It had been too long since I last trekked. Maybe laziness, maybe just the humdrum of life. A push from the doctors, Jyoti and Rajshree, finally got me moving. The plan was the Sapt Kund Lakes trek. But mountains decide for you. Days before departure, we learned it was snowing heavily there. So we switched to Dodital Lake.
Packing stayed the same: trusted shoes, layers, an extra fleece jacket, and this time, a very warm shawl.
We reached Dehradun by evening and halted for the night in Rishikesh. I went to a nearby ghat and took so many dips in the Ganges that I came out completely rejuvenated.
Next morning, after a hot breakfast, we drove 8 hours to Uttarkashi and another 2 hours to Agoda. Our group of 11 was a mix, with me as the oldest and a 23-year-old as the youngest. That afternoon we walked just 2 km to acclimatize. First night in tents.
Day 1: The Cold Reality
That night was tough. I had a tent to myself, but it was freezing outside. The midnight walk to relieve myself became an ordeal. Push yourself out, hurry back, wrestle into the sleeping bag again. Yet when morning came and we started climbing, all the discomfort vanished. That feeling returned: no mobile, no noise. Just me, myself, nature, and my porter who became my lifeline.
Day 2: Manji Under Snow
We covered 10 km. It looked daunting, but reaching camp makes you forget the pain. We stopped for the night at Manji. It snowed through the evening. By morning, ice was all around us.
Day 3: Dodital and the Ganesha Temple
We trekked 5 km through continuous snowfall to reach Dodital. A childhood fancy fulfilled: I finally saw live snowfall, and I loved every second. The biggest surprise was the temple of Lord Ganesha by the lake.
Legend says Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva, came to this lake to bathe. She entered a nearby cave and created a boy through yogic power to guard her. When Shiva arrived and was refused entry, he cut off the boy’s head in a fit of rage. Seeing Parvati’s grief, he replaced it with an elephant’s head. This is believed to be the birthplace of Ganesha. Dodhi means elephant’s trunk, tal means lake. Hence, Dodital. The temple opens only six months a year, and we were lucky to see it draped in snow.
The Descent
The plan was to cross a pass next, but the weather turned. With snow all around and visibility poor, we decided to head back. The 17 km descent to Agoda took 8 hours. Slowly, we returned to civilization.
Hari, our trek organiser, took great care of us. And I can’t thank my porter enough: a 20-year-old who watched every step I took. The comradeship in the group was at its highest. Pulling each other’s legs, sharing stories, laughing through the cold.
Closing
The mountains do not ask who you were before you arrived.
They only ask if you can walk, if you can listen, if you can be cold and still feel warm inside.
Dodital gave me snow I had waited a lifetime to see.
It gave me a temple born from a mother’s grief and a father’s regret.
It gave me strangers who pulled my leg and held my hand on slippery slopes.
I came down with sore legs, a quiet mind, and proof that the humdrum can be broken.
All it takes is one shawl, one lifeline of a porter, and the courage to forget comfort for a few nights.
The Ganga took my fatigue. The snow took my breath.
The mountain gave me back to myself.
