I was always having the urge to see snow, but along with that, I wanted something like a trek also—it should be a tough trek with snow and a peak. So these were my conditions. My brother suggested a trek that could fulfill all of that: Pangarchulla, and I got excited seeing the itinerary. I pitched the idea to my trek gang, and a few agreed to join. So we took a flight to Dehradun, and our trekking organization was Bikat, which we were going with for the first time.

We had a pickup by tempo from Dehradun at 8 a.m. The people were a little grown-ups, and we five were the youngest. On the way, I even got scoldings from Mahima bro for the music and all 😅, but that only made the journey more fun. Slowly, conversations started, jokes were cracked, and the ice began to break.
Later, it turned out there was a landslide near Karnaprayag towards Joshimath. It was peak summer in April—how could a landslide happen? I was wondering, but nature, right… you can’t say anything. We waited for 3 hours, and meanwhile got a chance to get to know each other better, sharing stories and experiences. Most of the people there were Kannada-speaking, which made us feel very comfortable and instantly connected.

We finally reached Joshimath at night, and it was cold even with fleece on. The mountain chill hit instantly, reminding us that the real adventure had already begun. We explored the village a little, soaking in the quiet mountain vibes, met the trek leaders, and had a session arranged by Bikat—an “introduce yourself” kind of session.
Before introducing their name, everyone had to say an adjective starting with the same letter as their name. This was unique, funny, and made it easy to remember names, with a lot of laughter filling the room. Even now, I remember some like Kind Kshama, Sus Sushma, Sunny Surya…

The next day, we woke up and saw the first glimpse of snow mountains, a blue sky, and perfect climate—it felt unreal. The morning light hitting the peaks made everything look magical and set the mood for the journey ahead. We packed our bags, wore our trekking shoes, and started our journey to Tugasi village in a tempo.
On the way, we started seeing Dronagiri, Nanda Devi, and Hathi Parvat—so mesmerizing that it doubled our excitement with every turn of the road. Cameras were out, eyes were wide open, and the silence was broken only by excitement. Our trek leaders were Pankaj, who looked like Jack Sparrow, and Aman, who looked like an innocent guy.
So Day 1 of the trek started after the entire group put their hands up and shouted “Se Se Se, Har Har Mahadev.” With that powerful chant echoing in the mountains, we began the trek.

There was also a black dog named Kallu, as people here called him—such a cute trekking guide. He kept walking ahead of us like he knew the trail better than anyone, silently motivating us to keep moving. Our local trek guide, Pooran bhai—we used to call him Nicholas Pooran—was next level. Talking to him about life, mountains, and simple village wisdom made the trek feel lighter and more meaningful.
By then, we were about 70% done with Day 1 while heading towards Gulling campsite. On the way, there was a small hotel where they served rhododendron flower juice, which has numerous health benefits, and it tasted really good. Along with that, we had omelet and Maggi, just sitting there and watching the mountains—the view felt even better now, like time had slowed down for us.

We finally reached the Gulling campsite. It was an easy trek of about 3.5 km, and reaching there felt satisfying. The campsite was calm, surrounded by mountains, and instantly made us feel at home. We rested there, had lunch freshly prepared by the cook in the mountains, and later played many games—lots of laughter, mind games, and everything that made the tiredness disappear.
We spent the evening really well, watching the sky slowly change colors, and at night there was still a little network. I talked to my loved ones and told them that for the next 5 days I wouldn’t be available and all. As the night got darker, my friends Gopal, Surya, and Sushma started telling ghost stories—Gopal saying he saw some white lady and all that stuff 😅. With all the drama and laughter, we finally spent the night.

In the morning, we woke up and did a yoga session, preparing ourselves for Pangarchulla. We could see the peak from there—so beautiful and massive, it really hit different. The next stop was Khullara campsite, Day 2. The terrain was through woods, and we were told we could see snow on the way, so the excitement started as we began the trek. On the way, we saw many rhododendron flowers. After some time, we finally reached the snow. From here, it was full snow everywhere—such a crazy moment. I immediately went, took some snow, made a ball, and threw it at Sushma 😄. On the way, we played the bunny bunny oops bunny game—so funny it was. Later, in between, Gopal fell and got his pants dirty, and I raced with Pooran bhai till a point—he won.

I saw Kallu coming from downhill, and it was such a happy moment. Seeing him again felt like meeting an old friend in the middle of nowhere. I called him, patted him, and gave him some snacks—he was so cute. With him, we reached Khullara campsite.
It was totally different—everything snow-covered, a big flat area, and our tents were already ready. The entire place looked like a white dreamland, silent and powerful at the same time. It was home for the next 3 days, and the feeling was so good—probably the best campsite till now.
After having lunch, we played cricket with the locals using a wooden, out-of-shape bat—such a great feeling, truly living the best life out there. Laughter echoed in the snow-filled valley, and time felt irrelevant. The next day was acclimatization day, so we rested and spent the night playing games like mafia and other mind games, then slept early.

