It had been a year and a half since I stepped outside my home, well except that I was switching between two homes. I booked my trek with India Hikes six months prior. Usually, their slots fill up pretty quickly. I wasn’t sure if I would make it to the Great Lakes, given the pandemic and the fact that my trekking gear was 1000 km away. As the dates got closer, I had this push to leave home. So I set out for my sixth Himalayan trek at one of the most beautiful trails in Kashmir.

The initial day was just a ride to our base camp at Shitkadi (7800 ft). I spent the first half of the day exploring places around Srinagar, so I was pretty tired. The next day, it felt refreshing to wake up amidst mountains once again.

We set out for our second campsite at Nichnai (11500 ft). We passed through numerous meadows along which there were buffaloes, cows, goats and sheep grazing. Not only that, but we also went through a forest filled with silver birch trees. At the campsite, which was situated next to a river, it was pleasant to listen to it flow. I had been listening to the sounds of birds, rivers, breeze and waterfalls on my phone to put me to sleep during the past few months, there was no need for that here. At night we caught a beautiful glimpse at the full moon, playing peek-a-boo between the clouds.

Day three was first a climb to Nichnai pass, which is at 13500 ft. It was chilly up there. The pass had few lakes on either side, a river flowing and many mountains with little ice on top. We spent lunch at a river nearby. During the next part, which was mostly a descent towards Vishansar Lake, we came across multiple interesting flowers. I started collecting them. Once we reached our campsite at Vishansar (12,000 ft), we got to spend some quality time at the serene and calm Vishansar Lake.

The next day was a tough climb to Gadsar pass (13800 ft), but the view of the twin lakes (Kishansar and Vishansar) from various angles kept giving me the strength to move forward. Once we spent some time at the pass, which was the highest point of the trek, we descended towards Gadsar lake. This was one of the best lakes on the trail, post which we again came across the various flora on the way. At the Gadsar campsite, we got to witness the Milky Way at night.

Day five (or four) was a pretty chilled out walk. Apart from the first hour of climb, I could focus more on soaking myself in nature, trying to catch (or scare) sheep, and collecting flowers. I also decided to listen to some pleasant music. We got to witness two of the seven Satsar Lakes and the view of Nanga Parbat on the trail. After lunch at the Satsar campsite (11500 ft), we went up to visit two more lakes one was another Satsar lake and the other was Padsar. I lost the total count of all the lakes at this point.

The day after that was kinda the final climb of the trek, to Zach Pass (13500 ft). After a boulder section (it was fun, trust me) and a reasonable climb, we again got to witness twin lakes, Gangbal and Nandkol. We also got a see Harmuk peak for a tiny bit. It felt exhilarating to complete a major portion of the trek. I spent a solid amount of time journaling at the pass and also during the rest of the trek. After lunch at Gangbal lake, I had fun trying yoga poses with my fellow trekkers.

The next morning we got to witness Harmuk peak again from our final campsite at Gangbal (11500 ft). We finally set off to Naranag (7450 ft), I couldn’t wait to get there. No lakes this day. We passed through a forest trail with a very steep descent, accompanied by a herd of sheep in between. It started to get annoying at one point (not the sheep, the trail) but we kept going till we reached the restaurant downstairs, got frightened by the mirror and then boarded our cab back to Srinagar.

I was happy to see how I started the trek feeling socially inept and completely closed off, but ended up making a good number of friends. It was honestly the best decision that I made, despite all the variables involved. I was focused on enjoying the trek at my own pace since I hadn’t been out there in a while. If you are someone who has the privilege of good physical health and the resources to experience something like this, I would advise you to get out there.

Here’s a look at some pressed flower art with the flowers I collected.