So the other day I had blogged about lakes of Himalayas. And believe me that we have plenty of them in our own backyard. Not exactly in the backyard but we do not have to travel hundreds of kilometers just to be in the vicinity of divine mountains. One such lake is Kareri Lake which can be visited in two days from my hometown.
Kareri Village - Start of the trek
Walking through the fields of Kareri Village
I have visited this place a number of times and every time I travel to Kareri lake, it entices me even more for another visit. I think such are the ways of nature which has abundance to offer and seeks nothing in return but our devotion and faith in the mountains.
Anyway, because the lake is located in the Dhauladhar Himalayas, the region attracts bucketloads of clouds irrespective of the month of the year. While I had chosen the month of early June to visit the lake, the rains poured as if there was no tomorrow. But even that did not deter our small group from visiting the lake.
In the month of June, transhumant tribes start moving towards the higher reaches of mountains and that makes for a wonderful company for they have known these mountains since ages. Traditionally passed wisdom from one generation to another makes for great stories. We were lucky to have one such group camped by the lakeside where we gossiped with them for long hours.
Shepherds moving towards high Himalayas
The trek starts from Kareri Village, which serves as base camp for the trek. If you are fit and can endure the brunt of high mountains, you can walk back from the lake on the very same day. However, I would recommend that you spend atleast one day the lakeside and soak all that the beautiful nature has to offer.
We stayed overnight at the village and started early morning. The start of the trek is literally an uphill task. The forest is thick and trail is sometimes laden with leeches but a little adventure never hurt anyone.
View of Dhauladhar Himalayas from the forest
Once you have crossed the forest, all you have to do is to walk along the water stream emanating from the lake itself. The ascent is gradual and if you have got company you will reach at the lake without much effort. The total distance one has to walk is around 11 kilometers (around 7 Miles) and the view at the top is worth every step that you have taken.
There is small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva atop the lake and there is a community resting place called 'sarai' where you can stay overnight if you are not carrying your tent. However, a lot has changed now and many stay options have come up at the lake.
From the lake, one can start their journey towards the even higher reaches of Dhauladhar Himalayas but that is a story for some other time.
The Magnificient Kareri Lake
Disclaimer: All photographs clicked by me.