What comes to your mind when winter is approaching? Have you ever experienced an eagerness to venture out only during the winters? Holding back all your leave entitlements and keenly waiting for an exclusive year-end winter-vacation? It’s a stimulating experience of building up an avid fervour for an upcoming travel.

Over the years I have travelled extensively across the length and width of our beautiful country. The joy of stepping foot on snow is undoubtedly an exciting experience. What’s more stimulating is the satisfaction of having experienced snow on a majority of my earlier adventures. However, there’s a difference snow and snowfall. And, I wanted to experience the latter. Here’s a link to my favorite snow experience on the Himalayas. Most people tend to interrelate these two dissimilar yet soundalike phenomena.

Snow is, typically, anything that’s formed with ice crystals taking shape at altitudes of above 7,000 feet. Depending on the serenity of the location, these ice crystals can either be seen as solid snow, drifted snow or muddy laden murky snow. In contrary, a snowfall refers to precipitation of crystalline water. Typical conducive parameters include a moist atmosphere with temperatures hovering around and below 5 degrees Celsius. In the remote Himalayan settlements above 7000 feet, snowfall occurs from December to February. And, in some rare cases extending up to April. In this blog, I am going to narrate my experiences of a memorable Himalayan Adventure in the peak of winters! So, sit back on your couch and savour a virtual Himalayan journey with me!

As a traveller and a passionate photographer, typically, I tend to plan well in advance. A lot of preparations go in with each trekking activity. The very first task is to identify the range. The Himalayan Mountain range is vast and it runs from west-northeast (Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan) to east-southwest (Tibet Autonomous Region in China) across massive distance of about 2,400 km. Typically, I look for picturesque landscapes with wider scope for capturing the many spectacular mountain peaks. The time of visit is a crucial factor too. After a lot of analysis, I decided to experience the Garhwal Himalayas. Situated in the Indian state of Uttakhand, the Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges crossing two regions: Garhwal and Kumaon. It’s a fascinating and mesmerizing experience!

As a standard practice and courtesy, I broadcast an invitation to most people in my immediate circle to know their willingness to join me. After weeks of waiting for responses, a friend of mine joined hands.

Day 1 – The Inception:

On the eve of Christmas, our journey began from the warm and moist winters of Chennai to chilling and harsh winters of national capital – New Delhi. An overnight train from New Delhi to Dehradun, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, brought us closer to the foothills of the Himalayas. We arrived at the Dehradun ISBT Bus Stand as early as 5 AM. The mercury was down to 6 degrees Celsius and there was a feeling of pleasure amid the uncomfortable temperatures. As we were waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, we indulged in a hot cuppa chai followed by delicious Maggi. Together these two provided the much-needed warmth. 30 past 6, the entire group arrived and, together we set forth on a remarkable journey to some of the magnificent locations on the planet!

Our destination for the day was a remote village of Sankri at a distance of 220 KM on the National Highway 123. It’s a long 10 hours drive along the many winding roads uphill. However, the scenic surroundings kept me occupied by the window seats of the vehicle we were in. En route to the guest house at Sankri, we had many pitstops for breakfast, lunch and refreshments. After a long scenic and visual experience by the seats of the vehicle, we were greeted by calmness and chill weather of Sankri. This tiny village, at an altitude of 6,455 feet, is the last destination for picking up any essential items for the journey ahead and is a scenic site to savour the Greater Himalayas. The entire team was briefed by our trek leader on basic guidelines and what to expect through the duration of trek. With the night setting in, the cold breeze kept us all confined to a well-insulated dormitory like wooden settlement! I enjoyed the warmth within!

Day 2 – Exhilaration & Bliss:

A much-needed overnight rest, especially after a long drive at high altitudes, was a blessing. A pleasant morning greeted all of us! And, after a sumptuous breakfast we set forth on our journey! A magnificent and memorable one, indeed! Our destination for the day was to reach the next higher camp, Hargaon, at an altitude of 9,100 feet. Though, it’s a 4 KM uphill hike, it’s a steep incline. After initial few metres, the trail leads to dense forests with thick carpet of maple and pine trees. The joy of crunching the dried maple and oak leaves is a pleasant experience. And, after crossing a few streams, the beautiful picturesque spot of Juda ka talab is makes its presence felt. It’s a spellbinding location. Imagine this! On your left is a giant frozen lake and to your right is the densely populated pine and oak forest cover. All these surrounded by the majestic Himalayan peaks with snow all over! That’s dramatic! Isn’t it? At the Himalayas, there are several fascinating occurrences that will inspire one to dig deep into our cultural heritage largely unknown to many. And, it’s an incredible scene too!

Here’s a small fact behind this divine pond!

Talab means pond. Juda ka talab, in English, translates to a naturally formed pond.

Legend has it that Lord Shiva, once, opened a little of his hair and water flowed out to form this small pond. During the winters, the waters freeze and it almost looks as if the pond doesn’t exist. During the summers, though, the area around serves the purpose of camping! The visuals from the camp was breath-taking. By dusk, the temperatures plummeted to sub-zero levels. Inside the camping tent, there was little respite from the biting cold weather conditions.

