I am high at Mt Kanamo with Indiahikes

India is a wonderful place to be in if you love mountains. Trekking in the Himalayan range, which has terrains ranging from thick jungles, snow peaks, high altitude deserts and everything in between can be a very satisfying experience. I am blessed to be staying in Delhi; where I enjoy the best of both worlds. An overnight bus can take me to the hills and beyond.

Traveling in the hills means different things to different people like Char Dham yatra, cleaner air, vegetation, tea, bonfire, homestay, adventure, and for me, it means a journey into the unknown.

Every time I go to the mountains alone, with family or with friends, the wild is kind enough to hold my hand and guide me through its lands filled with million untold stories and lessons about life. Hills are like wrinkles on the forehead of my grand parents, representing the harsh reality, and an amazing life lived nonetheless, inspiring us to do the same.

Only last month I had driven down with my family to Great Himalayan national park for a beautiful trekking and fishing trip, And while doing so I had also booked a trek for myself with http://www.indiahikes.com for a new route launched by them in Lahaul and Spiti region to Mt Kanamo. Indiahikes as a company loses a lot of business each year, as they have to refuse people who do not match the fitness or experience criteria. For this trek itself, we required achieving a few 5km and 10 km timed runs before they let you make the payment. This definitely shook me up and actually helped me prepare mentally and physically for a 19600 ft summit.

With the summit at 5950 meters, this the highest I’ve ever trekked up to. A 360-degree view of the Himalayan range around me, it is the best thing I’ve done all my life. It took both preparation and hard work to make it here, and it was totally worth it.

Mt Kanamo lies in the cold desert mountain valley called Spiti, which lies in North India. The terrain is unique with scree and boulder moraine, which makes your trek even tougher. The base camp itself is 4270 meters, and it takes few days to get acclimatized. The first camping site above Kibber is at 15700 ft, which is higher than most trek summits we do across India. Well, apart from acclimatization the trek is not technical at all. Get fit and pack appropriate clothing, and you are all set. Indiahikes has videos, which apart from giving you a fair idea about the trek also help you prepare and pack your backpacks appropriately.

As you get closer to your trek date, Indiahikes introduces you to the remaining of the group, which comprises of some of the most amazing and grounded individuals with exceptional stories of their own. Well, this time 13 such individuals were part of my group apart from the team leaders and support staff. Once we got to know each other better, the unending sessions of roasting each other during the trip never stopped.

Itinerary

Indiahikes takes care of your trip from Kaza, but hey you still need to reach there?