An adventure in the Himalayas

Our family loves hiking - any holiday that has long stretches of walking through meadows, forests, rambling hills is something all of us enjoy. The natural next step was to go on a full fledged high altitude mountain trek and we had been planning for ages to do this. With Aakash's wedding planned in February at Kotdwar, and the dates lining up perfectly for the Kedakantha winter trek which promised to be a moderately easy trek for beginners, we decided to go ahead ! Rudra , having turned 9 in November of last year, also made the cut for the minimum age requirement - so off we were -  all four of us on our maiden mountain trek !

The journey started off on a chilly morning in Dehradun from where the IndiaHikes organised Bolero would pick us up. Soon we were on the outskirts of the town and started ascending the winding roads which would take us to our base camp Sankri. After a short stop at Mussoorie to take in the sights of the beautiful Himalayas bathed in  the soft early morning sunlight and a hearty breakfast of aloo peyaaj and paneer parathas at Kempty, we continued our journey through the many hair pin bends up a mountain, down another and continuous winding roads all the way to Sankri at about 6500 ft. After crossing Purola , about two hours away from Sankri, there was no more Airtel or other phone signals available either except for  BSNL. This would be our modus operandi of no connectivity, no whatsapp, no immediate sharing of pictures with the whole world on our holidays for the next few days. And believe me, it was total bliss being truly disconnected for those couple of days ! 

River Yamua would give us company along the way as we could hear her rushing over the many boulders on her river bed. The mountain slopes all around were covered with patchworks of green terrace farmed fields and splashes of bright yellow of the mustard flowers. The contrast of these colours to the turquoise blue of the river flowing in between was a sheer delight to the senses and one wondered if this was not the path to heaven, then what is ! We didn't really stop by to take pictures, so the one taken from the running car does no justice to the actual glory of colours all around. 

River Yamuna flowing along with us 

We reached Sankri  around 2 in the afternoon where we were shown in to our room for the night. A very basic one with four beds snugly fit in and an attached toilet. The cold air hit us hard and we quickly made sure we were equipped with our caps and gloves and jacket layers. We certainly got a taste of what was in store for us for the next couple of days. Since we had skipped lunch on the way , we decided to venture to some near shacks selling maggi, bun omelette , chowmein and small eats. A tiny 5 ft by 3 ft room with just one small stove and one frying pan but the food seemed just delicious and perfect to satiate our hungry tummies for the evening.

The view from the common open area was gorgeous as dusk fell on the mountains all around and we also got our first glimpse of Swargarohini in the backdrop of Sankri - apparently the peak that the Pancha Pandavas of the Mahabharata climbed,  to reach heaven. This was literally the last village on the border atleast in this part of the country .. after this were the depth of the Himalayas and then on to Tibet. But it seemed like the town had no political influence, just totally self contented and self governed in a way .. as one of the locals told me - " iyhaan toh swatantra hai" and it really felt like that. 

Charming Sankri with Swargarohini in the backdrop

We completed all our registrations and in the evening had a briefing session with Mukta and the other local trek guides like Janki Didi, Labu Bhai and Senu Bhai who would especially become our great companion for the next couple of days. We were also introduced to the Green Trails arm of India Hikes, their aim at cleaning the mountains and leaving them as pristine as we found them for generations to come. Each of us got our own Green Trail bag to carry and stuff any rubbish that either we generated or found along the way.  Finishing an early dinner, we were ready to pack up for the trek and go to bed , snuggling as close to each other as possible to keep the warmth. 

To be honest I was very apprehensive about this whole trek and camp business. The trek I was ready for in isolation, but carrying a heavy rucksack and camping in a small tent in wilderness in such weather was something that I was trying to be brave about but not being very successful , so was kind of worrying myself out ! Moreover Tumpu was not well due to a huge ulcer in his throat and he was coughing through the night, so I was kind of ready to pack up and go back. But with much convincing from Bubula and Sahu, I decided to just say what the heck and go with the flow ! 

So off we were after finishing our morning business and breakfast and trust me the cold water literally froze my teeth while brushing and my hands while washing. But with the excitement of starting out, we just managed to finish everything in time and leave with the group. The rucksack that I was dreading to carry had just increased its weight with the addition of the gaiters, clamp ons, filled water bottles and sleeping bag liners.. but as I said, I was just going with the flow..

