KedarKanth Trek : Part 3: The Summit

At the Summit!
Pic courtesy : Shameek

Our second campsite – the KK base camp was even more beautiful than the one in Juda Ka Talaab if that’s possible. We were camped right at the edge of a gentle slope with the backdrop of the humbling Himalayan range and the view of the milky snowy Kedarkantha peak in front. That’s where we were going.

Taal Khetra / Kedarkantha Basecamp
Pic courtesy : Shameek

A smile of disbelief, excitement and anxiety crossed our lips.The unique setting of the moment brought out the musicians in us. Not sure what or who prompted but we all stood in a circle and kept singing songs one after another in chorus until lunch time.

Kedarkantha Peak in the distance
Pic courtesy : Aditya

We were at 10,000ft now and we were told the snow was about 7ft deep. We were introduced to our technical guide for the summit day – Santosh. He instructed us on how to use gaiters and how to layer our clothes for the summit. It took about 10 minutes to get into the gaiters properly when I tried them on that evening. It took double the time on the next morning when my fingers were numb in the cold!

Sunset at KK basecamp
Pic courtesy : Chandan

The wakeup call was at 2:45a.m. Me and my tent mate, Amruta were however up from about 2 in the morning. We both woke Pallu up who usually slept like a log! It was freaking freezing. It took us ages to do a simple task like taking a bottle out or wearing gloves. The fingers were numb. My toes hurt in the biting cold even after having two pairs of socks and my shoes on. We were meant to have breakfast by 3am. I was so surprised and impressed that the kitchen team had a spread of Khichdi, Poha and cornflakes ready for us that early in the morning! I could not eat at all. I had a little milk and two spoons of cornflakes. This was a mistake. I felt hungry, weak and light headed later due to an empty stomach. Me and my trek friends had carried dry fruits and 'chhole' and chocolates on the trail which helped a lot.

Sunset at KK basecamp

We started our walk sharp at 4am. It was pitch dark. We had our headlamps on. There were one or two hairy dogs who always followed us on our trails and the summit day was no exception. They were up and ready on time for us. Prahlad Bhaiyya and Santu lead the trail, Guddu Bhaiyya was at the rear end and Vijeet kept himself agile up and down the line.

The Night's Walk & The Moon Rise
Pic courtesy : Sagar

Hardly fifteen minutes into the climb and I had to go the toilet. O man! I went off the trail and was just about to do what I had to do when my tent mate trotted towards me. She stood in front of the tree like a guard which in turn made all the others curious and everyone started focusing their headlamps in my direction. Oh no! It was embarrassing but hilarious. But when you are up in the mountains, cold on a snowy night, you tend to become less aware of yourself. To add more to this, I had to stop a second time for another poo break. This was getting too much. I was getting conscious of the time as we were told summit had to be done by 9o clock or you lose the chance and turn back from wherever you were. Me and my friend were left behind the trail for the second time then and we hurried to get back on track.

Walking through the foot deep snow
Pic courtesy : Aditya

We were pretty good at pacing ourselves and thank to my tummy, it agreed with me for the rest of the trip. We climbed up this steep ascent which was a rest stop and caught up with everyone in the gang. It was a flat bit on the slope and from there we saw the most amazing moon rise.

Moon rise
Pic courtesy : Sagar

We thought it was some sort of a glowing lamp until we realized that’s the bright moon rising up from behind the mountains. It was quite unreal. We were pretty higher up by then, say about 11,000ft. We didn’t need the headlamps after this. The moon cast a shiny glow and the snowy trails were washed out in a soft blue light. We continued our climb. We came to a part which had a steep valley on one side and the mountain walls on the other. Thing is when everything is covered in a snowy blanket, it plays tricks to your eyes and you don’t necessarily see the edges of the ups and downs. Our tech guide, Santu was very good here. He kept reminding us to keep ourselves to the walls.

On the way to the summit
Pic courtesy : Amruta

We crossed this narrow edgy path which then opened on to a wide valley with a view of a peak at the top. Is that Kedarkantha? Yes, that’s the one. We are there. Nope, we can’t see Kedarkantha peak yet. Confused talks took over. Vijeet said, we got to make it to that peak quickly so that we can experience the sunrise from top.

Vijeet at the sunrise point
Pic courtesy : Shameek

Walking on snow wasn’t as easy as I had thought. Your foot digs deep into the snow bed and then you got to pull your foot up and put your next foot down. It takes effort. We kept going nonetheless. I made it to that level just on time. I was on my four when I took my last step to this peak and sat there, completely drained out.

Just after the Sunrise

I forgot about my tired feet the moment I saw the view in front. Before me was a panoramic view of the Himalayas and a golden glow had just started to spread across the peaks. The glow became warmer as the sun peeked from behind the mountains to my right. Spellbound! It was like a magical revelation of Mother Nature.

Sunrise on top

I sat there for some time, just soaking it all in. We then clicked some pictures at the first light of the morning whilst the dear wolfy dog sat right beside us whenever we posed. However, in the name of everyone’s sweat and blood, this was not the Kedarkantha peak. It was the peak behind this one. 

Vijeet kept telling us, the peak in front is the summit and we kept believing him. This was probably his trick to keep us going. After the sunrise point, we could then see the actual KK peak for real. Legs felt like jelly but there was a gush of adrenaline. We gotta get up there.

The Peak
Pic courtesy : Shameek

The final ascent to the peak was the steepest bit. It took a real test of our endurance, lung capacity and mental strength. Giving up was not an option and I kept saying that to myself. Step by step, we made it to the summit! Me and my tent mate, Pallu made it to the peak together! Vijeet and Santu greeted us at the top with a pat on our back. The moment of triumph! 

On top of the KK peak
Pic courtesy : Rohan

We sat down at the edge of the peak with the most amazing view in front. The Himalayas laid out its snowy folds as far as we could see. The Har Ki Dun Valley, the Gangotri Peak, the SwargaRohini Peak along with many others formed this mesmerizing pattern of troughs and crests. 

Contemplating
Pic courtesy : Chandan

We sat there fascinated, enthralled by the beauty and overwhelmed with a feeling of accomplishment. Vijeet told us some of relevant mythological stories of Mahabharata as we sat there captivated by the beauty around us. Before we would descent, we formed a circle, held hands, closed our eyes and took a silent moment to ourselves. I silently thanked my favorite people for being in my life and helping me being myself.

When the whole gang made it to the Summit
Pic courtesy : Amruta

Mountains make you humble and appreciate things so much more. We spent an hour there hypnotized by the mystic spell in the air. As the wind started picking up, we took a last look around and got ready for the descent.