Kedarkantha Trek: The Night We Climbed for Sunrise

Some treks are memorable because of the destination. Others stay with you because of the journey.

For me, the Kedarkantha Trek was special for a completely different reason. It was my second snow trek, and I did it with my brother and his friend, Dharmesh Bhaiya.

But the most unforgettable part of this trek was something I had never experienced before—climbing toward the summit in the middle of the night, in freezing temperatures, just to watch the sunrise from the top.

And honestly, that night was an experience I will never forget.

My Second Snow Trek

I had already experienced a snow trek before, so I knew roughly what to expect from a winter trek.

But Kedarkantha felt different from the beginning.

We started our journey on December 20, 2023, and the mountains were covered in snow. Everything looked completely different from the landscapes I was used to seeing during regular treks.

I was excited to experience the snow again, but I was even more excited to see what the summit would look like.

At that point, I didn’t know that reaching the summit would involve one of the most challenging and memorable nights of my trekking experiences.

2:30 AM — Time to Climb

The most unique part of the Kedarkantha trek was the summit push.

We had to wake up at around 2:30 AM so that we could start climbing toward the summit and reach the top around sunrise.

Now imagine this.

It is the middle of winter.

It is freezing cold outside.

You have just been woken up at 2:30 in the morning.

And instead of going back to sleep, you have to put on all your layers and step outside into the snow.

Then you start walking uphill.

In complete darkness.

That was the moment when I realized that this trek was going to be very different.

Trekking Through the Darkness

During the day, climbing a mountain is already challenging.

But at night, it feels completely different.

Your headlamp shows you only a small section of the trail in front of you. Everything beyond that is dark.

You can’t properly see the mountains.

You can’t see how far the valley goes.

And in some sections, there are steep drops beside the trail.

Honestly, I kept thinking that if I had to climb those same sections during the day, when I could clearly see the height and the deep valleys below, I might have been even more scared.

There were moments when I was literally climbing the mountain by sitting down and moving forward slowly.

The cold made everything harder.

The wind was extremely strong, and we were climbing continuously toward the summit.

But there was one thing keeping us moving:

We had to reach the summit before sunrise.

Nobody Wanted to Take Out Their Phone

Usually, whenever I go trekking, taking photos is one of the most enjoyable parts.

But that night was completely different.

Nobody really had the courage to take out their phone.

It was too cold.

The wind was blowing hard, and even taking your hands out of your gloves felt difficult.

So instead of stopping every few minutes for photos, we just kept walking.

There was nothing to photograph anyway.

It was dark.

All we could see was the trail in front of us and the light from our headlamps.

Looking back, I’m actually glad that we didn’t spend the whole time taking photos.

Because that meant we were completely present in that moment.

And Then Came the Sunrise

After hours of walking through the darkness, we finally got closer to the summit.

Slowly, the darkness started disappearing.

The sky began to change.

And then the first light of the morning appeared.

Sunrise.

I don’t think I can properly describe what it felt like to see that view after climbing through the darkness and freezing cold.

A few hours earlier, we could barely see anything around us.

Now, the mountains were visible.

The snow was glowing in the morning light.

The sky was changing colours.

And suddenly, all the tiredness and struggle of the climb felt completely worth it.

The view was simply incredible.

The View From Kedarkantha

Kedarkantha reaches around 12,500 feet (3,800 metres) above sea level, and the summit offers wide Himalayan views. The surrounding landscape can include views toward peaks such as Swargarohini, Bandarpoonch and Kala Nag.

But standing there that morning, I wasn’t thinking about altitude or statistics.

I was just looking around and thinking:

“We actually made it.”

The same mountain that had felt intimidating in the darkness now looked incredibly beautiful in the sunlight.

And finally, it was time for something we had been waiting for since the beginning.

Photos!

After being unable to take pictures during most of the summit climb, we finally had the perfect light and an amazing landscape in front of us.

The photos were coming out so well that it instantly made me happy.

Snow-covered mountains, the sunrise, and us standing there after that difficult climb—

it was the kind of view that stays in your mind.

The Cold, the Fear and the Reward

The summit push taught me something simple.

Sometimes the most beautiful moments come after the most difficult part of the journey.

At 2:30 AM, when we stepped outside, I wasn’t thinking about how beautiful the summit would look.

I was thinking about the cold.

Then came the darkness.

Then the steep climbs.

Then the fear of walking along mountain trails when you couldn’t see what was around you.

And finally, after all of that, came the sunrise.

Standing at the summit and looking at the mountains made everything before it feel worthwhile.

Trekking With Family Makes It Even Better

Another reason this trek is special to me is the people I shared it with.

I went with my brother and Dharmesh Bhaiya.

Trekking with people you know creates a different kind of memory.

You struggle together.

You get tired together.

You encourage each other.

And when you finally reach the destination, you have someone beside you who experienced the same journey.

Years later, when I look back at the photos from Kedarkantha, I won’t just remember the snow or the summit.

I’ll remember the three of us making that climb together.

Looking Back

Kedarkantha was my second snow trek, but it gave me an experience that was completely different from my first.

I still remember that 2:30 AM wake-up call.

I remember stepping outside into the freezing cold.

I remember walking through the darkness, with only a small beam of light showing the trail.

I remember how difficult some of the climbs felt.

I remember the strong wind and how nobody wanted to take their phone out.

And most importantly, I remember what happened when the sun finally came up.

The mountains changed completely.

That sunrise made every difficult step feel worth it.

And maybe that’s what I love most about trekking.

The summit isn’t just a place you reach.

It’s the reward for everything you go through to get there.