Trek to Kedarkantha- Uttarkashi, India

I’m thrilled, elated and humbled that I could fulfil one of my dreams by taking this journey, the trek to one of Himalayan range- Kedarkantha.

This trek has given me many learnings and one of them is –

“Life is not about knowing, accumula

ting things, people or knowledge, Life is about knowing Self !

We haven’t known anything if we haven’t known Self !

All the mystery, knowledge, intelligence, wisdom lies there… in knowing Self.

Universe is there, God is there…. in Self, within Self.”

Though I have been traveling and trekking but this has been my first Himalayan trek, trek in snow clad mountain.

It has been a life altering experienc

e and I am already looking forward for the next one with my back pack ready, especially to Himalayas.

It’s my commitment to myself to continue with my expedition till I can.

It brings transformation, at least in my case it has and I can safely say this for others as well, based on my conversation and interaction with fellow trekkers, trek leaders, and other staffs.

I always used to think that once you reach to the peak, you get to experience something out of the world, rather your world changes but here I was wrong. I experienced that transformation doesn’t happen at the peak but it starts the moment you take your first step on the mountain and it multiplies, the transformation multiplies with each step one takes on the mountain and that’s what happened with me.

The journey wasn’t about scaling the heights or just ascending and descending the mountain, the journey wasn’t external, it was an internal journey for me and with this I got a step closer to myself.

Here I would like to mention a Quote of Kabir which I totally believe in…

“Jyon til mein tel hai aur chakmak mein aag, tera sai tujheme hai tu jag sake to jag.”

Meaning: Like the oil exists inside the s

esame seeds and fire in the match stick, likewise your god is also in you, if at all you can wake up and realise it.

Another very important aspect of such expeditions is; it helps one to become a better human being, from all perspectives.

It makes one humble, empathetic, sensitive, attuned to fellow beings, actually to all living beings and then spread even beyond that… goes to non- living things also!

That’s simply amazing.

One learns to ‘live’, not survive, with b

asics or even below basic necessities and needs. Actually, we don’t have much needs, it’s all wants and that never ends.

Mountains and people from there teach us to live selflessly, happily with just few needs.

I got so much learning from the trek leaders, staffs and the trek organization too; Starting from an effort towards saving even a single drop of water, to recycle, to zero waste, to no to plastics, to no dustbin coz you don’t create any waste, to use of solar power, to use of saw dust for cleaning utensils in three steps so that no water gets wastage, to using natural toilet system.

Using only natural food, no packaged food, no carry bags.

So much to learn and so long journey we have to take.

It’s our responsibility to take care of nature

, to give respect to nature.

My journey started with amazement and wonderment!

Those welcoming, simple, sweet, selfless and loving locals, beautiful nature and good testing climb which were greeted by innocent local kids.

Each step I was taking up, it was mak

ing me realize my insignificance and how mighty the nature, the mountain is, but at the same time how accommodating and loving the mountain is! It takes each one in its arm… openly without any discretion. But it also tells us to be humble, grounded and not to ever challenge the nature or mountains.

Each step on the ascend was feeling like a last step of my life and my mind would tell me- That’s it, You can’t go beyond this! But silently the mountain kept on supporting me, pushing me and I kept taking one steps after another … and continued!

That made me realize the human limitations that we create for ourselves. Actually, our strength and true potential begins where we think it to be the end …. just after that it starts!

Yes, it’s all in the mind!

I experienced the nature at its best and in all of its colours.

Journey was welcomed by deep red Rhododendron flowers blooming everywhere.

There I heard a very interesting saying ab

out mountains-

“Mumbai ke fashion aur pahadon ke mausam ko badalte der nahi lagti!”

Didn’t know about Mumbai ka fashion but true about Pahadon ka mausam…!

No sooner, the clear day turned into super chilly, cloudy weather and soon it started to rain.

The cold increased, the ascend got m

ore difficult as it was quite steep and with rain the path got slushy and sleepery, making it really hard to climb.

We were all drenched, shivering with cold, numb and freezing.

But in next few hours, behold, a clear sky and the most beautiful sunset and we got totally submerged into the beauty of Nature.

The ascend kept becoming more and more beautiful with snow clad paths and beautiful meadows and forests with pine trees and most beautiful, now turning into pink, rhododendron flowers.

Night walk was another experience in itself. Walking through the woods in the dark where you simply surrender yourself to the mountain and forest. Yes, it’s a bit of scary also but somewhere one gets some kind of faith in the mountain.

Night slumber were total adventure and fun too. We slept in tents, inside sleeping bags with sleeping liners which truly felt like heaven in those freezing cold. We were being guarded by 3- 4 mountains dogs.

Forgot to mention the most important an

d constant companions of our journey- those wonderful dogs, kept on walking with us throughout, stayed with us on the campsite, ensured our safety without any expectations exactly like the mountain people totally selfless!

Another high point of this trek for me was- I had gone SOLO on this trek but have come back with a bunch of wonderful friends, which I am going to cherish lifelong.

I got a lot from this trek, a lot! It has been majestic, mesmerizing, magical, out of world experience!