The decision to go for the Kedarkantha (henceforth KK) trek was made on a whim. One of my friends posted about it on Facebook and in the moment of sheer spontaneity, I thought, why not? After some haggling with my parents (they're my financiers. i'm an impoverished college kid, you see), I found myself on the bus to Dehradun in the last week of December.
Dehradun, which literally means, 'home valley', lies at an altitude of 435m above sea level. It's not too high up, but its location in a valley between the Himalayas and the Shivaliks ensures it has a pleasant climate and a slightly hilly feel to the terrain. Day 1 and Night 1 of my trip was spent at Dehradun, exploring the bazaars of the old city. Walking from Prince Chowk to the Clock Tower, along the Paltan Bazaar and then on to Rajpur Road was an invigorating experience for the senses. Small shops lined the narrow streets just like any old town market in India. Brightly coloured signboards covered buildings' facades and proved a bazaar has infinitely more variety than the largest mall ever. The energy in the market gradually increased as afternoon progressed to evening. The shouts of the shopkeepers to invite patrons soon turned into contests to see who could be the loudest, with the scooter and motorcycle horns not wanting to be left behind. In this unique cacophany of every common town in India lies the magic. If one looks, sees, hears and smells closely, amazing gems can be found. That evening in Dehradun, I tasted some really great 'gulaab-jamuns', a not so good guava, decent 'paani-puri' and so-so 'kulfi-faluda'. And that was only for starters. After giving my stomach some rest, I went out again in the night for a late dinner at 10pm. This time i tried out a 'dhaba' where the thaali was for Rs 30 only. That price tag alone was a good enough reason to eat there and luckily my stomach resisted the impact of cost cutting at the joint. Thereafter, I settled in for the night at my hotel. I remember my dreams mostly comprised of a huge jalebi rotating over a mountain which looked like KK and me trying to climb it.
The next morning, we met at the Dehradun railway station parking lot. Met up with some other trekkers and by 7 AM we were off to the lap of the Himalayas. The 8 hour drive from Dehra to Sankri (our first camp) was punctuated by food stops at all the right places. A hearty breakfast in the vicinity of Kempty Falls, lunch at the scenic village of Purolla and a rest stop by the banks of River Tons. Who could ask for a more scenic way to stretch their legs than the Tons swishing through rock beds with the sun benevolently dispelling the chill of December.
Who could ask for a more scenic way to stretch their legs than the Tons swishing through rock beds with the sun benevolently dispelling the chill of December
Sankri village lies at an altitude of 1800m and has a population of a couple of hundred. The only tourists in Sankri are people like us, on their way to KK peak or Har-Ki-Dun. Life slows down in Sankri. The clocks seems to tick in a relaxed manner, much similar to the locals who lounge in the sun smoking hand rolled cigarettes. Sankri has one barber, one general store and one tea shop which doubles as the local restaurant. The menu is not extensive, only eggs and Maggi, but oh the joy of eating buttered scrambled eggs with rotis and topping it with sweet chai while watching the sunset over snow clad mountains. At night there was a briefing followed by hot dinner. Comfortable beds awaited us as made our way to the hotel. The last time we slept on beds on this trip.
…oh the joy of eating buttered scrambled eggs with rotis and topping it with sweet chai while watching the sunset over snow clad mountains…
After a sumptuous breakfast of upma, jam and bread, cereal and milk we finally set off . The trek started off at a fairly easy pace. The mountains near Sankri were forested and the path wound its way around tree trunks, boulders and sometimes a small stream. Although the weather was pleasant, our bodies began heating up with the exertion of upslope walking. Soon layers of clothes began coming off. The fleece jacket was the first thing to go, then the woollen cap and finally the gloves. By 10AM, the sun was high up, there were no clouds and the temperature was a pleasant 15 degrees celsius. The forest was interspersed with small meadows where local womenfolk were collecting dry grass and branches. Soon we reached a wooden hut which marked the second rest spot. It was also the point from which there was perpetual snow on the ground. Having never seen snow before in my life, I was obviously excited. And remained excited by snow for the entire day. I managed to click over 100 pictures of snow in a single day. By the end of the trek, I had had my fair share of snow and the resulting wet socks and couldn't wait to reach dry lands.
As we trudged along the trail, past numerous villages and hutments, the weather started to get chilly and the amount of snow increased to ankle depth in some parts. At about 1PM, we reached a relatively open area of gently sloping land covered with snow, which I believe to be a meadow in the summertime. The view was one that took my breath away. The slanting rays of the sun reflected off the face of the pure white snow and in a moment I saw a million diamonds. The entire slope glittered in the white snow and the bright blue sky and the following couplet by Amir Khusrou came to mind:
Agar Firdaus bar rōy-e zamin ast, hamin ast-o hamin ast-o hamin ast.
If there is a Paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.
