KEDARKANTHA TREK MARCH 2nd TO MARCH 6th 2019
WHAT YOU EXPECT ON A TRAIL
Most people keep on searching many websites to find a well-balanced trail which leaves fond memories forever.I was one of them . WE expect a lot before starting a trail.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
1 Best choosen trek
2 Best support team
3 Best caring and friendly team
4 Good trekking fellows
5 Good food
6 Proper care
7 Beautiful views
8 Successfull summit
9 Best company backup
10 Snow ..everybody looks for it
11 Best moments
13 Best training during the trek
14 Best adventure
!5 Unexpected moments
VOILA !!!! i got all at Kedarkantha trek
I have done many treks in the past and this was the second trek with Bikat Adventures . I was skeptical to do a trek with Bikat when i started looking for options as it was a Snow trek and i was afraid of proper arrangements initially.
This trek surprised me in many ways as i have listed above.... Exeptional care by the Team..
My rating For this Trek is 10/10......................
MARCH 2nd 2019
DAY 1
FIRST DAY WE WERE PICKED UP BY BIKAT TEAM FROM DEHRADOON IN THE MORNING AT 7 AM AND WE PROCEEDED TOWARDS SANKRI . SANKRI A SMALL VILLAGE WHICH IS STARTING POINT FOR MANY TREKS LIKE KEDARKANTHA,BALI PASS,HAR KI DUN,PHULARA RIDGE AND MANY OTHER OFFBEAT TREK TRAILS. SANKRI WAS AROUND 197 KM WHICH TOOK ALMOST 7-8 HOURS TO REACH. THE PICTURE SHOWN HERE IS OF BEAUTIFUL HOUSES ON THE WAY TO SANKRI.
WE REACHED AROUND 6PM IN THE EVENING AND THIS WAS THE FIRST VIEW OF SANKRI VILLAGE......AMAZING MOUNTAINS ALL AROUND . WHICHEVER DIRECTION YOU SEE.
SANKRI HOME STAY
FIRST NIGHT WE WERE ACCOMODATED IN VILLAGE HOMESTAY. SMALL WODDEN HOUSES CATERING TO ALL TREKKERS COMING TO SANKRI.. GOOD PEOPLE ..SOFT SPOKEN PAHADI PEOPLE WELCOMING US ....THE TASTY FOOD WAS COOKED BY BIKAT TEAM .
THIS WAS THE FIRST MORNING GLIMPS WHEN I WOKE UP AND WENT OUT....SMALL CHIRPING SPARROWS,CLOUDS KISSING THE VALLEY,A COLD BREEZE,SNOW SHINING ON THE MOUNTAINS,LUSH GREEN FIELDS......
MORNING WALK --SANKRI MARKET.. I AM LOOKING FOR LOCAL FLAVOURS...
MARCH 3rd 2019
DAY 2
AFTER A GOOD BREAKFAST IT WAS TIME TO MOVE TOWARDS THE TREK . OUR FIRST STOP WAS CAMPSITE POSLA. WE TOOK A DETOUR TO POSLA INPLACE OF JUDA KA TAAL AS THIS TIME IT SNOWED HEAVILY IN THE VALLEY .EVERYBODY WAS EXCITED AND STARTED MOVING AFTER A CALL BY TREK LEADER ARJUN...
BOYS BUSY IN CLICKING PICTURES.... EVERYBODY IS EXCITED
THE TRAIL TO POSLA CAMPSITE IS STEEP BUT NOT SO DIFFICULT.INITIALLY A MARKED PATH WITH STEPPING STONES . IT BECOMES DIFFICULT IF LOT OF SCREE IS THERE. WE WALKED ON SLIP PATH FILLED WITH MUD . WHEN THE SNOW MELTS THE TRAIL IS OFTEN MUDDY..SOME TRICKY SECTIONS AND WE CONTINUED MOVING FORWARD....OUR GUIDE MR CHAUHAN WAS IN THE FRONT AND REST OF THE TEAM IN MIDDLE AND BACK.
