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Thebackpackingboots, Uttarkashi (2026)

13/09/2020

Evidently from the last post, after the horrendous experience and a failed attempt to summit on Kuari Pass, I decided to do a solo trek to get out of my comfort zone. This time I was fitter, leaner and eager for the climb.

KEDARKANTHA - The name literally means the throat of Lord Shiva, the destroyer and creator of the world. The folklore says that it is supposed to be the original Kedarnath temple but Lord Shiva, who disguised himself as a cow hiding from the Pandavas was disturbed during meditation by village folks and he disappeared to the mountain we now know as Kedarnath. The summit of the KedarKantha trek is a technical one, which starts at 3AM, my only reason to choose this trek. Getting to base camp was an easy task for me as compared to Kuari Pass, you won't believe what magic can fitness do and even the hard ascents are child’s play.
The night before, we had our dinner by 7PM and called it a night. No games were played and no stories were shared as everyone was too nervous to get up at 2 in the morning.

The summit is a steady climb at almost an inclination of 45 to 60 degrees and gaining 1250 feet in 2-3 hours. Everyone was struggling, breathing heavily, tired because of sleep deprivation and the cold weather. It was 4:30AM and the trail were lit by our headlamps and the moon. Everyone was walking in a straight line and as soon as I stepped aside to catch my breath and a sip of water the trek leader called me from behind to make sure everything was alright, to which I turned and was awestruck, my feet wouldn’t move. It was just before dawn when the sun is below the horizon and its rays are diffused and often pinkish to create the colors of twilight. I could hardly breathe. I looked at the horizon and the world seemed to stand still. I couldn’t utter a word. The view was blissful.
The whole group went past me and I was brought back to reality, I still had to conquer the Kedar Kantha Peak which was even more magical and spellbinding. The arresting 360 view of the snow-clad Swargarohini from the summit are intoxicating and beyond words to be penned down.

03/09/2020

In Mar 2017, my brother invited me on my first Himalayan trek, I was too excited to say No, a decision I would regret later. I had 4 days to gear up and went to to buy trekking gears, from socks to a walking stick, I bought it all. The excitement was at its peak & I was happy like a kid with his new toys, I was too stoked to think anything else but I was not fit at all.
In a day long journey on road I was changing the damn position & figuring out which would hurt my back a little less. In the evening while being briefed little did I know the next few days would unleash hell. I was late for the breakfast, ate a bowl of leftover kellogg’s with almost no milk, I was again the last one to board the vehicle & was about to commence a journey I was not prepared for.
The first day I was constantly on my knees trying to catch my breath & cursing myself. I couldn't even walk for 5 mins on a steep ascent with a brand-new backpack, I couldn’t enjoy the scenic route, the trail or the hike. All I did was ask the guide," how much further”? & every time with a smile he said, "a little more” trying not to push me off the cliff & hiding his anger behind that smile. Never he gave up on me even though I was not fit at all.
The 1st day of Kuari pass is 4 km & is doable in 3-4 hours, but I took 5+ & was again the last one to reach the campsite, was welcomed by a look from my brother & lunch, both cold. I couldn’t enjoy the trail, like the clear weather it was obvious that I lied about being fit. I wanted to go back, but the thought of being alone in the hotel & ruining my brother's trek bribed me to continue, but not before discussing it with the trek leader. He helped me in learning to take baby steps & advised to reduce some weight, I transferred some stuff in my brother's bag & some in the bags of fellow trekkers.
The storm couldn’t let us reach the summit but this trek taught me a lot, most importantly, fitness & now at least 3 months before a trek, I start my fitness regime. Even now I am still the last one, but I would be lost gazing now or with a smile I would be answering someone "a little more, the camp is almost here”

27/08/2020

We were all set for Chadar trek and around me, the mountains rose like granite piercing the blue skies, beneath me the water as crystal hard ice and within me, the feeling of being invincible,
This was the road that led us to the starting point of the trek, up until this point it was all fun and we were all pumped up to step on the might chadar, but as the bus started to make its way over narrow piles of sand, rocks and snow, we were scared and started to feel spiritless. The mountains were so wild and picturesque and so stark that I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Everything was either white or brown or white!
In summers the Zanskar becomes a thrashing and a roaring beast with its famous class IV and above rapids, but as we stepped onto the chadar it was totally opposite to what we've heard up until now, the water was calm and the ice was clear enough to reflect your soul. The stillness of the mountains and the water had seeped into me, the days after were spent on blanket of ice and the nights under the blanket of stars, it was nothing like I have ever done before.
I have climbed a few mountains all with a sense of achievement that is internal and cannot be matched or ever expressed. There is something about standing on the summits of mountains, it’s that incredible and unrivalled feeling of achievement u get from climbing, you feel empowered to do anything in life, you feel invincible again !
- Leh, 2019