Walking past the snow covered meadow, we soon reached the final climb to our camp, Juda-Ka-Talaab. The Talaab, or lake, is situated in a shallow valley between two hills. For three months out of twelve, it remains frozen and camps are often set up near the banks. The final 30 minutes to reach the lake were tiring and the sight of orange tents was a welcome change. We reached the lake at around 2Pm and were treated to a piping hot lunch of dal, rice and vegetables. After that we settled in to our tents and waited for the whole group to reach the lake. The evening at the lake was a pleasant one as it featured a roaring bonfire, some hot chai and tomato soup and of course our dear trek-mates. One thing we Indians have in common is that we really love movies and by extension we really love songs and by further extension, we really really love to sing! So when the mood was set with the bonfire and everyone was feeling nice and warm, we started to sing and play 'antakshari' with another trek group. We had a memorable evening as we sang songs from all generations, from K.L Sehgal to the latest Sheila song. Dinner was served around 8PM. A smaller group including myself, found ourselves at the bonfire once more post dinner. Imagine a random forested valley, far from civilisation, on a pitch dark night, a group of people sitting around a fire. The scene is perfect for ghost stories. And that is exactly what happened. People dug into their archives of tales of horror and gore and narrated some genuinely scary episodes. This went on for an hour or so and was in fact the perfect way to end the day at that random forested valley, far from civilisation, on a pitch dark night.
Imagine a random forested valley, far from civilisation, on a pitch dark night, a group of people sitting around a fire. The scene was perfect for ghost stories.
Day 3 of the trek started off with some good breakfast and hot chai. The mood in the group was upbeat despite the sub-zero temperature the previous night. For some of us, it was the first time sleeping in a tent and for many of us the first time sleeping on ice. To tell you frankly, my back completely froze that night and sleeping on the ice was a butt-numbing experience. But the important thing is to take it all in a stride and learn to adapt to difficult situations.
After breakfast we set off towards the KK Base Camp, located 2 hours away. The KK base camp is located at 3400m and provides a brilliant view of the peak. It is located at the lower end of a slope and the tents face south, towards KK peak. Trust me, it was a remarkable view to wake up to the next morning. Since the sun was out and it was barely noon, we found ourselves frolicking around in the soft snow. The snow was so soft that my attempt to slide down on a plate end up in me rolling and falling down instead. Good fun, nevertheless.
The next step in the trek was the summit attack. We were informed that in order to successfully summit, we must depart at 5AM the next day. This was a tall order as waking up and getting ready in the early morning was a challenge, especially since the temperature would be around -8C. But it had to be done. In the afternoon, we were provided with gaiters and crampons to assist with our climb. After an early dinner at 6PM, we settled in for the night. When I woke up at 4AM, I was one of the earliest people to rise. And when I stepped outside the tent and looked up, my mind was completely blown away. The sky was literally littered with a million stars. The moon had set for the night and despite that, there was a dim glow outside. All because of the light of the stars. I tried taking a picture, but alas, I was limited by my camera. Instead, I chose to just stand there and marvel at the sight and make sure I kept a mental picture of the sight.
And so we set off. To the peak. The reason we were there. The Kedarkantha Peak. It was still dark when we set off, our path illuminated by our headlamps. This was a trying part of the trek. I couldn't see far ahead, nor behind me. Just had to trudge along in the snow, pushing myself on that cold morning, which was made worse by the occasional biting wind. Until sunrise, the group was quiet. Each to his own thoughts. But once it started to get brighter, spirits rose again. At about 730AM, we were enthralled by the sun's rays greeting the high peaks ahead of us. The peaks looked golden as the first rays kissed the snow at the top. The sky was a beautiful tint of saffron near the horizon and a deep indigo at the zenith. We stopped for some time and let the view sink in. I am sure a year from now, even if people forget each other's faces, they will always remember that sunrise.
The sky was a beautiful tint of saffron near the horizon and a deep indigo at the zenith. We stopped for some time and let the view sink in. I am sure a year from now, even if people forget each other’s faces, they will always remember that sunrise.
Soon, at around 8AM, we reached the base of the peak. From here upwards, was a much steeper ascent. The path was primarily ice and here the crampons proved immensely useful. For an hour, we climbed upward, at times at an angle of 60 degrees or so. For people not used to trekking, this stretch was a mental challenge; putting one foot after another and not taking too many breaks. At 9AM we reached a small ridge which housed a small temple dedicated to Shiva (Hence the name 'Kedar-Kantha' — The Neck of Shiva). This was the final pitstop and from here the peak was a mere 5 minutes. After reaching the ridge, our paced quickened. Running, scrambling over rocks and ice, we reached the peak of Kedarkantha.
3810m. The view, needless to say was absolutely stunning. The peak was flat ground, about as big as a tennis court. It was strewn with rocks jutting out of the knee depth snow. The peaks of the nearby mountains were now at the same level as us, no longer towering above. My heart was filled with a deep sense of accomplishment as I looked over the edge of the peak. 3 months ago, I had decided to brave the weather and climb KK. And I had eventually done it. Not a big achievement for regular high altitude trekkers, but it was definitely for me. The next two hours were spent taking in the view and engaging in a pleasant wonder at how beautiful our world is.
The next two hours were spent taking in the view and engaging in a pleasant wonder at how beautiful our world is
At 11AM, it was time leave. With the sun shining brightly in the east, i looked back up to the peak. My tiredness was dispelled. There was a broad smile on my face. Every moment of the last three days culminated to my first step on the peak. For being a worthy goal, I, with a grateful smile, bid adieu to Kedarkantha. There will be more mountains to come. Definitely. But none will be quiet like Kedarkantha. As they say, you always remember your first time.
Photo Credits for the picture of me rolling down the hill: Dinesh Reddy.
Photo Credits for the last picture: Priyanka Pande
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