Sunday, August 24, 2014

Kashmir Great Lakes - A Memorabilia

Courtesy: Sumita Chakraborty

I can never in my life express what my eyes witnessed and my soul experienced .You have to be there to believe it , to live it and experience it.

A month ago I was headed to what was going to be the most memorable 7 days of my life. I was headed to Mighty Himalayas in Kashmir. My first high altitude trek which was planned with utmost precision with no scope for any cancellation, accidents or changes, at any cost. Parents, Gear, tickets ,leaves everything was taken care of much in advance .I was accompanied by Surbhi , a friend for life and my Love for 8 years now.

It’s a 7 day Meadow trek that begins at Shitkuri in Srinagar and ends at Naranag. You get to witness 10 most magical lakes and that’s why it is called ‘’Kashmir Great Lakes’’.

In those 7 days I traversed thorough valleys, meadows, snow patches, streams of crystal clear water ascended  descended mountains slope , walked over mammoth boulders while my legs shivered , carved my way through snow patches, went on without shower for 6 days, quenched the thirst with fresh mineral water , ran after sheep and stopped only when they started running behind me, tried my hand at chapatti  making, befriended the humblest of people, stargazed for hours together, dipped in Ice cold water  ,challenged my limits , prayed hard not to blow away the toilet tents while I attended to nature's call, felt sorry seeing how humans didn’t leave a chance to destroy such a beautiful place , pinched myself to believe that such place exists , saw most magnificent fresh water lakes nestled so intrinsically in the midst of mountains, played volleyball on the slopes, slept to the roaring sound of streams , enjoyed kawah while making an attempt to count the stars and most importantly I LIVED IN THE MOMENT, every single second.

                                                                 Here's a Glimpse

     '' How I wished I could have a tiny little cottage right here for rest of my life'' -  Vishnusar Lake
 
Courtesy: Vinit Shah



                                                                       
                             This was my Love for the rest of the trip ''Gadsar'' - The lake of Fishes

Gadsar Lake
Courtesy: Vinit Shah














''Mountains bring you closer to your Irrelevance .They make you more humble , Joyous and Content ''



''The Path is always yours,you will fall more then once & then you'll just learn to Pick yourself Up ''

  

  ''This is What We slept to Every Single Night ''
Courtesy:Aditya Narayan



                                                                                 
Every Morning we would get up , pack our Bags, tighten our shoes & walk our way through to LIVE                                                                             this                                                                                               
The Twin Lakes :Gangbal - Nankul
Courtesy: Vinit Shah



                                                                              
They shared stories while we Celebrated Them - Meet the Heroes who guard Our Boundaries in the    toughest of Conditions

  
        
They would cover the same distance as we did in mere  2 hours , pitch tents for us and welcome us with all their hearts every single day
'' The Superheroes - Our Kitchen Staff''


It wasn't just a Trek , it was a Lifetime  Experience , it got me a little closer to the Real Myself and the marvels of nature.
I can never Thank Indiahikes  enough for putting up such a great team without whom the journey wouldn't  have been so  beautiful.

We already have next destination in Mind !! 
 When are you heading for kashmir Great Lakes Trek?

2 comments:

  1. nicely written.. we too experienced the same.. (trekker 8th aug batch)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those pics are amazing. Wow
    Especially the one with the stars

    ReplyDelete

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