A solo escapade to Kedartal

Life can be funny. For a long time, I've been putting off the idea of traveling because apparently I had other priorities. There was a certain uncertainty of me traveling to Germany, still is, considering all the red tape and bureaucracy at work. 

It started to feel like I'm no longer in control of where I am and what I want to do.

The mountains have often provided me with clarity of thought and calmness. In my moments of confusion and anxiety, the mountains feel like an answer.
"Feel" because there isn't any actual answer from them but instead from the way they make me feel.

I suppose that's how they make a lot of people feel. An anchor that stays as is. Life can change and throw you around but we're still in this contained ecosystem where some things never change, not from our limited perspective.

Why Kedartal?

Because I remember someone mentioning once that it's a nice place to go. It was very random, almost whimsical. I did some short research on trekking sites and realized that the trail is quite steep but the distances are short. 

The view, very rewarding with close proximity to multiple 6500m+ peaks in the vicinity namely : Thalaisagar, Manda, Jogin 2. 

I wasn't very sure about my fitness levels as besides playing football and table tennis on weekends, I have been living an unhealthy, sedentary life.
But for some reason, I felt confident in my head that I'll be able to complete this trek successfully.

You know when you know

 

Day 1 - Dehradun to Gangotri

I barely sleep 6 hours on my super cozy spine friendly bed at home... but throw me in a really uncomfortable bus that wasn't even designed to let people sleep and I'll sleep like I'm in a coma.

That's what happened when I got into a Redbus (highly not recommended), I dozed off and didn't get down in Dehradun where I was supposed to, but about 10 km towards Mussorie.
The bus driver dropped me in the middle of nowhere,  I could even see a few passengers giggling at me. My guide was calling me since the bus to Uttarkashi from Dehradun Railway station was about to leave.

I got down from the bus, picked up all my bags, flashed my thumb to ask for lift and one moment later I was on a scootie's pillion headed towards Dehradun railway station. It was very convenient too, almost like it was supposed to be this way.
I managed to reach the railway station on time to catch the onward bus to Uttarkashi where I met my guide Heera who had also saved us a couple of seats in the bus.

We boarded the bus at 5:30 am and reached Uttarkashi in 6 hours. From there, we took a shared cab after having Lunch at Uttarkashi and by 4 pm we were in Gangotri. 

The road from Uttarkashi to Gangotri was sublime and it took only 3 hours for us to reach Gangotri.

Gangotri is at an altitude of 3049m, which makes it a good place to acclimatize before you climb higher. 

 

Day 2 - Gangotri acclimatization day

I think I made up for all the sins I've done in my life today. 

River Ganga flowing through Gangotri

There are so many temples in Gangotri, one every corner. The place is drenched in folklore and Hindu mythology. Everything is sacred here. Restaurants serve vegetarian food only with no onion or garlic (visited during Navratras). 

Today's goal was to simply get more red blood cells in my blood for the altitude I'll go to (4800m roughly). It didn't make much sense to me to acclimatize here but I thought of it as an opportunity to rest my body from the hectic travel from Delhi to Dehradun to Uttarkashi to Gangotri, the day before. 

In the past, I have driven to base camps and trekked the next morning, only to feel fatigued on the trail.
As a part of active acclimatization, I visited Pandu Gufa in the morning and en route saw Gaurikund and Surajkund. 

There are a lot of "kunds" (small water repositories) in Gangotri owing to the high flow of Ganga. The sound of the river gushing through narrow cuts on the land is deafening. I also noticed the water was really muddy in Gangotri, which led me to postulate that maybe there's a landslide somewhere.

Pandu Gufa at Gangotri

 

This is the cave exit

After walking for what was around 4-5 km around Gangotri, we decided to pick up rations and other essentials like torch batteries etc. The plan was the usual, to carry basic rations like Rice, dal, tea, milk powder, sugar, spices, oil etc.

I kept an eye on my O2 levels, not because I needed to but because I had a watch with that feature and the watch is expensive. It was 91 in the morning but I felt fine.

In the evening, I attended Ganga aarti at the main temple in Gangotri. Although I'm an atheist, the spectacle was worth being a part of. Devotees circled around the temple to witness the aarti and they made sure to capture every bit of it for Instagram. 

As I stood behind them, a sea of smartphones illuminated in front of me, in front of "God". I wondered if being in the moment was a thing of the past. Everyone wants to capture a memory so much that they forgot to live it. 

Well, of course I was also recording the function but mainly to capture the irony, not the blessings. In the end, the priest sprayed holy water over the masses and I got a drop of it on my head, which my guide told me, is a good omen. 

Gangotri main temple

By evening and at the time of writing this note, my oxygen is 99.

I suppose I'm all set for tomorrow!

Day 3 - Gangotri to Bhoj kharak

I had a weird sleep, intermittent but restful.

I woke up at 6:30 am, had a nice heavy breakfast at Gangotri, packed everything and left for Bhoj kharak by 8:15 am. 

The trail for Bhoj kharak starts from behind GMVN in Gangotri, one can take the trail behind it and then follow the trail climbing up. On the way there's Forest office which should mark that you're going the right way. 