First glimpses of the mountains as we started our trek

Tumpu and Bubula were surely mountain goats in some previous life - they seemed to walk up the mountain side with no effort at all. The trek was not exactly easy by my dictionary as every step was a step uphill and through rocky and sometimes slushy terrain. But the day was bright and beautiful when we started to walk and the mountains all around, the pines towering over our heads, the absolute adorable dogs following us on our trail made it all seem so worth it. This was truly as close as you could get to nature. We couldn't stop too much to drink in the sight though as we had to move ahead to be able to reach our first base camp Jainola by lunch time.

We were continuously instructed to hydrate ourselves, so we did stop for a couple of water breaks. But stopping for too long really broke the rhythm , so it was better to just breathe in and start walking again. Soon we left the muddy trails and encountered our first snow filled landscapes as we moved higher. While we stopped to drink water here , there was sudden magic as gentle snowflakes started drifting down all around us .. for many in the group including B&T, this was their first snowfall and the delight was total and complete :)

B&T with Pradeep and Arjun

We started hiking up again and the ground was totally covered with snow but not too thick. One got the hang of walking on the snow pretty quick and about an hour later , we could see the yellow tents of our first camp at Jainola up ahead of us. So with Mukta's "chalo chalo" we were walking up again with renewed energy ready to lay down our bags soon ! Once we reached the camp, Mukta made us do some basic stretches to loosen up our bodies and boy did it feel good.Even though we were really sweaty at this point, we were told to put on our padded jackets and caps as this was the time unless we were careful, it was really easy to catch the cold.  We had climbed about 2500 ft within four hours, not bad is what I say ! 

Jainola campsite

We were allocated our tents now , 3 per tent. So it was me, Sahu and T in one and Pradeep, Arjun with B in another - adjacent to each other. The tents were really tiny though and with our bags inside and our shoes in the "balcony" of the tent, there was hardly any place to even turn around or sit, so definitely an experience of optimisation of movement ! We were also shown the toilet tents and the dining tent. The toilet tents basically had a pit made in the snow covered by a tent - I was a bit apprehensive before of how it would be , but it turned out to be pretty okay actually. Soon we met in the dining room , all of us really hungry from all the trekking. So we helped ourselves to generous portions of rice and yummy dal. 

After lunch, we were free to explore all around and we decided to walk up to where the dense forests really started, a little high up on the hill. There was a kind of sliding path from the top till the base and using an old plastic cover people took turns sliding down the hill - woo hoo .. I didn't partake in the sliding activities as I wasn't in a mood to get wet in the snow , but it did look like a lot of fun ! We walked all around the campsite admiring the raw beauty that nature had to offer us. The tall dark trees in the distance rising over the snowy hills looked so peaceful. By now it was tea time and we were all in line for our customary chai and snacks , this time some delicious  aaloo tikkis. I have to mention at this point that the food all through our trek days was just brilliant. Every item was hot , fresh and so tasty - even my boys who would never touch baigan ka bharta at home, lapped up platefuls of it at the camp ! Portions were always generous and the balance of spices just perfect. The cooks were truly stars of the show ! While having chai , we noticed that it had started snowing again and the temperature was dipping too with the evening falling on us.

The towering pines above me 

Soon the night sky was out and studded with shining diamonds here and there .. but I am sure if it wasn't snowing , and there had been a clear sky instead, the sight would have truly been out of this world , pun intended ! The snowfall was kind of getting heavier by now and we all huddled into the dining tent. We introduced ourselves with some whacky adjectives and so I became Ridiculous Ritu, and we had Rocking Rudra and Daring Dhruv ! There were stories shared of travel, of adventurous escapades , and then some slightly spooky stories from Mukta's personal experience of prior camping  experiences .. camaraderie filled the tent while night slowly crept upon us and we were tired and sleepy, ready to have dinner and hit the sack - literally ! 

