At Indiahikes, we go a long way in making camping a comfortable experience for trekkers. Yet there are two things we never want to compromise on — (1) minimalism, which we believe is the bedrock of trekking, and (2) a sense of adventure, which is another fundamental of trekking.

So our camps are designed to ensure all three are in place — comfort, minimalism and a sense of adventure. 

Comfort on most high altitude treks means warmth, safety and good food. Our camping tents and sleeping bags will ensure you don’t look beyond them for warmth and safety. They are designed to withstand the harshest conditions (even in peak Himalayan winter) and have stood the test of time for over a decade, with constant improvements in design. As for food, our kitchen team looks into every aspect of taste, nutrition and health before serving you a meal. So much so that many of our trekkers say they find our trek food more comforting than their home food! 

Minimalism focuses on leaving the least impact on the environment. Indiahikes practices low-impact sustainable trekking in every aspect of the trek — you’ll see this in the way we run our kitchen, in our washing areas, in our rental practices and in our bio-toilet setup (which is one of the best outdoor toilet setups globally). Our trekkers take great pride in being able to trek in such fragile ecosystems in a sustainable way. It’s one of the biggest reasons they choose to trek with us. 

Finally, what is trekking without a sense of adventure! At Indiahikes, we are obsessed with finding terrific camping locations. The Sundarsar campsite on the Tarsar Marsar trek, the Dayara campsite on the Buran Ghati trek, the Pushtara campsite on the Phulara Ridge trek — these are some campsites we have identified and established over the past few years. Not only do we need practicalities like water sources, flat camping areas to be met, but we are also very particular about every campsite being aesthetically pretty. As trekkers ourselves, we know what it’s like to wake up in a gorgeous campsite. So we look for good views, a calm ambience, and safe places to explore around. (Read what goes into choosing a campsite at Indiahikes)

We’re sure you have more questions about camping, food and toilets at Indiahikes. So continue reading as we break each of these experiences down. 

You will be camping in Hillman Expedition tents. These are custom-made all-weather tents that will be your shelter on the days of your trek. 

They will keep you dry when it rains and block the cold winds.

There are two main zones in a tent: the inside and the balcony areas. 

You leave your footwear and wet items in the balcony area and enter the tent. 

Did you know? The dome style tents were introduced to Indian trekking by Indiahikes

Inside the tent, you will find the floor is covered with a foam mat and carpet. This provides insulation and padding from the ground. 

You will also find a sleeping bag. You will use this while sleeping inside the tent. They are designed to keep you warm and comfortable. Use the sleeping bag liner before you slip into your sleeping bag. It is like a giant sock for your body. It ensures personal hygiene and adds a layer of warmth and comfort. 

Protip: Roll up your padded jacket or a few of your clothes for a make-shift pillow.

What do toilets look like at an Indiahikes camp

There are no modern toilets with plumbing in the camping world. You will be using Bio toilets designed by Indiahikes. These are deep pits dug into the ground, which use fast-composting mechanisms to manage human waste. 

Why Biotoilets? It's not easy to manage human waste in the mountains. For every team of 25, the human waste generated is ___kg per campsite. The traditional cat hole system is not effective to manage this volume of waste. It turns your poop into rich manure within 6-8 months. 

Some things to keep in mind for these toilets.

It's a dry toilet. No water. You use toilet paper to clean up and cover up poop with mud and sawdust.

Requires the traditional Indian squat. *We have Western seats available for those with medical issues.

The pit is enclosed by a tent for your privacy. It is also placed slightly away from the campsite. 

Since all human waste is covered up and there is enough air, there is no sight or smell in any of our toilets. 

Do not use wet wipes in the toilet. They are non-biodegradable. Instead, dampen your toilet paper with a drop of water.  Click to see why.

What does your trek food look like at Indiahikes?

The food itself is an experience when you’re trekking with Indiahikes. Your typical meal will include rotis, sabji (vegetable), rice and dal.