📷

24/08/2020

I wouldn’t have believed if someone told me that this is where it all begins; this is where you’ll find it and this is the place you were supposed to be. Meeting you was not planned, it was fate, but I am glad to have met you and I am grateful for this time together. Never have I regret meeting you or the time I spent with you.
It feels scary sometimes imagining life without you, and it’s tragic to live it without you. The way that you made me feel is nothing short of spectacular. You made me the happiest, you made me feel safe, and I felt that my heart had a home in you, but this separation was not our fault, it was fate that played its part. I am and will always be grateful to have found someone like you.
If I were to suddenly leave this world, I would be overjoyed that I experienced such a rare and honest form of love. Our relationship was my most treasured possession, and I will take this love with me wherever I go. I still miss you and I would have given anything to be with you, but life had other plans.
I’ll look forward to meeting you again and to feel peaceful. This time shall pass too and things will be back to normal, and once again I will be resting in your lap with a rucksack on my back and my boots walking towards you. I love you the mighty Himalayas and I miss you, until we meet again. ❤️

- Valley of Flowers, Uttrakhand, August 2019

20/08/2020

"Love at first sight"!

When you wake up and find yourself behind a window with a view like this, how can you not fall in love at the first sight ?

#2020 .in .ladakh

18/08/2020

It was around 2:30 in the night when I felt the urge to answer the nature's call, but I was facing this dilemma - TO P*E or NOT TO P*E!
My tent was hardly 10 feet away from the frozen river bed and I could hear the water flowing with that gushing sound and it was not helping at all. The temperature inside my sleeping bag was – 10, heaven compared to what I would face outside, easily around -30. It took me around 20 minutes to make the decision to get up and relieve myself. As I was hurryingly getting back, I stumbled on a rock and fell facing upwards, and I saw the greatest painting ever sketched on a canvas so big.

“It’s 3 a.m. and I am sitting alone, a few feet away from the icy river. Everything looks cold and every inch of the night sky was cluttered with stars, so clear that I have never seen in my life. The only sound I can hear is the gushing water and this time it’s peaceful. The wind seems to hold its breath and there is stillness everywhere. As I am sitting here collected, tranquil and adoring the serenity of the sky, I was mainly trying to convince myself that I am really here.”

I gazed at the eternity for almost 30 minutes before I felt the cold creeping in again. Extreme temperature was taking its toll, my hands and feet had become numb and there was no feeling of having a nose at all. I took some pictures from that night but I left behind something much more. I came back inside the tent with some mist in my eyes, or what seemed like mist, and thanking my stars for that extra half liter I had before sleeping.
Tibb Caves, Zanskar river, Leh 2019

14/08/2020

If case you were wondering, this is how 5 AM looks like at 11400ft in the gorge of Zanskar river at a temperature of -20 degree Celsius.
This was our first day camp site of the infamous Chadar trek, 'Tsomo Paldar'. The mandatory acclimatizing of 3 days in Leh is nothing compared to spending the first night on the frozen bed. You shiver all night, you toss and turn, your teeth won't stop chattering, and you try to keep yourself as warm as possible to keep that bone-chilling cold away from you in order to get some sleep, but nothing works at -20degrees. On the mighty Chadar, everything freezes but tears, even the zipper of your sleeping bags, that's right 'bags'. Here in chadar, you are provided with not one but two sleeping bags and 2nd not being the spare one, you would be sleeping in both of them, one atop another.
The Chadar is harsh, but it’s so stupendously beautiful and in couple of nights this cold becomes an intimate companion. You must be asking as to why a sane person makes himself go through something like this, and yes there is no right answer for this, but then again, we would be questioning the existence of an Adrenaline Ju**ie.

Zanska river, Leh 2019.

