If the rest of the treks in India are on 35mm,The Kashmir Great Lakes is on a 70mm canvas

Kashmir Great Lakes trek – Aug 2018   - https://youtu.be/ox_rryydcRA

If the rest of the treks in India are on 35mm,The Kashmir Great Lakes is on a 70mm canvas…Those were the words I heard  in the first video I saw on KGL( Kashmir Great lakes).The more I browsed, the more exciting & inviting it looked. There were only two challenges I saw in front of me to get to their trek, Convincing my family for a trek in Kashmir that too without any communication for a week….This was June 2017

When one says Kashmir, one thinks of natures gift to mankind. Even the thought of a trek through this was so thrilling . The urge to do the trek was strong. It was June of 2017 and this trek is normally open from July to September. So I parked in the corner of my mind & kept gathering more information on it. We are a group of 5 friends who normally try some days off together once a year. This had not happened for 2 years. When I met them in Jan 2018, I casually asked them about their interest in this trek expecting a NO. The stars were aligned on Jan 8^th, 2018. Both agreed instantly and over the next 10 days, we registered for the trek & booked flights. This was categorized as a medium- difficult trek so we had to get physically & mentally ready for it. Closer on timeline, I had a Bhutan trek in April which was categorized as a moderate trek. I figured it would be      good practice for  KGL Trek( Kashmir Great Lakes)

Between Shalini, Shvetha and me, there were a lot of exchanges , do’s , don’ts, reminders on various aspects( things to carry, to avoid, regular exercises prescribed ,breaking it to family, trying to  address their concerns .

Finally we left for Srinagar on 3^rd. The trek was to start on 4^th August. We were to report by evening of 4^th @base camp. On 3^rd we explored Srinagar spent time on a peaceful shikara ride  followed by a walk around Dal Lake. Incidentally a run around Dal lake is 20 kms, a perfect venue for a Half Marathon!!!First myth busted. It was so safe and peaceful to walk in Srinagar .We walked from the Lake to our hotel stopping by for some amazing parathas , rajma and ginger tea in the roadside restaurant.

The trek itinerary was like this

Day 1: Reach Sonamarg.

Day 2: Sonamarg (7,780 ft) to Nichnai (11,838 ft); 9.6 km, 6.5 hours

Day 3: Nichnai (11,838 ft) to Vishnusar (12,011 ft); 12.5 km, 7 hours

Day 4: Vishnusar (12,011 ft) to Gadsar (12,200 ft) via Gadsar Pass (13,850 ft); 11.5 km, 7.5 hours

Day 5: Gadsar (12,200 ft) to Satsar (12,100 ft); 8.6 km, 4.5 hours

Day 6: Satsar (12,100 ft) to Gangabal (11,651 ft); 9.5 km, 6 hours

Day 7: Buffer day . Decision to be taken by trek leader

Day 8: Gangabal (11,500 ft) to Naranag (7,450 ft) and drive to Srinagar; 11 km, 6 hours. You will reach Srinagar by 8.00 pm

Day 1: Reach Sonamarg.

4^th  morning we were packed 3 ways, one backpack for offloading, one backpack which we would carry through the trek & a 3^rd  left @ the hotel with clothes post trek. We left early to explore Thajwas Glacier in Sonamarg. This apparently is a favorite shooting spot for many Hindi Movies . Once done we reported to base camp. Each of us individually had to submit, Medical certificate, Disclaimer and Oxymeter reading to check  Oxygen saturation level, pulse rate and BP was checked. Based on reading, some were advise to get into Diamox dosage to help body to acclimatize. We were starting @ 7850 mts and the highest point we would touch 13800 during the trek. This is categorized as an High Altitude Trek . I was extra careful  not to be tempted by the weather and keep my head covered. It was mandated that there would be minimum 3 per tent. This, for me, was bigger acclimatization as I had not shared even hotel room with friends.

