Kedarkantha Trek

Kedarkantha trek

Snow-clad peaks meet the eye,

As the wind gently passes by.

What’s an adventure without a challenge?

What’s trekking without the mountain ranges?

It’s the time of the year for renewal,

To ignite up the inner soul.

Embark upon a journey,

Which shall never repeat itself.

You alone would stand as a testimony,

For your experiences in mountains did delve.

Kedarkantha stands out to be a real adventure tale worth writing about and sharing it to the world, reaching out to those who have since long wished to traverse the mountain ranges but are caught up in an unending spiral of duties.

Nevertheless, you can sit back as I take you on yet another trek adventure in most revered and beloved places of all times-“The Himalayas”.

About KEDARKANTHA

Kedarkantha trek is regarded as the most beautiful winter trek of all times, leaving you spellbound on the Clear Skies, the vast snow landscapes, with the magnificent setting of the pine trees.

Highlights of the kedarkantha Trek

 

1)The most cherished part of this Trek is the time when we drive Through the utmost serene regions of the Himalayas, and it meanders us across the picturesque little towns of Mussoorie, NawGaon, purola, and Mori before finally bringing us to the base camp of Naitwar.

2)Pretty campsites

To find every reason to fall in love, with the graceful campsites that beckon you after a long walk through the alpine forests.

   

3) the Snow White mountain ranges, that exudes an aura of peace and tranquility, along with its majestic beauty is something more than what you can expect.

Right after reaching the summit, you get the panoramic view of the highest mountain Ranges which stand adjacent to one another.

“Wake me up, when September ends...”

And you wake up to the frozen mountain where pine trees guard the trail and the vast sky stands still in its azure clear form.

If you are a GOT fan, you might be waiting for this time of the year, and you re-affirm to yourself-“winter is coming” and I am going to be trekking in Kedarkantha.

The trek as is it progresses from the beautiful drive to the challenging climb.

Day 1: Arriving at the base camp, Gaichawan Gaon

So I took an overnight train from Delhi to reach Dehradun early in the morning.

such a pretty town basking with colors and Mountain mists.

We had breakfast in the morning, after which we boarded the cabs, to embark on the journey.

The drive itself was so mesmerizing,

that we could assure ourselves what was yet to unfold.

The towns of Mori and Purolator are crossed while arriving at Sankri.

There's a vast forest cover where you actually drive on between them with the sun's rays occasionally setting itself from the Misty air.

We arrive at the guest house of Shialdi, where we spent the rest of our time in briefing and having a conversation.

The Rupin river's silent flow makes me sit in the sanctity of its presence and just let be.

These moments spent in solitude among the mountains is Really a very special gift which you can give to yourself.

"Feel yourself dissolve in the vastness,

of these Mountains, rivers, and trees.

Far away from the rhetoric city,

Where a soul discovers life's destiny."

Day 2: Gaichawan Gaon to Julota

It's a beautiful morning, here at the base camp. We woke up before sunrise and were touched on seeing the first glimmer of the Sun as it ascendend gently over the hills with the slanting rays caressing them.

with the cup of coffee in your hand, it's the perfect morning you can wish for.

After breakfast, we headed towards Julota, our next destination for the day.

The approximate time to reach Julota varies from 4 to 5 hours.

There would be much of an altitude gain of about 3000 + feet, so make sure that you walk slowly and gradually.

Despite the presence of the motorable road, we tend to walk by the grassier village side since it is a shorter route and walking the grass carpet meadow trail is even more comfortable.

After walking for 3 kilometers, we reach altwar.

The trail in itself makes you feel like you are one those gardens where you spent your childhood.

Apple orchards and farmlands grace the the occasion I'm with the pine trees, it is definitely commendable.

From Altwar, we head towards a forest which is the transition to enter the silent pine and oak forest.

The Rupin river can be seen as we travel the trail.

To reach Julota, we needed to take a deviation from the main trail and it was a steep climb from the clearing where the big pine trees gave way.

The rest of the day, rather evening was spent in relaxation, cool down exercises and a bit of music and delicious food.

Day 3: Julota to kedarkantha base

With Sunshine pouring out gently on your face,

 it's the mountains which shower her grace.

The trek for today is really quite short but in a matter of time, we gain much of an altitude equal to 2000 feet.