12/08/2020

On our last day of Hampta pass trek, we were visiting this beautifully nested lake between the mountains of Spiti Valley. When we visited the lake in the evening, the water was crystal blue in color and shades of clouds were wrapped around the mountains. This was the first look we had of the lake and it‘s not wrong to say that you will fall in love with it.
The lake got its name because of its crescent shape and this enticing site in Spiti valley bears huge significance in Indian mythology. According to the Hindu mythology, Chandratal is the place where Indra, the King of Gods, came down on his chariot to transport Yudhishthira, eldest of the five Pandavas, in his mortal form to Swarga. Locals believe that fairies visit the lake at night, it might be true but since the government has banned camping near the site, it's impossible to find out.

Tag your friends whim whom you wanna visit this lake.

11/08/2020

ON THE VOF TREK, I CAME ACROSS THE ABOVE POSTER, with a simple yet powerful message. True, the mountains are crying out loud & begging us to keep it clean else there would be no mountains to go back to.
Pre-pandemic, people were flocking the mountains & leaving behind tons of trash. Did you know that at high altitudes: it takes 2-5 years for a tissue, 300 years for a plastic bottle & 5 years for a chewing gum or a cigarette butt to decompose. So, on the next trek when you cringe on a tissue lying somewhere, remember it was the same tissue you threw out last year.
The way we are littering these mountains & leaving behind our legacies, we seem to have taken them for granted. There is an immediate need to aware the trekkers of the consequences. Everyone feels a sense of duty to keep their houses clean, but not the same towards mountains.
Each one of us is dying to get back on these mountains, but I beg you, as a trekker & as a human, let’s ensure that mountains should be garbage free. Do not litter & not just the mountains, remember, there is no Earth 2.0.
For me as a trekker, littering simply means not bringing back our non-biodegradable waste such as plastic bottles, wrappers etc.& it’s possible that you did not litter, but it doesn’t really make you a responsible trekker! If you see waste, make sure you clean up, forget who made it, be responsible towards the mountains.
There are co.’s & NGO’s working towards cleaner mountains. provide every trekker with an eco-bag that is tied around the waist & all their non-biodegradable waste goes into the bag.
Mr. founder of the Foundation.From selling his homestay business in Manali to cleaning 700,000 kilograms of waste from the mountains, he is cleaning our mess.
With the MHA guidelines allowing the tourism in Himalayan region, the companies already started bookings for the treks with safety measures against covid-19. With this new start they must issue guidelines for sustainable trekking & eco-friendly alternatives.
Consider 2020 as a clean slate & let’s make sure not to litter the mountains & bring back all the trash.Let’s create a clean & better environment together.

10/08/2020

On the VOF trek i came across the above poster, with a simple yet powerful message. True, the mountains are crying out loud & begging us to keep it clean else there would be no mountains to go back to.
Pre-pandemic, people were flocking the mountains & leaving behind tons of trash. Did you know that at high altitudes: it takes 2-5 years for a tissue, 300 years for a plastic bottle & 5 years for a chewing gum or a cigarette butt to decompose. So, on the next trek when you cringe on a tissue lying somewhere, remember it was the same tissue you threw out last year.
The way we are littering these mountains & leaving behind our legacies, we seem to have taken them for granted. There is an immediate need to aware the trekkers of the consequences. Everyone feels a sense of duty to keep their houses clean, but not the same towards mountains.
Each one of us is dying to get back on these mountains, but I beg you, as a trekker & as a human, let’s ensure that mountains should be garbage free. Do not litter & not just the mountains, remember, there is no Earth 2.0.
For me as a trekker, littering simply means not bringing back our non-biodegradable waste such as plastic bottles, wrappers etc.& it’s possible that you did not litter, but it doesn’t really make you a responsible trekker! If you see waste, make sure you clean up, forget who made it, be responsible towards the mountains.
There are co.’s & NGO’s working towards cleaner mountains. provide every trekker with an eco-bag that is tied around the waist & all their non-biodegradable waste goes into the bag.
Mr. founder of the Foundation.From selling his homestay business in Manali to cleaning 700,000 kilograms of waste from the mountains, he is cleaning our mess.
With the MHA guidelines allowing the tourism in Himalayan region, the companies already started bookings for the treks with safety measures against covid-19. With this new start they must issue guidelines for sustainable trekking & eco-friendly alternatives.
Consider 2020 as a clean slate & let’s make sure not to litter the mountains & bring back all the trash.Let’s create a clean & better environment together.

09/08/2020

" Every night i go to bed, i hope to wake up inside a 2x2 ."

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