Day 3 was Kuari Pass and Kuari Top. The trail was completely filled with snow. We got microspikes and gaiters from Bikat and started our trek with day packs, snacks, and water. There were inclinations initially, and walking on snow was hard because it was loose—our feet would sink in. But everywhere, it was so beautiful—my God—full snow mountains with black patches. It was an easy trek, but acclimatization was important due to the altitude gain of around 12,500 ft. We quickly reached Jhandi Top, and from there, there were two routes—one going straight up towards Pangarchulla Peak, and the other going right towards Kuari Pass and Kuari Top. We went to the right.
Trekking on snow felt exciting at first, but later it really makes you fed up and tired. I was literally drained, and with all that drama, we finally reached Kuari Top. I reached first, followed by my friends. We had a 360-degree view of the mountains, took photos, sat there for a while, and then headed back.

On the way back, Pooran bhai took us through a shortcut—just sliding down on the hard snow, no need to walk. It felt like a natural snow slide, pure fun and thrill at the same time, and it saved a lot of time and energy. Everyone was laughing and enjoying the moment like kids.
We reached back to Khullara campsite and rested for the day, as we needed to start the summit push at 12 a.m. in the night. The atmosphere was calm, but there was a silent excitement in everyone’s mind. For the first time in my life, I had dinner at 6 p.m. and slept for 4 hours, then had breakfast at 11 p.m.—crazy it was.
Dinner even included a dessert, shahi tukda, which was delicious and felt extra comforting in the cold mountains.

Day 4—wearing helmets, gaiters, microspikes, head torches, hand gloves, trek poles, and a small day pack—we were ready at 12 a.m. With the hailings of “Se Se Se, Har Har Mahadev,” we started the trek. It was going to be a big day because the hardest climb was coming, with an altitude gain of 15,069 ft—crazy.
We took the same path till Jhandi Top and then turned towards Pangarchulla. It was pitch dark and next-level cold; the temperature was almost negative. The trail was also very challenging, with crazy inclinations. We could see people with small lights moving far up on the mountains—another group it was.
After taking small breaks, we were almost halfway to Pangarchulla, and in that chaos, guess who was coming up—Kallu. Oh my God, so crazy. That dog came to help us with his adorable cuteness. Mountain dogs are insane, surviving in such harsh conditions. After some time, it became very, very cold as the altitude increased. The snow was rock hard with a shining, glittering effect. We stopped for some time and just looked up at the sky. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing—it was the Milky Way, full of stars. We switched off our head torches and witnessed the magic even more clearly. It was so good. After some time, there was a flat section where we were just walking for hours. I don’t know how, but at this altitude, it was so flat. Finally, it started getting light—around 4 a.m.—and we were at the base of Pangarchulla Peak. 70% done, 30% to go.

I thought it would be easy because I could see the summit from there. It looked like a giant elephant’s back. We needed to start climbing from the tail; the head looked like the summit, but it was covered with fog and clouds. There was a small queue of people climbing, and we joined them—oh, it was a really steep inclination.
We kept trekking and realized it had already been 2 hours since we started from the base. It felt so long. The local guide had said it takes 3 hours from the base. I didn’t fully believe him earlier, but now I did. We kept climbing—there was some part of the summit visible, and some covered with fog. As we kept going, the trail only became steeper. Taking short 30-second breaks, we kept pushing.
We were almost near—around 500 meters to go—and it was 7 a.m. I started feeling slight stomach upset and dizziness, kind of minor AMS. But I told myself, I have to finish this—no quitting now. Finally, I could see the Indian flag on top, waving under the golden sunrise on the summit. With that happiness, I got a sudden boost. I didn’t care about AMS anymore—let’s do it. And finally, I reached the summit.

It was the best experience of my life. The feeling is truly unexplainable, something words can never fully capture. I knew there would be a trident, and I was looking for it—and there it was, standing right in the middle, powerful and calm. I went near it, dropped my trek pole, and bent my knees, with goosebumps all over my body. At that moment, everything felt worth it—the struggle, the cold, the pain. For this, I came. In that silence, I remembered the lyrics: “Tere samne hai jhuka, mere sar pe haath rakh tera” from Namo Namo Ji Shankar.

From the top, I could see the views even better—Chaukhamba Peak, Dronagiri, and Mt. Kamet. Next level it was, and equally deadly on the summit. A slight mistake and it would have been 2001–2024 😅 LOL. Just seeing the trident—I had come here for this, for so long. Yes, I am crazy, you can say.