The Background
When Chaitanya(my trek friend from Sahyadri's)posted a link on FB about Kedarkantha trek,seeking friends to join him,little did I know that I will not only join the trek but complete the summit climb of 12500 feet( not a great achievement by Himaliyan Standards but important for me nonetheless.).All things fell in place nicely,It was a short n easy trek,the air n rail bookings were available and most importantly,I got the the leave sanctioned from Office for the duration required.
New Delhi-Dehradun-Sankri-Dehradun-New Delhi---- check photos here-Kedarkantha Trek- Dehradun Sankri Dehradun
So here I was at New Delhi Railway station(our unofficial meeting point) waiting with Chaitanya for the night train to Dehradun .For me it was like I was in a deep freezer,what with sudden drop of almost 28deg.C from 33deg in Mumbai few hours ago to 5deg. in Delhi.Little did I know that after 6 days when I will be In Delhi again,I will feel warmer in same temperature.(Sir Einstein at work with his Theory of Relativity)
Due to heavy fog the train got delayed by an Hour and we were a bit apprehensive about our Bus ,which was suppose to be waiting for us at 0630hrs.
The drama started once we all assembled at SBI ATM as advised by our co-ordinator.The bus was not waiting, nobody had a clue about when and where the bus will be..After some frantic calls to Banglore,picture cleared somewhat and we finally located the bus quite a distance away from our planned Rendzvous point.After some discussion/Arguments/Negotiations , we finally stowed our Rucksacks in dickey which did not have enough space to accommodate all luggage. We also realised that we are much more in numbers than the bus can carry,hence two Sumo's had to be arranged .We also had two girls from Banglore( later on fondly known as "Kolaveri Girls"by our guide,) joining us at Hotel Drona.We were taken aback by their initial ATTITUDE but later on were proved wrong when both of them gelled very well with the group. The less said about the bus condition(to and from Sankri ) is better.It was already a delay of 2 hrs and we had a 7-8 hours of arduous journey through the hills ahead of us.
The journey through the northern hills has always fascinated me,be it Delhi-Shimla-Manali, or Delhi-Dehradun-Mussoorie or Pathankot-Dalhousie, and I was not disappointed here also.The Journey from Dehradun-Mussoorie-Yamuna Bridge-Mori-Purola-Naiwad-Sankri n back was pretty, picturesque,serene.The common feature in all these hill journeys was present here also,namely , extremely narrow and rough roads,highly skilled drivers,a river accompanying you all along( in our case it was Yamuna and Rupin).The view was so natural and clear I could not resist clicking even from a moving bus.
The bad road condition after Purola onwards ensured that we recognised and acknowledged the presence and importance of each body part. We all relished the Paranthas/Curd,bun maska for breakfast /lunch on both the journeys. On our way back from Sankri, the front tyre of the bus got flat.The driver refused to take any help from us and changed the tyre himself.The spare tyre was so worn out,that all of us were thinking about the insurance policies and how much the Nominee's will benefit.The driver obviously did not share our concerns but thankfully we came back to Dehradun in one piece.
Sankri-Juda Talab--------------6140ft to 9200ft Check photos here- Sankri to Juda Talab
The rest house at Sankri was pretty OK.We were warmly Welcomed by Arjun and Sandhya from Indiahikes.We were just smarting from a long journey, especially the last 2 hours in pitch dark conditions on a bad bad road and a very very cold climate at 6140ft, when we were served with a hot cuppa .Considering the moment it was really "Amrutatulya" as we call it in Maharashtra.
We settled into our respective rooms with around 8 persons per room and immediately started preparing for the actual TREK starting tomorrow.It involved a lot of shifting of things for me as the packing for Airline check in baggage and packing for TREK was totally different.After moving n shuffling lot of things between the rucksack to be carried with me and the bag to be kept at base,finally I was satisfied with what I had packed .(not realising the BLUNDER I had committed, would be cursing myself after two days).
After a nutritious veg meal with sweet dish, we retired early in anticipation of tomorrows trek.It was getting colder n colder and we realised why the 'rajai' is as thick as a mattress.
