Beyond Gosanikunda : The Unexpected Beauty of Frozen Suryakunda

I thought I was trekking to lake but didn't expect to walk into a frozen lake in lap of Himalaya. To find peace, there are much easier ways. You can meditate, take a long shower or you can even switch off your phone. Or, you can just walk uphill for hours until your legs stop handling your upper body, your lungs start negotiationg and finally reaching a frozen lake at 4380 meters. That was my plan. Journey began with fresh legs, heavy backpacks, high hopes and plenty of confidence- we started our walk towards the Holy Lake of Nepal - Gosainkunda. I was completely unaware of what the trails had planned for me.

Our journey began from Kathmandu, capital city of Nepal. On the way, I found a historical location Devighat Dham, Nuwakot which is the meeting point of Trishuli and Tadi Rivers. Prithivi Narayan Shah's funeral/cremation was performed here according to his wish in 1775 AD. He was the Gorkha king who began the unification of Nepal in 18th century and widely regarded as founder of modern Nepal.

We reached Syafrubesi which was still 63 kilometers. From there we started walking towards Sing Gompa, Chandanbari. Leaving the busty roads behind, the trail slowly disappeared into forest and into the waterfalls. The adventure had officially begun.

Forest then slowly opened into rugged mountain slopes. Air started to become much colder and thinner as the trail climb towards Lauribina, where the views open dramatically. The uphill trail looked much easier than it actually was. There was a personal argument between me and gravity.

On the way there were Buddhist prayer flags which was traditionally arranged as blue, white, red, green and yellow. Blue (sky) represent peace, White (air) as Purity, Red (fire) as Strength, Green (water) as Harmony and Yellow (earth) as Stability

At this altitude, hunger changes your standards. On this trek, food is simple, hearty and practical which is less about presentation but more about keeping trekkers warm, full and moving to the lake.

A streaming full plate of noodles, boiled eggs and a teahouse Nepali style pizza becomes a feast.

Between the trails and mountain, even the walls and roof tops left their own stories. A little graffiti in the wilderness- a reminder that trekkers leave more than footprints behind.

One strange thing about Himalaya trekking is harder the trails become, more beautiful the view seems. A turquoise sacred alpine lake surrounded by barren Himalayan slopes, sitting quietly at 4380 meter was a dramatic experience

Roads became trails, forest became mountains and "just one more hour" became the most frequently scam of the trek.

A small diet beside the lake made us motivated to keep moving. "Churpi" Not exactly a snack but it is hard, smoky, chewy yak cheese which is excellent for jaw at high altitude. We watched at the peak and decide to trek 1.5 hours on mountain to reach another lake "Suryakunda" also called as Frozen Lake.

Gosainkunda was the goal, but the trail had other plans. The trail went up. And up. And somehow still up (3speak). Every step brought a better view . We climbed towards the clouds, with my leg kept saying "it's enough". Between the Gosainkunda and Suryakunda lies Nilkantha Kunda.

Suryakunda Lake (4610 meter) appeared like a quiet Himalayan secret- smaller and less crowded than the Gosainkunda. It was surrounded by same raw mountain beauty. Reaching the frozen lake felt less like reaching a destination and more like discovering a hidden reward. At this altitude, even the lakes seemed to pause and breathe.

A peaceful lake, dramatic mountains and just enough silence to make us forget how tired I was. It was a place that made me stop complaining about the uphill trek.

Ice covered the lake turning them into giant mirror of the Himalayas. Stillness was almost unreal - just ice, mountains and silence. Cold had stopped the water but it couldn't stop us from staring.

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