The trail up to kedarkantha peak now becomes steeper and challenging, with an undulating terrain so it is very important for the trekker to keep himself hydrated throughout.

There are clearings subsequent to each other, which leads us to distinct beautiful places, where the scenery fill your heart with contentment and makes the effort worthwhile.

After passing through the subsequent clearings, we head towards the rhododendron forest.

As we move Uphill the tree and forest density decreases and we are left with meadows where the wind has a fast blow.

A few mountain streams greet us in the wake of our trail and the water here is so fresh and clean, yes cold too!

After walking for about an hour, we reach Pukhrola, our next destination for the day.

We reached your before sunset so we were lucky enough to get a view of the magnificent glory of the sunset, with the golden hue glittering across the mountain valleys.

The wind here is treacherous, so make Sure you have enough coverings lest you would end up shivering in the middle.

Day4: Pukhrola to kedarkantha peak, and descent.

Its shivering cold in the morning and you wake up at the hour of dawn when your watch strikes 3.

yes! that's the time then you have to prepare your self physically and mentally to conquer the kedarkantha peak.

we left Pukhrola by 5 a.m. in the morning to witness the gentle sunrise as it casts its rays on the slanting slopes where we are trekking.

It's just so lovely to see, the Sun's rays dancing with the mist particles in the air and reflecting it back on your face.

A pinch of freshness indeed.

And then we walked and walked and walked,( just like Forrest Gump ran and ran and ran) till we conquered the kedarkantha peak.

After reaching the kedarkantha peak we were surrounded by a multitude of Himalayan peaks that cast their beauty and Glory amidst the skies and the energetic sun.

The view from this place was fantastic as it gave us a panoramic 360° view of surrounding and distant mountains, which included-

Chansil pass

Dhauladhar range

Rupin valley

har ki dun valley

swargarohini

kalanag

Draupadi ka danda

Gangotri

A Question which is sure to come in one's mind is the mystery behind the naming of the peak as kedarkantha.

The story has it that in earlier days, the divine architecture of the Lord was being constructed at the same place but mythological tales depict that if strange noises of animals or birds are heard during such statue erection, then it's a sign of disaster and ill fate.

So, while building a statue of Lord Shiva at the kedarkantha peak, there were noises of cow's and the statue was built only till the neck of the lord and had to be shifted to the present day Kedarnath.

hence kedar means Shiva and Kantha means throat, so this story is the precise reason for the naming of the peak.

We head towards pukhrola after cherishing some beautiful landscapes at the Summit, from pukrola we went to Akroti Thach it is a pretty big clearing with walnut trees.

The rest of our evening was spent here.

 we carried with ourselves some playing cards like UNO which came in handy and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly while having the evening snack.

Day 5: Akrotiri Thach to Gaichawan Gaon

The something unique about this trail which remains untouched and it reflects the Pristine beauty of nature.

The trail spread across 6 kilometers,

Passes through the oak and rhododendron forest, which then leads us to a clearing which has a perfect setup of old wooden Huts.

( remember the old English houses scene in movies?)

This place is named as Sada, from where we can witness the kedarkantha peak standing in its glory and a few nearby mountain villages.

descending towards Gaichawan Gaon via Alwar which takes us another 3 hours.

Life is a complete circle,

I am here whence I once stood.

Day6: Drive to Dehradun

It's a long day, being with the mountains,
There's a freeway, running through valleys.

We are off again to the city place,
Where we used to be prisoners of a cage.

Leaving the mountains, with Tears in your eye.
I'm back to the city lanes, where life is a lie.

The drive through it traverses the edges of mountain valleys, caresses the wind and bids farewell to still rocks, we find as though a 10-hour journey seems like an eternity.

there's also an option of going to Mussoorie and explore Ruskin's hometown.

And the way he used to describe his relationship with mountains, so have a glimpse for yourself.

TIPS TO MAKE KEDARKANTHA A MEMORABLE WINTER TREK

The Kedarkantha trek is a moderate trek. It begins at an altitude of 6,000 ft at Sankri and steers up to  12,500 ft at Kedarkantha peak. There is an altitude gain of 6500ft in the initial 3 days of the trek which involves moderate to steep ascents.

SO IT IS ADVISABLE TO NOTE DOWN AND FOLLOW THE EXERCISE REGIMEN TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF THE TREK.

