KedarKantha, lies in the Govind Wild life Sanctuary & National Park in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, is one of the Best & Popular Trekking destination because of its easy accessibility throughout the year with Wonderful & Picturesque Camp sites!
In winters its Classic because of its Beautiful Snow-capped Himalayan Peaks, High Altitude Meadows, an Eye catching look of Snow covered ground, Snow covered Trees & Freezing over the Water bodies!!!
In Summer, the trail to the summit is covered by dense forests with fragrant Pine & Oak trees, filled with varieties of Beautiful & rare Himalayan Birds & wild Flowers...
Kedarkantha trek is one of the Easiest & Exquisite treks in the Himalayas to enjoy thick Snow cover with approx. 2000 ft. of height gain each day, till we reach to the summit... This trek route gives an Amazing views of Majestic peaks of SwargaRohini I, SwargaRohini II, BandarPoonch & KalaNag from a close range... Also this Land has been known for Temples & Shrines with Sacred Mythological attachments, Duryodhana - the eldest of Kauravas worshiped here... Virtually its a Paradise for the Botanists, Bird Watchers, Photographers, Nature Lovers, Foot loose trekkers & anyone interested in Exploring...
Kedarkantha; this name gives the feeling of an Auspicious place!!! And I added this trek in my Must do trek list!Last year in Dec. 2015, I planned to go for this trek, but when I came to know its almost 8-10 hrs road Journey from Mussoorie to reach to the base camp Sankri & that too by bus, I dropped the idea to go there...
But, to my surprise this year in Dec. 2016, YHAI made some changes : Instead of directly reach to the Sankri base camp, this time first camp stay was at Mussoorie Youth Hostel itself!!! This made my happiness on the top & I decided to go for this trek... The only challenge was, by the time I decide the date to go for this trek, all the seats got filled... And as usual I decided to get spot entry on 22nd December...
I started my Journey on 19th Dec. by train from Delhi to Haridwar, reached Ashram - Madhav Kunj early in the morning...
Stayed there for 2 days, visited Mansa devi temple & Chandi devi temple by Ropeway...
Also blessed to attend Ganga Aarti at Har ki Paudi in the evening... It was Amazing experience to roam around in Haridwar for 2 whole days...
Auspicious place, Awesome people & Selfless services @ Ashram!!! On 22nd Dec. early morning 5 O'clock, I started from Haridwar to Dehradun & then to Mussoorie by bus...
Mussoorie, also known as the Queen of hills, is a Beautiful hill station & a municipal board in the Dehradun District of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand... It is located about 35 km. from the state capital of Dehradun & 290 km. north from the national capital of New Delhi... It is situated at an altitude of 1970 mt. above sea level & the perfect getaway from the summer heat of the plains... Mussoorie is spread out over 16 km. along a horseshoe shaped ridge...
Trek Route : Sankri >>> Juda Talav >>> Luhasu > Kedarkantha > Luhasu >>> Hargaon >> back to Sankri
Altitude ~ 3,810 m [12,500 ft.]
Best time to visit : Throughout the year (Preferable time : September - June)
Weather : Summer : 13°C to 18°C / Winter : (-7)°C to 15°C
22nd Dec. 2016 - Reporting at Mussoorie Youth Hostel [1970 m]
Views from Youth Hostel
Got a big room for girls, with Beautiful views outside the windows... By the afternoon most of the participants reached & after having Lunch almost all of us went to roam around Mussoorie market @ Mall road...
While going to the market, we had to wait for the bus outside the hostel for a long time, so few of us decided to start walking...
On the way, most of us took lift by taxi, but only we 4 (Harleen, Neha, Sid & me) couldn't get any taxi or bus, so we kept walking n walking as we were enjoying walk on the road surrounded by Mountains & Greenery all over!!!
But the market was almost 6 Kms from the Youth hostel & it was tiring to walk uphill all the way...
On the way we could hardly see any bus or taxi going, so finally we took a lift by a tractor... For the first time I got a chance to ride in such a way & it was Amazing experience to travel by a tractor in the Himalayas... Thanks to Harleen as it was her idea :)
Tractor driver was going till half of the way, so again after walking few steps, we had to take a lift by a car in which a family was traveling... Anyhow we reached to the market on a mall road... Till evening we were roaming in the market & by the scheduled time we reached back to the hostel...
Had dinner & then all the required documents & IDs were checked by YHAI official Mr. Saurabh Das, so that there should not be any hassle at the higher base camp...
23rd Dec. 2016 - Mussoorie to Sankri Base Camp [1920 m]
Day 2 - Early morning after having tea & breakfast we had Orientation session by our Saurabh... Then ready to move to the higher base camp, Sankri; by a bus arranged by YHAI... So in the morning the most tedious part of the whole program started with this 8-10 hours of tiring journey of 150 odd Kms...Though this route provides a Great opportunity to see the scenic Beauty & Experience the life in the remote villages of Garhwal Himalayas...