All of these are made with as less oil as possible and as much “health” as possible.

You’ll find familiar food like khichdi, rajma chawal, pulao and also pancakes and sandwiches. There will be copious amounts of chai and soup of course!

We have put our menu together after tremendous research on the nutritional requirement of a high altitude trekker. You’ll notice that we always try to include the right amount of calories, carbs, protein, fibre and fat.

Menu design: In the first half of the day, your body requires a continuous supply of glucose and multiple carbohydrate-rich meals to ensure your body cells are kept well nourished. 

In the second half, post trekking hours, we add protein-rich food to the meals to help your cells rejuvenate and rebuild. Fats, being hard to digest, are kept at a minimum. 

In addition to food, your body also requires lots of liquids to rehydrate, which are built into the menu.

It took many heads and years of research for the Indiahikes food menu to come through - our research team, our ops team (to manage transport of provisions, kitchen equipment, gas cylinders, etc to campsites), our chefs, who were trained specifically for this, and of course, our Green Trails team, to ensure that we produce minimal waste with all the cooking.

"Basic cooking at high altitude is a lot of hard work. Preparing a lip-smacking dish is even tougher. It takes about 12-13 whistles to simply cook potatoes. When our luck is bad it takes even longer. Our chefs wake up at 4 am every day in rain, wind and snow to make a wholesome meal," says Sandhya UC, COO and cofounder of Indiahikes. 

If you’re particular about some vegetables or ingredients not being in your food, let your Expereince coordinator and Trek Leader know. We will prepare it accordingly. 

And oh! We almost forgot! All this food will be served in your own cutlery. So don't forget to pack a lunch box, mug and spoon with you!

What we eat goes a long way in determining how sustainable we are as a trekking community. At Indiahikes, we ensure that our food is fresh, seasonal, procured locally as much as possible and most importantly, brings in minimal packaging to the mountains. 

This brings us to the end of the this article. If you have any questions about the camping experience, fell free head out to our community forum and get them answered.  

What the Indiahikes camping experience like? Check out this article to know more about how we camp, manage human waste and prepare food.

What is the Indiahikes camping experience like

Many applicants wonder how their career would grow at Indiahikes. There is also a misconception that since we are in the outdoor industry, growth here would be limited. Which is why we made this video with our founder and CEO, Arjun Majumdar, on what your growth would look like if you're working at Indiahikes. 

Having said that, working at Indiahikes can be extremely rewarding and equally frustrating. At Indiahikes everyone is committed to the vision of the organisation. It is very different from corporate culture. Here responsibilities are high, work is busy. People love what they do.

Since 2008, Indiahikes has defined the future of trekking. Most trekking trails, like the Roopkund, Rupin Pass, Buran Ghati, Kedarkantha, Kashmir Great Lakes, Tarsar Marsar, Brahmatal, Warwan Valley, Phulara Ridge have been brought out by Indiahikes.

Modern safety systems like the microspikes, pulse oximeters, radios and oxygen on treks have been introduced in Indian trekking by Indiahikes.

Our Green Trails project has revolutionised how trekking trails are preserved in India.

Finally, the Indiahikes Experience has transformed the lives of thousands of trekkers in India. Today, more than 20,000 trekkers trek with Indiahikes every year. While we continue to grow towards our -- Everyone Must Trek -- we are hoping to see likeminded team members join us on this journey. 

To see all our openings, head over to our careers page here.

A video by the founder of Indiahikes explaining what career growth at Indiahikes looks like

What Does Career Growth At Indiahikes Look Like - Careers In Trekking And Outdoors

outdoor careers growth jobs work working culture values

What Does Career Growth At Indiahikes Look Like 

It took two treks and two and half years for a successful dentist to make a firm choice, “not towards working in the outdoors as a Trek Leader, but working with Indiahikes as a Trek Leader.” 

