Plodding in near white out conditions, no visibility near Kalindi Khal between Gangotri & Badrinath

Walking in near white‑out conditions with no visibility, the team trekked the Kalindi Khal pass between the Gangotri and Badrinath valleys, placing each foot carefully in the deep, bright white snowpack. They set up tents on a rocky glacial shelf above the Raj Parav glacier, unpacking sleeping bags and rucksacks and securing guy ropes to protect against the cold, windy night ahead. After crossing the Shweta glacier, they descended the Raj Parav glacier on the other side of the pass. The camp was established on a thin ridge of rock and boulders beside a glacier with deep crevasses, during a late monsoon season marked by heavy rainfall, sleet, and cloudy weather. The Kalindi Khal pass, at 5,950 m (19,520 ft), is a heavily glaciated high‑altitude route connecting Gangotri and Gastoli, with the glacier west of the pass feeding the Gangotri Glacier, the source of the Ganges. Historically noted by John Bicknell Auden in 1936, the pass was first crossed by an Indian expedition led by Swami Probodhananda in 1945. During the trek on 22 September 2021, a climber suffered high‑altitude pulmonary oedema; the roped group helped him down, ensuring safety around crevasses and glacier hazards.