In 2015, a night trek in the hills of Pune, crossing 14 hills under the Full Moon from Katraj to Sinhghad, marked my first ever trek. Since then, I have done 2 more hikes in Sahyadris and then in 2016, I went for my first High Altitude Trek in the Himalayas – Hampta Pass.
Recently, while hiking through the Dhauladhars in Dharamkot, Himachal Pradesh, I found myself introspecting on the things I have learned as a trekker. It has taught me…
…to trust nature and your instinct while following a trail.
While walking through the trail, there was a singular moment, a moment of panic where I thought that I was lost and had strayed away from the trail. With dark monsoons clouds looming above, threatening to pour at any moment; the constant settling and unsettling of fog, compromising on the visibility – I even considered backtracking my steps and return to the village. But in that moment of panic and anxiety, instinct took over, and I kept following the nature trail, walking in the direction of the setting sun. In the next 10 minutes path cleared up and I was at my destination.
…to take a breather, even if you are in a hurry to reach the destination.
Most times, when things get tough, or rather when the terrain gets rough during a hike or trek, we hope to press on a fast-forward button to reach the summit or a pit-stop, faster. But in the past 3 years, I have realized that taking a breather goes a long way in preserving your energy. Just stop, take a moment, breathe in a few deep breaths to heal your lungs, before moving on. Micro-steps are better than taking longer strides while hiking.
…to not freak out when the trail is not as easy as it was promised on online blogs or by the locals.
Today, Googling the unknown and the known is as normal as breathing. We either try to confirm the difficulty of trail through travel blogs or people who have visited the place or the locals. What one must understand is that walking 1 km in the Mountains is different than on plain or in a city; also, the time taken by the locals to cover a certain distance is a little different than most hikers, especially first-timers. Read all the blogs you can get your hands on, ask as many people as you would like as information is always useful and handy. However, do not, do not freak out when the trail doesn’t pan out as was promised by the blogs or the locals.
…to have faith that tougher the path, more awesome the view is.
If you have already Googled the trek or hike or terrain you are planning or even going for an impromptu one, then you would have come across lots of photographs of the final view and the blogs saying, claiming, that harder the path, prettier the view. And boy, are they telling the truth! Because it is. I have seen it first hand. So, believe in the view that you are promised from the Mountain-top. Savour the moment when you reach the summit yourself because there are certain views that even photoshop cannot compete with.
…to be flexible and accepting of changing itinerary and plans.
Most times while creating an itinerary we cram as much as we can in a day because of FOMO. However, one thing to keep in mind is to be flexible about changes. While you are on the road, n things can go wrong, not to mention the unpredictable weather in the Mountains. So quoting, Naina from the movie Yeh Jawani hai Deewani during the scene with Kabir on their one-day Udaipur sightseeing, “Life mein jitna bhi try karo, kuch na kuch toh chhootega hi. Isliye yahin issi pal ka maza lete hain”. It translates that how much ever we try, there’s is always going to be something that we will miss out on. Therefore, it’s wiser to be in the moment and enjoy it. Watching a magical Sunset is better than rushing for a light show of the palace, isn’t it?
Have you experienced anything similar while on your travel? Would love to hear about your stories 🙂
Avani Lalka 