By
Dr. Milan P. Patel,
Physical Instructor,
College of Veterinary Science & A.H., Kamdhenu University, Navsari
For those who are fond of experiencing nature, this is the best, enjoyable and wonderful Winter Snow Trek for you. During the trek, you will be able to view snow-capped mountains, mesmerizing picturesque views, and rich forests.
About Kedarkantha
Towering at 12500 ft (3800m), Kedarkantha summit is located in Govind Wildlife Sanctuary on Sivalik mountains in Uttarkashi District, in the western Garhwal region of Uttrakhand. KEDAR-KANTHA means the throat of Lord Shiva (Kedar refers to Lord Shiva and Kantha means Throat. The nearest place to commence the hill trek is Sankri village. The total trek distance from Sankari to the summit & back is around 22 km. The summit offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the spectacular peaks. From the top of the Kedarkantha summit, you can also view Rupin valley, Har Ki Dun valley, and the Dhauladhar range of Himachal Pradesh.
My Planning for Trek
My wife and I are fond of exploring new places and experiencing something different from our routine life. Among our memorable experiences we stayed in a tent at Sand Dunes, Jaisalmer, and in water in a houseboat at Dal Lake, Srinagar, but this experience of staying in Tents for 3 days was totally different and unforgettable.
After Covid-19 situation since last two years, the urge to escape from the monotony was at peak, so we were planning on visiting a place which is close to nature and away from crowd. We thought of trekking and hiking mountains. We came to know that my two our suggestion: the best VPS hosting service at low cost in India. colleagues had planned to trek Kedarkantha, so we thought of joining them and my wife agreed and said why not experience it. I was a bit doubtful weather my wife would be able to walk or rather hike this long, but once I met the colleague who was planning to go said that he is going with his family, and his daughter aged 8 years only will also be joining, then I thought it was ok to go with family.
The next day after meeting my colleague, I contacted Mr. Ramiz Kazi from Accentor Adventures and Recreation (AAR), Vadodara to get details of the tour. I booked tickets to Dehradun immediately after going through details. As we were going for trekking, the next thing was to purchase the clothing, shoes, and other required gears for trekking. For that Mr. Ramiz Kazi helped me a lot, I used to call him for each and every little thing required and he explained to me in detail why that thing is essential and what to buy and finally thanks to Decathlon as we could get all the required accessories at one place.
Day 1 - Dehradun to Sankri by road (26 December 2021)
In the morning we started our journey from Dehradun to Sankri by road in tempo traveller, which is approx 190kms and it takes about 8 hours. The journey started from Mussourie and we passed through Kempty falls, to enter the Supin range of the Himalayas. Our first break spot was for breakfast at Mussoorie. Then we moved further towards Purola along the Tons river, which gave an amazing view to the side of the road. Then for lunch, we had a break at Purola, where we ate nice Panner Bhurji with roti. After crossing Purola the mobile network became a bit erratic and after crossing Mori mobiles were used for only seeing past call logs, messages and were extremely useful as a camera. Before arriving in Sankri village we had experienced rainfall and we had to bring down our luggage from the carrier of tempo traveller inside so that our luggage doesn’t get wet, as all our clothing for the next 4 days was inside it. By evening 5 pm we reached Sankri campsite and we had hot water, tea and biscuits. Sankari is the base camp for both, Har-ki-Doon as well as Kedarkantha trek. Then we were allotted tents for staying the night. These tents had light and charging points inside with attached toilet bathrooms.
Our trek guide, briefed us about the details and the do’s and don’ts of the trek. No campfires or bonfires were allowed during the trek as it is a reserved forest area.
There was a very low connectivity and no internet at Sankari so make sure that you inform your family beforehand. We called for the day to embark on our journey the very next day.
Day 2 - Sankri to Jaunola campsite by hiking (27 December 2021) actual trek begins
Don’t forget to wake up early to expericence the golden rays of sun falling on the mountains, change the colour of the mountains. You can see the mountains in three colours, tip of the mountain was covered with snow which looked pale-golden yellow due to sunlight, then the mid-part without snow looks bright yellow and the lower portion, which is still dark.
In the morning at around 8:30 after a hot breakfast we started our trek towards Jaunola. After a km or so we left the village road and started climbing. The trek was ranging from easy to moderate slopes and crossed several bridges. The 4-5 km trek from sankari to Jaunola takes about 4-5 hours by hiking which gains about 2700ft height, which was quite strenuous initially. We reached there by 01:30 pm, then we had our lunch. After lunch, we rested in our tents as the temperature was in minus. We experienced a little snowfall in the evening before sunset and were lucky to capture it. After sunset, as there was no electricity in the campsite so we all had to put on our head torch and had dinner in the light of the head torch. After dinner we again went to rest in our tents.
