KEDARTAL TREK
(07th June 2015 to 13th June 2015)
 |
| Kedartal 16500 ft. |
The sheer beauty of the mountains, especially the Great Himalayas, always beckons the nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. The Uttarakhand Himalayas, also known as “The land of Gods or Dev Bhumi”, is simply heaven and provides lot of enticing destinations for trekkers.
2. This time, our team comprising of Rajesh Lakhera, Prem Bist and Jaspal Singh Rawat (all from Uttarakhand), chose Kedartal (also known as Shiva’s lake), located in the Gangotri region of the Garhwal Himalayas, as our destination. This Tal is located at a height of 16,500 feet, is one of the most beautiful lakes in Uttarakhand. It is surrounded by lofty peaks, namely Thalaisagar, Meru, Bhrigupanth and Jogin and melting snow from these peaks sustains the lake. On a clear day, one can see the reflection of these peaks in the lake, thus providing a spectacular sight for avid trekkers. The trek commences from Gangotri and one has to cover 18 kms to have a glimpse of this spectacular lake. The trail is steep and strenuous all along the “Kedar Ganga” and therefore, requires previous mountain trekking experience. Thus, it is not advisable for first time trekkers.
3. So, we also decided to explore this magnificent lake and share of our experiences on this trail.
Day no. 1 - 7th June 2015
Noida to Natala (near Uttarkashi---395 kms)
We i.e Rajesh Lakhera and Prem Bist started our journey to Gangotri on 07.06.2015 at 4.45 A.M from Noida by our car, to steer clear of any traffic jam that happens in Mohan Nagar-Modi Nagar stretch in subsequent hours. We reached Roorki at 8.45 A.M. There, we waited for our third companion, Sh. Jaspal Singh Rawat, who had gone to Chandigarh to attend a marriage and was already on way to join us at Roorkee. He joined us at Roorkee at 9.15 AM and without wasting any time, we proceeded to Haridwar/Rishikesh. However, massive traffic jam at these two places was worrisome, as precious two hours were lost due to traffic snarls. Once we crossed Rishikesh and drove uphills towards Narendra Nagar, it was pleasant to see the surrounding environs. We halted at Nagani at 1.00 P.M (Tehri Garhwal) for our lunch. About 2.45 P.M , we reached Chamba and took a turn towards Uttarkashi, our next destination. We reached Uttarkashi at 6.15 P.M, but decided to have night stay at Natala, further 2 kms from Uttarkashi, as Uttarkashi was congested and also considering the fact that Gangotri was still 98 kms further.
Day No. 2 - 8th June 2015
(Natala to Gangotri - 98 Kms)
We had decided that on 08.06.2015, we would halt at Gangotri for night stay. As such, we woke up at our usual time at Natala, a beautiful hamlet alongwith the road, with Bhagarathi river flowing nearby. We took a few photos of the place and its surroundings in the morning. After having breakfast at Natala, we left that place at about 9.00 AM. The scenic beauty of the mountains, with lust green forests, meadows, streams and beautiful hamlets on the way, continued to charm us. At about 11.30 AM, we halted at Gangnani to have a bath in hot spring there. We had a bath there for good half an hour and all our exhaustion was gone and we felt refreshed. At noon, we left Gangnani for began upwards journey, which was simply breathtaking. We reached Jhala at about 1.00, a picturesque hamlet and decided to have lunch there. Around 1.30 P.M, we left that place and straightway proceeded to Gangotri.
Enroute, lies the beautiful serene hamlet Harsil and also a cantonment area, but we decided to skip the same and reserve it for our return journey. At about 3.00 P.M, we were in Gangotri. We hired our accommodation and also hired a Nepalese porter, who was familiar with the route, considering the steepness and challenges that lies ahead. We had a leisure walk upwards hill on the opposite side of Gangotri to acclimatize ourselves, which was also incidentally, trek to Kedartal. In the evening, we visited famous Gangotri Temple and sought its blessings. Then, we retired to our room for rest/night halt.
 |
| Harsil |
 |
| Water fall near Harsil |
 |
| Surya Kund, Gangotri |
Day no. 3 - 9th June 2015
(Gangotri to Bhoj Kharak - 8 kms trek)
We left Gangotri, the starting point to Kedartal, at about 7.30 P.M after having our breakfast.
 |
Trek begins (From Left to Right : Rajesh Lakhera, Jaspal Rawat & Prem Bist) |
We crossed the bridge over the Bhagirathi river and soon thereafter started our steep ascending journey of about 8 kms, all along the Kedarganga, which flows though the deep gorge in this initial lag of the trek. Initially, as we ascended, we trekked through the majestic deodar forests. On the way, we also took a few photos of the gorgeous view of the temple on the other side of the Bhagarthi river.
