We are in the beginning of February, and it is snowing heavily in the mountains. The landscape has been drenched by rains, and everything appears refreshing and revitalized. As my gaze fixes on a delicate snowflake perched gracefully on a tree branch, I can’t help but sense a silent harmony between the frozen crystal and the dormant tree, only disturbed by the gentle rustle of the snowflakes falling to the ground, making the path a pristine white in the process. Now, let’s rewind to the inception of this captivating scene.

The dark and gloomy clouds had been hovering in the sky for the past few days, and the prediction for snowfall was becoming a reality. I wanted to undertake a short winter trek and immerse myself in the surroundings. This time, I chose the Chopta – Tungnath trek as it was feasible for me to cover it in a weekend.

On a Saturday afternoon, I drove from Dehradun to Ukhimath, a small hamlet in the Rudraprayag district. Ukhimath is famous for the Omkareshwar temple, which serves as the winter abode for the idols from Kedarnath and Madmaheshwar. If you wish to read my dedicated post on Omkareshwar, click here. It took me 6 hours of driving time, and by around 10 in the evening, I decided to make a night halt here. I chose the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) Ukhimath property for my stay.

It was raining mildly when I woke up early in the morning. Dark clouds had completely blanketed the higher peaks, which are otherwise distinctly visible from the property. Somewhere, I was happy, knowing it would be snowing up there.  Without much thought, I was back on the road, driving up the hill with the goal of making it to Chopta at the earliest. I knew I would not be able to drive on the road washed with snow, so around 18 kms ahead (Makku band), I parked my car and took a jeep for the remaining stretch of 12 kms until Chopta (perched at an altitude of roughly 2600 metres). And this marked the beginning of the thrill that lay ahead.

The snow was heavier at Chopta. We rested briefly at a tiny shack, had some hot milk tea, and enjoyed deep-fried fritters. We marvelled at the white flakes as they cascaded down in swishes and swooshes. From here, it was an arduous trek of 3.5 kms to Tungnath, one of the panch kedars dedicated to Lord Shiva. If you want to read a quick brief on the panch kedars and their connection with the pandav brothers, click here.

As we trudged up the hill, the rhododendron trees were mostly submerged under the thick blanket of snow, except at places where they appeared to emerge from the snowy web like ghostly sentinels.  My boots made a crunchy sound as they hit the ground every time, and the sound of heavy breathing concocted perfectly, blending with nature. Had the weather been clear, stunning views of the Garhwal Himalayas would have been guaranteed, but the heavy mist had completely obscured the view.

We took slow steps, ensuring that we did not deviate from the path. In about 2 hours, we arrived at Tungnath (situated at an altitude of roughly 3600 metres). It was completely barren, with abandoned temporary sheds bearing thick slabs of snow on the rooftops, and not a single person in sight.  The temple stood at one end, however, since it’s closed for the winter months, we paid our obeisance to Lord Shiva from outside.

We soon decided to canter down the hill, following the same trail, and in about an hour, we arrived at Chopta which was buzzing with tourists who had by now flocked in huge numbers to witness this marvel. We savoured a plate of dal/rice and then took the first available taxi.

At Makku band, we took another route that passed via Makku village. The famous Makkumath (temple) is situated here, serving as the winter abode of the Tungnath Idol. We made a brief pitstop, visiting the holy shrine. The idol stays at this temple premises from the end of October to early May.

We concluded this short trek, the frozen imprints, etched in the heart of Rudraprayag’s snow-laden beauty.