TREKKING THROUGH A WHITE BLANKET!

My wife Latha and I just returned from a life transforming experience – a Himalayan trek, scaling Mount Kedarkantha in the Lower Himalayas at 12500 ft. While we had trekked higher before ( Derapuk in Mount Kailash at 17000 ft and made it by car to Khardungla Top in Ladakh at 18,300 ft), plodding through snow made this trek especially difficult.

We first travelled from Chennai to our base camp Kotgaon at 6500 ft via Dehradun and Mussoorie. At 58 and 56 respectively, we were the oldest in the group of 25 trekkers, 2 guides and the trek leader, aged only 27, but, trekking since he turned 14. The Trek was organized by IndiaHikes, India’s premier trekking company known for their safety record and emphasis on the right people, process and equipment for all their treks.

We first travelled from Chennai to our base camp Kotgaon at 6500 ft via Dehradun and Mussoorie. At 58 and 56 respectively, we were the oldest in the group of 25 trekkers, 2 guides and the trek leader, aged only 27, but, trekking since he turned 14. The Trek was organized by IndiaHikes, India’s premier trekking company known for their safety record and emphasis on the right people, process and equipment for all their treks.

The crucial Day 3 (Summit day), started with getting ready from 2 am including wearing our gaiters and micro-spikes to help us trek through snow. We started at 4 am and the ascent was steep at several places. We sighted the summit at around 8.30 am, yet had to climb for another hour, a case of so near yet so far.

The final push to the summit was challenging as the snow had started melting with sunrise and our feet were getting stuck in snow with every step we took. At this crucial stage, our Trek leader Tanay and two guides Rocky Bhai and Suman Bhai sprung into action, encouraging each one of us and in some instances literally dragging us up the summit. They were driven by a strong mission to see everyone reach the summit.

Once we reached the top, the view was truly breathtaking and it seemed that the few moments atop the mountain were worth all the effort. Kedarkantha is a stand-alone mountain and one gets a 360 degree view of the peaks

Thanks to the melting ice, it took us another 5 hours to reach the summit camp safely. The fun part was being able to slide down a few stretches during the descent. After an hour’s rest, we reached another camp Shirpuri (8300 ft) trekking for 1.5 hours. The last stretch was covered on Day 4 from Shirpuri to Kotgaon in 4.5 hours. This descent was a breeze compared to what we had covered in the previous three days.

Spending so much time amidst the Himalayas, taught us many lessons –

1. Humility – one is left awestruck at the majesty of the peaks, leaving one completely humble despite all previous accomplishments
2. Punctuality and discipline – a successful ascent (and descent) requires you to start well before sunrise and time your trek well.
3. Sensitivity towards the environment – Following a minimalist lifestyle with an emphasis on reduce- reuse- recycle, is the only way to protect the fragile environment of the mountains and not invoke their fury.
4. Fit and healthy lifestyle – Trekking or living in the mountains requires an above-average fitness quotient. I am much more mindful about staying fit, in order to continue trekking.

The trek brought to light many leadership lessons too:

1. Motivation – critical at every step as many trekkers start thinking of giving-up before reaching the summit
2. Teamwork – everyone should believe they are one big family and lend a helping hand to those in need
3. Not giving up easily and believing in every trekker’s ability, especially as you hit a rough patch.

While a trek such as Kedarkantha during or towards end of winter is incredibly challenging physically, a strong mind that doesn’t give up easily is equally important. As my wife put it, if your Attitude is right, Altitude does not matter.

“And just when my feet start to pulse, my back aches, my legs are tired, I can’t catch my breath and I am dead tired- I feel the most alive. That’s the irony of hiking in the mountains”(Unknown)

The trek taught us to test our limits and step outside our comfort zones. As Sir Edmund Hillary put it elegantly

“It is not the mountains you conquer, but yourselves”