Sankri is a charming and peaceful village with trekkers visiting it during the season. It is a trendy destination now among adventure travellers. I was feeling relaxed even after a long drive. The main towns i remembered along the route from Dehradun to Sankri were Mussoorie, Purola pass, Mori, and Naitwar. The roads after Purola pass were amazing dense pine forests and curves made the trip amazing. River Tons adds to the beauty of this fantastic Himalayan paradise. Gushing river waters make the view beautiful i wised had more time to capture smooth slow exposure photographs. Pine wood-burning and pine trees smell overwhelms everywhere in the air as you enter Sankri. Trekkers were allocated their rooms for the night. Our trek leader took us around Sankri and showed us the Market, Mandir. Later in the night, we were taught about backpacking and explained about our trekking plans for the next week. A thorough explanation and Q&A rounds held. We were advised to sleep early after dinner as we need to rest well before venturing out for KedkarKantha Trek.

We woke up at 6 am the misty morning had bone shivering chill in the air. Breakfast was served at 7 am we all were informed to be ready by 8 am for the trek. We started trekking towards our first campsite. All of us were excited, walking through meadows, streams following nearby, soaring pine trees blocking the sun. The light was somehow managing to escape the expanse of the Pine Forest and touching the ground. Pine and Maple tree leaves formed a natural carpet covering the trekking route in some parts. I met few Pahari local mountain people very shy they welcomed us with a warm smile. Our trek leader had informed us we could see wild boars and many birds who make the oak trees their home. We reached our first destination Juda-Ka-Talab a beautiful alpine lake circled by Pine Forest. The Talab located at 9100 feet above sea level. We pitched our tents facing the lake, and it took us 4 hours to reach till Juda-Ka-Talab. After our lunch, I went around, clicking images, and enjoying my time in the lap of nature. The sunset was out of the world after we sat by the fire, playing games, and sharing stories. The night filled with stars, we did some stargazing. Later i retired into our warm tents little exhausted but satisfied.

Early morning wake up call was given around 6.30 am, breakfast spread was fantastic bread omelette, bread butter jam, coffee, chole puri, and of course, Maggi after our substantial breakfast trek leader instructed the dos and don ts for the day. Our destination, Talketra base campsite, was 2.5 km trek from Jua Da Talab at the height of 11,200 feet above base sea level. The trek route pace was comfortable. We gained proper height today, walking through vast forest; the ridge became steeper. We reached Talketra campsite by 1 pm at the campsite. Our trek leader kept us engaged with some activities. We got some mountaineering gear like micro-spikes, gaiters, and acclimatization details were shared. Our campsite was lovely. I was counting the shooting stars glowing across the sky for a brief moment.

Kedarkantha peak Summit Day, we were woken up at 4:00 am. After our early breakfast, we started our climb till the Peak. The trek was challenging today and a long exciting day ahead. I had to summit the mountain and descend on the same day. We took the marked trailed through most of the climb. It took us around four hours to reach the Peak, Climb up is long and steep. Marvellous scenery and the plesant weather made the hike less difficult even for the first-timer like me. Sunrise was beautiful, with the landscape kept changing colours as the sun started to reach higher in the sky. The final peak climb becomes somewhat tricky and demanding. After reaching the Peak, i was thrilled at the 360-degree view of the Himalayas filled with immense joy and pride in conquering the Kedarkantha Peak. Looking at the snow-capped mountains around me was like meditation and relaxing exercise. After all, the efforts and planning my dream of the first Himalayan trek and reaching the summit had come true.

After spending ample time at the Kedarkantha summit, we started our descend to our base camp. Our lunch was ready; it was the best one i had in a long time. We all fellow trekkers gathered around sharing our experience and achievements among our self. Our trek leader congratulated us on achieving on completing the trek and was happy as the group had no injuries. We all sat around the campfire, discussing the final push till the Peak. We all slept early that night after an exhausting day.

We started our trek to Sankri after a leisure morning. We were descending to 6400 feet above sea level, retracing the same trek route we had taken earlier. Ours descend through pine trees, and evergreen Uttarakhand felt like greenery encircles us. Looking at streams flow endlessly one last time. Our trek leader showed us Har Ki Dun valley in the distance we all started discussing next trek. On reaching Sankri, i visited many eateries and bought some souvenirs to take with me home. I enjoyed a well-earned trek after a long time. The next day i said adieu to my fellow trekkers and boarded the bus for Dehradun. A well-spent few days in the Himalayas.