Day 3 – Elation:

A not-so-comfortable sleep woke me up early in the morning. The temperatures were down to negative 5 degrees Celsius.  The weather was bitterly cold and I was keenly looking for some warmth. My water bottle was, literally, unusable.  The water in it had frozen and I had to look for ways to providing heat to it. Here’s a fascinating clipping of all that!

As soon as the first light of the day and mild heat waves began hitting the campsite, I was out basking in the sun! That was very soothing! Our destination for the day was the Kedarkantha base camp at an altitude of 11,250 feet. The trails, again, lead to the dense forests of pine and oak trees. The sky was partly clear. Just a few meters before arriving at the base camp, awaits fascinating views of arc shaped range of snow capped mountains in the distance. This comprises of Bandarpoonch, Swargarohini, Kala Nag and Ranglana range of peaks portraying their incredible beauty.

As the day progressed, there was dense cloud formation all over. Just when the dusk had set in, we were in for something exciting. Yes, it was a snow fall. In a matter of few minutes, there was a huge dump of snow all around our camp. Getting in and out of the camp required considerable efforts. After two hours of intense snowfall, there was a gradual let up. By this time, we had our dinner. As the skies became darker, the clouds disappeared and a clear sky persisted for a long time. This allowed me to capture the brilliance of night sky. Though, I had to wake up very early the next morning, I was keen on getting fascinating night images. I was immensely happy to have obtained some-stunning and some-satisfactory photographs of the night sky.

Day 4 – Excitement:

This is the D-day we have all been waiting to experience. The wake-up call was at 2:30 AM. It’s a long and arduous incline to over 12,500 feet to conquer the Kedarkantha peak. The reason for early start is to have enough time for both ascend and descend. Yes, we have to reach the summit and get back safely to the campsite. Also, the views of snow clad peaks reflecting the early light from the sun is a magical experience. A little past 3:30 AM, we buckled up respective backpacks and set forth on a remarkable journey to some of the magnificent locations on the planet.

Do you recollect? In the beginning of the blog, I mentioned about planning this trek during the full moon days. Now, here comes the fascinating aspects of that planning. With the moon illuminated and the snow on the ground reflecting the moon light, it was a fascinating sight of mother nature guiding each of us to incredible heights of Kedarkantha summit. As we gained altitude, one step at a time, we could visualize the beautiful peaks faintly visible at a distance. Later, watching the first rays of the Sun was a divine experience.

We were, now, at an altitude of about 12,000 feet. With temperatures plummeting to approximately negative 15 degrees Celsius and signs of exhaustion, the challenges of physical and psychological balance makes a huge impact! And, photography is always choice! And, I am extremely elated to convey to you that I have got many fantastic photographs! Here’s a dramatic clip that provides a glimpse of what Adventure Photography is and how challenging it is!

Towards the end of the trail, the steep incline in the trail makes it a little strenuous, especially for the first -time trekkers. However, after a 3 hour long arduous climb, the nature greeted us with incredible views of the surrounding peaks. The stunning 360 degrees view of snow clad peaks is an absolute intoxicating experience.

After spending a considerable amount of time at the top, we began descending. As a rule of thumb, it is advisable not so spend more time at high altitudes. Lack of oxygen is bound to cause altitude sickness and, in some cases, the situation could go worse. The descend was equally tough. There’s a misconception that descend is easier. Practically speaking, descend is more dangerous and could be the reason for major fatalities. And, after 2 hours of steep descend we were at our campsite. The moods at the campsite was euphoric! Everyone was seen animated and happiness was all over on face! Obviously, for what each of us have achieved!

A brief rest and the campsite was vacated as we set forth to our lower campsite. It’s a long and arduous descend back to the Hargoan campsite at an altitude of 8,900 feet.

Day 5 – Adieu:

I was eagerly looking forward to this day. Having spent over a week’s time in isolation and completely cut-off from civilized world, this day was special! It was again an arduous day of descend to Sankri at 6,400 feet. A 3-hour long downhill journey culminated when we arrived at the guest house in Sankri. By this time, the mobile phones started picking up reception, indicating the end of a splendid time around the magnificent Himalayan terrains. It was time to bid adieu to many wonderful people and locations. By 2 PM, we commenced our journey back to Dehradun and then, disperse to ours respective home cities. This trek will remain etched in my memory for many years!

RESOURCES:

How Did I Travel?

Onward Journey:

• Flight: Chennai to New Delhi
• Train: New Delhi to Dehradun
• Shared Taxi: Dehradun to Sankri

Return Journey:

• Shared Taxi: Sankri to Dehradun
• Train: Dehradun to New Delhi
• Flight: New Delhi to Chennai

Having completed yet another Himalayan Trek is very Special!

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Here’s a delightful trailer video of the entire journey!