LET ME REST FOR A WHILE ......
A WET TRAIL...SOMETIMES IT BECOMES TRICKY TO WALK ON LOOSE STONES AND SCREE.. YOU NEED TO HAVE A GOOD FIT TREK ANKLE HIGH SHOE TO PREVENT SPRAIN AND TWIST TO YOUR ANKLE....OF COURSE A GOOD TREK STICK FOR SUPPORT.
A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE CLICKED JUST BELOW POSLA CAMPSITE
EVERYBODY IS EXCITED ON THE TRAIL...
SOME SNOWBALL GAMES WITH BIKAT TEAM ON THE WAY...IT WAS SUPER FUN
LOCAL VILLAGE RESCUE HUT ON THE WAY
BREATHTAKING VALLEY VIEW ENROUTE
SLOW AND STEADY WE MOVED UPHILL
PICTURE SHOOT ON THE WAY WITH SNOWDROP IN BACKGROUND AND APPLE TREE IN THE FRONT..
AT LAST REACHED NEAR OUR BASECAMP POSLA..THIS IS A TEMPORARY MAKESHIFT HUT JUST BELOW OUR CAMP WHICH IS USED BY VILLAGERS IN WINTERS.
THIS IS OUR BASE CAMP AT POSLA AND WHAT A BEAUTIFUL VIEW. IN FRONT IS VIJAY TOP ACROSS THE VALLEY.BEHIND US IS KEDARKANTHA SUMMIT. THE FIELDS ARE COVERED WITH KNEE DEEP SNOW..
MY TREK POLE IS ENJOYING SNOW BATH...
POSLA CAMP SITE
YOU CAN SEE TENTS ERECTED FOR THE DAY.....I COULDNT IMAGINE SLEEPING ON 4 FEET OF SNOW WITH NIGHT TEMPRATURE RANGING FROM -10 TO -20 DEGREE CELCIOUS....
AFTER REACHING THE CAMP OUR TREK LEADER ARJUN AND ANOTHER LEADER KANIHIYA DIRECTED US TO GATHER FOR A SHORT EXERCISE ROUTINE..
THEY MADE SURE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE PART OF THE ROUTINE . THE IDEA WAS TO ACCLIMATIZE BETTER SO THAT THE BODY MUSCLES SHOULD REGULATE BLOOD AND ELECTROLYTES BETTER RELAXING THE MUSCLES....
IT WAS A TIRING DAY . AFTER SITTING TOGETHER AT DINNER PLAYING GAMES,SINGING SONGS ENJOYING THE TASTY FOOD WHICH WAS PREPARED BY BIKAT TEAM THE DAY CAME TO AN END.. IT WS GETTING DARK BY 7 PM AND THE COLD SHIVER WAS SLIDING DOWN THE SPINE. FEW PREFERED TO SLEEP IN THE HUT AND OTHERS MOVED TO THEIR TENTS..IT WAS PITCH DARK OUTSIDE .....
POSLA CAMPSITE MARCH 4th 2019
DAY 3
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING TODAY AFTER ROLLING HERE AND THERE IN THE SLEEPING BAG...ITS A TOUGH CALL TO HAVE A GOOD SLEEP FOR THOSE WHO ARE STILL STARTING THE TREK AND I MUST TELL THEM THAT SLEEPING IN SLEEPING BAG IS A TRICKY SITUATION.
IT WAS A COMFORTABLE MAT THIS TIME AND I DID NOT FELT COLD INSIDE THE SLEEPING BAG...THE QUALITY SEEMS GOOD THIS TIME.....
OUR TENTS ARE ON THE UPPER ROW AND YOU CAN SEE OTHER TENTS BELOW WHICH ARE OF INDIA HIKES......THE ROW LOOKED LIKE A STRETCHED PARKING...