Cardiovascular endurance
This trek requires a decent cardiovascular endurance.
JOGGING
You must stat with slow jogging in case you are a beginner or carry out with your normal fitness regimen if you are more advanced into fitness, gym or involved in any sport.
You must keep in mind that a combination of speed and distance would help you to successfully traverse the terrain.

For beginners-

5km walk/jog should be done in 45-50 min.
Increase it by 2 km and target completing the same in 70 min.
before the trek, the capacity should be close to 10km in 90-100min.

Need for Speed-

Take some inspiration from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and run a distance of 5 km in less than 35 minutes and you have played your part well.
For elderly people out there, 3 km can be covered in 30 minutes and that’s just fine by the standard.

Flexibility

It is the core of your system which ensures comfort while completing the trek. some stretching exercises can be done for ensuring the same – stretching your hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, lower back muscles, and shoulders regularly.
At the end of the day we should have our muscles and body relaxed.
Carrying a backpack becomes a strain after a while.
These would enhance your performance and get you ready for your upcoming trek.

Strength – 4 sets of squats with 15 in each

Body strength needs to be built along with endurance which you earlier gained from running. Generally, the backpack is carried out by yourself throughout the trek so it's important to build that leg and shoulder strength. You can do some squats to strengthen them. Start with 4 sets of squats, with 7 squats in each set and work towards reaching your target in 4 weeks.

Breathing exercises
Kedarkantha in winter, the temperature here drops to around -10 degree Celcius at night.
 During the day, the temperature stays at 8-12 degrees.
Breathing exercises will help you create a balance between the body and mind and would enable you to trek more energetically and passionately without feeling much of an exertion.

There are various types of breathing exercises as distinctively mentioned in the Patanjali yoga sutras and you can look them up to enhance your strength, build peace of mind and stay calm while traversing challenging sections of the trail.

WHAT TO CARRY ON THE EXPEDITION

Being on a winter trek requires adequate protection against the unruly weather.accessories such as synthetic gloves, woolen socks, balaclava, and thermals are just not to be missed out on.

Bare Necessities:

1. Trekking shoes: Decathlon is a one-stop destination for your trekking requirements.
2. Backpack (40-60 liters):  backpack with strong straps and a partisan frame. Rain cover for a backpack is necessary.

Clothes

1. 5 layers of warm clothes: If you’re trekking in winter, carry two sweaters, two fleece jackets, and a padded jacket.
    
2.  Three trek pants are advisable to be carried.

3. Three collared t-shirts: We must carry atlest 3 pairs of light dri-fit tshirts which would ghelp in completing the trek with ease.
4.  Thermals wearing thermals while trekking is not adviosed but it comes in  handy at night.
   
   Accessories

1. Sunglasses: Sunglasses are mandatory.
   If you want to avoid snow blindness then please do carry a sunglasses.
2. Synthetic hand gloves: Synthetic water resistant gloves are a must if you are going on a winter trek.
3. Balaclava: You’ll need this to cover your head, as most of the heat escapes from your head.
4. Socks (2 pairs) and a pair of woollen socks: Apart from two sports socks, you can take a pair of woollen socks for the night.
5. Headlamp/LED torch: Mandatory
6. Trekking pole: For balancing out yourself on challenging terrains.
    
7. Ponchos: At high altitudes, rainfall and snowfall are a common sight and to safeguard ourselves we need a poncho.

Miscellaneous

1. Daypack (20 litres): We carry light snacks, water bottle, medical kit, poncho etc, if we are offloading at any point of time.
2. Toiletries: moisturiser, light towel, lip balm, toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitiser, sunscreen.
3. Cutlery: I carried my own spoon, coffee mug and a lunch box.
4. Two water bottles: 1 litre each. For winter treks ensure that, one of the water bottles is a thermos flask to keep warm.
5.  plastic bags to compartmentalise things & we must take few extra plastic bags for wet clothes.

Mandatory Personal Medical Kit 

1. Diamox – 10 tablets (to prevent AMS)
2. Crepe bandage – 3 to 5 meters
3. Band aid -5 strips
4. Cotton – 1 small roll
5. ORS – 5 packets
6. Moov spray

The mandatory document include a n original photo identity card which will be rewuired at different pints during the trek for validation purposes.