The drive to Sankri (From where the Kedarkantha trek starts) is one of the most picturesque drives in the Himalayas... Dehradun to Sankri is around 190 Kms which passes through Mussoorie, Naugaon, Purola, Mori, Netwar along the Tons river, which is the largest tributary of the Yamuna & flows through Garhwal region in Uttarakhand, touching Himachal Pradesh... Its source lies in the 20,720 feet (6,315 m) high Bandarpunch mountain, is one of the most major perennial Indian Himalayan rivers... In fact, it carries more water than the Yamuna itself, which its meets below Kalsi near Dehradun, Uttarakhand...Purola
After Mussoorie it comes Purola, is situated at an altitude of 1,524 meters, 112 Kms. from Uttarkashi... Purola gateway to Har ki dun (3566 m) & Rupin pass treks... It is surrounded by Mountain ranges & the Govind wildlife sanctuary... Purola has the last ATM point & it is the last place where one can get the network for Mobile service providers other than BSNL, before the trek begins... Purola & Sankri have BSNL mobile phone connections that work intermittently (both mobile & landline)
After crossing Purola comes Mori, which gives numerous excellent vistas & all encompassing perspectives... Lush slopes, rich green paddy handle, the Tons River, Beautiful waterfalls, Wonderful strolls, yellow mimosas & pine trees make Mori one of the Beautiful towns... The tallest pine timberland in Asia is among the thickly populated woods in Mori...
Netwar
Then comes Netwar, which is a small village on the way to Sankri, where the check post is located... After Netwar the Govind National Park starts & Sankri is about 13 Kms inside this place... Still it takes around an hour to reach to Sankri as the condition of the road is very poor...
Sankri, a gateway to Kedarkantha (3810 m), Swargarohini (6096 m) & Har-ki-dun (3566m) serving as its back drop, is a small village in Govind National Wildlife Sanctuary, serves as the base for many treks in Uttarakhand...
Sankri main market has few restaurants, shops & limited options for stay... GMVN, Hotel Orchid & Hotel Swargarohini where most of the trekkers stay...
Finally our long day journey finished & we reached to the base camp, few hundred meters away from Sankri in Sond village... This is the place where we would spend next day & a half to acclimatize ourselves with the challenges of higher altitudes...
Lovely location (dust everywhere was a big problem) where tents are put up on three tiers along the slope of the hills...
In the evening we had rocking camp fire as we had most of the participants from Gujarat :) Its always enjoyable company of very Fun Loving & Kind people of Gujarat... And it is not excess to say this trek was one of the best-est trek in terms of group mates & also places with the best picturesque views of Mountains & Valleys...
24th Dec. 2016 - Orientation & Acclimatization walk
Day 3 - The day started with jogging & Exercise after having morning tea... As usual it was really refreshing & enjoyable walk in the midst of Mystic Himalayas...
Cherry on the top of the cake was a Very Interesting game [making groups of 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6] suggested by Shubham; just to get mingle with all the group mates; behind the open space of the temple :) It was really Wonderful time spent in the form of game with all the group mates in the midst of the Eye catching Mountains:)
After coming back to base camp, we had Breakfast & then got ready for Acclimatization walk...
Came back before Lunch time, had lunch & then free time for rest & to visit the local market...
As per the schedule we had dinner & then Bournvita... But we had to skip Camp fire due to some unavoidable circumstances... Also we were hoping for a weather change so that we could get snow fall as almost all the batches prior to our's couldn't get the snow fall... But as per the weather forecast, it was predicated that there would be raining & snow fall...
Day 4 - Started with a Joyful feeling that we will get Snow fall on the way as there was a raining in the night & weather outside was very Pleasant... Also we could figure out that there was good Snow fall on the higher altitude by looking at the Snow covered Mountains; from our camp... Our happiness was on the top of the world :)
After having tea & breakfast & packed lunch with us... Finally we started for our first higher camp Juda Talav!
And on the way it started Snow fall as expected :) It was Heavenly feeling to walk while actual fresh snow was falling!!! No words to explain the Happiest feeling ever :)
Initially Snow fall was very slow, but by the time we reach to the Lunch point it started heavy Snow fall...
Most of us could manage to accommodate in a small tent to save ourselves from snow & It was Amazing to watch live snow fall while having lunch inside the tent & that too in the midst of this Beautiful scenic place!!! When we reached to this place it was Green all over but within few minutes it became complete White with a thick Snow sheet covered all over... Unforgettable moments & Lifetime experience!!!
It was first ever experience to walk while there is heavy Snowfall... Finally we reached our first camp Juda Talav... Beautiful campsite with Amazing views of Snow covered trees & tents all over...
We all had lots of fun by playing Garba & dance... Icing on the cake was that it was 25th Dec. so it became perfect X'mas Eve... Had lots of memorable clicks of this Fascinated place...
