Tarsar Marsar trek Sept ‘23

Day 1 - Aru village to Lidderwat

Long walk- first through pine forests and then through meadows besides the Lidder river; acclimatization walk was up over the meadows along the stream coming from Tarsar Lake and from Sundersar Lake.

The Lidder river itself originates from the Kolahoi glacier. While not visible in this stretch (as it was hidden by the mountain we were walking on), the Kolahai peak and glacier accompany and oversee you throughout the duration of this stunning trek.

Day 2 - Lidderwat to Shikwas

Here I took a nice dip in the stream descending from the lakes and joining the Lidder river.

Day 3 - Shikwas to Tarsar lake;

Acclimatization hike was climb up to a ridge overlooking Tarsar lake

Day 4 - Tarsar Lake to Sundarsar lake, to Marsar lake, and back to camp

Tarsar lake campsite to campsite before Sundarsar lake; post-lunch, walk to Sundarsar lake and then Marsar lake (ridge-top only), and back to campsite

Night 4 - First snows of season started falling; Aayushi started to sort of panic, while I was having a very nice sleep. The snow started falling at 12:30. Around 2am our guide Paddy roused the supporting guides and cooks. All the rest of the night I was in a mixed-zone of falling asleep and then waking up, trying to shake the sides of my tent.

By about 6, we were all out of our tents, and were huddling in and around the kitchen tent.

Day 5 - Walk from Sundarsar lake campsite to Lidderwat, first in heavy snow, then in heavy slush

Once our own packing was completed, I helped out with unpacking of the tents - helping remove the snow-covered pegs from the ground, and helping with overall unpacking. Once we had completed all this and were well packed, we followed some horses returning to lower altitudes (the trekking group were presumably having a rest day amidst the snow). The task was clear - follow the tracks in the snow created by the horses and their master. We also had clarity that the way back was mostly a downhill descent along the river stream that is coming from the river.

Walking in the snow was for the most part fun. Our walk took most of the morning, and in all of that time the snow did not quite turn to slush. What this meant was that we were walking quite comfortably on powder that merely crunched under our feet, but which did not cause us to slip.

After crossing Shikwas was actually the more difficult part - here it was a race against the sheep, who seemed to be in an equal hurry to escape the snowy mountains.

Day 6 - Lidderwat to Aru valley

Early walk back - the mountains were looking gorgeous with their new snow cover, and I thought that the overall place had a vibe of freshness that always comes after heavy rains.

Some observations on Kashmir

Lakes in Kashmir - the flattish nature of the mountains - the altitude gain is much more gradual as you move along rivers, and the larger number of streams, means that lakes form.

Kashmir treks are super-approachable - If you’re coming from anywhere other than North India. This is because Srinagar is super approachable with a direct flight from most metros.

Kashmir continues to be tourist-friendly - There most certainly is a strong armed forces presence. However, the people are extremely warm and friendly.