Kedarkantha - In The Land Of The Destroyer
"Travelling...... It offers you a hundred roads to adventure, and give your heart wings."
- Ibn Battuta
-22°C.
Darkness all around.
55-60 kmph wind.
Steep slope.
Exhausted and trembling from the cold.
The aura of the lesser known half built shrine of Shiva and warm feeling of reaching the summit.
A summit with elevation of 12500 feet, from where you can see 13 peaks of the Himalayan ranges. I came to know about this trek while I was planning for a winter trek during winter vacation.
Rumor has that when a shrine devoted to Lord Shiva was being built a scream of animal or human or any other living being was heard and as that is unfortunate for this purposes, they had to stop the process after making it to the 'Kantha' and moved it to Kedarnath. Since then it is known as Kedarkantha. Where as Kedar implies Lord Shiva the Destroyer, Kantha means neck.
Some Information You Might Need
1. One can reach Sankri (the starting point of this trek) by reserved or shared car or by bus. We chose to ride bus as it was the cheapest way to reach Sankri. Near Dehradoon Railway Station there is Mussoorie Bus Stand from where one can get a direct bus to Sankri. Two buses are available for the day at 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. One should go to the bus stand 1 hour before the time as there will a be a lot of other passengers to ride the bus. We took the 8 a.m. bus for 355 Rs per seat. The bus also stops for lunch. But it's always nice to carry some food with you. The bus takes almost 10 hours to reach Sankri where other cars take 6-7 hours.
2. There are many local agencies that you can hire for the trek at very low prices after reaching Sankri(According to me booking at site is much better and cheaper than booking online). The agency we went with charged us 5500 Rs per person that included food and lodge for all 4 days and arranged dinner and stay for the night. You might have to bargain a little. They tried to pair us up with other trekkers, so we explicitly directed them to provide us with separate Guide as we like to trek at our own pace. There won't be any problem as everyone is very hospital towards tourist and their behavior is also quite well mannered.
3. Please, please pay attention to the briefing and ask them anything and everything you want. They will gladly help you out.
4. There is a shop where all kinds of equipment are available for rental or sale. So make sure you have everything with you otherwise rent whatever you might be needing.
Now let's jump into our journey.
Day 1
Sankri to Juda Ka Talab (4 km)
Our Trek commenced from the foothills of Sankri on 27th of December around 9 am. We had a protein rich breakfast consisting of Bread with Omelette, cup of Coffee and few fruits. We also found a nuttella jar and dug right into it. The fact that we had a clear blue sky made the start a little bit easier. The josh that each of us had within us was quite high.
Beginning of the trek
The path leading the trail was not at all a tough one unless, of course, covered by snow. If accustomed to trekking, one will not encounter any problems. Our pace was slow; stopping to admire beauty and the capture moments with a camera.
That's how it's done
After covering almost half the route we halted at a checkpoint which was just a small tea shop. Our pause was quite an extended one. A single cup of lemon tea here cost us 20 rupees and it tasted as hot orange squash. Yeah, it is costly, but that is bound to happen. With rise in altitude, the price of commodities rises too. Still, after a long tiring walk, who doesn't want a cup of refreshing lemon tea, whatever would be the cost.
First checkpoint on the way to Juda Ka Talab
In about another 1 km there was second checkpoint just like the previous tea shop. But this time the cost of a cup of lemon tea had increased by 10 rupees. Throughout the way from first checkpoint to second we could see patches of snow. Second checkpoint onward the volume of snow started to increase along the way, making the trek a little bit tougher.
Second checkpoint on the way to Juda Ka Talab
Juda Ka Talab campsite
As we kept getting close to Juda Ka Talab, we were already getting the chills of a snow trek. After trekking through a lot of snow we finally reached our campsite at Juda Ka Talab. It was already 2:45 p.m. So we had our extravagant lunch which included Roti, Rice, Rajma Daal, Aaloo Beans, Papad and Achaar) at 9100 ft and went inside our tents to get some rest.
First meal at high altitude
Our guide woke us up around 5 p.m. bringing along tea and snacks. We went outside to look at the surroundings. By the time we reached the nearby lake, snowflakes had already started to fall covering the ground with another layer of snow.
Standing in front of a frozen lake beside the woods while the little cotton snow flakes falling from the heaven was a wanderer's dream come true.