And on this chosen journey with Indiahikes, he has grown from Trek Leader to senior Trek Leader; worked in the Exploration and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) teams, and now is a Filmmaker with the Indiahikes content team. 

Dhaval Jajal’s journey reflects a carefully considered career shift into the common ground between one’s passion and duties. 

Dhaval graduated from the prestigious SDM College of Dental Sciences, Dharwad in 2009. Inspired by his uncle’s dentistry practice, he set up his own practice. “From the knowledge I gained while studying, to working, then managing everything on my own – I totally enjoyed it,” says Dhaval. 

In 2016, he wanted to go on a trek and like most people, found himself on Google, “because I didn’t know anything about trekking.” Most sites listed on the first page had some or other information missing, he says. “Some wanted my number and email id to send me information. Some did not list the dates. The region and level of difficulty were not clear.”

On the second page, he hit upon the Indiahikes website. The detailed, neatly organised information blew him over. “In half an hour, I became a fan of Indiahikes,” says Dhaval. I signed up for the Rupin Pass trek, not knowing what to expect.    

Soon, he found himself “trekking Rupin Pass with strangers who felt like family.” 

“Those 7 to 8 days were amazing and calming. I had not been on a vacation since opening my clinic. I also actually learnt what trekking is,” he says. 

Meanwhile, he was also on a journey of discovering the insides of Indiahikes. 

“I got introduced to the concept of “Trek Leading” for the first time,” says Dhaval. His initial understanding of trek leading was that it was a “fancy job in which you work in the Himalayas, go on different treks, meet different people every week and get paid for it! What could be better?” laughs Dhaval. 

A deeply transformative experience at Goechala 

In the year before his next trek, he read all the articles about trek leading and working with Indiahikes. 

“Through them I got an insight about trek leading. What I saw as a trekker was 20% of it. There was more behind the curtain,” Dhaval shares. 

On his second trek, he studied the nature of work a Trek Leader undertakes. All the romantic notions he had gathered of the job during the first trek, almost immediately fell to pieces. 

He observed all that the Trek Leader did. “What is his role when he is with the team and the staff? How is his day structured? At one of the campsites he was digging the toilet pit. In another he was setting up the dining tent in bad weather.” He realised that while leading a trek, “everything is your responsibility.” 

The Goechala experience was even better than Rupin Pass, says Dhaval. “I had a deeply transformative experience. When I stood at the viewpoint seeking answers, everything seemed possible.” 

(Inside story: An image that Dhaval shot on the Goechala trek immediately caught our attention at Indiahikes. Very few trekkers had been able to capture emotions on a trek as beautifully as this image.)

It was then that he considered shifting careers. He started researching mountaineering courses. “Since my journey in the outdoors started with Indiahikes, I never considered any other organisation. For me, working with Indiahikes was as important as working in the outdoors.”

“Having gone on two treks with them, I understood how they operate and what they were trying to do. I saw that they actually implement everything they talk about on their website, in the field,” says Dhaval. He decided he would want to work with Indiahikes but did not apply. 

“I took 2 years to convince myself. There were many questions. I had studied dentistry for five years and worked for 10 years. This choice would go in the opposite direction of that one.” He also needed to convince his family as “it is very difficult to make someone who has not gone on a trek understand such a choice.” 

The choice was even more difficult because of his own feelings, he says. “I was in it for the long haul. I wanted to do this for good.” 

It was in 2019, two and half years after Goechala, Dhaval applied to work with Indiahikes.

Dhaval was among the fastest to progress from Asst. Trek Leading to a Trek Leader purely based on his skills and passion as a Trek Leader

“Like-minded people working in one direction”

On joining, Dhaval was immediately taken up with “the work culture.” He says, “It felt good to be with like-minded people working in one direction. It helped me to be focused and confident that I had made the right decision. The people and milieu made it very easy for me.” 

