low-preview-76502 feature kedartal trek unpredicatble weather brings snowstorms indiahikes sushma honnappa76502 feature kedartal trek unpredicatble weather brings snowstorms indiahikes sushma honnappa

Kedartal Trek, May 12th 2018 Batch Cancelled

Kedartal Trek, May 12th 2018 Batch Cancelled

Category News

By Swathi Chatrapathy

2018-05-09

We are cancelling the May 12th batch to Kedartal.

With continuous snowfall over the past two days on the Kedartal trek, snow has blocked the trail and made it very unstable. So we will not be running the May 12th batch.

If you’re a part of this team, we have two options for you.

Option 1: Opt for a full refund of your trek fee

Option 2: Choose an alternative trek from these three – Har Ki Dun, Dayara Bugyal and Rupin Pass

The weather conditions on these three treks have been pretty stable and we will be running these treks.

The best option for you would be Har Ki Dun. It starts and ends on the same day as your Kedartal trek. It also starts and ends at Dehradun, so you can stick to your current travel plan.

Dayara Bugyal would be your next best option. It is a day shorter than Kedartal. But your travel plans will not have to change.

We wouldn’t recommend Rupin Pass because it ends in Sangla in Himachal. It is also a day longer than your Kedartal trek. Your travel plans will have to change. But it is an option nonetheless.

These are the feasible batch dates for you:

  • Har Ki Dun (8 day trek) – May 12th
  • Dayara Bugyal (6 day trek) – May 12th, 13th
  • Rupin Pass (9 day trek) – May 12th

If your dates are flexible, you’re free to choose any of our treks from our upcoming treks. They’re all open to you.

If there’s a difference in the trek fee, we’ll refund the balance or send you a link to pay the balance.

Decision about May 19th batch to Kedartal will be taken in two days

Whether we run the May 19th batch on not depends on a few things

  • The weather over the next 2-3 days
  • The trail conditions
  • A thumbs up from the forest department

We expect the weather to clear up over the next two days.

We will take a call on the Kedartal May 19th batch by May 12th. If you are a part of this team, we will keep you updated by email.

Kedartal May 5th team rescued. They have returned safely to Gangotri

The first team that went up to Kedartal this summer had to be rescued and evacuated. They were stuck on the trail for nearly 6 hours because of an avalanche. They have been brought back to the safety of a hotel at Dharali (18 km from Gangotri).

Here’s what happened.

The team was returning from Kedarkharak to Gangotri after facing continuous snowfall at the Kedar Kharak campsite (14,000 ft). This is the second campsite on the trek. “There was so much snow that our tents were getting buried,” reports Karthik Maddineni, our Trek Leader who was leading the team. A few trekkers’ oxygen levels were dropping too.

So they decided to descend to Gangotri to a safer altitude.

They made good speed until almost the first campsite (Bhoj Kharak).

However, it was while trekking further down from Bhoj Kharak to Gangotri that an avalanche blocked the trail. None of the trekkers were hurt, but they were stuck on the other side of the avalanche.

Our guide, Ashish, who was with them, managed to cross the avalanche zone and come down to Gangotri to relay a message to the base team of the emergency situation on the slope.

Immediately, our rescue team of 6 went up from Gangotri to get them out. Even the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the forest department joined the rescue team.

They reached the trekkers by 7.30 pm, and brought them back to safety.

The entire team reached Gangotri by 11 pm and drove to Dharali (18 km from Gangotri), where they stayed the night. The trekkers are tired but they are all safe and healthy.

However, we have some bad news to report. Two of our porters left much before the team and were caught in the avalanche. While one of them was immediately rescued, the second porter, Akash, remained buried in the avalanche. He is yet to be found. The rescue teams are conducting further searches for him. Unfortunately, we think we may have lost him.

You’ll find a report in Times Of India that was filed on the evening of May 8th.

low-preview-54067 toi report kedartal54067 toi report kedartal

Gaumukh Tapovan Teams Return. Decision to run the next few batches will be taken by this evening.

There were two teams on the Gaumukh Tapovan trek. One that left on May 4th and one that left on May 6th.

Once the storm alert was sent to them, they had paused at their respective campsites. They were at Chirbasa and Bhojbasa.

All the trekkers are safe.

Because of unstable snow conditions, we have taken a call to not proceed further. The forest department is in support of this decision too.

Both teams are returning to Gangotri today.

 

Decision on Gaumukh-Tapovan May 11th and 13th batches will be taken this evening

We will take a call on whether we will run the May 11th and 13th batches by the end of the day. This depends on

  • The weather today
  • The trek leaders’ reports on the situation of the terrain
  • A go-ahead from the forest department

Latest Update 09-05-2018 19:26:00

Gaumukh Tapovan trek groups for the next week have been called off. Read this article to get detailed updates.

Updates from other treks

Rupin Pass, Har Ki Dun, Kedarkantha

All trekkers are safely proceeding with their treks. They had paused at their respective campsites yesterday because of bad weather. But the weather in this region is stable with mild showers now. They will be continuing their trek.

Roopkund

All groups have resumed their trek to Roopkund. As many as 4 groups on this trek had stayed back at their campsites yesterday. Based on current safe weather patterns they have decided to move on.

Pangarchulla Trek 

As per latest update from our trek leaders, the weather is clear and sunny. The groups have been given a green signal to proceed to the next campsite of Khullara.

Kuari Pass

All trekkers who were on the trek have returned to Lata, the base camp, and will be staying the night there.

We have been posting continuous updates about the slopes from May 7th. Click here to read all the updates.

Because of the storm, almost all communications in the mountain regions have shut down. We were able to relay a storm warning to all our treks over radio and instruct them to stay put. But there was no communication to or from the Kedartal trek because of especially bad storms. The radios were down. To tackle such situations, we hope satellite phones will be allowed in India in the near future.

low-preview-967144bb e399 4814 bc3d be5bba90c7fd swathi chatrapathy 2967144bb e399 4814 bc3d be5bba90c7fd swathi chatrapathy 2

Swathi Chatrapathy

Chief Editor

About the author

Swathi Chatrapathy heads the digital content team at Indiahikes. She is also the face behind India's popular trekking video channel, Trek With Swathi. Unknown to many, Swathi also writes a weekly column at Indiahikes which has more than 100,000 followers.

A TEDx speaker and a frequent guest at other events, Swathi is a much sought after resource for her expertise in digital content.

Before joining Indiahikes, Swathi worked as a reporter and sub-editor at a daily newspaper. She holds a Masters's in Digital Journalism and continues to contribute to publications. Trekking, to her, is a sport that liberates the mind more than anything else. Through trekking, Swathi hopes to bring about a profound impact on a person's mind, body and spirit.

FAQs