Solo Trip To Himalayas | Kedarkantha Trek - India's most beautiful winter trek

I went to the Himalayas! It felt like a dream come true. I never imagined that I would spend days where I will be rolling in the snow, living without electricity, not being able to call someone, camp under the stars, or use a very weird toilet but it all happened.

Preface

Backstory

There were many instances where my friends and I used to plan a trek to the Himalayas but it never worked out. I started feeling that being in the Himalayas will only remain a distant dream and that it was never meant to be fulfilled. But, nope. It did happen! I was there at the top of the Kedarkantha peak and the feeling was amazing.

What is this blog about?

In this blog, I intend to share my experience of traveling solo and trekking on the Himalayas. Along with that, I would share some useful tips that I learned during the trek. In the end, I will share important deets regarding the gears and equipment you should carry for the trek so do stay with me till the end (there are tips hidden in the article too so don’t just skip to the end from here :p).

Let’s get started!!

How did it work out? Why solo?

Taking a week-long vacation at the same time became quite difficult for us (friends’ group) and so the trek planned remained locked in our dreams. It so happened that I was switching jobs and had a buffer period of 12 days between it. At that time, I have had so many canceled trips from the time the pandemic hit us that I was desperate for a nice trip, and doing a Himalayan trek was always on my bucket list. When I looked for options, I came across the ever famous – Kedarkantha Trek, one of the most preferred winter treks in India. I approached a few travel companies to get their itinerary and dates for the Kedarkantha Trek. A few of them whom I found to be genuine and trustable in this regard were – Trek The Himalayas, Thrillblazers, Travaura, and BanBanjarey (do check them out – if you are planning for a trip).

Almost everyone had an identical itinerary that looked adventurous and fun-filled. Most of them were charging INR 7000 inclusive of food, travel, and stay which was quite reasonable to me. So I thought to myself, let’s do this!

While I was excited that I can finally go on a week-long vacation, I was scared too. I did not know how things will work out. The Himalayas are known to be scary and life-threatening mountains and I won’t lie; I had thoughts as to what if I lose my life or what if I am not fit enough to make it to the summit? I am a person who would catch a cold if the temperature dropped to 20°C and I was planning to go camp in minus degrees. Probably I would freeze and die? Thankfully, none of those happened.

I think it’s valid for anyone to have such thoughts when they are going to the Himalayas for the first time but be assured, I did it and so can you! Kedarkantha Trek isn’t risky and is doable.

Bookings & all set!

Travaura had a daily departure to and fro Dehradun. The package included the pick-up and drop from Dehradun, a two-night stay in Sankri, and the Kedarkantha trek itself. I liked the itinerary and the date suited me; 20th to 25th February (Ex – Dehradun). So I went ahead and booked the Kedarkantha Trek for INR 7000 with Travaura starting solo all the way from Chennai!

I also happened to book the costliest tickets ever in my life for INR 6700 and INR 5500, to and fro Delhi. I booked it just 2 days prior to the departure so my complaints about the price don’t hold well, courtesy of my planning skills. If you are here after reading my previous blog, you can stop laughing at me; I’ll learn how to plan! Hopefully :p.

Apart from the trek, I extended my trip by including two extra days in Delhi, one before and one after the trek. I’ve never been to Delhi so I knew those two days would be eventful. I’ll also talk about my Delhi experience here. If you are not interested in it then you can skip Day 0 and Day 7 and experience the Kedarkantha Trek alone.

According to the itinerary, the trek was supposed to end only by Day 6 but we were too smart to save ourselves an extra day and explore Haridwar. Skip Day 6 if you don’t want to experience Haridwar (tho, I recommend you to read it).

Day 0 (Chennai to Delhi)

At last, it was time to begin the most adventurous trip of my life. On the morning of 19th February, I experienced flying in the air for the first time when I boarded my Indigo flight from Chennai to Delhi. It was a weird feeling to carry a backpack and head out of home alone and only return back after a week. Nevertheless, it felt exciting. The flight wasn’t much comfortable due to turbulence but I slept for the most part of my journey, courtesy of waking up early.

It was a direct flight so I reached Delhi in a couple of hours and with the airport line metro, I was soon at the Lal Qila Metro Station. I kept my backpack at a relative’s house nearby to wander around freely. After walking for a short distance, I stopped and just looked at the Red Fort. The TV visuals of the Independence Day parade flashed in front of my eyes. It looked ancient. I wanted to step in but did not have enough time. So I made a mental note to visit it some other day.