FEW EARLY MORNING SHOTS
WHAT A BLISS TO HAVE HOT TEA WITH SHIVERING HANDS
DAY 2 MARCH FROM POSLA CAMP TO HARGAON BASE CAMP
AFTER HAVING BREAKFAST WE STARTED FOR HARGAON BASE CAMP..WE WERE TOLD ABOUT LOT OF SNOW AT THE BASE CAMP.WE EXPECTED 5 FEET OF SNOW AT THE BASE CAMP AND 9 FEET OF SNOW AT KEDARKANTHA SUMMIT. WE WERE NOT SURE IF WE COULD SUMMIT BUT THE JOSH OFTHE TEAM WAS HIGH....
FOUND AN NATURAL ICE SPEAR ON THE WAY SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THE TEMPRATURE IN EARLY MARCH...
SUPPORT TEAM IS BUSY GUARDING US WITH ICE GUNS!!!
THE TRAIL TO HARGAON BASE CAMP IS STEEP BUT THE BEST PART WAS THAT IT WAS A TOTAL SNOW TRAIL ONLY..
EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY , MOVING FORWARD ENJOYING SONGS
A LOT OF SNOW EVERYWHERE
enroute hargaon base camp
the ascent is steep but beautifull
it was so much snow this year that camps which were erected few days back were totally collapsed and buried under snow..some bikat team tents were also buried.
still a long way to go
TO PREVENT SNOW BLINDNESS IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO WEAR A POLARIZED SUN GLASS WITH CATEGORY 4 QUALITY... ONE CAN CHK THE CATEGORY NUMBER ON THE SIDE OF THE FRAME WHERE A SERIAL OR MODEL NUMBER IS WRITTEN AND THE LAST NUMBER IS THE CATEGORY NUMBER... IF IT IS 3 THAT MEANS IT IS A SIMPLE POLARIZED WITH UV FILTER AND IF IT IS WRITTEN CATEGORY 4 THEN IT IS PERFECT FOR SNOW TREK....THIS TYPE OF SUNGLASS CAN BE USED IN MEADOWS AND SNOW TREK ALSO.
JUST BELOW HARGAON CAMP SITE
AT LAST WE REACHED HARGAON BASE CAMP BUT YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF SNOW..WE WERE TOLD THAT WE CANNOT SUMMIT THE PEAK AS IT WAS 9 FEET OF SNOW THERE. IT WAS OK THE THRILL OF SUMMIT WAS THERE BUT IT WAS NO LESS THAN A SUMMIT TO REACH HARGAON ALTHOUGH WE COULD SEE THE KEDARKANTHA PEAK IN FRONT OF US.
A COMFORTABLE SITTING PLACE AT CAMPSITE WHICH WAS TEMPORARY .WE HAD LUNCH ON THIS MAKESHIFT PLACE. AS IT WAS LOT OF SNOW SO ALL THE TENTS WERE COVERED BY THICK BLANKET OF SNOW...
AFTER A SHORT STOP FOR LUNCH OUR TEAM LEADER DECIDED TO MOVE TOWARDS JUDA KA TALAAB AND DECENT TOWARDS CAMP POSLA..
A LITTLE WARNING SIGNBOARD AT HARGAON CAMP SITE..
FEW PICS AT
HARGAON BASE CAMP
THE FRONT PEAK IS SWARGAROHINI PEAK AND THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS PEAK IS PHULLARA RIDGE TRAIL AND ON THE LEFT SIDE IS BALI PEAK TRAIL WITH HAR KI DUN TRAIL JUST BELOW IT......SWARGAROHINI PEAK AND BALI PEAK HAS A MYTHOLOGY STORY BEHIND IT .PLEASE READ IT ON GOOGLE ...