Need to mention. India Hikes has a Green mission. Each one of us were given an Eco bag at the start of the trek and requested to pick any trash which was not bio degradable. At the end of each day we could empty the object collected into a sack. Its an commendable initiative and they take it very seriously

Day 2: Sonamarg (7,780 ft) to Nichnai (11,838 ft)

There were instructions given on the night for the next day and a POA shared at the start of the days trek. As we went through the trek, we got used to “5,6,7”, @5 tea was ready for self help,@6 breakfast was announced and @7 we were to  set out for the days trek.Each of us carried our plates, mugs , washed it post eating/drinking. Around 6.30 lunch was ready for us to pack & carry .Most of the days we carried packed lunch to be had on route. The first day on the trek was an ascent of 1500 ft which is quite substantial. The sun was up and blazing down in all glory. During the walk I realized that a good part of the trek we would be above tree cover!!!Thankfully continuous hydration and reminders by guides to take steady, slow baby steps helped most of us complete day 1 with no challenges.  There were concerns on time taken by a few trekkers .A mandatory health check & stretches on reaching campsite was a routine. We were also given tips on ways to walk  in ascent & descent  as well as how to tie the shoe lace  during ascent & descent. Evening routine was typically tea with snacks @ 4/4.30 & dinner @7.We retired by latest 8.30 much unlike our routine .

Day 3: Nichnai (11,838 ft) to Vishnusar (12,011 ft).

Abhi toh bus angadai hai , aage aur chadayee hai…….!!!!

Another hot and sunny day. The climb was tough. The reward was mind blowing. As we summited the day, each one of us , as we sighted  Vishnusar, exclaimed with happiness and joy. The cold nippy air and the first view of Vishnusar was the perfect recipe  to end the day on a high( no pun).We reached our campsite and post tea few of us went to feast our eyes and soul with more of Vishnusar..The calmness of the lake, the silence around, the lake surrounded by mighty mountains with remnants of winter gone by was just picture perfect. A very rewarding day. On the way back from the lake, we saw the guides enjoying a game of cricket

Day 4: Vishnusar (12,011 ft) to Gadsar (12,200 ft) via Gadsar Pass

We were to start a little earlier to ensure we got a good camp site spot so we were all set to leave camp by 6.15. It was a 3 kms steep ascent followed by a view of twin lakes Vishnusaar and Krishnasar. As soon as we reached the 3 kms  mountain ascent , a light drizzle started  which soon turned into heavy rains. The view of the twin lakes was literally washed out and the walk through the meadows became the biggest challenge. The descend was first through boulders and then combined with the area having turned into a huge slush.It was difficult to keep balance . it was so challenging and required all  our strength to keep from skidding .As we pulled out  a leg  from the slush, the next step was into deep slush with no scope to brake. On our right was meadows with slush, on our left was a slope to take you right down and in front was half foot slushy pathway. There was no relent from the rain. Overall the distance of the day was 14.7 kms,3 kms was the initial difficult ascent  followed by a continuous walk for 11+ kms for most of us. We passed  Gadsar lake amidst heavy rains.Most of us skipped  our packed lunch as there was no place to sit & have it and more importantly the need to dry our selves. Our shoes were full of slush , so were our pants.The camp  seemed  to be hidden away for the longest time, our legs and toes hurting but the mind kept  pushing us step by step. Finally the camp spotted beyond the Gadsar Checkpost which is manned by the Indian Army. We had to get clearance from them to go further. Salute to them for manning the post in such challenging  weather conditions. We cleaned  our clothes in the flowing water and campsite became  a dhobi ghat with all clothes left for drying . We also had lovely views of a snow bridge formed by a left over glacier .It was a damp & wet evening which left us  with a set of wet clothes to be carried. In the middle of the night, one of the fellow trekkers was hit by HAPE( High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) and needed to be descended quickly to our  Day 6 campsite to normalize his breathing. The medical attention & action was swift and the updates we received  were positive .He  recovered as soon as he reached the designated campsite.

Day 5: Gadsar (12,200 ft) to Satsar (12,100 ft)

The day opened as a foggy day and we kept searching for the sun in the dark clouds. The moment the sunlight streaked through the sky, a cheer went up from our campsite. This was to be the easiest day and  the bonus was  no packed lunch but hot lunch @campsite. We crossed the snowbridge and enjoyed a great walk through the mountains with perfect weather. After 3 kms of singing & waltzing through the trek, the weather suddenly turned gloomy. The rain started and poured down as we neared Satsar check post. Satsar is  point which has seven lakes and all we did was fight against the rain & strong wind. The combination of the rain & strong wind was ultimate test of endurance. To add to the agony we had a “white out”( dense fog) .The shortest day seemed to never end .The last part of the walk for the day was though rocks …Rain with walk on rocks is not fun. On reaching the campsite, we quickly changed  into dry clothes. The sleeping bags were also damp/cold/wet as some of the horses had lost way in the White out .It took us almost 2 hours to stop chattering. It took a long time for anyone to step out on our tents despite of the dedicated support team getting tea ready. We finally got out of our tents to have some warm tea. That really helped. As the day drew to a close we had two sets of wet clothes to handle.