He got to know the organisation better during the 21 days of training at Dehradun. He learnt about the safety protocols, different treks, Green Trails, soft and hard skills, fitness and more. All of this would be put to the test when he embarked on his first trek as an Assistant Trek Leader (ATL) to Dayara Bugyal. 

A few hours before the trek was to begin, his Trek Leader called and informed him that she was unwell. Would he be able to manage leading the group? Shaken up initially, he “felt confident after 5 minutes,” shares Dhaval. 

He led the team for two days till his Trek Leader joined. This is a “very special memory” and “laid the foundation” for his work, he says. From the second trek, he started taking the team on his own. He graduated from Asst. Trek Leader to a Trek Leader only after leading 15 to 20 groups. 

It is the idea of like-minded people working towards the same vision that keeps Dhaval attached to Indiahikes. 

Transitioning to a filmmaker and the Bangalore office

In 2 and a half years, Dhaval led about 70 teams and got designated as a Senior Trek Leader along the way. I am curious to know when and how the filmmaker in him emerged. Turns out, that journey started while he was a trekker with Indiahikes. 

“During the Rupin Pass trek I clicked photos with my DSLR camera. During Goechala, I decided to try videography,” he says. He wanted to capture the different moments that the team goes through on a trek. He had spent time learning to make good quality videos and honed his editing skills. 

The video came out well. He was thrilled to receive an email from Swathi that Indiahikes would be happy to sponsor his treks if he was interested in creating more content. “It meant a lot to me. I started working on improving my skills further,” he says.

He took lots of photos and videos for the content team while working as a Trek Leader. “I felt like an extension of the content team while working as a Trek Leader. This made the transition to the content team as filmmaker, very easy,” he says. 

“Exclusive trek leading, I knew I could not do for more than 2 years. It takes a toll on your body. Besides, I had joined at the age of 32. So balance in my personal life was important to me. I wanted to settle down and live with my family,” he says candidly. 

Thanks to the support from the Founders, he was able to achieve this balance which he defines as “working with Indiahikes and yet not compromising on family life.” 

Therefore, it was not difficult to leave the mountains and move to the city. He recently led a trek to Sandakphu because a Trek Leader was injured. “Once a Trek Leader, always a Trek Leader,” says Dhaval.

Even though Dhaval moved from the mountains to the city, he believes he's contributing as much to trekking as he was while actively trek leading. Picture by Yash Trivedi

His advice to youngsters transitioning into an outdoors career with Indiahikes is – “Working in the mountains is a byproduct of working with Indiahikes. Cultivate a bigger perspective and get to know the organisation, its values and culture so the work becomes easy. Do not look at this as a short term transition. Think long term.”

“There is a lot of freedom at Indiahikes. Your growth is in your hands, and the core team is very supportive of the direction in which you want to grow” he adds.

He personally intends to focus on making short films for the Indiahikes channel and would like “to raise a team of filmmakers.” At an organisational level, he doesn’t think it matters what role he will play “because even as a Trek Leader, I played many roles. I was in the Exploration and DIY trek teams, besides contributing to the content team. Through different roles, you get to nurture your capabilities here,” says Dhaval, rooted in contentment and confidence. 

The story of Dhaval Jajal, who shifted careers from 11 years of dentistry to an outdoor career at Indiahikes

How A Dentist Of 11 Years Transitioned Into An Outdoor Career At Indiahikes

dhaval jajal trek leader career working with indiahikes jobs 

About a month ago, one of the Indiahikes team members shared a story that struck me as one of the most powerful stories I’d heard in recent times. 

It was shared by Shachi Tripathi, a Trek Leader with Indiahikes. It was about a trekker, Sayma Nasreen, who trekked with her to Hampta Pass. 

Sayma, in her own words, belongs from nowhere. Since her father is in the military, her family changed cities frequently. She has lived in Mumbai, Kochi, Vizag, Goa and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. She does not consider any single place as her home. At present, she is a final year medical student in Kolkata.

