Shetan Gut Lake (Devils Corner Lake) is the largest lake in Swat Valley measuring over 2Kms in length and located in a remote valley of Kedam Swat. It is reachable through a long and strenous trek of abt 18 kms. This is what i though ...... but it was much more than just another trek....
on the second day of eid e qurban me and Haji Hassan started off for this journey and reached Kedam at around 3 PM.... where we met our contact Mr Mujahid Torwali... who had arranged a guide for us , Imran, and after a brief negotiation set off to reach our first short stay at Jamri Village... the hike was steep over a proper stone stairway... it was only at jamri village that all three of us wud meet our ultimate doom.. yes ofcorse not death but worse ... diarrhoea..... after a tough nite in the fields of Jamri we started early at abt 7 am with the target to reach Sarbanda or Sarpanaqal as it is called in kohistani language.... the trek started thorough prestine and dense Torwali reserved forest ascending steeply for abt 5-6 hours... a further one hour we reached tarkhana village where Haji sb decided that he had had enuf and couldnt continue as he was in bad shape and slowing the team down as well.... therefore me and Imran started further and an hour further at Jabba the clouds started rumbling and raining heavily.. it seems our woes were not over yet... exhausted and battered by weather i moved slowly through rugged terrain crossing Neeli Jheel (a small lake davasted by 2010 floods) and climbling steeply along a huge waterfall of Sarbanda Lake to reach sarbanda at around 7 PM.. we took refuge in a local hut which was a makeshift mosque where we met a group of oung and energetic local boys Kedam on trek to the lake as well... excellent cooks as well but i was unable to eat anything solid and was suffering severe dehydration so i decided to call it a day and throw myself in my sleeping bag.....
the next morning we left along with a complete local gang at around 8 Am crossing the sarbanda lake (11500 feet alt) only to see the towering 2000 feet steep ascend to Shetan gut lake....
now there is no specific legend associated with the naming of this lake but i am sure its the location of this lake that it got its name from... never have i had to climb this hard to reach a lake... but what a sight it was...
a huge waterbody engulfed in clouds and shrouded in mystery.... it took almost 1 hr to reach its other end... we reached lake at 10 am and left at 12 PM .. reached Sarbanda at 2 and left for rondezvous with haji sb and reach him at around 7 Pm.. now it must be noted that the trek involved two 10-11 hrs trekking .... and a ascend from 5500 feet to 13500 feet...
additional notes: from sarbanda a pass named kundera pass reaches Kundol lake and is a popular excursion for local ppl.... there are 2 lakes in that region as well called khundera lakes. i one has time this shud be attempted....
any how the next morning the complete team marched down to kedam a trek that took a different trail than b4 and complted in abt 4.5 hours..... we reached Imrans house above Kedam and had lunch there.... then decended further to kedam and our vehicle.. took some time to rest and left for home.. as usuall in these times and holidays there were severe traffic jams on our way back and i reached islamabad at abt 11 pm...
overall impression:
the trek to shetan gut lake is a butiful one with forested landscape and several small lakes on the way... but its a hard hike and shud be completed in 4 days rather that 3.. there are numerous possibilites of stay on the way in local huts and we didnt camp anywhere. were treated with local food and usuall hospitality of the ppl of KP.... if one must go there then one must include the Kundera pass trek....
pics coming soon.....
related info
perhead cost = Rs. 5500
Imran Kedam 03123988282
mujahid torwali: 03156191999.
stay tuned ... the devil has met its match..............