Delhi, the historic city and the capital of India has been of significant importance to various kingdoms, sultanates, and the East India Company for many centuries. I’ve heard and read a lot about the city. It is a historian’s delight to visit the various places in Delhi as it boasts a lot of monuments from various periods constructed over many centuries. I’ve also heard praises about its cuisine and being a person who likes food, I wanted to experience it. And of course, the pollution levels…it is not a hidden fact that Delhi is ranked the world’s 2nd worst city in terms of pollution. I was there in late February and the Winter season was nearing its end so the weather wasn’t too chill nor too hot. But I did find it odd that the temperature differs by up to 20 degrees within the 24 hours.

Since I was traveling solo, I would just explore the historical monuments sites as they make me happy. Perks of traveling solo guys, you don’t have to give a damn about anyone’s preferences but yours. I split the places I wanted to visit in Delhi across two days since I will be coming back here on 26th February.

Before I could start exploring, I was hungry. One of my friends’ suggestions was to try out naan and paneer butter masala at ‘Kake Di Hatti‘ and it didn’t disappoint. Delhi’s cuisine is known for its taste and it was just too good. Finishing the naan took me a lot of time but yeah, I could eat it all!

For the trek, I was supposed to get a jacket and I bought one leather jacket from the local market costing me INR 700. While the jacket looked good and I felt like it would protect me from the cold during the trek, I would advise you guys to not do the mistake I did. It will not work. Get yourself a fleece or down jacket or rent it out at Sankri. More details on this at the end.

The clock ticked 4 PM by the time I was done with the food & shopping necessities. For the next few hours, I visited a few well-known places in Delhi. First was the Akshardham temple and man, it is so very huge. It was peaceful and the vibes were positive. After that, I went to the Sarojini Nagar Market as I heard it to be quite famous for low-priced clothes. The clothes were actually quite cheap and the quality was good. If you want to get regular wear dresses, you can get some good ones here.

It was past sunset and the India Gate was on my way. So I asked the auto guy to stop there for a little while. Due to covid, they did not allow us near the India Gate so I had to stand across the road and admire it. It looked very nice and the Amar Jawan Jyothi memorial was also visible through the center of the gate. While returning back to pick up my backpack, I saw the Parliament on the way and it had some colorful lights on it.

For dinner, I thought I will try out a nice place in Connaught Place but I could not find one so I ate at McDonald’s and then took the metro to Kashmiri Gate. I slept nicely on the bus and reached Dehradun the next morning.

Day 1 (Dehradun to Sankri)

Dehradun was chilly. The temperature was just 12 deg in the morning. The bus dropped me at Prince Chowk, Dehradun and I walked around nervously waiting for the team to pick me up. I had no clue who were the other 40 people with me on this trek. I was wondering how it is gonna be for the next 6 days. Damn! I cannot back out now! Soon Kamlesh, my contact from Travaura ringed me saying he’s here. I then looked out at a Tempo Traveler and he was the guy. There were 12 people who boarded the tempo traveler. The initial hour was quiet with few people chatting in low voices. We stopped for breakfast before Mussorie and while waiting for the food we started talking. I understood that there were 3 of us who were doing this trek solo (Rohit, Sayantan, and myself). Vinay & Sushil are a couple of friends from Mumbai and there were groups of 2 and 5 people with us. I ordered dosa and after having it, I made a mental note to not eat dosa ever if I am traveling outside Tamilnadu. It was so bad. Anyways, after breakfast, we continued on our way to Sankri – the base camp of Kedarkantha Trek.

Where in the world am I?

The landscape, to be honest – was out of the world. I would occasionally see streams of water formed by the melting of the Himalayan Glaciers, suspended steel bridges, hanging houses (like the one in the Welcome movie :p), and vast mountains. It was just too beautiful a sight. The journey was 10 hours long and was very tiring. Rohit developed motion sickness due to the amazing dosa we had and fell sick. I shared a packet of dry fruits with him and that made him feel better. It’s always good to carry small sachets of dry fruits or energy bars; they’ll give you instant energy. We stopped for lunch near a valley and had Maggi and momos.

When in the mountains, eat Maggi with a view! and that’s exactly what we did at Tosh Valley. Sitting beside a crystal clear stream of water, we had our Maggi and enjoyed it with the view. The water was freezing cold. For me, the landscape was too different from what I’ve ever seen. Sitting there, I was soaking in the view at peace.

Can I survive without mobile network for 5 days??

The mobile signal was fluctuating en route and it was time for some surprise. When we crossed Purola, where the last ATM is present, we LOST signal. And by lost, I mean that we never regained it back until we reached the same spot 5 days later!! I wasn’t aware of this since I did not read any articles or watch videos of the trek. I thought it would come later at Sankri but surprise, it didn’t :). People with BSNL Postpaid Card might get network at Sankri. And there are shops that provide Wi-Fi Hotspot priced at INR 50-100 per hour but those are quite slow.