Spent one of the best evening with all the mates having tea, snacks, chocolates & lots of fun like never before...
26th Dec. 2016 - Juda Talav to Luhasu [7km/10250 ft.]
Day 5 - Got up early morning, had morning sight seeing of this Beautiful place with a cup of tea... After having delicious breakfast & with packed lunch we started our journey towards next destination Luhasu; which is a base for Kedarkantha!
Though the name of this campsite was Juda ka Talav as its very near to this talav, now we were supposed to visit actual Juda Talav while going through the next campsite...
And here it comes - Juda Talav; A small pond - Beautiful views of Snow clad peaks, surrounded by giant Pine & Oak trees... It was completely frozen pond...
Most of the private trekking groups set their tents just a few meters away from the pond...
We spent lot of time here, had lunch, took some rest & then started from this place...
Again one of the Beautiful campsite, Luhasu - Kedarkantha Base is on an open meadow with snow peaks all around!!! Its unmatched Beauty & Serenity will Enrich your soul...
We reached before the scheduled time, so we were asked to visit nearby place to explore more...
After spending few quality hours we were back to our camp...
After having dinner we were supposed to sleep early to compensate the next day's early start...
27th Dec. 2016 - Summit Kedarkantha [4 Km/12500 ft.] - Luhasu to Hargaon [6 Km/8000 ft.]
Day 6 - Got up early morning (actually mid night at about 2.30 am) to get ready for Kedarkantha peak as it takes around 4 hrs from Kedarkantha Base camp... We started by 4.00 am, so that we could reach before sunrise, which is the most important factor of this trek...
The trail to Kedarkantha is steep at places, but it gives Mesmerizing views all over... Thankfully we could reach on time to witness the clear sunrise!!!
After spending quality time at the peak, we started trekking back to Kedarkantha base...
Right from the Kedarkantha base camp, there is Stunning 360 degree breathtaking view of Magical Mountains & Snow peaks...
On the way we took break to capture these Picturesque views!
Heavenly place it was!
It was Mind blowing experience to the trek from Kedarkantha Base camp to the Kedarkantha Peak & back to Kedarkantha Base camp with Amazing views of Snow clad Mountains & Peaks of Yamunotri & Gangotri ranges!!!
After having Lunch at Kedarkantha base camp we took some rest & then started for our last camp Hargaon... Trail towards Hargaon was totally downhill, so it was very easy & relaxing trek throughout till the campsite...
All of its campsites are unique in terms of their Beauty!!! Each campsite competes each other with its Magical natural Beauty...
Few of our Group mates had to leave early... It always feels relaxing at the last campsite after completion of the summit, but also it feels lil sad that we have to leave this Beautiful place & Wonderful bunch of mates...
It was Wonderful evening, just to roam around & capture the Beauty of this place... After having Soup & Dinner, day finished with some of the fun activities in our tents...
28th Dec. 2016 - Sankri Base Camp [10 Km / 1920 m ]
Day 7 - Morning @ last campsite started with a cup of tea in the open meadow of nature with Fresh n Happy feeling...
After having delicious breakfast, finally we got ready for our base camp, Sankri...
Again it was a total downhill till Sankri, with Stunning views of Mountains & Greenery all over...
After this point, few of us missed the actual route... But happy to explore a new route, small villages on the way; with lots of Memorable clicks... Finally we reached our base camp, Sankri...
29th Dec. 2016 - Checkout from Sankri after breakfast
Day 8 - Instead of staying one more day at Sankri base camp as per the schedule, most of us decided to leave the same day as soon as we reached to the camp... I got a Lovely company (till Dehradun) of fun Loving gang of KD n group & a group of almost 20 Pharma students of Gujarat in the same bus booked by them... Though for the first time in my life I had to sit on the last seat of the bus, still I enjoyed a lot as KD & Group was full on entertain mode :)
For almost 8 odd hrs journey (from 12 noon till 8 pm) experiencing long jumps & jerks on the last seat of the bus, but with a laughter session; we reached to Dehradun... Thankfully next hour, I got a direct bus to Gurgaon & early morning at about 4 am I reached safely at home...
Each trek gives us different & new experience which makes our life more meaningful!!! Trek to Kedarkantha will always be one of the Best & most Unforgettable experiences in my life :)
Special Thanks to Jeegar, Milan, Krunal, Kandarp (KD) & my other KK8 mates for sharing pics :)
Love you post... Cheers
ReplyDeleteThanks Swayam :)
DeleteWaaw... really enjoyed, I too was in KK17, I want to be there again... Nd I'm sure too...
DeleteThanks :)
DeleteNice work Ana's Green world
ReplyDeleteHey Thanks Punit :)
DeleteWowwwwwwwww Delusional memories thanks so much ana
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot :) May I know ur name please!!!
DeleteGood..!!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot... Were U a part of KK trek!?
DeleteYou did magic with your words :) so beautifully explained... Love the pictures:)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much dear :)
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