This is a slightly deviating blog from my otherwise advocacy engagement posts. But I guess its important to remind ourselves about the small victories too.
So, I could close 2021 with a personal ‘high’ and on the ‘right foot’ by successfully summiting high altitude (12,110 ft) Tungnath-Chandrashila (Garhwal Himalayan mountain range) snow trek.
Its a middle difficulty level trek in Winters and the melting snow and the slippery slopes unquestionably proved it so. Apart from the altitude or the difficulty level it was more about getting out of the comfort zone for me or in Sir Edmund Hillary’s words,
“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
The base camp was at Chopta and after a light, healthy breakfast we started the trek early morning. The trail was horribly slippery due to the melting snow and hence it was extremely critical that we are extra cautious with every single step and don’t zone out as it happens in a non-snowy trek. But I guess its the rhythm that took over and I zoned out and at that very moment I had a terrible fall.
It was so bad that for a moment I felt my spine was hurt and I won’t be able to get up again. Just lying down like that, in that position, in the snow I was looking at the skies with a mind flooded by the tsunami of ‘regret’. My mental strength which is equally or more important for any trek than the physical strength was shattered too.
When the thoughts of not continuing the summit started intensifying at that very moment a random stranger from another troupe just screamed “kuch nahi, hote rehta hai, kuch nahi hua.”
I don’t know, those words acted like a much needed positive medication to at least try to get up.
I just did that, rested for a while, had a bar of snickers that I was carrying, pulled my thoughts together and continued the trek….
Amita Karadkhedkar 