Sankri – A beautiful village

We reached Sankri by 6 PM. The driver was very nice, halting on the way whenever we felt uneasy. It was a good but tiring journey. We did not get much time to explore Sankri but it looked beautiful. The houses were underground and would go up to three-storey down. There are shops to rent trekking equipment but make sure you go and rent as early as possible since they go out of stock during the peak season. We checked in at our homestay – ‘Hotel Swaroghini Palace’. We were allocated our rooms and it felt comfy. Rohit and I shared a room on the top floor which had a common terrace balcony area with an amazing view.

Getting to know the team

Soon after the evening snacks, we had an orientation session by the organizers. We got to know about our guides, the itinerary in detail, the equipment we would need, and our team members. After the orientation, we were asked to form a group of 10-12 people among the 40 odd batch size. Rohit, Sayantan, Sushil, Vinay, and I joined with Ritesh, Chandrika, Hetal, Charmi, and Priyanka to form a group. There were 42 of us from various places – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Delhi. I understood that we all came through different travel agencies but were clubbed under the banner of Himalayan Hikers. In the future, if you want to do a trek in the Himalayas, you can book it directly through them.

I got to know a lot of things that ideally I should’ve researched earlier. Nevertheless, Rohit had researched well and helped me with the gears required for the trek. Rohit & Vinay are budding vloggers and they came up with nice vlogs of the trek. I’ll link their vlogs down below. Sushil is a cinematographer and seeing him take B-rolls was quite interesting. He would often spot unique angles and frames to take some amazing pictures and B-rolls. Sayantan, whom we nicknamed – Chadar after he said us that he did the famous – Chadar Trek is an experienced trekker who has been on multiple treks. Ritesh & others were a cousins group who were quite fun & friendly.

After the orientation, we went on to rent/purchase the missing equipment but some were out of stock since we were late. But I was lucky enough to get the necessary gears I would need for the trek.

After dinner, we went to bed by 10 PM. We were asked to wake up early by 7 AM and get ready to start our trek. The bed was very comfortable and the blankets felt so warm and cozy. We fell asleep soon. When in the mountains, be punctual or you might end up with a lot of unwanted troubles.

Day 2 (Trek to Juda Ka Talab from Sankri)

I woke up by 6 AM from the sound of running water. Rohit was up early, bathing and getting ready. No doubt, all of us were excited about the trek.

It was a nice sunrise from behind the mountains. Soon everyone was ready and we met at the terrace balcony. We kept our extra bags at the homestay and had a short briefing before we set out on our trek!

Wondering about backpacks being heavy?

A few of them opted for porters to carry their backpack which costs INR 300 per day. If you want it for a specific day, you can book it beforehand. Later on, if in the middle of the trek you are not able to carry your backpack and want to opt for porters, it will cost extra up to INR 500-600 per day. But this situation can be easily prevented by packing light. Take only the most important gears. You will return to your homestay after 4 days 3 nights so pack your clothes accordingly. Keep at least 4 pairs as you will need to wear multiple layers as we go up the altitude.

….and it begins

All set for the trek, we bid adieu to our comfortable beds and started walking from our homestay around 9 AM towards the Govind National Park inside which lies the Kedarkantha peak!

We were greeted with a board that read – ‘If you never go, you never know’. Full of adrenaline and excitement, we started our trek. The guides were very friendly, sharing stories, and helping us throughout the trek.

Some advice on the clothing for the trek

Start your trek in regular clothes (full sleeves t-shirt and trekking pants) and apply sunscreen. Initially, you might feel the cold weather and get the urge to wear multiple layers but don’t do it. Try to get acclimatized so that you do not fall sick in the upcoming days. Moreover, once you start trekking, your body would generate heat and you will feel not feel the cold anymore. Some people trekked with multiple layers and after every half an hour or so, they were struggling with the sweat & heat and started removing the layers one by one. Also, wear cooling glasses and a cap because the sun rays are very harsh on the mountains.

Trekking & Trekking…

The weather up there is pleasant and as you rest for a while, you feel the chillness. We trekked for a couple of hours and arrived at our first rest point. We were also able to catch glimpses of some snow-capped peaks and the Black Peak and the Swaroghini were visible to us. At the rest point, we couldn’t resist eating Maggi, and having Maggi in the mountains really feels good for no particular reason (I am contributing to the hype).

On our way, we found a patch of snow and it was the first snow I ever touched in my life. It was a different feeling. We continued on our trail for the next few hours.

The slip

The snow-covered plains were more prominent now and soon, we were trekking on the snowy trails. At one instance, the snow turned ice was solid and unknowingly I walked on it and slipped. I think I can let you guys on a secret here. If the ice looks transparent and solid, it is best to avoid that patch as you might slip and fall.

Juda Ka Talab

After a 4 KMs trek, we reached Juda Ka Talab situated at a height of 9,100 feet. It would be our first campsite where we will rest for the day.

