Meeting in Dehradun at 7 a.m., we'll travel to Sankri, our expedition's home base. We'll stop for breakfast at Kempty Falls, which is close to Mussoorie, before continuing down the Yamuna's path. We'll be stopping in Purola again for lunch, so if you need to get in touch with anybody before we leave this area, don't forget to do so before we leave cellular service. At the entrance of Govind Pashu Vihar National Park, we will be checked to verify that everyone in our group has the proper entry permits. If you need to maintain a copy of your ID, please do so. Upon approaching Sankri on a clear day, Swargarohini will appear in the distance to welcome you. After arriving at your hotel or homestay, your expedition leader will give you a briefing on the next trip. If there is anything you need to get at the last minute, Sankri is the place to go.

Today marks the first day of the expedition's formal launch. After breakfast, we'll get in a vehicle that will drive us through a beautiful path until it drops us off in Taluka, from where we'll start our hike. Today's route takes us along the Supin river, and it's both uphill and downhill the whole way. Leaving Taluka behind, we make our way straight to the Supin river's banks and begin our descent. After almost two hours of hiking, we'll begin our strenuous ascent through the pine and rhododendron-filled coniferous woods. As we get closer to the town of Gangadh, we'll start to see the Garadh (hydraulic mills) that are so characteristic of the area. At the Seema, a lodge in the woods awaits us. There isn't much of an elevation increase, but you'll go around 12 kilometres (7.5 miles), and the hike should take you anything from 6 hours to a full day.

Today we'll be making our way to the mysterious spine lake of Ruinsara on our way to the top of Mt. Kalanag. The morning will begin with a fire to make us toasty, followed by breakfast before we break camp and go on to the next location. Much of today's route is like yesterday's, with uphill and downhill stretches. Of around the halfway point, we'll get our first distant look at the magnificent Mt. Kalanag, which will give us renewed vigour and inspire us to go on. Along the way, we'll see some stunning scenery that's bursting with vivid hues. We'll finish off our hike today by passing through some Silver Birch groves, or Bhoj Patri as they're called in the local language. All of the Hindu texts were first scribed on the bark of this tree, hence it has great historical value. You may strip a few parchments from this tree if you want to take home a keepsake that is worth a lot of money. The campground at Ruinsara Lake is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, creating a very breathtaking scene.

We start our ascent by traversing expansive open grasslands, which are framed by snow-capped hills and the sun-drenched valley. We'll hike up the gentle incline through the open, deserted grassland until we reach the mountain's rocky part. We'll have to make our way along goat tracks with caution from here on out. We must proceed with extreme caution through this area, since the slightest negligence might result in serious damage. We'll reach the rocky areas after we descend the goat route. From here on forward, there won't be any trees to be seen, marking the point at which we can definitively claim that we've left the tree line and gone into a higher height. From here on out, the trail is not designated, so we'll need to be on the lookout for safe passage over the many little streams that dot the landscape. Now that we've gotten closer to the snowy mountains, we can clearly make out the enormous glaciers that have frozen over them. When we get to Kyarkoti, we'll camp out next to the water pump. From this vantage point, we can take in the beauty of Mt. Kalanag in all its majesty.

We take advantage of this in order to give our muscles a break from the hiking and let our bodies to fully acclimatise to the altitude. At the end of the morning meal, we will have a briefing and lesson regarding the climbing gear and methods we will be employing. Next, we'll move on to some hands-on training, learning the ins and outs of rope up and anchoring, using snow boots, crampons, and gaiters, and climbing and descending on snow and ice. We'll break for lunch after our training session and then split up the gear for the next day's load ferry.

We will prepare for the journey ahead by packing our own belongings as well as the gear that was assigned to us the day before. We will be crossing river bottoms, landslide zones, and rockfall sites, so please start the hike with your helmets on. After a short, easy ascent, we'll descend to the mountain streams below. If you want to avoid having to turn around because of high water levels caused by melting snow, getting an early start is essential. Looking out at Mt. Kalanag and Bandarpoonch, we continue our ascent towards ABC, pausing sometimes to catch our breath and refuel. Please watch out for falling rocks and other debris as we traverse the landslide area. Since the final stretch of the ascent to the ABC is very steep, we will zigzag our way to the top. From now on, we'll need to prepare all of our own meals and take turns doing mundane tasks like cleaning dishes and bringing back water from the water source for the entire crew.

