2 April 2019
Before you read anything about Kedarkantha Trek, first read this:
"This is a must-do trek for every trekker/nature lover/adventure lover person".
It was the year-end festive season of 2018 and as a mountain lover, I was planning a mountain trip. I did search almost every place of Himachal and Uttarakhand. After a few days, one of my colleagues suggested for Snow trek in Kedarkantha. I gave a thought, googled, researched, and found this image which is at the top of Kedarkantha Peak.
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and looking at this, I ended up deciding this as my first Himalayan winter snow trek .
In this article, the first section is dedicated to all the information/preparation related to the trek followed by my personal experience along with the group.
Registration:
Many certified trekking groups conduct these kinds of trips. A few of them are TrekTheHimalays ,IndiaHikes, AdventureNation, Moxtain etc.
I chose Trek The Himalayas based on feedback I received from many friends and TTH did not disappoint. Registration can be easily done on their website before about 2 months.
Fitness:
This is not a very hard trek but it doesn't mean you come out of the office and start your trip. It requires some fitness. Better to prepare well before this trek so you can enjoy the beauty instead of giving too much trouble to your body. At high altitudes where oxygen is less, should be very aware of how your body reacts. Drinking a lot of water and getting good sleep helps in these conditions.
Connect to Base Village and Campsites:
Sankri is the base village for the Kedarkantha trek. It connects with Dehradun and it takes around 8-10 hours to reach Sankri. It is a quite place in the foothills at an altitude of 6400 feet. Starting from Sankri, the first campsite is Juda Ka Talab at 9,100ft height. The next day campsite is Base camp which is at 10,200 ft and is the most beautiful site. The final day campsite is in Hargaon (Opposite side of Juda Ka Talab) which is encountered after the summit.
Mobile Networks and ATMs:
Mobile networks slowly dies after Mussoorie and should not expect ATMs after Dehradun. So should be well prepared with cash. There is a P.C.O. in Sankri with broken BSNL networks.
Day 1: The Journey started in the early morning from Dehradun station, where one of the TTH members was there to greet us and provided the tempo traveler to Sankri Village. Being solo I could easily get a window seat and was looking curiously at other fellows with whom i was supposed to spend the coming days.
Dehradun to Sankri road journey is very beautiful alongside the Yamuna and Tons rivers. We stopped in Mussoorie and Purola Village for breakfast and Lunch.
Coming from Pune I was already feeling the cold. After 8 hours of hilly roads we reached to our hotel (named as Trek The Himalayas) and we our rooms were already allocated. There we met with our trek leads, we completed all the formalities and briefing , had good dinner and slept.Since we all were tired , we slept early.
Day 2: Morning 7:00 o'clock: I went to balcony of hotel with a cup of tea . This morning was very beautiful. Snow caped mountains in-front of us , only sound of Tons river and few birds. Temperature was hovering between 2 to 5 degrees maybe. Everything was so beautiful there.
We all were so excited and started our journey for first campsite Juda Ka Talab.
For first timers, It was challenging ascend of around 5 hours. On the way we witnessed first snow of trek.
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Day 3 Morning: My fingers got numb while completing morning duties. Every touch with water was felt as current to body. Thanks to TTH team, they provide some hot water, which i used to drink and wipe my face. Everything was so memorable but torturous .
It was the day to reach our base camps covering about 2 KMs in 3 hours, so it was a bit relaxed day compared to previous one. We started from Juda ka Talab around 10 AM and reached to base camp around 1 PM . In between we witnessed frozen waterfall , beautiful snow landscapes , Pine trees. It was most scenic route of the trek.
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Day 4 Summit day: At 2 AM we got a call for tea , 2 : 30 AM was Maggie time and 3 AM. We put our crampons and were set to conquer the Kedarkanth peak.
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Day 5 Back to Sankri: It was all about descending that day. This was our last day of trek . We reached around 1 PM to Sankri . Got good bath . Had lunch. Took rest. It was time to celebrate our success. So we partied and danced till night.
All was good.
Day 6 Back to Dehradun: We had to return to Dehradun . We started sharp 7 AM and crossed those hilly roads by listening some beautiful local songs.
2 April 2019
Trek updates, stories & mountain insights.
Tips and insights for every trekker.
There’s a saying among the trekkers: “No two treks can ever be the same." I’ve always believed it. But this time, when I revisited this trek that I've already done, I realised something deeper: “Even the same trail can feel completely different."
You know, a lot of times we come across something so surreal that even its existence leaves us wondering how something so magnificent can exist. And believe it or not, that’s exactly how I felt when I first set foot in Ranthan Kharak.
A trekker often visits the Himalayas in the search of catching a glimpse of some giant peaks, exploring the lush green valleys, and sometimes reconnecting with their true selves while being surrounded by the mountains. In quest to gain such an experience, many trekkers seek a trek that offers it all. From being transformative to unforgettable, it should have it all.
We often describe the Himalayas as an epitome of unmatched beauty, but we keep forgetting where that true unmatched beauty truly lies. That magical beauty is not present just in their landscapes, but it also lies in that ever-changing surrounding that we experience on the journey that the mountains offer us.
There is no denying the fact that the Himalayas are home to countless unexplored places that are beautiful beyond our imagination.
There are, and there will be, countless journeys that you will go on throughout your lifetime, but only a few of them are going to stay close to your heart, and one of them will be the ‘Gaumukh Tapovan Trek’. A journey that will not only challenge your body, but it will also touch your soul. This 8-day journey will take you to the Garhwal region of Uttarkashi, where you will experience both adventure and spirituality in the mountains and gain a sense of peace in solitude.
Just like some heartwarming movies you keep rewatching, there are places you hope to visit every once in a while. Those places have their own magic that can’t be expressed in words but can only be felt while being there. So, to give you a similar kind of experience, we have a place to recommend for you all.
Walking on the rugged, unknown terrain of the mountains is one of those few experiences that makes you feel very different yet calming inside. But to achieve that feeling, not only do you have to plan a trip to the mountain, you are also supposed to carry gear and other things that are important for trekking.
Standing at the base of any mountain, while staring at the peak of that mountain. A lot is felt by a trekker, from feeling stunned, admiration, to a quick rush of adrenaline, to scared, and then self-doubting yourself, asking - Can I really do this? When a trekker starts climbing a mountain, it’s not just always about claiming the peak. Often, trekking is more about learning and getting to know the mountains. After getting familiar with the mountains, you start understanding the challenges the mountains carry within themselves, and then you start ascending accordingly.
In general, trekking in the mountains is always categorised as either climbing or walking on the mountain trails. But what a lot of people don’t realise is that with each different grade of expedition, the techniques of climbing and walking on the mountains also change. The thing is that to climb some high grade of mountains, more than basic skills and techniques of climbing are required to learn. In fact, the ‘technical climbing’? It is not just for high-grade level mountain expeditions; this kind of technical knowledge is quite useful even in the easy graded expedition to ensure the safety of the trekker throughout their trek.
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