-20 mins. Then took few photos and selfies.

Our descend to Hargaon camp (2650 metre) has started via base camp to collect our backpacks . As it was slope we started sliding on snow in many places. The clouds were blue and mountain views were damn beautiful.

Soon we reached Hargaon camp, everyone were exhausted so had our lunch and took rest. During evening everyone shared their experiences while warming up around the camp fire. After our dinner we were so tired that we went to bed early. And that was an end to day 4 , capturing the most amazing view of sunrise with my eyes.

Day 5

Woke up in the morning to enjoy the nature views, our tents were surrounded with dense forest, fresh air. Had our breakfast said thanks to our porters who use to reach to the camp sites even before we reach and took care of all our arrangements. And then started our trek to Sankri village.

It was afternoon by the time we reached Sankri, we had our lunch and said Sayonara. We reached Dehradun in the night and everyone moved on with their own plans of return journey .

I have returned back to Hyderabad with lot of memories. There are a lot of pretty campsites that make the trek a memorable one. The view of the sunrise is probably one of the most beautiful sunrises you’ll ever see. Add a pinch of courage if you are a beginner, and it all seems doable.

Note from BCF : We organize this trip every year during winter season (especially during December & January). You can check the Itinerary and more details about the trip here. You can follow us on Instagram too for the regular updates. Insta ID for the same – bcf.official

Contributed by Dheeraj KG. You can follow him on Instagram @ dheerajkg
He travelled from Hyderabad, India.
Thanks a lot to Dheeraj for penning down your experiences from the trip. Link for Dheeraj’s personal blog

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