My Third Call to Kedarnath Temple — A Journey I Was Never Ready For, Yet Always Meant To Take
My Long Road to Kedarnath: A Journey That Took Three Years to Begin
My Kedarnath Trek 2024 was the most emotional and challenging solo journey of my life.
Kedarnath was never a place I grew up dreaming about.
This entire journey became my true Kedarnath trek experience — something I didn’t plan, but life kept pulling me toward again and again.
It wasn’t on my bucket list, or a goal I planned for months.
It simply appeared in my mind—softly, suddenly, like a whisper—during my long ride across India in 2021.
I remember that moment clearly.
I was somewhere between highways and unknown roads, travelling from Goa through the west coast and then all the way north. As I crossed city after city—Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal, Leh—the thought came:
“If I can reach this far… maybe I can go to Kedarnath.”
But life isn’t always a straight road.
That time, I couldn’t make it.
I returned all the way to Karur, completing a loop through central India, carrying with me a small disappointment and an unfinished dream.
Second Attempt: 2022 — Close, But Not My Time Yet
In March 2022, I tried again.
I rode to Varanasi—without much planning, without much expectation. Just a feeling.
From Varanasi, the thought returned again:
This time, maybe Kedarnath will happen.
But destiny tested me again.
I rode all the way until just before Sonprayag… and something pushed me back.
Maybe fear.
Maybe uncertainty.
Maybe it simply wasn’t my time yet.
Two attempts.
Two failures.
Yet, Kedarnath never left my mind.
2024: The Year Life Dragged Me Back Toward the Mountains
Life pulled me back into chaos, into cities, into noise.
And one day I felt the urge again — to escape. To ride. To find clarity.
So I began another long journey, once again without a fixed plan.
The idea of Kedarnath trek came… and I almost rejected it instantly.
I heard there were massive crowds.
I felt I couldn’t do it.
So I dropped the plan and stayed in Mussoorie nearly a month — confused, lost, unsure what to do next.
Every traveller around me left one by one, continuing their journeys.
I remained… alone.
Those two days of pure loneliness in the property broke me and healed me at the same time.
And suddenly, without warning, something shifted:
“Let’s do Char Dham.”
That was the spark.
The Call Becomes Real — 21 June 2024
On 21st June 2024, I started my Char Dham journey with Yamunotri.
(That story will come in another blog.)
After Yamunotri and Gangotri, the date finally came.
26 June 2024 — The day I reached Rampur, near Sonprayag.
I stayed there for the night, restless, nervous, excited like a child waiting to meet someone important the next day.
The Trek to Kedarnath — My First Real Test
The next morning, I left for Gaurikund and began the trek.
The sky was cloudy.
The path was crowded.
People on horses kept passing by.
And rain arrived, as if it came along to accompany me.
This wasn’t a simple trek.
This wasn’t like the movies.
This wasn’t like the “Kedarnath” film where everything looks dramatic but beautiful.
This was raw.
This was brutal.
This was spiritual.
The path was slippery.
The climb was steep.
The cold hit hard.
And the tiredness felt endless.
I kept telling myself:
If you can’t run, walk.
If you can’t walk, take 10 steps.
If 10 steps feel impossible, take 2.
But don’t stop.
Do not go back this time.
This mantra kept me alive on that 16 km climb.
Hours passed.
Rain came and went.
People encouraged each other.
I met some Tamil travellers along the way, but something inside me said:
“This journey… I need to do alone.”
And I did.
10 PM — Reaching Base Camp
By the time I reached the base camp, it was 10 PM.
Dark.
Cold.
Silent.
Some people I met along the way helped me find a tent.
I was exhausted, fully drenched, yet completely peaceful.
I looked at my face in the video clips I managed to record — tired, breathless, but with a strange calmness.
I wanted to vlog the whole trek…
But honestly, even breathing felt like hard work that day.
So my video shows the struggle more through my face than my words.
If you watch it, you’ll understand the emotion I couldn’t say out loud.
This was the third attempt.
This time, I didn’t fail.
Because this time… Kedarnath had called me.
And I answered.
The 2024 Kedarnath avalanche was a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful the Himalayan weather can be, and it made me even more aware of how fragile every step on the trail felt. You can read more about it here:
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