Starting the trek from behind GMVN

The initial part of the trail is through a thick forest cover with lots of shade. Although, right off the bat, it's very steep and a relentless ascent.

However, I felt energetic and gained 400m altitude in 1.5 hours.
At about 2 km in the trek, you find a waterfall which would be your first water source of the day and also serves as a good resting point. You also get cellphone coverage just prior to reaching this point.

Gangotri visible from 2 km into the trail

We took a lot of mini breaks in which I took ORS. The trail was well laid out so far and only one instance did I lose track of where I was going, only to be corrected by my guide. 

The trail towards Bhoj Kharak

There are not too many challenging sections till you reach Bhoj Kharak, however, there are two spider walls.
While traversing through the first spider wall, I took a wrong approach and slipped. While trying to grab my guide's hand to safety, I accidentally stabbed myself with my hiking stick on my right thigh, fortunately, the tip tore only through the fabric of my trek pants and not through my skin.

My takeaway would be to be a bit more alert while crossing this section and to not rush it.

Once we were past this section, there was a steep trail with lot of loose rocks which made it hard to have any kind of grip. Climbing up was still easier but descending was like trying to walk on a trail filled with round marbles.
I struggled initially but then controlled my pace to safely cross this part of the trail. The hiking stick was proving to be useless in sections like these and I preferred to use my hands for balance.

Finally, prior to reaching Bhoj Kharak camp, there's the second spider wall.
A trail is also present there to by pass this section which I gladly took as I didn't feel confident crossing this patch. The bypass trail goes all the way down to the waterfall bed and then climbs up. It is still very narrow and steep but a lot safer.

After successfully crossing the section, I reached the campsite at 1215 pm in around 4 hours.

Bhoj kharak is a less than ideal campsite with very small space to pitch tents scattered here and there.
There are ruins of fiber huts that the forest department must have tried to setup but it seems like they fell victim to a landslide. Nevertheless, you can wiggle in between the ruins and squeeze your way inside a makeshift shelter.

This is where we setup our kitchen since it was well insulated from air.

Kitchen setup in Bhoj Kharak

I was expecting no company at the campsite but soon trekkers started coming in, 2 groups in all. Later, an army group also marched in.

Unfortunately, the army paramedic fell sick and started throwing up. The paramedic tried to move towards kedar kharak but had lost all energy. I offered him my ORS and some hot water since we had the stove ready.
The rest of the day was spent chatting with the army folks and marveling how they never leave a man behind and are so systematic and protocol driven.

The day ended with me trying to capture the night sky, I took a few shots but then the cold overcame my enthusiasm and I retreated back to my tent.

Night sky from Bhoj Kharak

Day 3 Bhoj kharak to Kedar Kharak

I had a very difficult night since I was shivering for most parts of it. It was stupidity at my end since I underestimated the cold and didn't put any layers except a wind jacket.

Consequently, I woke up with less energy and after lazily eating breakfast and packing the camp, we left for Kedar kharak at 10 am.

The initial path is a somewhat steep and relentless climb, which seems to be the theme of this trek. However, after gaining around 300m, the climb mellows down into a level space.
Alas, this is also the famous rock fall area.

At Bhoj Kharak, I had met trekkers who retreated after just witnessing that patch. They deemed it too dangerous to cross.

There was a lot of dust in that section since it is all loose soil, occasionally a rock might come falling down, the trail in that section is shrouded in dust if there are strong winds, which make it difficult for you to see and breathe.
I bid my time to wait for the winds to recede, often taking refuge under a big rock and made a dash across that section as soon as the wind stopped. The soil is very loose, a bit ladakh-esque and there is a 60 degree gradient with exposure to the river bed below.

The trail eventually joins the river bed and then climbs up again, next up, you'll be walking on a moraine like terrain followed by patches of grass which you'll be relieved to see.
Grass means no more dust and better grip for your shoes.

From there, disappointingly, kedar kharak is a mere 30 minutes away, a bit of an ascent slog but you'll be greeted with the views of Thalaisagar, Bhrigupanth and other unnamed 6500m+ peaks, there's also Manda peak visible.

Trail towards KedarKharak

There are multiple rivulets running across Kedarkharak which is a proper campsite. It is a huge meadow intertwining with small streams where you can camp. I took out my binoculars and observed the giant mountains up, close and personal. There were a few other groups who were also camped there.

Observing the far away peaks

It took me a total of 3 hours at a VERY leisurely pace to reach kedar kharak. If you're taking smaller breaks, it's possible to reach there in 2 hours.

Camped @ Kedar Kharak

Kedar kharak is a spot to relax and soak in the grandeur of the mighty Himalayas, however, my focus is on the next target : Kedartal

Since I reached Kedar Kharak at around 1 PM, there wasn't much to do. So, we called it a day early at 7 pm after having a sumptuous dinner.

Day 4 Kedar Kharak to Kedartal and back 

Frosty morning at Kedarkharak

The night was still pretty cold but I didn't suffer as much due to proper layering. I had already ditched the plan to camp at Kedartal owing to the extreme cold. When I woke up, there was frost on the tent and the water in the bottle outside had frozen.