 |
A bird eye view of Gangotri temple and surroundings
|
After, an hour of continuous climb, we passed through the Fir and Bhoj (Birch) trees and Bhoj Kharak has been named after this Bhoj trees. Due to its durability and texture, most of our ancient texts were written on bhoj paper.
 |
| Bhoj trees |
The trek to Bhoj kharak was challenging, as the terrain was steep and strenuous. Every now and then, we took a halt and had a sip of water to keep us hydrated. There were a few water points on the way, so we filled our water bottles to quell our thirst. We continued our march, but stopped time and again to have a glimpse of the majestic sight of the snow bound mountains and the scenic beauty around, that gave us renewed vigour.
 |
| View of Himalayan Peak enroute Bhoj Kharak |
 |
| Bhoj Patra tree line |
 |
| One of numerous sliding zones |
Finally, after 5 and half hours of strenuous march, we came across a narrow spaced stone wall covered with snow, with a small stream alongside gushing down, which is popularly also known as “Spider wall’ by the trekkers.
 |
| Spider wall fully covered with snow |
 |
Spider Wall
|
It was challenging to cross the same as any false step could cost you dear, by rolling you down hundred feet down the valley. However, we managed to cross through the slippery path and had a sigh of relief, as could see the camping site just near it.
 |
| Bhoj Kharak Campsite |
A few tents were already there, as a trekking team from West Bengal had halted there on that day, on their descend journey to Gangotri next day. We also set up tent there, to have a well-deserve rest and full evening to enjoy. In the evening, we have our hot soup and liquid food to keep us hydrated. Then we went for sleep.
 |
| Bhoj Kharak Campsite just after crossing the Spider Wall. |
Day no. 4 - 10th June 2015
(Bhoj Kharak to Kedar Kharak- 5 kms trek)
In the morning, we woke up early in the morning. Our stove was not working and that had certainly upset our further upwards journey. But thanks to trekking group from West Bengal, who agreed to spare their stove after paying a nominal price, since they were returning to Gangotgri on the same day. We had then our green tea and soup. Thereafter, we folded our tents and rucksacks and left for our next destination, Kedar Kharak at around 8.00 AM.
 |
| Bhoj Kharak to Kedar Kharak |
After one km of initial ascending trek through the Bhoj trail trail, we could see the meadows, although the dry one, due to lack of rain. From here onwards, the trek is devoid of any tree. One can also see the majestic snow covered Bhrigupanth peak in the backdrop, at the base of which, is located the famous Kedar Lake, which was our final destination.
 |
| Mt. Thalayasagar Peak |
We crossed the few water points and began our descending journey through steep loose muddy terrain. It was very risky, as a single false step could have lead to nasty fall, as we were staring at partially frozen Kedar Ganga beneath.
 |
| Descending to Kedar Ganga |
We were told that earlier, the trek to Kedar Kharak was approachable, but the entire stretch was washed due to unprecedented heavy rains of June, 2013, which had wreaked havoc in Garhwal Division of Uttarakhand. However, we treaded cautiously on this risky trek and managed to cross the frozen path of the Kedarganga.
 |
| Kedar Ganga |
 |
| Crossing the Kedar Ganga Glacier |
 |
| Crossing the Kedar Ganga Glacier |
Here onwards, one has to pass through the boulders alongwith the Kedarganga. We had to pass through numerous thick layer of snow over the stones in the streams. On the opposite side, we could also see the loose soil and stones rolling down the river, as a herd of bharal was crossing the muddy terrain.
Barring, the initial climb of one hour and the risky loose muddy terrain that we encountered, the trek to Kedar Kharak was relatively easy, as compared the previous day’s trek to Bhoj Kharak.
 |
| Kedar Kharak Campsite |
At about, 12.00 P.M., we reached our destination and set up our camp there, keeping in view the availability of water nearby. As we were preparing food for our lunch, we could see a herd of bharals nearby. They maintained a safe distance but were in vicinity for about 3 hours or so, perhaps either they were feeling secured with us or for food. This pleasant site gave us ample time to shoot their pictures through our cameras. As evening approached, the climate got chillier and windy and we put on monkey cap over our heads. We had our vegetable soup/tea and then liquid food, before entering into tent for early night sleep.
 |
| Kedar Kharak Campsite |
 |
| Bharals |
Day no. 5 - 11th June 2015(Kedar Kharak- to Kedar Tal and back to Bhoj Kharak -15 kms trek)
It was cloudy in the evening a day before. In the night, it also rained lightly, making us worrisome. In the morning, we woke up early at 5.00 A.M. It was partially cloudy and we decided to leave for Kedartal as early as possible. We want to be sure that by evening our camp should be at Bhoj Kharak instead of Kedar Kharak, due to threat of rain looming large that could have made the muddy path to Bhoj Kharak slippery, besides swelling of the streams. So we put all our readily eatable items and rain-coats in one rucksack and left for Kedar Trek at 6.00 AM. This trek is the most laborious of all, with total barrenness and continuous ascending journey over loose rocks, largely snow covered, all along the trek. Sufficient bottles of water were kept in the bag to ward off dehydration. As we kept on ascending, with the mighty Thalasagar in the backdrop, we could also feel the effect of high altitude over our body.