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva came to Kedarkantha and while doing his penance, he felt thirsty. So he took out a hair from his juda (bun) and threw it on the ground. A water droplet from his hair is said to have formed this beautiful lake.

At the campsite, tents were already set up and were allocated to us on a double/triple sharing basis. Today’s trek was difficult but since it was short we did not feel drained out completely. We had our lunch and then rested for a while soaking in the view of a half-frozen lake, huge pine trees, and snow-covered slopes. It’s advised not to stay in tents during the day as you might develop headaches because of the heat. We loitered around in the snow and talked.

After a while, the guides gave us a demonstration of how to use the liner and the sleeping bag. Personally, for me, it felt a little suffocating as I do not like sleeping in a confined space in total darkness. But somehow we have to do it so that we do not fall sick due to cold the next day. Soon we were in for another surprise.

The toilet horror

We checked out the toilets and self-realization hit me. Up there in the mountains with no electricity, signal, or drainage source, what did I think how the toilets facility would be? It was a 2-feet hole dug in the ground and two wooden planks kept on either side of the hole. There’s your commode. After finishing, you would put sand on your waste. Yes, that’s how we are gonna do it for the next 3 days! It sounds gross and it actually was but we had no other choice.

Beautiful starry skies

The temperature was dropping and the weather turned cold. So we put on multiple layers and our gloves and woolen beanies. After dinner, many people slept as they were tired. Rohit, Vinay & Sushil were trying to get some shots of the night sky which was looking quite beautiful with colorful tents, the snow-covered forest, and the stars shining in the background. I learned a thing or two about clicking better photos and from there I developed an interest in photography. One another huge group (they were from Chennai too! duh!!), were playing games inside a huge tent so we also went in and spent some time there. By 11 PM, we got into our tents to sleep since we had to wake up early by 7 AM.

The sleep routine

Before you get inside your sleeping bags, keep your power bank and extra batteries in a warm place, preferably inside the sleeping bag. In cold weather conditions, the batteries drain out faster than usual. After looking aimlessly at your phone for signals throughout the day, you might have now understood that you are not gonna get the network during your trek. So now turn the airplane mode on to save on the battery and use it for snapping some amazing pictures only. Also, wear your thermal coat under your t-shirt to keep your body warm inside the sleeping bags. I know it feels lazy to change all the way removing multiple layers and then wearing it again but got to do it!

Not everyone are comfortable with the sleeping bags 🙁

It took me a lot of time to get comfortable inside the sleeping bag. I did not fully close the sleeping bag keeping my face out but made sure I covered my head and ears so that I do not catch a cold. After a while, it became warm since the body heat got trapped because of the thermal coat and the sleeping bag, and that helped me fall asleep.

But…suddenly around 12 AM, my eyes opened. At that moment, I wasn’t fully aware of the situation I was in and quickly hurried out of my sleeping bag. And then there was a period of time I would want to forget. I tried getting into my sleeping bag multiple times but failed. I gave up after endless tries and just sat outside my tent and played games on my phone. Finally, after a lot of effort, I was able to sleep by 3 AM. It was also the first day I ever lived in my life without contacting any known ones (people I knew before the start of this trek).

Day 3 (Trek to Kedarkantha Base Camp)

I woke up at 7 AM. The sleep was not so comfortable but I wasn’t feeling tired. The tents with the lake in the background were quite a sight to wake up to. We freshened up, had our breakfast, and got ready. Follow the same dressing style we did yesterday for the trek. Wear light clothes and no thermals inside.

We bid goodbye to Juda Ka Talab and started our trek to the next campsite – the Kedarkantha Base Camp. The guides gave us a pair of Crampons and showed us how to put them on. Crampons are basically made of steel chain which will fit at the bottom of our shoes and provide better grip when trekking on snow & solid ice. Today’s trek wasn’t much tiring and time-consuming. It was quite short.

Entertainment & water from unusual source

After trekking for some time, we reached our first rest point. There is a guy famously known as – ‘Bansuri Wale Baba‘. He plays very pleasant music using bansuri (flute). Nearby the place, there was a stream of water and we literally filled our bottles with the water and were drinking it. I, for once having lived in cities, can never imagine doing this anywhere but the water was so fresh and pure. We then continued on our trail leading to the Kedarkantha Base Camp.

By noon, we reached the Kedarkantha Base Camp situated at a height of 10,500 feet. We covered a short distance of 3 KMs today from Juda ka Talab to the Kedarkantha Base Camp. Crampons proved very useful today increasing our grip on snowy trials considerably.

The peak view

One sight that would catch your attention instantly is the view of the Kedarkantha Peak. You would be able to see it very clearly from the campsite and it is a sight to behold. Having tea with such a view is blissful and to be honest, for a chai lover like me, it is everything you would ever want.

