Being my first solo travel and first mountain hike, doing a mountain summit is one of my bucket list and I don’t regret I have chosen ExoticCamp. Starting from well planned itinerary, transportation, Stay and with a wonderful host to guide us all. Arrangements of food to the group was on time with morning tea, breakfast, lunch, evening tea break, soup and dinner. To speak about Kedharkantha, it’s a physically challenging experience to do the summit with wonderful view of mountains and hike in woods. Hike Day 1, We have started a group of 13 with full of joy and motto to reach the summit and the night stay was memorable (stay inside the woods, present nature view, sunset, bonfire with local songs and lying on ground and looking at infinite stars). Hike Day 2 was a challenging hike inside forest woods to reach the base camp. On the way a pit stop at juda ka talab to experience magical and slippery frozen lake. Moving on, we have the first site of snow and being surrounded completely by forest woods and 13 of us. The Base Camp, a perfect place to be camped looking at our first site of Kedharkantha summit and with a beautiful view of mountain range, sunset and extreme temperature down till -8 to -9. Hike Day 3 (summit day) kick start by waking up by 2 Am at freezing temperature, this day was different with mountain covered with fresh snow all over, following the snow trail in deep dark, we had guides guiding us with the trail path at front and rare of our group. After a while found a good spot to experience the sunrise before the summit. The last 1 km to the summit was like 70• degree steep, but the feel and happiness you after you finish reaching the top of the mountain is speechless, the mountain range views, heavy winds, freezing breeze + heat from sun. Atlast all 13 of us has did the summit, took some amazing photos and spent some time on the summit with those range views. Then we have return to the base camp in the same route, while returning we can explore the whole lot of snow covered the whole mountain, it’s just white white white all over, which we have missed to see while going up in the dark. Spent day 3 night in base camp itself. The next day (Hike Day 4) chosen a different path back to Sankri via hargaon, which is full of forest woods declining.
I had a wonderful experience with this Kedharkantha trek(my first mountain hike which i didn’t regret), tagging up with ExoticCamp. Personally I feel, travel solo and make new friends join all together and enjoy the whole trekking and camping experience.
Thank you ExoticCamp!!!