Kedarnath 🏔️

When was the last time you did something for the first time? For me, Kedarnath was the first of many things. My first experience of Kedarnath happened in 2020 November. Located at a height of 3583m, it is roughly a 20 kilometers uphill trek and my first ever trek. It was going to snow heavily in a few days, said all weather forecasts and it is not to be taken lightly as this area is known for its harsh weather. But none of this mattered. Reaching the top was the only thing we had in mind. As we walk up the hill, every breath was refreshing, every step was a new view, and every moment was joyful.

Trekking with me was a very dear friend, Ninja. Whatever I said as my firsts apply to him as well. It wasn't easy and we didn't expect it to be. In fact, we didn't have any expectations. Both of us were equally unfit. We had taken our bodies for a ride all these years. So, any trek was going to be hard. But to start with a trek at this altitude wasn't a planned one. It just happened. We didn't expect it to be easy or hard. We just wanted to go up there. So we walked. But watching the snowcapped peak from afar we knew that our energy levels went up. So we continued our walk. While watching each step. You know where you are going.

References to this temple in Indian scriptures date back to the 8th century
- Adi Shankaracharya is credited with the setup of the current temple
- Like he always did in unifying India, the priests of this temple are from the south as well
- The temple is open to the public only for 6months a year and becomes inaccessible owing to the harsh winter temperatures
- Today, it's one of the most visited high-altitude places in the country

It was just before winter. Kedar Dham was about to close in a day or two. We decided to stay back. Every day we just went and stared at the mighty Kedar peak. No words. No thoughts. Just drenched in creation.