Standing on frozen Juda Ka Talab
Then suddenly after sometime it started snowing heavily. But since it was our first experience of such snowfall, we stayed outside late till dark appreciating the scenery. We returned to our campsite to find hot tomato soup waiting for us. Since it was still snowing, we had to go inside the tents. We also had to shake the tents from time to time to move the snow piling on the tents and it was time for dinner before we knew it.
The dinner we had was a combination of Roti, Rajma-chawal, Daal, Jeera-Aaloo curry. We also drank a glass of hot milk with bournvita. By this time as the sky was clear, the stars and constellations were clearly visible. The stars were so big and bright that it would seem like the sky was wearing a polka dot dress.
A star trail
I set up my tripod outside and tried to take photos. But due to the temperature being around -8℃ and rough wind blowing, I was able to capture only 2-3 photos. Around 10 p.m. we went to sleep as we had to prepare ourselves for the next day. Thus the first day's adventure came to an end.
Day 2
Juda Ka Talab to Base Camp (2 km)
Another beautiful day began with wonderful breakfast of cornflakes, boiled egg and coffee. As we knew that we had to cover only 2 km, we started late for the trek intentionally. After roaming near Juda Ka Talab for quite a bit of time we set off around 10 a.m.
Taking rest on the way
First 400-500 m ascend was very sharp but rest of the trek was very easy. There was one checkpoints that is tea/snacks store on the way. We stopped there for sometime, having black tea this time being tired of hot orange squash. Each cup of black tea costed 30 bucks. Today's path was through the woods and the ground was covered with thick fresh snow.
Trek route to Base Camp
Sometimes slope was high
Trekking through snow
After getting past all the terrains we finally reached the Base camp situated at 11250 feet, around 12 p.m.
At Base Camp
After taking rest for sometime and having refreshments we took our cameras and went out to explore the surrounding. From the base camp, one can see Kedarkanth Peak. It looked a little far to trek and thinking about how we were going to trek up there got us even more excited.
In front of our campsite at Base Camp with direct view of Kedarkatha Peak
We had lunch around 1 p.m. which included Khichdi with butter cubes, papad and sevai. The smell of butter melting on kichidi and the taste of it was just perfect. Since, we had to wake up at 2 a.m. and get ready for summit we didn't sleep that afternoon. We thought if we sleep in afternoon we might have trouble falling asleep in evening and we won't be able to wake up then. We were just hanging out at the campsite with other people, sitting under the bright sun and enjoying the warmth. But as soon as the sun began to hide behind the trees, temperature at campsite started falling rapidly and soon it went below 0 degree.
Take a look at the temperature just when the Sun started to set
That is when we were served with Maggie and soup. We were lucky that our group brought mayonnaise with us. So it became a heavenly Maggie. Then we had our share of chai. Having little sips of chai while watching the sun go down behind faraway mountains and changing its shades made our life complete.
We had dinner around 7:30 and went to sleep and thus another day full of adventure came to an end. But we knew that the hard part was still waiting for us.
Day 3
Base Camp - Kedarkantha Summit - Base Camp (4 + 4 Kms)
In this journey this day starts a little to early, at least for me. I woke up at 1.30 a.m. I don't know why but I couldn't sleep anymore. I tried to drink some water but it was totally frozen as temperature was negative 10 degrees. Being a travel enthusiast I just took out my camera and started shooting the night sky.
Our campsite at 2 a.m.
Rest of my friends started waking up one by one. Soon at 3 a.m. we were provided with breakfast (Oats, coffee, chocolates and candies). This time we were provided with crampons and Gaiters. We were excited as it was our first time using these trekking gears and we started the trek to 12500 feet while it was still dark. We commenced our summit around 3:45 a.m.
This is how the summit looked when we set off to conquer it
When we started the trek, the sky was clear with lots and lots of stars and the moon was shining brightly making the snow covered ground reflecting its heavenly light. We could see the landscapes clearly. But it was not enough for us to watch our steps. As none of us brought headlamps, we were using our mobile's flashlight and it seemed to be quite useful (But never forget to take headlamps with you, it is a very useful gear for trekking.) With increase in altitude, temperature started dropping significantly.
The scene was something like this.... An inclined path was leading us into dark woods. The path along its surroundings was covered with fresh snow that was reflecting the moonlight graciously. And along that path there were walking silhouettes of trekkers. Light emitting from each of their headlamps made a bright spot on the snow. Everyone was walking silently in a rhythm. The only audible sound was coming from our crampons crashing against the snow. But sadly the bone chilling temperature of less than -15°C did not permit few snapshots. Though having 5 more layers apart from the Alpine jacket and a cots wool inner I was shivering every time I stopped to take rest.
