Ascend

‘Get up or you will miss the sunrise!’ was a beautiful contrast to ‘get up or you will miss the bus.’ 6 days amid the Himalayas was an inexplicable sojourn into a world which was unaffected by the fancies, fallacies or the miseries of the mortal world where I had to eventually return

The stay order on camping at various sites in Uttarakhand did dampen our spirits briefly, however we had chosen between Dayara Bugyal and Phulara Ridge after Kuari Pass got cancelled. Dayara Bugyal it was, after some soul searching which was not influenced by Quora users. Flight, AC train and a tempo traveler which allowed the Dehradun breeze to drift in; brought us to the basecamp from where we were to begin a 30 kilometers journey on foot along the meadows and ridges of the mighty Himalayas

Rewind 30 days; and our group of 8 realized we need to take this trip seriously. Well, you cannot just wake up one fine day and start ascending to reach 13000 feet above sea level. Thus commenced the efforts to take care of oneself. From different locations, in groups of twos and threes, we did our 5k jogs; posted our pace values and routes to inspire or make others envious! We tried getting into a routine wherein we slept well, ate well and had enough energy to challenge our 5k pace day after day. Shoes, warm clothes, torches, et al, we shopped together; created a master list for packing and started counting days for a trek of a lifetime!

Little did I know what to expect beyond starlit skies and chilling winds for the next 4 days. Having a Brit trek leader did add a touch of glamor to the experience! For 4 days after the morning we left the base camp, we did not have tap water, electricity or a roof over our heads. We walked 7-8 kms each day, taking community breaks where healthy finger food and water infused with ORS was shared. I don’t remember awaiting vegetarian food more than what I did during this trip! Black tea at 6am, breakfast at 7, lunch at 2, tea with snacks at 4:30, soup at 6 and dinner at 8; Indiahikes ensured we were well fed. The cold and the climb burnt the calories consumed in this elaborate meal plan. On the first night, we had dinner in our individual plates. Fairly soon, we realized washing a plate, bowl n spoon individually in the freezing cold water was the toughest task at hand. A lot of plate sharing followed in the subsequent meals, initially out of convenience; later out of care. Measuring the blood pressure and SpO2 created a lot of suspense because no one wanted to be prone to altitude sickness. The days were beautiful, we could catch the sun rise, the wild flowers, fiery red autumn leaves and the peaks seemed like they were at a stone throw away! Gangotri, John Lee, Draupadi ka danda became familiar like M G Road and LBS Marg! Being one with nature was an overly used yet a huge understatement. Stretching together was another fun activity to do. Nature’s calls were challenging, the long ones more than the short ones!

The first night I was sleepless, 4 layers couldn’t warm me enough, the sleeping bag was inconvenient and the liner stifled my entire body. I wouldn’t step out of the tent in the middle of the night to pee because it was too cold and too dark. It was almost like programming micturition! The dog at times barked, the neighbor snored and the cold gave grief but I lay still trying to sleep. The following night I gained immunity against the snoring, the liner was probably a tad bit more comfortable but sleep was still disturbed. The third day tired us so much that I slept like a baby that night oblivious to the dog, the snores and the discomfort of the sleeping bag. It was blissful getting up to snow on the tents and frozen rivulets which gullied the basecamp. Un-pitching the tent was another tiresome task. Pulling out the hooks, rods and squeezing the tent into a duffle bag was quite difficult with frozen hands. As conscious trekkers, we carried waste along the way in our eco-bags and contributed to preserving nature in little ways we could

When I narrated the routine to my mother, she asked why one would cause oneself so much discomfort and complete a task which required so much effort; when the entire thing could be easily avoided!! I could have initially said that I did all of this for climbing a mountain, it is no child’s play! Looking back, I think there is so much more to a trekking expedition that just climbing a mountain. Right from packing our bags to eating off shared plates, to not using plastic or telephone network or electricity to consciously clearing litter on the way; the mountain life is all about minimalism and making the most out of available resources. When you carry your weight on your back, you do not carry 6 sets of clothes for two days. You probably carry two shirts and one pajama. How often do we feel grateful for the tap water running 24*7 or a heater in our bathrooms or the mattresses on our king size beds and our maid who does the dishes? Affluence in many ways makes us take the basics for granted. I honestly feel a trek connects us to the basics, makes us more responsible and has the power to humble individuals. Very often our necessities escalate to desires and then further to wants and needs. You and I, fortunately or otherwise are preys to the delights of city life. Routine life puts us back into the quest to be the best and to be able to finish first in everything we do. The best part in a trek is no one tries to climb the summit first, everyone walks together ensuring that each one of us is safe and energized. Once you actually climb the summit, you aren’t sure if the journey was beautiful or the destination is!

To sum up my experience, I would say trekking is not about climbing the mountain, it is just something that happens along the way!