4 km · 4-5 hrs · +2,700 ft · Water: none on trail, carry 2 L · Two steep pulls

The trail leaves the upper edge of Sankri and enters pine within ten minutes. This is the theme of the day. Forest, then more forest. Pine and maple first, oak higher up. Two sections will make you breathe hard. Take them slow and they pass.

In winter, snow appears underfoot from mid-trail. By January it starts almost at the village. Langur troops move through these oaks. There are no shops after Sankri. The next one is four days away.

The lake gives no warning. The forest simply opens, and the water is there. From late December it is ice. On clear nights the stars here stop conversations. January night temperature: [F6: your logged range].

[2-3 photos of this day, captioned with month + photographer]

4 km · 3-4 hrs · +2,150 ft · Water: fill at the lake

Starts in oak, ends above the trees. Around 10,400 ft the snow patches turn permanent and the ridgelines open. This is the day the mountains arrive: Bandarpoonch, Swargarohini, Kalanag, Ranglana in a white arc. Base camp is an open snowfield facing tomorrow’s summit cone. Coldest camp of the trek. Lights out by 8 PM.

6 km round · 6-7 hrs · +1,250 ft, then -3,400 ft · Microspikes on from the start

Why 2 AM? Sunrise from the summit is the point of this trek. Night snow is firm under spikes; late-morning snow slips. And ridge wind builds after mid-morning. So you climb in the dark, headlamps in a line. One false summit will try to fool you. The real top holds a small shrine: Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha under fresh flags, even in January. Twenty minutes up there is standard. The cold decides. [F7: your turnaround rule, stated plainly.]

Day 1: pickup 6:30 AM [F5: point + map link]. Mussoorie, Purola, then rough tarmac after Mori. ID checked at the Netwar forest gate, 22 km before Sankri. Day 5: down by late morning, Dehradun by 8-10 PM. Book no same-evening flight or train. Winter roads delay routinely.