Day 6: Satsar (12,100 ft) to Gangabal (11,651 ft)

Thankfully the sun came out with all brilliance. This was to be one of the most challenging days where we had to navigate through huge boulders for a good part of the day. Days like this need mind & body in total sync. A sincere thanks to all the Guides who were there like mountain goats jumping around guiding ,encouraging and navigating people. Through the trek, their constant “ Shabash Shabash” was so reassuring. Their sincerity & amazing temperament to their work has to be seen to be believed. Fog kept playing hide & seek so our opportunity to see Harmukh along with Gangbal & Nundkol in one view was a reduced.We reached Gangbal, also known as Yamsar and spent some time of the banks of this beautiful vast lake .Gangbal along with Harmukh feeds Nundkol . We camped along the banks  of  Nundkol, our last campiste. There was another group also who set camp closeby. We enjoyed a few rounds of Frisbee with that team.There was a discussion to utilize the buffer day  in this campsite .After some deliberation, it was decided not to utilize the buffer day and proceed to final spot the next day.

3 of the 6 days of our trek, we spotted the Milky Way and a starlit sky. I tried capturing the star studded sky with the limitations the camera had .

We had a short felicitation ceremony where we were given certificates for completing the trek.

Day 7: Gangabal (11,500 ft) to Naranag (7,450 ft) and drive to Srinagar

The day opened with capturing the sunrise  on Harmukh. It was a brilliant start to the day. The  sunrise over Harmukh, the stream flowing through the valley, The horses crossing the stream getting ready to start the day and the view of endless green meadows.  We started the trek for the day ,it was one day we  could safely roll without the fear of a risky fatal fall.The setting was perfect. Lush green endless meadow, Harmukh glacier visible for a longtime, a walk through the woods brought us to our final dhaba where I had my final khahawa of the trek. The walk through the woods turned  into a cobbled path .The twists and turns and this cobbled path were killer for the toes .Finally when we got to levelled ground we had forgotten how to walk to levelled ground!!! The leg on levelled ground felt like jelly . As we had reached a day early,the dhaba was unprepared .The kitchen staff with us helped the Dhaba put up a simple quick lunch.We had  tempos arranged to drop us @ Srinagar . The heat was unbearable and we were all trekkers desperately needing a good bath.

We had a little struggle getting rooms a day earlier but   hotel staff were very supportive and managed to organize our rooms. A hot shower after 8 days was so welcome.That with the bed was like the best reward post the Great Lakes Trek.

The next day we had plans for zojila pass but were advised against it as the timing did not work in our favour so we settled for a tour to some places around Srinagar which none of us had seen before( as Shalini & I had had visited Srinagar before). We went around Jama Masjid,Hazratbal, PariMahal  and then did some shopping. We also managed  roasted corn, Bhel puri and Panipuri through the drive around. Next morning we were heading back to Bangalore after a heavenly experience leaving behind a part of our hearts in Kashmir and taking back the bountiful to beauty it had given us.

There is absolutely no doubt that Kashmir , especially the Great lakes, is heaven on earth…….. and we lived there for a few days




Its hard to capture the rich experiences I went through, Starting with the irony, as mighty & as daunting  the mountains seem, you feel protected & safe ,the  people I connected with, their simplicity & earthiness is unbelievable in this time and age,  Kashmir  caught in multi fanged web, the way I saw it, from what I heard & gathered, the unspoken camaraderie amongst trekkers, the  warmth & mehmannawazi  in Kashmir from drivers( Gulzar, Arshad )to the hotel staff( Ghazella) to the super committed trek guides ( Samkit, Bilal Farooq, Arsheed,Bhupindar ),the support staff, Kitchen lead by Mukesh who got us our meals to hot & fresh with so  much thought on what should be eaten when & the camp support team who walked with the same distance daily and still got our campsite up on time and so many more cherished experiences

Sincere prayer for  Kashmir to stay beautiful, peaceful forever…..
https://youtu.be/ox_rryydcRA

VishnuSar

 

Twins Lakes of Vishusar & Kishansar

 


Gadsar Lake

 

one of the 7 Lakes in Satsar

 



Banks of the serene & vast Gangbal lake

 


Nundkol Lake

 

Gangbal Lake

 

Gangbal Lake

 

Haramukh Peak

Gadsar

Gadsar