I didn't get a very deep sleep which again made me feel lethargic in the morning.

Most of the other trekkers had already left for Kedartal early in the day but I was content on soaking in the sun and defrosting my body before starting the day. Later in the morning, our campsite was visited by the Himalayan Ibex, a magnificent creature and the only wildlife I had seen so far.

Ibex looking for salt

We managed to start at 10 am for Kedartal with no backpacks and just a water bottle held in my hand. The intention was to reach there as soon as possible, spend time at the lake and come back before it gets colder.

The climb to kedartal is steep, yet again and involves crossing four humps. The first of which is visible from the campsite if you're looking towards Thalaysagar or following the water source.

There is an initial clear trail which disappears into the moraines and reappears later with cairns marked to help with the route. The cairns are placed all throughout the trail.

I did feel the effect of cold dry air irritating my throat but made sure to drink a lot of water. Although the trail is a constant ascent, there are no valley exposure anywhere and it's quite safe. 

Almost there!

After 2 hours of laborious climbing, I finally managed to reach Kedartal!

It was a bittersweet moment as the thought occurred in my head,  "Is this goodbye?"
A plethora of thoughts plagued my mind, It felt like I'm able to look at some bigger picture in which I'm a small entity in the grand scheme of things. 

Kedartal is a very beautiful lake, emerald in color but it's USP lies in the fact that it's surrounded by peaks of enormity. The lake area in itself felt warmer than the trail leading up to it, partly because of the shielding effects of the nearby peaks and the fact that you have to descend around a 100 feet from the top most ridge to reach the lake. 

I greeted the other trekkers at the lake and congratulated them for their successful summit. I also took their food and chocolates since I was starving. Soon, the other trekkers left and me and my guide were the only ones left at the lake.

I stayed there at the lake, looked at the gigantic peaks around me almost staring from all sides. 

Beautiful Kedartal

From the lake you can take the onward trail to Thalaisagar base camp which is a further 2 kms away. I had no plans of going there and chose to spend some quiet time at the lake. Saying my goodbye, because, who knows where I'll be in the coming few months. 

Monolith at the lake

Kedartal as seen from the ridge above it

After spending an hour in leisure at the lake, I returned towards kedarkharak and reached there in 50 minutes.

I was really hungry and possibly sprinted down in a controlled manner. Once I reached the camp, I saw another huge group had come in and camped all around me, I greeted the trekkers and answered their queries about how the trail from Kedarkharak to Kedartal is.

The day was over, there was a sense of relief and joy. 

That scene of me walking up the slope while in the shadow of the peaks got imprinted in my head. There's always one moment on a trek that defines it for you. The moment you always recollect when you think about a particular place. 

For me, that was it. That's the story of this trip, that memory of those huge mountains and me amidst them, walking towards them.
That feeling of being so content that I'm not spending THAT particular moment confined in my house. 

Yours truly, at the lake :)

 I also,

• Felt very grateful of having the opportunity to be at this place. 
• Thought about how people (family, friends, relatives) think so less of hiking without actually seeing what I saw today. 
• Thought about how it makes absolutely no difference to me.

Day 5 Kedarkharak to Gangotri

Usually, the walk back is quite boring. It wasn't in this case though. I knew I would take less time in going back to Gangotri than I did while climbing up.

The main catch was the rockfall area and the spider walls. I started walking at 9:45 am today after packing up the camp.

It took me an hour to cross the rock fall area, however, I noticed there was less of a breeze today making life a tad bit easier. Also, I saw another group from down below avoiding this section by crossing the river and walking on the river bed until it meets the main trail.

I saw their guide on the original loose soil dusty trail and asked him "Why the detour?"

"Dheele hain" was his answer.

Even without the wind, there was a lot of dust on the trail I took, which led me to cough violently once I crossed it.
Eventually, I caught up with the other group who had left an hour prior to me. This made life also easier for the next tricky section where the trail was steep descent with very loose soil. 

Next was the final spider wall which I crossed comfortably this time as I could see the footholds from up above.

So, all in all. The descent was also quite entertaining and adventure filled.
I reached Gangotri by noon after a LOT of descent. 4200m to 3050m.

My body was tired and legs were aching but my soul was smiling.

What a hidden gem, I thought. 

Untouched by the greed of the agencies thus far. Mainly because tourists prefer going to Gaumukh tapovan over this.

But I can see that the agencies have started eyeing this trek too. I hope I'm wrong but I can see this trek also being over commercialized.

Unfortunately, the lake is retreating as per what my guide and others told me. There is a substantial decline in water volume as compared to a couple of years back.
Global warming is for real and its most apparent once you climb high.

All the bitter things aside, I'm glad I took this decision at a whim to do this trek.

Memories were made that will stay with me for a long time. 

What else can you ask for?

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Helpful Data for trekkers :

Kedartal altitude profile

GPS log : 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZCms0u94M65LywMWZzOHP-xyH48UzeUr?usp=sharing