We were greeted by a call for Bed Tea next day early morning.After completing our morning chores in a civilised 'city' way for the last time , we finished the breakfast of Bread-butter-jam ,eggs and tea. Arjun briefed us about the trek, the importance of "Layers" to defeat the cold,general precautions to observe,importance of sticking together etc.etc.We were also introduced to our Trek Leaders,Sohail and RajMohan.
Finally at 0920 , after checking all our gears, we started the actual trek,. Our target for today was Juda Talab at an height of 9200ft.So it was a 3000ft climb(the steepest climb for entire trek in a day), mostly through the Alpine woods.The weather was crisp, sunny.Almost perfect for a trek.We started trekking, enjoying the barren mountains,the Autumn effect on trees around, clicking photographs,chatting etc.The terrain became steeper as we moved forward and our pace slowed n varied.The trek leaders had difficult time keeping the flock in visible trail.After almost 1.5 hrs we came out in an open plateau where we had our first official break ( barring the many breaks we took in between ,gasping for breath).The steep climb had many of us huffing-puffing.It was here we had the first glimpse of snow on the ground.A trailor of what lied ahead.Our next climb was almost throughout through the snow.All of us were pretty excited about walking on snow but soon realised how difficult it can be to balance yourself.The cautious climb slowed us further and finally at around 1300hrs we reached Juda Talab--so named because of twin lakes joined together.
It was comforting to see that the mules who were carrying our tents, sleeping bags, food had already reached and the support staff were already pitching the tents.Some of us enthusiastically helped them and they readily obliged sharing their knowledge.
After a veg lunch, we were hoping to relax in our tents but our trek leader had different ideas.He made us gather around a well lit camp fire.So from 1600 hrs we were at camp fire soaking in much needed warmth,singing songs ,getting to know each other .Actually we had our official introduction at this time.
As the sun went down, temperature dropped suddenly and we could imagine what lied ahead in the night.Keeping us warm was going to be a struggle.To add to our woes, our trek leader suggested we sleep w/o gloves and monkey caps else we may suffocate.It was hell of a night.Many among us were not used to sleeping in a cramped tent and it got really really cold in the night.Few were claustrophobic.Most of us could not sleep at all.It was a herculean task getting into inners(cotton sleeping bag) and then into sleeping bag with only your face open.Imagine getting out of it in severe cold for a loo break( which everyone had to take as we had to drink Bournvita before sleeping to keep us properly hydrated).
As always we got a bed tea at 0630 in the morning.The biggest task was to complete all our morning chores in such a severe cold and that too in open.....
Juda Talab - KK Base -----9200 ft to 11300 ft----Click here for photos Juda Talab to KK Base
We finally left Juda Talab at around 0935.Todays climb was relatively less as we had to climb only 2k feet.We had the added advantage of getting properly acclimatized to cold and climbing.The only new factor was snow, which we encountered immediately after we were out in the open from the woods.It was fun walking on the snow as it was soft, crystalline and dry.Though our climb was very slow due to the snow.
We reached KK base around 1300 hrs with one official stop at KK base camp 'A'.This is where we first saw KK peak . Some of us had a field day playing in snow at this official break.
KK base- Summit- Hargaon -----11200ft to 12500ft down to 8900feet-----KK base
The KK base was a sight to behold.It was a snow covered plateau ,completely deserted with only a hut that would serve as our kitchen.Even the water required for us had to be melted from the snow on wood fire. It gave the purest of pure water a taste of coal.Somebody got the whiff of an idea to check for mobile signal and suddenly we had everyone pointing their mobile heavenwards in all directions in search of that elusive signal.
We were suppose to start early as on that day we had to Summit Kedarkantha and descend to Hargaon at 8900ft.I had realised about my biggest blunder yesterday night when my camera battery was exhausted. I had forgotten the spare battery in the other bag kept at Sankri.So no photographs from here on till base camp. Had to rely on Chaitanya for photographs of Summit.