In the night, the sky was so clear that the stars were glittering brightly. It was an amazing view from campsite during late night.
Day 3 - Janola campsite to Kedarkantha Base campsite (28 December 2021)
Again, in the morning after breakfast, we started our trek at around 08:30 am, from Jaunola campsite to Kedarkantha Base campsite. We reached the Base campsite at around 04:00 pm, as we took a long photographic break of 1 hour at Juda Ka Talab. For the first time, I saw a frozen lake. Then we started trekking again to reach base camp. The base camp was at an altitude of 11,400ft with only camps around. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the camp, exploring the area, and prepping for the next day.
The Kedarkantha base camp was so beautiful, which opened up to the valley view in front of the tents.
In the late evening, Mr. Ramiz Kazi demonstrated about the use of crampons and gaiters and how to wear it. He gave a brief note and idea about the next day. Later on, hot tomato soup was served to us before dinner, and then we had early dinner by 07:30 pm. After dinner we went in our tents, the temperature at that time was around minus 6°C (degree Celsius).
Day 4 - Kedarkantha Base campsite to Summit and back to Janola campsite (29 December 2021)
This day we had to start our trek at 03:00 am in the morning. It was a long trek of around 6 hours to the summit as per my pace of movement. With the head torches on, we started climbing up on the mountain, we had experienced a heavy rush or we can say traffic as all the trekkers started their trek at the same time and a single trail for walking. With the crampons on shoes, it was initially difficult to take every step as it required extra effort, gradually we were comfortable walikng with it. Slowly, we moved up to the top of the hill, the temperature was so chilled, I was wearing 3 layers of socks and waterproof shoes, still I was feeling like frostbite, I was having a feeling that the fingers of my leg were frozen. The only option was to continue the upward movement to keep our bodies warm.
We reached the tea point where we had a break for 30 minutes, and I was feeling sleepy and had a power nap over there. After that, we again started climbing the hill. From this point, the climbing was steep, which tests your stamina. We were instructed that once we start moving up, there was no way back there was only one way to climb up, as the path for going down was separate. We again started with strong willpower to complete it. We were late to reach the summit due to our pace and enjoyed the sunrise in between. The toughest part of the summit was climbing the shoulder of the mountain. Finally, at around 08:30 am we summited the Kedarkantha top. It would not have been possible without the constant motivation by our trek leaders and our fellow trekkers.
Noting but strong determination and the willpower to conquer the mountain can lead you to the summit. The feeling of completing the summit cannot be expressed in words. You need to go there to feel that adrenaline rush.
The Summit
The Kedarkantha Summit (12500 ft) was filled with a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view from the top. When you Summit you gain an amazing feeling of self-confidence. It surely requires energy, positivity, and above all, willpower to reach the summit. Once you reach the summit, you gift yourself one of the best experiences of your lifetime. By climbing the summit you feel overwhelmed by a deep sense of joy and thankfulness. It is a joy that lasts a lifetime, which has a sense of feeling that I did it even if the conditions were challenging. While getting down once you have done the summit the physical exhaustion that goes away might be due to the joy of completing it.
After the Summit, we had started declining down at around 10:30 am. We reached base camp by 02:00 pm and had nice, hot lunch and then we again started for Jaunola campsite. After the sunset, we had to start our head torch before reaching the Jaunola campsite. We were exhausted as we completed more than a full day of hiking. We had quick dinner and slept early by 08:00 pm.
Day 5 - Janola campsite to Sankri – travelling from Sankari to Dehradun – by tempo traveller (30 December 2021)
In the morning at around 08:30 am after a hot breakfast we started to descend down from Janola campsite to Sankri. While descending we had a feeling of comfort, as we were going to reach the hotel in Deharadun.
We reached the Sankri campsite by 11:00 am, over there our certificates of participation were distributed by Accentor Adventures team.
A short session of experience sharing by the fellow trekkers was done and then we started our journey by tempo traveller towards Deharadun. By 10:30 pm we reached our hotel at Deharadun, took a bath with hot water, and then had dinner in our room.
Last but not least the trekking team was amazing with people from different parts of the same state. We had a memorable time with them and all of them were helpful to each other during the trek. It is enjoyable for trek enthusiasts, with stunning landscapes, colourful nature, and life with the minimum required essentials and comfort in nature, the Kedarkantha trek is a perfect destination. The Kedarkantha trek can be done throughout the year but from late December to February end the trek filled up with snow, which makes the trek like a white dream land.
The food and the accommodations were very delightful to enjoy. We are thankful to Accentor Adventures and Recreation (AAR) for giving us a wonderful experience.
