Mountains Calling – Part II: My Personal Emotional Journey in the Mountains

 Trekking I believe is a very personal experience. And the purpose for going on a trek is quite unique to every individual. For some it is an adventure, for some a form of exercise. It could be a way of exploring mountains, or experiencing nature. It may be someone’s source of livelihood or someone’s way of pursuing a secondary hobby (like photography or vlogging). Up until now, for me trekking has always been an achievement. I’ve been a healthy kid with a below average stamina for most my life. So I’ve been dragged to treks as a part of family outings and while in a brief period I’ve enjoyed them, sometimes I’ve literally cried my way to the top. So completing a trek has always been an accomplishment, a check off my list, a job done!

So this trek for me was kind of a boon. It was quite the luxury trek. Our daily trek was on an average 4-5 hours (inspite of all our rest & photography breaks). Our daily backpack consisted merely of water, a poncho, a light jacket & some dry snacks. Our major luggage was carried by mules from one campsite to another. There were pretty, reasonably spacious & sturdy tents set up by the time we reached the site & a hot meal laid out. Our cook was a treasure. We were fed hearty & delicious meals 4 times a day – right from simple dal khichdi or roti sabzi to fancy meals like chole bhature or Chinese. We were served delicious hot snacks with tea & coffee every evening. Imagine enjoying hot samosa, huddled in a tent when it is raining outside or a hot steamy soupy bowl of maggi in the cold, with a view of the Himalayan ranges from the window. It makes you feel satiated and happy! The only other real challenge was the high altitude – but the gradual climb & stay at various altitudes helped us acclimatize quite easily without any major health issues.

So while I had agreed to the trek as way to spend some quality time with my cousin or as a challenge to see if I could do it, the entire experience actually turned out somewhat philosophical for me. Used to the hustle culture of Mumbai, the routine travel to work, punch-in punch-out hours, life wrapped in excel for most part of the day-week-month and the constant addiction to phone – all of it leaves little time for oneself, to sort out emotional turmoils, to not be affected by what we see happening around or on social media. My mode of relaxation at home is either cooking or watching a series. The way of spending time with friends – a fancy dinner or a night out in the city. How to connect with someone? How to connect with your own self? How do you hear anyone over the constant noise of your life that is passing you by?

Our initial few days we were only getting to know each other as a group. It is astounding how easily you can form bonds with someone when you are not busy trying to catch up on a deadline or wanting to see how many likes you got in Insta. Once the trek started, there was literally no connectivity. So the only option was to enjoy the nature or enjoy the company, and I managed both. I admit I am somewhat of a phone addict. But it was surprisingly easy to let go off the technology in that atmosphere. We played games, ate, explored, talked and laughed. Laughed – heartily, without a care – the way babies do it, the way I used to do it before the corporate & adult life sucked the joy out of me. How easy it seemed to let go of all of worries, jealousies, frustrations, & annoyances when I was surrounded by mountains all around & a group that was all out to have fun.

My thoughts while climbing? I think the first doubt would always be how long before my stamina gave up. If history was any indication, I would be at the back of the group midway through the trek. But thankfully the constant photo ops and regular breaks prevented that from happening. Another fear that I was praying against that the high altitude not cause any major problems to anybody. But apart from these 2 questions, the trek was a smooth sail. The trees, the mountains, the valleys, the hillside animals - may have seemed repetitive nevertheless the views never got monotonous, they were always ravishing!

The constant rain the first couple of days meant that we couldn’t really go exploring around. We spent entire days sitting in the tents playing games. I am not much of a fan of rains in Mumbai as well. I enjoy them only when I don't have to be outside in them. So you can imagine my trepidation when it rained constantly while we were in tents and had to trek every single day. The first night of thunderstorms had ofcourse provided me with nightmares and I had developed an absolute phobia of rains interrupting our trek or my sleep! The rains had already seeped into the main tent that we were huddled up into - the games and the songs was just a way of distracting my mind from overthinking. Though a day of our trek was impacted because of heavy rains and we were forced to return, drenched & cold, they did also provide us with a clear view of snow peaks right from our camp the next day. 

On the last evening of our first trek 2 of us set off to a small hillock below our camps to check the view. And while I had enjoyed almost every sight, every view throughout the trek so far that view stirred something within me. Mountains & valleys all around, hues of colours green & blue mixed, a small farmhouse in the corner, mules & cows grazing leisurely with their neck bells providing a soft background music, our small camp with tents perched on the hillock above and just the 2 of us speechlessly admiring the view. My heart was overcome with emotions that I have not yet found the words to describe. The next morning as we got ready and came out for breakfast, the sun was slowly peeping out from behind the huge range of mountains across. And there I was, sitting with a hot breakfast in hand, just admiring the view, feeling genuinely blessed just to be there.

Our next trek was not quite as leisurely, secluded & long as our first. With the crowd of people around, the untimely rains & hail, the shared dormitories and the freezing cold made me miss the peace & solitude of the first. Additionally, the hailstorm on the day of our arrival had flattened our tents and I was terrified at the thought of anyone staying in them that night. But the view that evening from our camp and then the next day when we reached our final destination – the Khaliya Top - made the entire trek worth it.

Have you ever felt so small & yet so blessed to be just be here, in the midst of this large cosmic universe? I can distinctly recall at being completely present, conscious & yet in a trance for those few moments when I took in that magnanimous view around me. A sight that made me so overwhelmed with emotions that every nerve of my body must have trembled with excitement, pleasure & an almost eerie calm, making my heart flutter & my eyes well up. It seemed surreal that within this chaotic & messed up universe there exists a place where the time seems to stop. If I could stop & relive any moment of my life in the past few years, it would be this one – a thousand times over!

We are so wrapped up in life, in work, in priorities that we almost forget to live. I am worrier, an over thinker, a realist or probably even a pessimist. My mind has the ability to run a thousand problems at the same time, almost every waking moment of the day. But when I returned to Mumbai I realized that this trek did something magical to me. It brought with it a sense of calm & peace to me and my life. It did not remove all my problems nor provide any solutions but somehow, just somehow, those mountains gave me & my mind the strength to deal with them without stressing myself out.

This trek was like an opportunity, that came out of the blue & which I uncharacteristically accepted impulsively – making me feel that perhaps it was also destined. It was the universe calling me to itself & saying “Come live a little! There is nothing that cannot be taken care of by me!”

And just like that those mountains blessed me that day!