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| Photo cred: Raveen |
Once again I landed a spot leading a Grade 10 trek for Activity Week. We headed north of Mussoorie to Govind Pashu National Park in the Uttarkashi district (the same area we've been trekking for the last two years). This year my trek was to Kedar Kantha, which is across the river valley from last year's Rupin Supin trek.
Day 1: After a day of bus travel from Woodstock to Sankri Village, we woke up in our roadside campsite just outside the village. I briefed the group on expectations and safety and we hit the trail. We spent the entire day walking uphill through deciduous forest and finally entering a more predominantly coniferous forest. Our campsite at Juda Talao was a spacious, hilly site with a black lake!
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Getting ready for our first day of hiking.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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Taking a breather.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Journaling time at Juda Talao. |
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Reading in my tent.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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(He's wearing a donkey hat, which makes this photo
funny.)
Photo cred: Raveen |
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Ready to get some chai!
Photo cred: Raveen |
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Afternoon chai.
Raveen |
Day 2: From Juda Talao we gained further elevation. Another day of totally uphill trekking, but this time with stunning views of the mountains. We indulged in a long lunch break to enjoy the panorama before heading up past the tree line to a campsite at cold and exposed Barinya.
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Thawing in the morning sun.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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Group shot before hitting the trail.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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View of Juda Talao from above.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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Morning snack break.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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Taking in the views.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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Swargarohini (part of the Bandarpunch range at a height
of 20,500 feet) |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Lunch spot. |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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Group shot.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Photo cred: Jana |
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| Photo cred: Jana |
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Boys being cavemen.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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| First glimpses of snow. |
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Arriving at our campsite. Kedar Kantha peak looming in
the distance. |
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| Self-portrait inside my tent. |
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| Cold campsite. |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Stunning sunset |
Day 3: Summit Day! We woke up to a light dusting of snow and overcast skies. We trudged uphill for a few hours in cold and windy conditions and made the summit by the late morning. From there, we started our traverse down the opposite side - scrambling down some steep, barren slopes and leisurely walking the ridgeline. We ended up at another exposed campsite at Dunda.
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| View from my tent in the morning. |
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| Looking down at our campsite. |
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Paul and our guide taking a break.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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Snow!
Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Kedar Kantha Summit! Unfortunately without any views. |
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Our summit day was also the day of Dussehra, a Hindu
festival. Our guides did a pooja on the summit and
shared some coconut with us. |
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| Photo cred: Jana |
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| Happy (and cold) summiters! |
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Group shot at the summit.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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The steep descent.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Our lead guide. |
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Ridge-walking.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
Day 4: After summiting we expected to start our descent. Instead, we found ourselves walking a surprisingly long distance along the ridge. There weren't many steep parts, but we did end up gaining more elevation - eventually reaching a higher point than our summit! It was a long day that ended with our guides not knowing where our camp was and a few illnesses and injuries to boot. We made our camp at Talavti.
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| Before the sunrise. |
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| Warming up with chai. |
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| Pre-breakfast walk to the ridge. |
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On top of the ridge.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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Morning walkers.
Photo cred: Raveen |
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| Frost shimmering in the morning sun. |
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| Mountain breakfast. |
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| Ridge-walking. |
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| Photo cred: Jana |
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| Photo cred: Raveen |
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Photo cred: Raveen
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The trail got pretty treacherous in spots - loose rocks,
icy trails. |
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| Tang + Snow = Snow cone! |
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| Our highest point (more than 13,000 feet). |
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| Celebrating with sledding! |
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Curious to see the sledding photos.
Photo cred: Jana |
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| Our campsite finally within sight! |
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| Cooks making dinner. |
Day 5. From Talavti we descended down to the road. We re-entered thick coniferous and deciduous forests and enjoyed a slightly warmer and less exposed walk. We passed through the village of Taluka and met our jeeps at the road there. We jeeped back to Sankri and stayed at our first campsite before heading back to Woodstock the next morning.
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| Group shot at Talavti. |
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| Village of Taluka. |
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| Drying amaranth. |
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| Walking through fields of amaranth. |