Moving around from time to time while growing up allowed young Sayma to see new places and make new friends. It was all very exciting and thrilling for her.

However, it didn’t take much longer for things to go downhill.

The flip side of hopping from one city to another is that you come across all kinds of people.

Sayma, in her formative years, encountered bullies who constantly tried to put her down just for being herself. Being subjected to unwarranted criticism at a tender age made her feel insecure about who she was. It dented her self-confidence.

Having no idea how to deal with all the bitterness directed towards her, she kept everything to herself. She played those unpleasant memories over and over in her head, which led her to become wary of people. As a result, the once outgoing and full of life Sayma went into a shell. The negative emotions inside her kept building up and triggered anxiety.

As years went by, Sayma’s mental well-being deteriorated further. Her anxiety snowballed into panic attacks when she was in the 11th standard. By then, she had also developed a condition known as maladaptive daydreaming, which is essentially a coping mechanism in response to trauma. She would spend hours fantasizing about different situations in order to disconnect from her reality. In other words, she took refuge in an imaginary world of her own; it made her feel safer.	

It was during college that she first felt that her vivid daydreaming was interfering with her daily life. She wasn’t able to give the required time to her studies. That is when she decided to seek help.

Recounting the most difficult phase of her life, Sayma says, “I used to play detailed scenarios in my head for long periods every day. I did it for years and never thought it was something unusual until it started hampering the time I needed to indulge in essential real-life activities. Finally, I went for a check-up and learned that it was a symptom of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).”

Trekking was one of the things Sayma used to daydream about; it had been on her wishlist for long. Shortly after her diagnosis, she made up her mind to go on a trek. She signed up for the Hampta Pass trek with Indiahikes.

In the meantime, she started receiving treatment. That was a tough phase. She was experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. It was a long road to recovery. Before the start of the trek, she had been in therapy and on medication for about a month.

“I was trying to control my coping mechanisms and was refraining from engaging in daydreaming. Since I didn’t have any other outlet, it was making me miserable,” recalls Sayma.

Things Slowly Started Changing on the Trek

“On my way to Hampta Pass,” narrates Sayma, “I rediscovered a facet of people that I had long forgotten. It all started as soon as I met my Trek Leader Shachi. She didn’t judge me one bit when I told her my story. She was extremely kind and caring. I could be myself with her with no qualms.”

“As the trek progressed, I saw the same positive energy in every individual in our group. It was overwhelming to see strangers being kind for no other reason than being kind. There is something about being in the mountains that brings about a compassionate side of people,” adds Sayma.

Strangers on a trek can offer some of the best help to you and your mental health.

Aside from this, the physical challenge of completing the trek helped her unearth a much more resilient version of herself. “As I was approaching the summit and the view was unfolding before my eyes, I thought to myself, if I could make it up till here, I could certainly fight my demons and lead a better life. If I could climb a mountain and be that cold for six days with wet shoes, I could definitely fight my mental health issues and take charge of my life,” she recollects.

“I came back from the trek transformed into a positive and confident person. I confronted people who had caused me pain in the past or had invalidated my trauma. For the very first time, I dealt with my unpleasant memories in a healthy manner. I stopped shying away from being myself and now proudly admit to who I am as an individual. Eventually, I came out of maladaptive daydreaming. I started living in the present moment,” concludes Sayma.

What Makes Trekking Remedial to Such an Extent

Sayma’s story is a significant one. Not because she came back more confident and resilient, more so because the trek proved to be faster, more effective than her month-long therapy and medication. 

Decoding the therapeutic powers of trekking, Izzat Yaganagi, the head of Experiential Learning at Indiahikes, says, “When people are immersed in their problems and are living in that negative environment for long, it becomes difficult to deal with the issues they are facing. They are too close to the problem and their judgment is often marred by their current situation.