Interactions & Fear

In some time, the trekkers who did the summit today reached the base camp. We spoke with them and got to know about the route and the difficulty. Till this point, I felt that the trek was difficult but since it was short, it did not tire us out much. But the trekkers said that the summit trek is difficult and the last 30 minutes is quite difficult. When we looked at the peak from the base camp, it did look very steep, probably 80 degrees inclined. It infused fear in us. Some were talking about not doing the summit too. But then a group of some 50+ years men came from the summit and gave us positive energy with their stories.

After a while, we had lunch and picked our tents (some tents offer a nice peak view), and settled in. We had the rest of the day to ourselves and were asked to sleep early so that we could start the summit trek very early in the morning. We changed and wore multiple layers as it was cold.

Rolling down in the snow

Then the guides took us to a place where we could play and roll in the snow. I was quite afraid to roll in the snow like what if I get buried or something happens? :p. But then many people were doing it and so I went ahead with it. It was a small slope, probably 5-6 meters in length but it felt amazing rolling down in the snow. At one place I slowed down and got stuck. I literally had a mindnumbing moment there with so much cold. I rolled down further where my friends were playing with the snow and joined them. Our hands and legs were freezing and we couldn’t feel it after being in the snow for quite some time. So, we returned to the campsite and changed. We had a lot of snow in our boots and dress so had to clean up and dry (nope, not happening) our clothes.

Mountain Sunsets

It was time for sunset and it looked magical. We were nearly on the edge of the plains and from there we could see the Himalayan ranges running in parallel and the sun setting behind it. The sunrise and sunsets on the mountains are a sight to behold. They look so colorful and vivid.

It started getting cold and the temperature dropped to 5 degrees. We had an early dinner and were asked to sleep by 9 PM so that we could wake up by 1:30 AM and start for the summit by 2 AM. We tried to click some photos of the galaxy above us which looked beautiful and then got into our sleeping bags by 10 PM. It was better than yesterday and we started feeling comfortable in the sleeping bags. All of us fell asleep soon.

Day 4 (Summit & trek to Hargoan campsite)

The day we were waiting for has finally arrived! Soon, we are going to be on top of the Kedarkantha Peak – our very own Everest! We toiled without electricity, without signals, self-use toilet, sleeping bags, and trekked the past 2 days for this. We woke up at 1:30 AM in the night and it was super cold. The first sight out of the tent was the Kedarkantha peak and it was clearly visible in the dark night. We could also see a lot of stars in the sky. The view was surreal.

Why so early?

You might be wondering as to why start so early in the night right? It is because the sunrise at the top looks so good that it’s worth doing this. Another important reason is that after 10 AM, the wind speed increases and it becomes risky to stay on the top after that. So we try to reach by 6-8 AM and then descend by 10 AM.

Getting ready for the summit

We couldn’t admire the view for long since we had less time to change and get ready for the summit trek. So we had our tea and quickly changed. Make sure you have at least 4-5 layers of clothing and socks to handle the freezing temperatures. We were asked to keep our backpacks in our tent since we can summit comfortably. It is advisable to have a day-pack bag which would be helpful to store water and some snacks which you can carry easily.

The start was delayed since the entire team was ready only by 2:30 AM. We put on our gaiters (since the snow cover was up to 2-3 feet, it would help prevent the snow from entering our pants/shoes) and turned on our head torch since it was pitch dark. The sight was one to look out for with hundreds of trekkers lined up at the starting point and just the head torch shining the lights on the snow-covered trail. The distance was a lot to cover (5 KMs to the peak) and with the steep inclination, snow cover, and cold winds, it would be difficult to reach on time for the sunrise.

To the summit!

Rohit and I took the necessary stuff we needed in one trek backpack (we did not have a day pack with us) and carried it alternatively. We both trekked swiftly and were in the leaders’ group of our team. In between, we would take small breaks to regain our energy since trekking in such chill weather is quite exhaustive. Soon, we reached our first rest point for the day by 4 AM which was also the last point where the trees would protect us from the cold winds. After this, we would be exposed to the cold winds and trek without any forest cover. This is surely gonna notch up the difficulty levels.

We started after a brief halt and there was a traffic jam! We got to know that around 500 trekkers were doing their summit today. I know that’s a lot of people but that’s the price we need to pay to do the most demanding trek in India.

Soon it cleared out and we started our final push to the summit. The inclination increased and we could feel cold winds. At some places, the snow was quite deep and that made us lift our feet considerably high and move forward one step at a time. The walking stick which we rented for a mere 150 INR proved so useful from day 1. Today it felt like our life support! :p.

