The day begins with Nitin giving us a wake-up call at 5.30 am and Heera Bhai serving us hot tea at our respective tents. It was a cold morning with bleak sunlight. After the initial push, we were up and ready by 7.30 am for our day long trek to Nichnai. Each one of us was filled with zeal and excitement, bustling with energy.

The trail begins with an ascent on the lush green meadows. These meadows directly overlook the Sonamarg town and as we trek higher and higher, the view of Sonamarg valley is mesmerising. We also came across a couple of local children on our way asking us for goodies. We were warned not to share any chocolates or goodies with them, as they would make it a habit and pester trekkers. We had to gain a height of 4,000 feet and hence the ascent was quite tasking. But the weather was splendid and hence it wasn’t too strenuous. I got introduced to some co trekkers on the way and as we spoke we realised that we had a lot of common friends in the other part of the world. Yes, we were in a different world altogether at this moment because we were absolutely cut off from civilisation. Once you reach the top of the meadows, what you see beneath is breathtaking.

Sonamarg valley

What follows next is a lovely dense forest of Maple trees. Walking on green bed grass amidst the maples is an experience unique to Kashmir. The Maple forests end at the top of the ridge and the other side gently slopes down to a meadow. The green grass, blue skies, the pines and the sound of the stream makes the experience exhilarating. We now descend down the meadow lined with silver birch trees and a couple of shepherd huts.

Shepherd huts

We then ascend on small peaks cladded with snow. This is the Shekdur pass. Trekking on old slippery snow is a challenge in itself. We have to land on the heel with every step, else there are chances of slipping. I slipped a number of times on the snow patch till I got accustomed to trekking on snow. We stopped at Shekdur, by the river side for lunch. Every day’s lunch was basic – one boiled egg, potato and a veg roll. It was a good mixture of carbohydrates and proteins. It’s very important to drink lots of water and stay hydrated throughout. We replenished our water bottles with crystal clear Himalayan water fresh from the river.

After a short lunch break, we now headed towards Nichnai. The next patch was very tough. It was a boulder patch and I find it hard to trek on boulders. You need to be extremely careful while placing your foot on the boulders as there are chances of injuring yourself with a wrong move. But boulder patches improve your concentration a lot. You are not thinking of anything and concentrating very hard on each step which is an experience in itself.

I was exhausted as the boulder patch ended and we had all now made it to a height of 11,500 feet. We could see the campsite from the top of the mountain and my heart jumped with joy on successfully completing the first milestone.

The campsite was located on the banks of Nichnai river. The view was stupendous with the mountains, patches of snow, boulders and the beautiful river. The sound of the water was so soothing to the ears. On arrival at around 3 pm, we were served with hot soupy Maggi and never had Maggi tasted so awesome. The weather, the mood was all so perfect. Now that we were at quite some height we had to get acclimatised. We did not rest in our tents, instead spent the entire evening appreciating mother nature and its beauty. Nikhil and I sat by the river singing old Hindi songs. I saw my brother Abhi sketching the landscapes. Everybody was lost in their own world trying to feel one with nature. When you have no gadgets to distract you, your creative self is automatically alleviated.

      As the sun set, there were slight showers and the temperature dipped to about 5 degrees. It was extremely cold and we were shivering even with thermals, balaclava and heavy down jackets. All of us got into the dinner tent to play Antakshari and it was super fun. The session went on for a long time with everyone showing great participation. After dinner, we retired to our tents and it was the best sleep ever.

 

  We were mentally prepared for a long trek and woke up by 5 am and set out for the trek by 7.15 am. The trail was extremely picturesque. Our first destination was to cross Nichnai Pass (13,500ft). The scenery kept changing throughout and the steep ascent was gorgeous. The trail was lined with huge snow capped mountains on the left side. Once we reached the peak of Nichnai pass, there was a steep descent. This was a long stretch of snow descent. Well, this was not just tiring but was equally funny to see yourself and others slipping, falling and skating on ice. We had our share of snow ball madness throwing snow balls at one another and still managing to keep balance.

 

  The green patch ended with a slight descent towards the campsite. I was extremely tired on reaching and my shoulders ached a lot due to the backpack. We rested for a while at the campsite and then trekked further on for 3 more kms to reach our first lake destination – Lake Vishansar. When I first laid my eyes on this beguiling lake, my jaws dropped. I stood on the mountain peak opposite to the lake and was wonder struck by its beauty. It was hard to believe and I pinched myself to check if I was dreaming. I had never come across such a gorgeous water body in my entire life. It was stunningly scenic with mountains on one side and the sun shining brightly. The sun rays were shimmering on the water making it look magnificent.