Now hitting the sack was an adventure in itself - putting in so many layers within the sleeping bag , on ourselves and then zipping ourselves up was no easier than a gymnastic feat for sure ! It took some time before I could go to sleep though. The doggy friends all around us were barking like crazy , trying to make their territory clear and sometimes they would literally come near the tent and bark in your ears. Soon though sleep was a clear winner ... before I was rudely awakened by a crazy shaking of the tent in the dark ! Before I thought we were in the middle of an earthquake , I realized that it was Senu Bhai and Mukta shaking off the snow from all our tents .. this was repeated over and again and in the intervals, we could hear the steady fall over our tents. At one point though, I was convinced that it was raining and not snowing but as we were to discover in the morning, it was snow all the time. Essentially we were caught in a snowstorm in complete wilderness through the night ! Early morning came, and I had to go answer nature's call and whoa ... it was a feat just stepping out of our tents. In spite of continuous shaking off the snow from our tents, there was about two  feet deep snow in front of our tents and our feet went straight within. 

Our tents in the morning after the snowstorm

Ash and grey .. 

The landscape all around had changed overnight. The naked branches from the day before were now filled and outlined with snow , the sky a gloomy haze of ash and grey. But how could grey be so beautiful !  It was as if we had woken up in the middle of a fairy tale scene where we were lost in the snowy woods and the pine forests all around held secrets that we were yet to discover. Even though it was snowing relentlessly, and it was freezing cold, we couldn't help going on taking pictures everywhere. After a hurried breakfast, Mukta told us that we had to descend as the snow was becoming even more harsh and it was better that we got down to Sankri as soon as possible. 

Sweet little doggy outside the dining tent

The trek downhill was a test on my knees and the trekking poles were a boon providing the needed support , though many a time they just went deep into the snow unknowingly and along with that we slipped and fell and rolled down, though not too bad. Many of the slippery stone surfaces were covered with snow as well, so one really had to be careful not to fall too badly. Even though our trek was cut short and we had to descend, there wasn't a trace of gloom within the group. Everyone was simply so happy with the snow and drinking in the glorious scenery all around. This was certainly not something that we could have planned for , but seemed like a gift out of the blue even though we couldn't make it to the next campsite or the summit ! 

B & T with Senu Bhai

Waiting for the rest of the gang to catch up 

And we found our Brownie there :)

Once we reached Sankri , it was afternoon and past lunch time. We were all pretty sad that it ended so soon. But the tiny hamlet was also filled with snow all around. Apparently the town was seeing snow in a decade. The apple orchards all around looked eerie with their stark branches standing in rows on the snowy slopes. We were told that the apple harvest this year would be really good as snow is very good for apples. 

The apple orchards on the slopes all around

Trekking up to Sidri

After lunch, we all ventured towards the nearby town of Sidri where there would be a mela in the evening. The mela being nothing but taking out the "doli" from one temple and carrying to the other town and much music and dancing around the temple with the doli carried on the shoulders of the menfolk while ladies and children watched from a distance. We passed the village houses, getting glimpses of their granaries and small vegetable patches around their wooden houses. The little children with rosy cheeks and oblivious to the hardship they grew up in , gathering pleasure out of the simplest of games played with their siblings and friends,  hugging  each other in the cold, the young girls with their bright clothes giggling all the time .. opened your eyes to how simple life actually was and how we had unnecessarily complicated things. As B said, this was such a different world and such an awesome one (if not for the cold though !) 

Dancing with the doli at the Mahadeva temple

The girls giggling away 

The wise old men of Sidri posing for me 

That evening in Sankri was probably the coldest through our stay. It had stopped snowing , so the cold was really crisp and clear ! Washing our dishes and our hands after dinner seemed like a totally impossible task and I really thought my fingers might fall off any time !  Waking up next morning to a bright sunny day almost felt surreal ! But that is how the weather changes in the mountains and one must simply be ready for it. The vast expanse of the sky seemed impossibly blue and the outlines of the trees over the mountains were a strange grey because of the snow the day before. I had never seen anything like this.

The ashened trees on the mountain slopes

Tumpu with one more doggy friend

It made us so sad that we were going to leave that day .. I wanted to drink in the beauty and store it in a corner of my heart forever and ever. We would surely be coming back to maybe complete our Kedarkantha summit climb or possibly use this as a base for another trek again but this time was surely an experience of a lifetime ! Till the next one , so long and farewell !