The most difficult trail

By 5 AM, we were just 200ft from the summit and felt that it wasn’t so difficult after all (we did trek a lot in just a few hours but the hype yesterday’s trekkers gave us looked exaggerated). And then it all started. The trail started becoming steep and had a lot of snow. In some instances, it was nearly 80 degrees steep and it felt like I would fall. Make sure to plant each of your feet properly and get a grip before you try to move forward. It was tiring us out a lot and we would take deep breathes repeatedly and halt. In 15-20 minutes the sky was lit with orange-yellow colors and it looked surreal with the snow-capped mountains in our view. The trail was very difficult for the next 30 minutes. It lived up to the hype the trekkers gave us yesterday and it was quite challenging.

So close yet so far

Many times it would feel like, oh finally! we are at the summit but our smilies would quickly wear off. The summit would still be far and the trek becomes strenuous. It happened so nearly thrice trying to reach for the summit.

By 6:10 AM, we were on the top at the Kedarkantha Peak! The foot we set on the top felt so amazing. All our hard work paid off. Getting exhausted, draining our energy, and showing immense fitness levels, we finally made it to the top and it was all worth it. The view was mesmerizing and it was in front of our eyes! Too good to be real, man.

12,500 ft

I did a 360-degree turn soaking in the amazing view in front of me and felt like I am on top of the world. It felt so nice to finally summit the Kedarkantha Peak. We conquered 12,500 ft! And to add on top of that, there were some other trekkers waving the Indian flag and chanting – ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai!’. Goosebumps moment literally!

Re-uniting at the top

It was cloudy so we couldn’t witness the sunrise but the sky was lit up with nice orange-yellow colors. Rohit was the first to reach on top from our group followed by Sushil and myself. Vinay soon followed us but we couldn’t find the rest of the group at that time on the summit. But they soon did the summit. After nearly 45 minutes, they were with us on the summit and it felt good to reunite on the top!

One Unexpected Surprise

We spent the next hour relaxing and admiring the view. We clicked many pictures and took panoramic shots. The sun was up and shining on us but at that time, we did not mind it. It felt good. It was wonderful to be on top of the mountains and just see the infinite snow-covered parallel ranges of the mighty Himalayas. And you guys know what? we were getting network at the top! Everyone was able to contact their friends & families after 3 full days. I particularly did not know that we would lose signal before reaching Sankri and never get it back again and so my family was worried. My friends assumed I was gone 😀.

Lord Shiva

Respecting the myth, there’s also a small temple devoted to Lord Shiva on the top. We prayed and snapped some photos of it. I was fascinated with the temple and the Shivling up there and the devotion came from within.

Snow slide, guys!

After nearly 2 hours at the top, it was time for us to descend. The winds would soon pick up the pace so it’s better to be back at our campsite by then. One of the most fun parts of the trek was to slide in the snow! All of us got the chance to slide down nearly 80ft and it was one amazing feeling. The snow was knee-length deep and we would just slide on it.

There were 2 slides for us and if you happen to go after 4-5 people have slid, the path would become smooth and fun without abrupt stoppages. If you go late, you would get stuck in the unnecessary holes caused by others so time your slide :p. Make sure not to keep your phone or any other belongings in your hand or in the open pocket, or they might fall and it is very difficult to find them in the snow.

An horror incident

A not-so-good slide pushed snow inside my dress and shoes. It became difficult to trek down. At one instance, the trail was very narrow and I misplaced my step and nearly fell in a 30ft snow cliff. When I tried to come up, my other foot went in too. Thankfully, a guide saw me and reached out to pull me out of it. I was too tired. At the first rest point, I regained energy, and then it was better. We reached the base camp back by noon and looked at the peak we were on.

It was all fun after this. We had our lunch and changed. Then we were going to trek down to another campsite called – ‘Hargoan’ and camp there for the night. The trek trail was not difficult except at some places where it was slippery. We reached Hargoan situated at a height of 8,900 feet by 5 PM and settled in our tents. The campsite looked beautiful.

It was quite relaxing. After a tiring but adventurous day, we completed our summit and were headed back home. This will also be our last night in the mountains camping under the stars. We thoroughly enjoyed it and after having our dinner, we chit-chatted late into the night. It was freezing cold but sitting with the group felt so nice.

Around midnight we decided to go sleep. We had a good 8 hours sleep as we all were quite tired.

Day 5 (Trek to Sankri & back to Dehradun)

We packed our stuff in the morning, had breakfast, and started trekking towards the homestay in Sankri. The snow was now gone and we were trekking through a forest. The trek guides were taking us through a new route and it was adventurous. After changing, we wore clean clothes but there were instances where we would slip. If you don’t want to spoil your clothes it’s better to wear the clothes you already used as the outer layer.

The trek ends well

We reached the starting point and the board which read – ‘If you never go, you never know’ lived up. We walked towards our homestay and sat on the oh-so-comfortable beds and used the toilets comfortably. Here we had two options, to leave for Dehradun after having lunch or stay overnight at Sankri as per the itinerary and leave early tomorrow.

