On the trail of Pandavas

Techie Vivek recounts his trek to Satopanth Tal, situated amid snowcapped peaks about 15,000 ft above the sea level

Going on a trekking trip has been a pipe dream for me for quite some time, because whenever I made up my mind to go on one such trip, some hindrances — sometimes psychological and sometimes practical — used to present themselves and I easily gave up. So, when this idea of going on a trek to Satopanth Tal, at about 15,000 ft above the sea level came about, I felt rather skeptical even though my wife Ann felt really excited about it. I was skeptical because, going on a trek and that too on this specific trail, needs quite some amount of preparation — physical, mental and practical.

It is believed that the Pandavas made their final walk renouncing the world, trying to find their way to heaven along this way from Badrinath. Ahead of Satopanth Tal lies Mt. Swargarohini along which finally Yudhishtira and the dog ascended to heaven.

Ours was a group of 11 members. We had a four-day trek planned by guide Kundan of Adventure Trips, with seven to nine km of walk each day till the third day which is when we would reach Satopanth. On the fourth day, we had to walk all the way back to the starting point. We needed to be physically fit to be able to complete the walk. On August 25, three days ahead of the trek, we took an early morning flight to Dehradun from Bengaluru. The rest of the group joined us the next day.

The next day early morning we started our 10-hour drive to

(Vivek is a software engineer hailing from Pathanamthitta. He currently works in Bengaluru)

Ahead of the Satopanth Tal lies Mt. Swargarohini along which Yudhishtira and the dog ascended to heaven