Day: 1 & 2
The morning showers accompanied by thundering on the way to Sankri, the starting point of Kedarkantha Trek in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand was akin to the kick I had experienced about 6 months ago. Some emotional upheaval could only be equated with that thunder. But for me, it was a new start. Relieving few things all over again can be difficult, until you choose to begin with a blank state of mind & this was one such trip!
Reaching the spellbinding village of Sankri in a drive of 7 hours from Dehradun, we checked into Camp Racchu’s Den. The beauty of this thriving village couldn’t be contained in the eyes. Eyes wanted more of it. There was just no definition of enough, so the soul started living with the geographical borders of this place. Jumping out of our beds at 6:30 AM the next morning we all woke up even before the Trek Leader’s wake up call. Mesmerized by the lush green landscape, something akin to that of Sikkim, I wondered what went into the making of such surreal beauty of Sankri!
We munched a light – on – stomach, Poha for breakfast as the village streets were slowly flooding with locals, giving an exquisite flavour of their culture. Wind was slowly whispering all over our face as we hopped on the roof of our jeep to head to the village of Shidri, the starting point of our trek. The bumpy ride of 10 minutes sitting on the roof of a jeep, with bird’s eye view of the mountains & villages was probably worth it. From the road head to the first stop Kupdathatch meadows; the hike was strenuous and beautiful at the same time. Boulders made way to village houses, birds chirping along young girls carrying logs of wood, trees showering rain droplets on us – It was a sheer magical experience!
Soon we had reached an elevation of 2400 m. And the hike only got difficult with melted patches of snow on the meadows leading to random falls. But for me, I kept falling for the snow, over & over again. Snow is often inconvenient to walk upon if you don’t follow the trick of putting a firm toe forward, while ascending & descending with the aid of your heel on a downhill patch. The rule however remains, “Nature is supreme”.
The next stop on our uphill hike was Argaon , a meadow with beautiful views of the Himalayan giants like the Swargarohini Peak, Changasheel range & Bandarpoonch. Our trek leader soon briefed us about the trees abound in this region like green oaks, burans & deodar trees. The lunch break soon followed, and we all perched atop a tree trunk inclined on the ground. The Kedarkantha Peak came alive there and offered enormous views on the snow trail. It was simply peaceful. We were steadily approaching the Shepherd’s camp (Base Camp) with Kedarkantha Peak adorning the views, nothing could stop us now. The Himalayan Bhotia dogs greeted us at the campsite (hungry, as they always are) we fed them with some biscuits and love! We finally made it to the Campsite on Feb 25th 2018.
Soon we were introduced to our abode, the A – shaped tents, making them the most sought after residence options for an outdoor lover like me!
PC- Akhil Kulkarni
Next we unravelled our dining tent buried under the snow, which was a fun exercise with the team. The cook prepared for us finger licking bread rolls & ginger tea which was an excellent meal up in the Himalayas. Things just couldn’t get better with the bright Himalayan sun shining on our face, illuminating our lives from within.
Here the views could only be a part of your soul’s inheritance. While this day ended on a beautiful note, this baby guarding my shoes was a beautiful company even in his sleep!
Read About Skiing on Kedarkantha Trek – https://samikshakhanduri.com/2018/03/19/skiing-on-kedarkantha-trek/