DAY 3 MARCH 4th 2019 HARGAON TO JUDA KA TAAL
WE ENJOYED A LOT AT HARGAON BASE CAMP CLICKING PICTURES AND PLAYING WITH SNOW.WE COLUD SEE THAE KEDARKANTHA TOP VERY NEAR BUT WERE NOT ABLE TO SUMMIT BECAUSE OG 9 FT SNOW.ALTHOUGH HARGAON BASE CAMP TO HAD ABOUT 5 FT OF SNOW SO TREK LEADER DECIDED TO MOVE TOWARDS JUDA KA TAAL...
YOU CAN SEE BELOW THE BIKAT CAMP AT HARGAON.SO MUCH SNOW AND THE CAMP IS BURRIED..
we started moving quickly towards juda ka taal as the weather was unpredictable.if you dont have a tent site then it is a trouble staying at one point for long..
when we marched a little ahead we could see some steep slopes downhill and suddnly our trek guide mr chauhan slided down.he waved us to get down by sliding.i think we came down about a kilometer in total.everybody got excited and the lineup was activated..below are few videos of sliding in snow.i must tell you it was super fun although our team took ful precautions to avoid any injury.
some more snow slides before reaching juda ka taal
enjoying and waiting for others to come down sliding.
JUDA KA TAAL
FROZEN
This is juda ka taal.usually in summers its a small lake but see how it if frozen now.
and the feel is just awesome
can you imagine this place..just heavenly..
it was fun dancing on pahadi songs sung by our guide mr chauhan and company...
the fun part was that all the people participated and even people from other trek groups also joined the dance..i could not beleive dancing in and around mesmerising snow ..all over.
it was time to return to camp posla now and we started movind downhill.
CAN YOU BELEIVE IT !!!!!!
AND WHEN I LOOKED BACK NATUREWAS ALL ALONE AND READY TO WELCOME NEW GUEST.
DAY 4th MARCH 3rd 2019 POSLA CAMPSITE
WE REACHED BACK TO POSLA AND IT WAS DARK BY THEN..AFTER A GOOD DINNER WITH LOTS OF LAUGTER WE WERE AGAIN CONFIENED TO OUR TENTS..
DAY 4 MARCH 5th 2019 AT POSLA CAMPSITE
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING AT POSLA.THE SKY WAS CLEAR AND THE SUNRAYS WERE REFLECTING ON THE SNOW..WE HAD SOME FUN CLICKING PICS....
LAST DAY OF CAMP AND A FUNNY MOMENT ....
GOOD BYE CAMP POSLA
APPLE TREE
THE HAPPY FACE...I WAS HAPPY TO REACH BACK TO SANKRI WITH MEMORY OF A GREAT TREK AND MOMENTS..
BACK TO A COMFORTABLE STAY IN SANKRI HOME STAY.....
GROUP WALK IN SANKRI MARKET
BACKDROP SWARGAROHINI PEAKS GLOWING AND TEMPTING US TO COME BACK AGAIN..
DAY 5th MARCH 6th 2019 GOODBYE TEAM BIKAT
THANK YOU TEAM BIKAT FOR A MEMORABLE TREK ...
IN PICTURE RIGHT TO LEFT
MR KANIHIYA TREK LEADER
MR ARJUN TREK LEADER
MR CHAUHAN TREK GUIDE
SUPERB KITCHEN TEAM
SANKRI A QUAINT VILLAGE CATERING TO THE NEEDS OF ALL TREKKERS AROUND THE GLOBE WITH A GREAT TEAM SUPPORT AND SOME OF THE BEST TREK TRAILS IN THE WORLD......
JUST TO MENTION A FEW
TREKS STARTING FROM SANKRI ARE
BALI PASS
VIJAY TOP
KEDARKANTHA TREK
RUINSARA TREK
SARU TAL TREK
BHARADSAR LAKE TREK
NALGAN PASS TREK
MALDARU TREK
THE BLACK PEAK BASE CAMP TREK
HAPPY TREKKING FOLKS!!!!