“Going on a trek makes for an immediate and a drastic change in the surroundings. It enables them to distance themselves from their problems. Without much effort, it gives them a birds-eye view of the problem. Their biases and pain points go away. They become more objective. Their issues become smaller and smaller the more time they spend away from it,” she adds.

The therapeutic nature of trekking is backed by science as well. Many studies have shown that going on a trek positively impacts the mind by releasing feel-good hormones. This was also highlighted by Indiahikes founder Arjun Majumdar in his TEDx Talk.

When we trek, our body releases large doses of endorphin, the hormone that makes us happy. Then there is a boost of serotonin, which relaxes us. We also get strong doses of dopamine, which makes us feel accomplished. There’s also a good amount of oxytocin, which gives us a sense of tranquillity and love.

These far-reaching benefits make trekking an ideal choice for adventure therapy.

Much like Sayma, there have been several others who have benefited from trekking to overcome mental health issues, the loss of a loved one, lack of confidence or lack of resilience. 

Indiahikes is starting Adventure Therapy treks with the sole objective of enhancing the soothing impact of trekking. These treks will be facilitated by a team of professional therapists who will conduct one-on-one as well as group sessions with the participants.

The presence of trained psychologists will enable individuals to dig deeper than usual to explore the root of their issues. Talking therapy and experiential learning will be the key features of these specially designed treks.

Sayma’s story is a testament to how transformative trekking can be and with Adventure Therapy treks, Indiahikes aims to elevate what a trek does on its own.

The first batch of Indiahikes’ Adventure Therapy trek, which will be led by Ms. Izzat Yaganagi herself, leaves for Dayara Bugyal on April 25.

How A Young Medical Student Battled Mental Health Issues On A Trek 

The Indiahikes Weekly Digest brings you the latest news, updates, articles, and videos from the trekking world.

It takes you through everything new in the trekking world. You will find that you cannot ignore any of the sections in this digest.

We hope you find this digest useful, and at some point in time, contribute to it too!

The First Snowfall of The Winter is Here!

The snowfall, which began on the night of December 5th continued until December 6th. All trails are covered in snow from around the second campsite.

Despite the snowfall, the schedules of the treks have not been affected. Treks are running as planned, and trekkers are thrilled to have experienced the first winter snow.

Watch the below video to see the latest from our winter treks. Photos and video footage are from Dayara Bugyal, Brahmatal, Kedarkantha, and Deoriatal-Chandrashila. Scroll further to see the latest from Kedarkantha. 

We will soon have more from Sandakphu and Kuari Pass too. Ensure you subscribe to our Youtube channel to remain updated!

IIM-Lucknow all set for the Himalayan Mountain Challenge

Yesterday, Izzat Yaganagi, Head of Experiential Learning at Indiahikes, held an introductory session to the Himalayan Mountain Challenge at IIM-Lucknow.

To give you a background, every year students of various IIMs learn through an immersive experience in the Himalayas. In this specifically designed experiential learning program, students plan and execute their own trekking expedition. This program is called the Himalayan Mountain Challenge (HMC). 

So come December end, 132 students from IIM Lucknow will be trekking at Dayara Bugyal. In peak winter, these students will be overcoming challenges on a trek, day in and day out, as a team, testing and developing their skills of collaborative leadership.

There are some roles that are written straight out of MBA textbooks. This is one of them.

If you are keen to assist our Trek Leaders on our treks, learn leadership from them along with management skills, then this is the perfect opportunity. If you do well, you could become a Trek Leader with us.

Trek leadership is not about taking trekkers from point A to B. It is about creating an experience that stays with a trekker for a lifetime. These are no ordinary trek experiences. These incorporate the best of outdoor learning on our treks.

As an Assistant Trek Leader you will learn management skills that are at par with the best of MBA training across the world.

Open to both men and women. Women make very good trek leaders!

Must have done at least two Himalayan treks. Treks to Kheerganga and Triund do not count.

Work experience in other industries is given preference.

Must have excellent English and Hindi communication skills.

