Sky above, Snow below, Peace within @ Kedarkantha

 Kedarkantha trek is one of the most sought after snow trekking destinations in India. Nestled at 12,500 feet the trek is adorned with the ravishing beauty of falling snow with pine trees. Based in western Gharwal of Uttarkashi district the trek begins with the village of Sankri. The total trek distance is around 22-25 km which, enables even the first time trekker to set of the adventure and enjoy the beauty of nature at its best. Kedarkantha was going to be my first snow trek. My friend Dnyanand from Pune joined me, and we went with a group called Xtreme Trekkers. We were 18 of us in the group. The ride from Dehradun to Sankri took 8 hrs because of the ghat section. We took a lunch break near Kempty Falls in Mussoorie. Mussoorie is always cold been a hill station and most of us were shivering. We had spicy food at Hotel Eat Well which I will highly recommend. The road from Mussoorie to Sankri is not good. I would say driving is not easy and navigating those zigzag turns needs skill. The route runs parallel to River Yamuna. We reached the base village Sankri by 7 pm.

What distinguishes Kedarkantha from other treks are the massive clearings. Usually,one walks through dense forest, and after climbing for an hour, gets to see a different view. But what one sees at Kedarkantha are open grounds. One can walk straight through them. These open grounds or clearings act as a natural camping site where one can fix tents. 

About an hour into the trek, we were greeted by traces of snow. With winding trees meandering through the forest and the stretched meadows, the beauty of the trek can engulf anyone and the beauty of the snow makes it even more special. Continuing through the trail and climbing through some dense forest we reached the beautiful pictorial spot of Juda Ka Talab. 

When we are trekking, there is nothing to distract us. We are constantly surrounded by the positive vibrations which nature showers upon us. 

This is not true when it comes to Kedarkantha Trek. Kedarkantha is extremely popular and crowded. Trekkers do carry big loudspeakers in hand listening to songs like Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and all. I do not want to label it as wrong but since I belong to the old school, I love to listen to the chirping of the birds which increases in dense forests till it creates the best original background noise which is soothing to the ears. I am a climber and there are instances when I push myself and accelerate leaving at least a 30 mins gap between myself and Prem Ratan’s who are ascending slowly in a herd. Playing loud music while trekking is becoming a trend these days but what I saw at Kedarkantha was extreme. We Indians usually do not care about others' privacy. We come to trekking to become lighter, to avoid the buzz and chatter which is going continuously in our heads. I skipped the crowd and enjoyed my privacy with nature.

Trekking always brings me out of my comfort zone. Snowy & Windy conditions when the night temperature drops to -8 Deg made most of us uncomfortable. We resigned ourselves to the campfire, singing songs and playing Antakshari. However, the bitter cold impacted most of us and we were hardly able to sleep.

The most important part of a trek is reaching the summit. On Day 4, at 2.30 am  we started our trek aiming to conquer Kedarkantha peak. The sheer excitement of the journey and the route is worth compared to the challenging ascent that lies ahead. The walk is strenuous in the end & there are open patches were one feels uneasy because of the cold. Dawn was breaking, and I saw this magical sunrise happening in those mountains. Trekkers were stunned by the beauty around them. The view was superb, and the silence was magical. Now, these are rare moments in our lifetime. We do not get to see them in city life. Upon reaching the summit, I saw people showing mutual understanding. They were sitting silently far away from each other and soaking themselves in the beauty of the sunrise. Some trekkers sat with folded hands in front of the shrine with a deep prayer of gratitude. I remember a girl from our group crying & hugging her sister after reaching the summit. People do have certain anxieties, emotions that surface out. 

The arresting 360 Deg views of the snow-clad peaks of Uttarkhand visible from the top are beyond words and takes every one by surprise.The view from the top and the amazing location is worth all the effort. Kedarkantha Snow Trek was on my bucket list and despite been not comfortable with harsh cold weather, I completed it with flying colors. It reminded me of a song penned by Sahir Ludhianvi -

"Ik rasta hai zindagi, Jo tham gaye to kuchh nahi 

Yeh kadam kisi muqaam pe , Jo jam gaye to kuchh nahi".