On 22nd Sept 2019, while I was peacefully nestled in Hotel Keylinga in Manali, enjoying the view of the mountains from big glass windows, I had little idea what to expect for the next 5 days even after religiously following the daily emails sent by Indiahikes team. Few months back, two of my close friends asked me if I wanted to go for Hampta Pass trek, a name I had never heard before, but when they mentioned it’s a Himalayan trek, I just said “yes”.
After 30 days of actually getting up and going for morning jogs, something that I had not done in years, here I was, questioning myself on my decision making skills, scared and enthusiastic at the same time and few more hours away from being completely cut off from the world for almost a week. Mixed emotions ran high, and just like a typical Generation Y woman, I picked up my smartphone for some browsing and solace.
The same day, Google had posted an interesting doodle. It was an animation of a woman hopping from one snow-clad mountain to another. The doodle was dedicated to celebrate the 80th birthday of Junko Tabei, a Japanese mountaineer, mother of two, 36th person to scale the Everest, conqueror of “seven summits” and someone who eventually reached mountaintops in 76 countries!
Whoa!
I wasn’t ready for motivation of this scale. What were the odds of coinciding dates? Was it a sign? Must be, because fast-forward 6 days, I was back in Keylinga, with the rest of my trekmates, all of whom had conquered Hampta Pass at 14035 feet!
A sweet success indeed!
Trust me when I say it’s extremely tempting to write down in detail about the trek from campsite to campsite, but this blog aims to inspire you and I won’t take away the joy that comes with exploration. So yes, there are pictures appended in the blog and there is sharing of what I learnt in the mountains, but nothing can come close to experiencing it on your own.
By the time you are done reading this, I hope you would consider going on a hike. May be the Himalayas, may not be the Himalayas, maybe something nearby, but I really hope that your hiking boots will taste some mud. So without further ado, here’s what the mountains taught me:
Discipline
You train for it. From dragging yourself out of your bed for preparatory morning jogs, to getting up on time for treks, to tent etiquettes; you cannot do this without incorporating a little discipline in your life. You listen to your trek leader’s advice, implement it and climb higher.
Acclimatization
This is the most important aspect to be educated on. High altitude treks are no joke. Anything above 8000 feet is considered a high altitude. Hampta Pass at 14000 ft for us here, falls under the category of very high altitude.
Human bodies respond in coping with altitudes of less oxygen saturation. Before the summit we were thoroughly educated on AMS, on staying hydrated by drinking at least 4-5 litres of water daily to help our bodies acclimatize, and on the importance of understanding that trek is not a race and that we need to walk in our own pace.
Each day after the ascent, when every bone in the body demanded sleep, we were allowed to rest but not allowed to sleep. You acclimatize better outside your tent. Mountains can take life if you aren’t careful, so educate yourself and alert people on feeling uneasy while you are up there. You can always come back and complete the trek, only if you are alive.
Courage
Often while climbing the mountains, you can lose track of the trail, or have to cross just a foot and a half wide path with a boulder on one side and a steep valley on another. You don’t stop at such terrain, you keep going. You have to find your own way because there is no turning back. This only option of moving forward generates a good deal of courage in you.
Green Trails
The Himalayas have stood there since ages in pristine condition and with marvellous glory. Green trails is an integral part of Indiahikes and in my opinion, need of the hour. The idea is to leave the mountains a little better than how we found them.
Throughout the trek, we carried eco bags which were tied around our waist and picked up litter that didn’t belong in the Himalayas. From bottles, to wet wipes, to chana-masala packets, anything that didn’t belong there was picked up and later segregated.
Minimalism
Almost a week in the mountains with just a backpack – lunch box, spoon and cup for cutlery and I could have all three meals of the day. After the trek when I reached home, I felt cluttered looking at my apartment even when I don’t really own extra stuff. Living in the mountains is simple and the same can be mirrored in our city lives. We really don’t need a lot of material to live more meaningfully.
Gratitude
A warm bed, warm water, privacy, space, electricity; we often take these blessings for granted. Being someone who is extremely territorial, I shared a small tent with two strangers, and I was absolutely OK with it. We used dry toilets and I was absolutely OK with it. Now thousands of miles away from the mountains, as I write this wrapped in my blanket, I have found a new appreciation for things that serve me and gratitude for being able to enjoy the ordinary little joys.
Living
It is so easy to get caught up in the routine life. Yes, it is necessary but what really made me feel alive was the view from the top, the sight of mountains, the sight of valleys, suddenly coming face to face with a sheep, being blocked on trail by a Bighorn, patting a golden doggo who was descending on the trial, drinking cold mountain water, stargazing, distantly watching a brown horse run and naming it Brego, distantly watching a white horse play and naming it Shadowfax, innocence in the eyes of horses and mules, hot tea in the coldest campsite, the first light of the day touching the peak, the last light of the day leaving the peak, the rough terrain that constantly made me question if I would die there.
It is one thing to see mountains in pictures and totally another to behold their magnanimity. Their presence reminds us that there are bigger things on this planet than our egos. These mountains are a proof of it, standing tall, proud, unclaimed.
Trekking Hampta Pass made me find two new emotions, one is looking up at a mountain, another is to look down at few. The choice you make can change your life. Mountains are tough, but conquerable. Discover your soul’s capacity to soak them in.
Often I told myself that I love mountains, it was put to test and if were to give a glimpse of what I went through as a short summary, this will be it:
Five days in the Himalayas, pitching and unpitching tents, sharing them with strangers, dry toilets, acclimatising, trekking from campsite to campsite, snow trekking, dinner under the stars, UNO under the stars, celebrating birthdays under the stars, absolutely no network, sleeping while hearing river sounds, sleeping while hearing side tent-mates sing, horses, mules, no bath, river crossing at near zero temperatures, knee hurt while descending, slipping on the snow, being helped on the snow, me helping someone else with food and company on trail, marvelling at the mountains, meeting extremely fit trekkers en-route, crossing over Hampta Pass at 14035 ft, celebrating it with sweets then and there, singing LOTR songs in the valleys, finding LOTR fans, making new friends, marvelling at the Himalayan mountains, marvelling at Chandra Taal’s turquoise water, passing Rohtang’s breathtaking views and being welcomed back to Manali with rainfall. It’s impossible to be unchanged by this experience. If I can do it with prep work at 30, so can you. And you must. Mountains own your soul. First Himalayan trek. Definitely not the last. My love for mountains found new strengths. I will be going again, some other destination, same old mountains.
And now, pictures, enjoy:
That’s all folks! And the best pictures were still unclicked. Will be back with a new Himalayan story, in a few months. Stay tuned!
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Wow! Wonderfully written. I almost trekked Hampta again 😄
Hey! Thank you! 😀
Very well narrated Sangita☺️😍
Thank you so much!!! 😀
Gave me goosebumps rn! Love the words and the pictures.
Thank you so much!