Some treks you do once and remember fondly. Then there's Kashmir Great Lakes — the one that pulls you back. I've done it twice. Each time felt like a different journey. Not because the trail changed, but because I did.
It begins at Sonamarg, the Meadow of Gold, where the Sindh river cuts through a wide grassy valley framed by snow-dusted peaks. From there you climb through pine forests, cross glacial streams, and ascend into a high-altitude corridor connecting seven alpine lakes, each a different shade of impossible blue.
Vishansar, Kishansar, Gadsar, Satsar, Gangabal, Nundkol. The names carry a rhythm. The lakes sit between 3,600 and 4,200 metres, nestled in valleys where wildflowers blanket the ground in July and August. On clear days, the reflections are so sharp they make you question which way is up.
The first time, I went for the lakes. The second time, I went for everything in between. The silence of the passes at dawn. The way light shifts over Gadsar Pass in late afternoon. The feeling of sleeping at 4,000 metres and waking to a sky no photograph does justice to.
The first time you go for the destination. The second time you go for the journey. Both times, the mountains give you exactly what you need.
The trail ends at Naranag, a quiet village with an ancient temple and the calm satisfaction of having walked through one of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. Seven days. Seventy-two kilometres. Seven lakes. And a head full of images that no camera fully captures. Though I tried, both times.