Improvising the trip

All of us decided to leave after lunch. Few of them got down at Mussorie and the rest at Dehradun. Rohit, Sayantan & I decided to visit Haridwar with the additional day in hand. The ride back was bumpy but the lit-up view of Dehradun city in the night from the top looked mesmerizing. We reached Dehradun by around 9 PM. After having dinner, we took a government bus from Dehradun to Haridwar which cost us INR 50 and took nearly an hour. Around midnight we reached Haridwar and checked in a hotel room that cost us INR 500 for 3 people.

The Kedarkantha Experience ends here. For the next 2 days, I explored Haridwar & Delhi.

Day 6 (Haridwar)

Surreal Ganga Aarti

We woke up by 4:30 AM so that we could attend the morning Ganga Aarti. We quickly freshened up and started from the hotel to – Har Ki Pauri Ghat. It was quite cold in the morning and the mighty Ganga was in full flow. I couldn’t take a dip as it was very cold so I just drenched my feet in the holy Ganges. The next month, Kumbh Mela, a festival in Hinduism which takes place every 12 years would commence and hundreds of thousands of people would take a dip during that time here. The vibes were so serene and positive. It felt quite nice to walk around the ghat. The morning aarti would commence by around 5:30 AM and we were on the steps of the ghat where it would happen.

The most beautiful sunrise

The morning aarti we witnessed was a visual delight and extremely positive. After the aarti, we then roamed around and saw a children’s drawing book sunrise from behind the mountains. It was the best sunrise I’ve ever witnessed in my life! First, we could see the colors in the sky and within minutes, the sun came up from behind the mountains like a round ball of fire. I did not even think of taking a timelapse that time but just sit there and watch it happen.

Exploring Haridwar

After a while, we went to the Mansa Devi temple, one of the Shakti Peeths. We bought rope-way tickets to go up and come down. If you are here and have time, buy the round way tickets for Chanda Devi as it is in the same ropeway.

By noon, we were quite tired. We hardly slept for 3 hours the previous night, so we went to our rooms and slept. After waking up, we had food and visited a few places in Haridwar. We took an auto and visited the huge Shiva Murti and the Daksh Temple, known as the birthplace of the father of Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva. It was then time to leave Haridwar since we had to catch our bus/train/flight from Dehradun.

Time to say goodbye!

After reaching Dehradun, Rohit, Sayantan, and I parted ways as Rohit was departing for Mumbai by train, Sayantan for Kolkata by flight, and I was leaving for Delhi by bus. The past few days were quite nice with complete strangers turned good friends. I boarded my bus for Delhi and slept nicely for 5 hours. In two sleeper seats, I was alone as the nearby seat remained unoccupied so it was extra comfortable for me :p.

**Myself (left), Sayantan (Centre), Rohit (Right)**

Day 7 (Delhi & return to Chennai)

Early morning at 4:30 AM, I reached Delhi. It was foggy and very cold. I kept my backpack at my relative’s home and used the metro to reach Qutub Minar by around 7:30 AM. It was literally empty on a Friday morning except for another person who coincidentally was also from Chennai. The Qutub Minar is very, very tall! I roamed around the complex and saw the Iron Pillar and other broken structures within the complex.

After some time, I took an auto to the Humayun’s Tomb. It was also quite empty since I reached there very early and could explore the tomb in peace (pun?). Isa Khan Tomb is also in the same complex and there’s a small museum that gives us more details on the place and the Mughal kingdom. Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar are a must-visit place in Delhi both serve as exemplary examples of Mughal Architecture.

Here I hired an auto who would take me to the remaining places and drop me at the metro station from where I can return. I then visited the Indian Rail Museum. Needless to say, the museum was empty enough for me to roam around without any noise. There were placards describing the trains and the engines. For a person like me, all of these places were too nice to visit. After leaving from Indian Rail Museum, I thought to visit Agarsen ki Baoli but never found it? I then went to the Sarojini Nagar Market to get some more clothes for my friends & family. In the same auto, I continued towards Lotus Temple but ugh, it was closed during that time. Since I had to catch my flight, I couldn’t wait for it to open. So I went to the Lal Qila Metro, collected my backpack went to the airport. I had my lunch in the airport lounge and returned back to Chennai by 11 PM. I walked a lot the last day and developed swelling in my feet due to wet socks :(. Nevertheless, it was fun exploring Delhi.

The End

It was a trip with many firsts.

Took a flight for the first time.
Went solo for the first time.
Trekked the Himalayas for the first time.
Saw & Touched snow for the first time.
Camped for the first time.
Used a self-use toilet for the first time.
Was away from anyone I know for a week-long trip the first time.
Stayed without mobile connectivity for 3 days for the first time.