Must follow an active fitness regimen. BMI (Body Mass Index) must be between 18.5 and 23.9.

Indiahikes Mountain Lovers Gold Calendar 2022 – Almost SOLD OUT!

Over the past week, more than a thousand trekkers have placed orders for the Indiahikes annual calendars. While it was overwhelming, we were not surprised at how excited trekkers were to book and receive the Indiahikes Mountain Lovers Gold Calendar 2022. It is a collectible after all.

Just like every year, this is a large wall calendar, 19 inches in width and 14 inches in height. So the calendar bursts to life, giving you the wonderful feeling that the mountains are truly in your room. Take a look at it yourself.

We’ve chosen these pictures after sifting through thousands of photos.They have all been taken by trekkers and the Indiahikes team. And what an honour it is for them to be featured in this calendar!

Like every year, it’s truly a calendar for mountain lovers.

12 rare professional pictures of our Himalayan trekking trails. It’s easily a head-turner.

The 220 GSM art paper used ensures you can cut out the pictures at the end of the year to make picture frames out of them. It’s matt finish as well, so the photographs won’t glare from any angle.

The Mountain Lover’s Gold Calendar makes it a very unusual and thoughtful gift in case you want to surprise anyone. We ship it in a wonderful hard case cylinder which keeps the calendar in shape.

The calendar costs ₹ 490. This includes all taxes and shipping.

Winners Announced – Trek Photographer of the Month October 2021

It was a treat to go through photographs from October 2021! Simply because of this one reason — October in the mountains makes for stunning shots of landscapes. The grass is a magical sun-baked golden and is sprinkled with fresh frost every morning. You can also see the clearest views of the big mountains of our country. 

For our October contest, we received over 500 entries. Each photograph was unique in its own way – interesting frames, great perspective shots, unique night photographs, and never-before-seen photographs of some of the world’s highest summits.

Trekkers Mesmerised by Kanchenjunga at Sabargram. Picture by Sanghamitra Kumar.

But after a lot of deliberation, here are the winners of the Trek Photographer of the month October 2021 and the Trekker’s Choice Award Winner.

Snowfall on the #Kedarkantha Winter Trek! Dec 6th, 2021

On the Kedarkantha trek, the snowfall, which started on the night of December 5th, lasted all night until the morning of December 6th. 

Despite the snowfall, our trekkers have been able to make it to the summit of Kedarkantha. So trekkers are thrilled at experiencing a snowfall and trekking to the summit. It’s an experience they’ll remember for life.

Some of these are going to take you by surprise. Some others, you may empathise with, and some could be dangerous if they are truly believed.

7 Things You Must Not Forget On A Winter Trek

In this video, Trek Leader and Trainer Syama Krishna shares the list of items you absolutely must not forget when going on your winter trek.

Once the main route from Dehradun to Mussoorie, Kipling trail is now an exciting trek far removed from the traffic and overcrowding that marks the new Mussoorie road.

The trail follows a winding serpentine path with the Himalayan foothills on one side and spectacular views of the Dehradun valley on the other side.

This trail has been named after the celebrated writer Rudyard Kipling, who had walked this trail in the 1880s and been inspired by the beauty of the Himalayan foothills. He set his walking experience in the famous novel ‘Kim’. Also known as the Bridle Path, this trail has often been described by Ruskin Bond in his books.

The trail is steep with a 30-35 degree incline all the way to the top. Although the incline is steep along almost the entire 9 km route, it is not a cause for concern and can be negotiated by keeping a slow and steady pace.

Please note that this trek is suitable for fit beginners

The trek starts from Shahanshahi Ashram or the Christian Retreat. They are located in Rajpur in Dehradun.

Get Complete Details on Kipling Trail Trek

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Trek News from the Himalayas -- First Snowfall! IIM-Lucknow participating in HMC

This is the journey of Suhas Saya who went on from being a DIY trekker to the one who actively gives back to thousands of such trekkers who wish to trek on their own, by heading the Trek Documentation Team!