We were trekking at a nice and steady pace. So we reached the rest stop without much delay. Surprisingly there were many people on this trail, who stopped for mid way tea and snacks. But we decided not to stop because we thought if we stopped to take rest, it will be impossible for us to get back the flow in such shivering cold. So we moved on and then came the hardest part in the whole trail.
Through the last part of the summit we had to push ourselves BOHT HARD mostly because of the temperature which was around -20°C(On the day when we were on the summit the temperature was -22°C. We checked it on Accuweather when we came back). It was so cold that if we stopped for sometime our feet grew numb. And besides the temperature, inclination was also very high and cold wind followed crazily. As we were trekking without much conversing, we didn't notice one thing. I noticed it when I tried to speak. I found my jaws frozen, not completely frozen but they were not moving properly, so I had to speak with my mouth wide open. The temperature was chilling. Apart from that we pushed ahead without stopping. I didn't pray to the God instead I asked nature to give me strength to go against all the odds.
As they say " The best view comes after the toughest climb"; when we reached the summit we knew what it all meant. All the pain, feeling of numbness disappeared.
When we reached the summit.....
There was a sun rising behind the mountains. We literally could feel the adrenaline rushing through our veins. The sun came up with lots of hope and warmth. The piercing cold was now gone.
Himalayan ranges visible from the summit
Then came the proud moment of holding our national flag on the summit. We stayed there for 30-40 minutes talking about how we were going to brag about the summit when we return.Thereafter we started descending.
The proudest moment
I was climbing down very fast because I was trying to record the trail (I couldn't record anything earlier while ascending because it was dark and my Gopro's battery was down). It was thick fresh snow all around. There was not even a single tree near the summit.
At some places where the slope was high, we were sliding down on the snow saving time and energy both (If possible I shall upload the videos on YouTube). After about 1-1.5 km we reached the teal stall. This time we stopped there for a long time. We had bread-omelette (80 rs per plate, I know it's a little too much) and black tea(30 rs each). TBH I never thought a bread-omelette can taste so good.
The shop and its owner
After almost half an hour, we continued our journey. By this time we have already started getting sight of woods. We trekked back rest of the way to base camp leisurely, stopping here and there, playing with snow like a two year old.
When you get a huge pile of fresh snow to play with
On the way back to Base Camp
We reached our campsite in base camp around 11:00 a.m. We had our lunch around 12 p.m. which included Kadhi- Chawal, roti, papad and achaar. Then we took some rest before setting off for Hargaon.
Base Camp - Hargaon (2 Kms)
We left for Hargaon at 1 p.m. The route particularly was through the woods. It was a very easy one except for the frozen ice beneath the dusty path. We slipped on it a few times but fortunately no one was hurt.
We reached Hargaon (8900 ft) by 3:30 p.m. Though the name is Har'gaon', where we stayed there were only tents of other groups. Our campsite was near the edge of a cliff. We could even see the mountain ranges and peaks like Swargarohini from the tent.
View from inside of the tent
The unconquered Swargarohini
We had pasta and coffee around 5:30 p.m. Then we went inside to get some sleep before dinner. We woke up at 7:30 p.m. to have our last dinner of the trek. We were offered rice, roti, daal, egg curry and jalebi. We went to our tents and hung around for quite a bit and went drifted off to sleep.
Day 4
Hargaon To Sankri (6 Kms)
It was the last day of our trek. So we were quite glad and sad at the same time. We were getting happy thinking about how we will finally get to sleep on a real bed and the temperature will be a little higher and sad because we have to wait for five more months before our next trek.
When Sun paints orange all over the mountains
Nothing much happened on this day of trek. We woke up early to roam in the mountains for the last time, took some photos had breakfast and left for Sankri around 8:30 in the morning.
On the way to Sankri
We were going at a high pace through woods. We were stopping only to take breathe and walking the next moment.
The cute one from Sankri
There were tea shops but we didn't stop anywhere. Thus we made it to Sankri in less than 4 hours.
My kind of gang
Indeed Dec 29th 2018 the day of summit will be a day to remember in our life. Altogether in a single sentence it was a spine Chilling experience. And last but not least, a small tribute to-
