The blue of Vasuki Tal, an 8 km climb above Kedarnath

Vasuki Tal, above Kedarnath, Rudraprayag district · October 2021

Blue water, brown mountains, and very little else — this is Vasuki Tal, at over 4,300 meters. It is an 8 km trek from Kedarnath.

The weather at this altitude can change at any time. An afternoon like this one — still water, clear sky — is luck, not planning.

Kedarnath already feels like a place apart from the world. Vasuki Tal is a day’s climb beyond it.

Photograph: Hisalu