I completed my engineering five years ago. In the September of 2015, I was exploring around, going on solo treks, and did a few treks with my friends too.

This is a pattern which most people follow in Bangalore. We mostly start with treks around Bangalore, advance towards the Western Ghats and you always have the dream of going on a Himalayan trek one day. I had the same dream back then.

I was interested in going on the Kodachadri trek. I had my eyes set after doing the Kumara Parvatha trek earlier. The monsoon rains in the western part of Karnataka were furious.

I had kept a very close watch on the weather forecast and it showed pretty much heavy rains for 10 days straight. Finally, the forecast showed a day with lesser chances of rain. That was an opportunity I wouldn’t miss.

I immediately messaged my friends asking them to join me on this trek. Most of them were busy searching for jobs and as per my expectations, the numbers died down. From a group of eleven, it came down to four!

Just two days before the trek, the four friends who had confirmed earlier, came down to just one, as it was still raining heavily. His name was Veerendra.

We looked at each other. I said I was going on this trek no matter what — Veerendra nodded. He was ready to join me on an adventure.

Having known how going on a new trek felt, I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was going on another adventure! I did all my planning and preparations for the trek — in terms of what to carry, how to travel, and which route to take. I started reading many blogs and trekking guides to gather information about the trek.

The trek has three routes to the peak and we wanted to cover the best sections on this trek. One such route was via Hidlumane Falls, which was very enticing. I downloaded the trek information from the internet and printed it to carry on the trek.

We reached the bus stop as per the documentation I had taken with me, and started the trek on a small mud trail. We crossed a stream and went through a quaint village. The greenery around us with lush paddy fields was a beautiful setting. The trek already had cast a spell on me!

Later, the trek took us through the jungles of Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary and climbed towards the slippery rocks to reach the famous Hidlumane waterfalls. With misreading the information on the trek guide, I took a left instead of the right which was mentioned.

At this point, I misread the information on the trek guide and I took a left turn instead of a right.

It took us on a different path altogether. We climbed up through the forest floor scrambling on all fours, holding onto trees and shrubs to make our way out of the tree line. We were supposed to reach the jeep tracks in half an hour. There was no sign of the tracks even after an hour. We knew something was wrong. We had taken the wrong route!

Even after we crossed the three folds of grasslands, our quest was still on to find the jeep track. Half an hour later, we heard sounds of a jeep in the distance. We were relieved that we would find our way soon.

The three folds of grasslands which Suhas crossed after losing his way on the Kodachadri trek. Picture by Suhas Saya

I understood the importance of how one wrong turn changes everything on a trek. You might just end up lost for hours — which can either be an adventure or a misadventure. We got lucky that the weather prediction was right and it didn’t rain that day.

After reaching the Kodachadri peak that evening, we enjoyed the drama unfolding in front of us — the colourful display of clouds amidst the green grasslands and Shola forest.

The next day, we returned via another route. It was a dense forest section through Vallur. That day showed us how the monsoon rains are in the western ghats and we thanked the weather gods for being kind to us the previous day. This adventure still remains as one of the best experiences I have had. It’s right there on the top.

After joining Indiahikes and going through all our treks during the first few weeks, I found that the trek documentation that I had printed, was from our website!! I was thrilled to realise this.

Unfortunately, the sheets got drenched in the rains of Day 2. Otherwise, I would have had it with me still. I had no clue during that time that I’d be a part of Indiahikes.

When I reflect back now, it feels even more special. I just finished reworking on the trek documentation for the Kodachadri trek. From being a trekker who used this documentation to now working here and contributing to the trekking community. It’s such an amazing feeling!

To be a part of the Documentation Team from the past few months, giving out information to the community and putting out new treks is truly a proud moment.

How many of us have been lucky enough to give back to the community from where we have received so much? Suhas's is one such rare story!

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