Kedarkantha Trek

Pickup from Dehradun station by 7 AM. The drive heads north through Mussoorie's winding roads, past Purola, and into the Garhwal hills. By late afternoon, Sankri appears, a village at 1,900 metres where guesthouses cluster around a single road. Your Ettiq guide runs a gear check in the courtyard, weighs packs, hands out sleeping bags rated to -10°C. Dinner is hot daal and roti in the guesthouse kitchen, the last hot meal before the trail. Sleep early. The trek starts at first light.

The trail leaves Sankri through pine forest, the ground carpeted with needles. After an hour, snow appears in patches, then becomes continuous. The snow muffles sound, the forest goes quiet. Juda Ka Talab at 2,730 metres is a small lake frozen solid, a white oval in a clearing. Ettiq's camp is set up on the snow beside it. The crew has hot soup ready. The temperature drops below zero as the sun leaves the clearing. Everyone zips into their sleeping bags early.

The snow deepens as you climb. The trail crosses open meadows where the wind has sculpted the snow into waves. The forest thins and eventually disappears, replaced by a white expanse that stretches to the ridge. Kedarkantha Base Camp at 3,400 metres is a flat area ringed by snow-covered slopes. The summit ridge is visible from here. Ettiq's camp kitchen is set up behind a ridge for wind protection. Dinner is early. The guide briefs everyone on the summit push. Wake-up call is 3 AM.

Headlamps pierce the dark at 4 AM. The climb is steep, a white trail snaking up the mountain. Each step crunches into the snow. The sky begins to lighten around 6 AM, and suddenly the peaks appear: Swargarohini, Bandarpunch, Black Peak, the entire Garhwal range catching the rising sun. The summit at 3,800 metres is a small snow-covered dome with a 360-degree view. You stay ten minutes, fifteen, taking it in. The descent to Hargaon is long, the snow softening in the morning sun. Camp is set up in a meadow below the snow line.

The final descent goes through forest that gets greener as you lose altitude. The sound of birds returns. Sankri appears through the trees, the guesthouse roof, the smell of wood smoke. A hot shower, the first in days. Ettiq's team has a celebratory dinner laid out. Everyone talks about the summit sunrise, the moment the sky turned gold, the cold on the ridge, the feeling of standing above the world.

Morning departure after breakfast. The drive back through Mussoorie and into Dehradun. The mountains recede in the rearview. The trek ends at Dehradun station by afternoon. Kedarkantha was your first Himalayan summit. It won't be your last.