In the morning, we will have a meal that we have prepared ourselves before packing up to go to Camp 1. We'll portion out our rations so that we're just carrying what we need. Not a very long day's hike, but we'll be making some serious elevation gain and setting up tent right next to a glacier. We will be ascending and descending the mountain side, so be prepared for some challenging terrain. As we approach closer to the glacier, the ascent becomes more difficult since we have to tread cautiously across moraine and scree to avoid twisting our ankles. When we reach Camp 1, we will pitch our tents and begin storing our gear. After spending the night at ABC, we will return along the same path with light loads.

To go to Camp 2, we'll follow the same path we took to get there. Everything else we need to go to Camp 1 we will bring with us. The trail to the peak is clearly visible from Camp 1. Get some shut-eye at Camp 1.

The day grows more difficult as we try to figure out how to get to the Summit camp. The first obstacle to overcome today is a large glacier area riddled with crevasses. To protect our safety across the glacial field, we will be using ropes for the first time today. We'll use the tried-and-true method of splitting our expedition into a strong lead and tail, with the rest of our members sandwiched in the centre. Whenever possible, we will avoid venturing off the path our guide has previously blazed, since this will ensure that there are no hidden crevasses along the way. Once we've made it over the glacier, we'll have to make a strenuous ascent to the summit camp. We need to have our bodies rested for the summit attempt after midnight, therefore we need to get camp set up as soon as feasible. Get ready for your summit attempt by organising the gear you'll need.

In other words, this is the day for which we've all been waiting. We're going to give Black Peak a go and see if we can reach the peak (Kalanag). Having slept for a short while in the summit camp, the crew must now begin preparations at 11 p.m. in order to begin the ascent at 1 a.m. Before we attempt the top, we have a hearty dinner to fuel our climb and then don our harnesses and snow boots. After the Expedition Leader finishes inspiring the team, we'll start hiking to the peak. We'll start our ascent on easy terrain, secured to the ropes the sherpas set up the day before. At a certain point, we'll be facing steep slopes of up to 70 degrees, which will need the use of technical climbing skills and physical power. Keeping your breathing rhythmic as you climb at night will help you stay warm. The sun's gradual ascent will provide us with warmth and illumination as we make our way to the mountain's shoulder. When we reach the peak, the Swargarohini Massif will be directly in front of us, with the Gangotri and Harshil area to one side and the Bandarpooch massif and the Nepal border to the other. To prove what you've just done was successful, photograph it. High altitude and gusty winds mean we won't be spending much time up there. We're going to go back down to the base camp from here.

This day is set aside just in case there is a holdup because to bad weather or any other unexpected circumstance.

Upon completion of our summit attempt, we will pack up our tents and begin the descent down to base camp. Nothing will deteriorate under these circumstances, so be sure to gather all of your trash as well. After the stress and exhaustion of reaching the top, returning to the lower altitude of Kyarkoti will seem immensely rewarding and soothing.

To go back to Ruinsara, we'll follow the same steep mountain paths. As we continue to lose height, the air pressure increases, making it easier to breathe, and our muscles begin to recuperate from the Herculean effort we've already put in. Camping in Ruinsara for the night.

The trip back to Seema promises to be fascinating, as we'll get another look at the beautiful scenery we passed through on our way there. We'll leave the vast meadows behind as we cross the river back and forth through the silver birch woodland. Seema has prepared a place for us to rest for the night.

After breakfast, you'll want to go back to Taluka along the same path you came in on. As we near the finish of the excursion and achieve our objective, our pace will pick up. We will find our cars waiting for us in Taluka to transport us back to Sankri, where we can sleep well in our own beds. We will be leaving for Dehradun in the morning, so this is the last chance for a big party before we go.

We're leaving the mountains behind and heading back to civilisation. At seven in the morning, we'll leave Sankri for Dehradun, with an estimated arrival time of three o'clock. Make the appropriate arrangements for lodging or transportation.