From my experience, I would say that it was worth it! I finally trekked the Himalayas and the view was out of the world. It was so different being out there in the snow and camping under the sky that the normal city life feels so plain and dull. For anyone else who’s planning to trek in the Himalayas, Kedarkantha can be a very good trek. It is safe and doable for people from different age groups. It is termed a beginners’ trek because the daily trek distance is less and it is safe to trek. The summit push is strenuous but if you are determined enough, you will surely be at the peak!

I trekked in late February and found an ample amount of snow on the trail. The temperature was bearable. Many people opt to do the trek in December which gives them a chance to witness snowfall. The temperature falls down to -10c but it’s still bearable. So any time between late November and early April is a good time to do the Kedarkantha trek. And if you are looking for other options, Har Ki Dun, Valley of Flowers, and Kheerganga are some of the other beginner’s treks available in the Himalayas.

First solo travel experience

Being solo on a week-long trip is scary but that gives us an opportunity to interact with the locals and make new friends. You would meet and mingle with others which you would not usually do when going on a group trip. It also gives you the added freedom to explore as you want.

You can visit the places you want to without the discussion turned argument about the itinerary. I, for instance, like historical and heritage places so I spent my entire time in Delhi doing so. Travelling solo also gives you a sense of responsibility that you would otherwise miss taking when in a group.

Checklist for the trek

If you are planning to trek Kedarkantha, the below checklist would be quite useful. There are 3-4 shops in Sankri where you can buy the trekking gear or rent them. I’ve also written the rent/purchase price in the brackets next to the gears and the equipment as per February 2021.

Here’s the exhaustive list of gears and equipment –

Trekking Backpack (45-60L) & Day-pack Bag (10-30L).
Woolen Beanie (INR 250 for purchase).
Fleece or Down Jacket (INR 500 for rent).
Thermal Coat (INR 400-600 for purchase).
Gloves (INR 200 for purchase).
All-weather or waterproof trekking pants (INR 400 for rent and 700 to purchase)
Woolen socks (atleast 2 pairs).
Walking Stick (DO NOT SKIP – INR 150-200 for rent).
Trekking Shoes (INR 500 for rent. I used Decathlon’s INR 1500 Quecha shoes).
Poncho (Rain coat) (INR 100-200 for purchase).
Slippers to roam around in the campsite.
Head torch (INR 250 for purchase).
Sunscreen, Cooling sunglasses.
Snacks tiffin box and a steep cup (INR 150 for purchase).
Toilet paper roll (INR 50).
Normal clothes pair (4), and a sun cap.
Day Pack Bag (for the summit day – Decathlon 10L bag is good).
Packets of Dry Fruits & Energy Bar (helps in instant energy).
Medicines – Motion Sickness, Headache, Fever are the important ones.

You wouldn’t need to rent Gaiters, Crampons, Tents, Sleeping bags, or liners as those would be included in the trek package.

DIY trek

While the trek itinerary includes 6 days and 5 nights, the trek can be done comfortably in 5 days and 4 nights. If you are quite fit, you can save another day by trekking directly to the Kedarkantha Base Camp from Sankri (which is reasonable and we did see a few people doing it). And if you are extremely fit, you can trek down from the peak directly to Sankri thereby saving another day. But if you have time, spend it leisurely and enjoy each and every day in the mountains. Also, know that the Forest Department does not allow you to enter the National Park without a guide.

Ending Notes

I did not find the trek to be risky or very difficult. There would not be any oxygen issues and the guides are very friendly. In case you face any kind of sickness due to the climate or any other reasons, inform your guides immediately. They are quite experienced and will help you take care of it. I found the food too good to be of any issue during our entire trek. One day they even prepared macaroni for us!

Make sure to carry at least 5 t-shirts/hoodies and 3 bottom wear. Rohit helped me a lot with the trekking equipment and I cannot thank him enough for that. I did not have a thermal coat, gloves, toilet paper, poncho, or a head torch with me before starting the trek. I cannot imagine how difficult it would’ve been for me to stay up there without these necessary gears and equipment. Most importantly, do not miss renting the walking stick and pick a strong one as they would prove very useful as a support when you trek on those steep and snowy terrains.

And before you set your foot onto the Himalayas, I would recommend you guys to watch vlogs of the Kedarkantha trek. My friends, Rohit & Vinay explain the trek very nicely and they provide useful information in their vlogs – here & here. Check them out!

The blog post has been quite long but I hope it would excite you for the Kedarkantha Trek. I have tried my best to provide the important information and some tips I felt would be useful for someone who would trek the Kedarkantha. All the best for your trek and may you witness the magical sunrise from the top and return back safely!

Stay tuned for more travel experience blogs and keep traveling!

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Kedarkantha Trek at a Glance