In December 2023, I planned to a trek to Kedarkantha. Kedarkantha is a part of Garhwal Himalaya range. Its elevation is 12500 ft (3800 m). The mountain is located within the Govind wildlife sanctuary in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
Kedarkantha is a very famous winter trek, during winters its trail is full of snow and mesmerizing views. December was suitable for the trek as this is when the winter season starts, and one can expect the first snowfall. I was excited to do this trek because of two reasons, one was the thrill of touching and feeling snow for the first time. The second reason was the interesting stories behind the importance of this place.
Dehradun to Sankri
Kedarkantha trek starts from a village named “Sankri”, which is located at an altitude of 6,400 feet (1920 m), this village is around 220 km from Dehradun. I, along with my trek group, started our journey from Dehradun at around 7 am in the morning. It took us around 10 hours to reach Sankri, where we stayed overnight. Despite being a 10-hour long journey, this never felt like it. Beautiful landscapes, snow capped mountains, Yamuna flowing along the road were some breathtaking views which were beyond my expectations. I also had an opportunity to meet some of the local people of Uttarakhand, amongst them was an old who shared some noteworthy life experiences. Before reaching Sankri about 22 km, we got an amazing feeling of serene Himalayas as well as greenery. We also came across Govind National Park which is well-known for its huge collection of Flora.
Sankri to Juda-ka-Talab
This was the first day of our trek, everyone woke up early at around 5 am and was filled with excitement for the adventurous day. The target of this day was to cover 5 km, while gaining an altitude of 2700 ft to reach Juda-ka-Talab which was located at an altitude of 9100 ft. We experienced diverse adventures on the trail. While walking, ice and slush bothered us a little, but the enthusiasm didn’t let us stop anywhere. The trek started with beautiful pine & maple forest that further rose alongside the wildlife as well as pastures. As we trailed upwards, we spotted some beautiful huts alongside the fields. While trekking, we saw a lake on the left and thick pine & oak backwoods on the other side which was a perfect example of natural beauty. Finally, after six hours of walking, we reached Juda-ka-talab, which was our camp site for the night. Juda Ka Tal is a small pond surrounded by thick pine and oak trees. There is an interesting story behind the name of this place. Juda ka talab derives its name from the hair of lord Shiva, it is said that before going to the peak of Kedarkantha, lord Shiva washed his hair here, and that’s why the water of this pond turned to black.
Juda-ka-Talab to Lohasu Base Camp
After spending my first camp night at Juda ka talab, I was ready for the challenges of Day 2. The target was to reach lohasu base camp, which was around 4 kms from juda ka talab. The base camp was located at an altitude of 11250 ft, which means we had to gain an altitude of around 2150 ft. The trail passed through the steep ridges. As we reached a height of 10,400 ft, we witnessed the snow traces that gave us magnificent views of nature. At the Lohasu base camp, we saw the stunning views of different arc-shaped ranges like Bandarpoonch, Swargarohini, Kala Nag as well as Ranglana that were standing with great pride in the lap of Mother Nature. After trekking for about 3.5 hours, we rested for some time and in the evening, we played Cricket and Pitthu. Playing games with a ball was fun but also a little scary because once the ball is lost in ditch, there was no way to bring it back. We also played with the cotton like snow near the base camp, made snow man and tried to slide down on the snow. Near the camp, there was a waterfall, where we sat and meditated for some time.
Base Camp to Kedarkantha Peak
Day 3 was a long as we trekked from 11,250 feet to 12,500 feet for almost 6kms which took us 5 hours. We started at 2 am in the morning, we followed each other in a que with our head torches on. We were lucky, as this was a full moon night, the shining white snow under the Moon was just stunning. At the time of trekking, we saw the magical colors of nature as well as the majestic sights of different ranges including Rupin. This trail was the steepest till now, the challenge of slipping and falling made it even more adventurous. Over the top the tiredness of past two days, the darkness made it a big challenge. Only the sheer excitement of viewing the sunrise from the peak made us go through the thick and thins. After about 4 hours of trek, I could see the peak, some more walking and I would reach the place which seemed almost like a dream to me. At the peak, my eyes were treated with appealing views of Bandarpooch, Swargarohini, Kalanaag, Gangotri as well as Yamunotri. At this time, I was speechless, and I had tears in my eyes. The captivating views of nature balanced my emotions and left me stunned. On the top, there was also a small temple which was dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati along with a small shrine of Lord Ganesh. Trekking down After spending around 40 minutes at the summit, we started walking down towards Juda ka Talab. It took us another 5 hours to reach Juda ka talab. Although trekking down was not tiring but we still had to be careful not to slip down because of snow. We spent a night again at Juda ka talab and then the next morning, we started on our way to Sankri, where we reached by afternoon. Reaching Sankri was a bittersweet moment. On one hand, I was happy that I was able to complete my first trek successfully, while on the other hand, I was a little sad for leaving behind such mesmerizing views and bid my good bye to the mountain. My take aways This trip gave me many memories, but alongside memories I also learnt some life lessons. I almost forgot that there is a part of world, which still stays away from mobile network, away from social media and lead a life surrounded by nature. This trek made me realize how important it is to experience such a life away from the internet and experience the true meaning of life. I also realized my true potential, there were many instances when I said to myself that I could not walk any more. But the idea of viewing the sunrise from the peak kept me going.