The climb to summit was a difficult one due to heavy snow throughout but enjoyable due to 360 deg views of the surroundings nonetheless.It was a smooth affair thanks mainly due to our trek leaders Sohail and Rajmohan who constantly cheered us to carry on till the summit.
The pleasure of conquering any summit is beyond words...You need to experience it yourself.....
We were quite sceptical about the downward journey from Summit to base through the same snow but ultimately it proved to be the best and most enjoyable part of the trek.We came down in record time thanks to big big slides on the slants...It was quite exhilarating.....After a quick bite of 'khichadi" for lunch, we started our descend to Hargaon.It was quite a steep descent through forest and we were completely exhausted but thrilled at the same time for completing the trek successfully.
The evening was spent in celebrating in front of a camp fire again with songs, discussions and new year's resolutions .With great satisfaction we slept that night in a tent for last time.
Next day morning it was suppose to be a piece of cake descending to Sankri but we made it little bit more interesting by following a different trail in a jungle and getting lost briefly.Finally reached Sankri satisfied with our efforts.
The trek officially ended with Arjun distributing Certificates of acknowledgement for our efforts.
The Humane Element
I feel, Trekking being inherently a group activity,No trek can be successful unless you have a good company.
We were very fortunate to have a good set of people accompanying us on this trek.We started with 34 which I thought was a pretty big group but were reduced to 29 after our Thai friends decided to drop out at Juda Talkab due to severe cold.
We had some amazing characters
1.Our group of three from Mumbai----Aashish was the Ace ...Keeping the group alive throughout with his charm.Chaitanya was probably over prepared for the trek with all his gadgets and by far the most organised....Nick named "Gyan Guru" for his expert comments.We had amazing time in tents with maximum laughter coming out from our tent.
2.Sapna--Great lady,very friendly n talkative with great courage and spirit.
3.Group of 5 from Hyderabad---We had 3 cousins and a couple in this group.Very livey.Two of them Teja and Karthik were extremely good performers and singers.(Karthik nick named S.P).Teja had used his 3 years in Noida to memorised many good hindi songs which he rendered one after the other.One cannot forget "Sheela Ki Jawani" dance by Karthik.He mathched steps with Kat and Maidhili(his cousin sister) fittingly showered money on him BAR style.
4.A group of 6 people from Delhi-----Anoop, avdhesh, nikhil, amit, shubhra and vandana...
Anoop--co-ordinated wel and was very helpful
Avdhesh---He kept the camp fire burning throughout and kept us warm
Nikhil--Always blushing
Amit---A man with Attitude, style and great sense of humor.
Shubhra--Extremely Talkative, full of energy, very friendly n effervescent. I owe my sliding on the snow while descending from KK summit to this girl as she was fearlessly sliding on each slope ,inspiring me to take the plunge.
Vandana--again very Talkative n effervescent.Both these girls were nick named Pepsi and Coke by Rajmohan.
5.Two girls from Banglore Radhika and Deepa----The same girls who floored us with their ATTITUDE when they had boarded the Bus at Hotel Drona but later on gelled very wel with the group proving our initial judgement completely wrong. Poor girls were continuously teased as "Kolavery Girls" by Sohail for their sheer dislike for the song.
We constantly pulled the legs of these "Abala Nari's" but they were more than capable to handle us.
6. A group of 3 from Hyderabad---Took time to adjust as the language was a slight hindrance but were very friendly , responsive and mingled with everyone w/o hassles.
7. Three Bengal Tigers---Ronu,Udhdhiyo and Sudipto----Again helpful and friendly.Mostly leading the trek.
8. A group of 4 from Delhi----Surprisingly they kept to themselves.We later came to know that it was sort of re-union for them after 3 years.
9.Lawyer from Delhi--Sumantra----Completed the trek on sheer willpower.Was almost on the verge of returning back but ultimately scaled the Summit.A team guy
10. Last but not the least---Yogish Bhatt from Banglore---Extremely quite---Probably because language hurdle....Full of energy.
Thanks all of you for making it a memorable Trek
And ofcourse the great organisational efforts by IndiaHikes Team----Arjun ,Sandhya and Rekha to name few.
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