 |
| Jaspal Rawat and Prem Bist enroute Kedartal |
 |
| Rajesh Lakhera and Prem Bist enroute Kedartal |
 |
| Way to Kedartal |
 |
| Recharging before gearing up once again |
 |
| Way to Kedartal |
 |
| Approaching Kedartal |
 |
| Mount Thalayasagar |
 |
| Mount Thalayasagar in middle and Meru on left |
It was tiresome to cross one steep ridge after another, that kept us in waiting, in search of the Kedartal lake. Finally, we crossed the last steep ridge at about 9.30 AM and the grand spectacle of Kedartal with majestic peaks all around that fed it water, befolded before our eyes.
 |
| Frozen Kedartal |
We descended about 100 meters or so to reach on the banks of the lake. It was mostly frozen. We relaxed a bit and took several pictures of ourselves against the backdrop of the lake and the peaks.
 |
| Kedartal 16500 ft |
 |
| Prem Bist at Kedartal |
 |
| Rajesh Lakhera at Kedartal |
 |
| Jaspal Rawat at Kedartal |
 |
| The Team |
After spending 45 minutes, we took a retreat. It was comparatively easy as it was a descending journey and made full use of snow slide, wherever possible, to reach our base camp at Kedar Kharak, as early as possible. We reached there by noon and wasted no time in folding our tents and luggage for onwards march to Bhoj Kedar on the same day. We crossed the steep muddy path cautiously one after another. Once we reached up, it was comparatively easy. Once, we got nearer to our Bhoj Kharak campsite, it started raining. Thus, in hindsight, it was a wise decision to leave Kedar Kharak, as rains could have made this muddy path slippery and very difficult to climb. Finally, we reached at Bhoj Kharak at about 3.30 P.M. After covering 15 kms trek. It was very cold and we collected few fallen logs of Bhoj tree and set it on fire to keep ourselves warm. We also sipped hot vegetable soup. In late evening, when it was dark, we had rice and dal and then took refuge in our tent for sleep.
Day no. 6 - 12th June 2015
(Kedar Kharak- to Gangotri-- 5 kms trek and
then from Gangotri to Kamand 165 kms by car )
We had decided to leave this place at the earliest possible to reach Gangotri in time so that we could reach nearer to Rishikesh on the same day. So, we left that place by 6.00 p.m. Hardly, we have walked few meters, we had again to pass through spider wall that we had crossed earlier while ascending it. In the morning it was very hard and slippery and everyone was finding difficult to have a firm grip of their feet on the snow.
 |
| Spider Wall like patch of snow but dangerously slippery in early morning. |
Even one member of our team lost his grip and he slipped downwards some 30 meters down. At this juncture, when others members were very concerned about his safety, he remained totally unfazed and showed remarkable cool and experience, to overcome this hurdle. As we kept our march downwards, the team encountered another two spider walls but managed to cross it. While descending, we again relished the picturesque surrounding around us. Unfortunately, at around 9.00 A.M., just half an kilometer above Gangotri, when our porter kept his rucksack on the edge of the path, it lost its balance and went down rolling deep in the gorge, where Kedar Ganga was flowing. The porter descended down the slope only to tell us later, after more than one hour, that he could not retrieve the same. We had lost our rucksack, which contained our tents, utensils, stove etc. But the spirit of our successful adventure overcame this momentary grief and we left Gangotri at about 10.30 A.M. for Rishikesh in our car.
 |
| Harsil |
 |
| Harsil |
While returning, we halted at Harsil, a small hamlet and cantonment, famous for its lush deodar forests, apple orchids and serene environment that fascinated us all. We also took a halt at Gangnani to take a bath in the hot sulphur water that removed all our exhaustion and felt invigorated. We had a lunch around 3.00 PM, when we have crossed Uttarkashi. At about 6.00, we reached Kamand and decided to stop for night halt.
 |
| A sun set view from Kamand |
.
Day no. 7 - 13th June 2015
(Kamand- Rishikesh-Noida---330 kms)
We left Kamand at about 4.45 AM and after covering 100 km drive, reached Rishikesh at about 8.30 AM. We decided to take the Chilla route, all along the Ganga canal, that took us to Haridwar, bypassing the Rishikesh-Haridwar route that remains congested. By 2.30 P.M, we were in respective homes.
In the end, we could say that it was a memorable trek, full of natural beauty and challenges alike. Though an avid traveler will always be ready to accept all the challenges of the expedition, yet we would advice first time trekkers not to attempt the same. Further, as it is not trekked frequently, with no facility uphill, it will be in your interest to hire a guide that could lead you to correct path.
No comments:
Post a Comment