trekking over hevens...

Trekking is something which is inferred in our community as gratuitous, they construe it as bunch of crazy beings climbing mountains. If you have never been there you will never understand, for many of us it’s the way of life!!!! once you are in it, it gets into your blood, pumped through your heart and constantly embraced by your mind. Once you subdue your first mountain, the next impossible becomes possible. You can’t stop, you will never stop. You be at places with brave hearts!!!! you smell air, sand, flowers, plants and you hear birds, animals, flowing water, blushing wind through dense tree’s. That exactly when your soul knows you are still alive and you are very part of this mighty nature.

The biggest thrill of life comes challenging it. one normal year has about 365 days, what do we remember at the end of it? only few handful of moments, moments which made entire year worthy spending. This was one such a moment for us.

This was the day made to be remembered; the day we can look back and be proud off; the day which will Perivale in our minds for very long, happiness as reward for devouring pain, it was this day which made us the adventurist, the risk takers, the go getters, the mountain climbers and as many of us say “it was the day I conquered myself”. However I don’t remember calendar day or date, none of us either. we had left everything we call civilization behind us. We had climbed to about 12500ft for days under testing conditions to reach tilalotani camp, which was the last camp before we crossed mighty “surpass" at about 14000ft above sea-level.

Tired of trekking all day, we all wanted to sleep early but snowfall & cold made it impossible to sleep. we stayed awake almost all night shivering under our sleeping bags and waiting for the dawn, I could barely speak and often fumble while speaking. At about 3am in the morning we decided to come out of our closets, only to witness chaos around our tent with piles of ice blocks around. The temperature was negative and freezing cold made my bones shiver.  I could hear Amarnath cribbing about the cold and melting ice under his beds, Syed & Praveen being bemused and wondering about the day which was just about to start, Vinay & Sunil wandering alongside our tent to see other trekkers slipping and falling.

Conditions were far difficult to be apprehended. However, company of amazing friends made it out. Good or bad, we were certain about two things; we were irrefutable to walk the mile completing “Sarpass” under any given condition and we were consecrated to make our day to be memorable.

By 3.30am the sun was piping under severe cold as we march past each other chanting “1,2,3,4 paar karege surpass”, with an agenda to cover maximum distance on hard ice before it becomes slippery. After climbing for couple of hours, we were on the top of the world and everything seems small and far. Sun was playing trick tho, as the day progressed ice become slippery and many of us had tough time dealing with it. The danger was around the corner for few minutes, we could fall for eternity if slipped on either side of the mountain, the risk and danger made it more fun.

The beauty was such that we couldn't stop admiring our mighty lord for creating such massive Himalaya’s.

As we walked by the frozen lake, our eyes could scan entire range of Himalayan mountains from that height. The walk was about 14kms only but husking into ice made it look longer. we walked with each other all day, shared our stories, heard Phatakji’s shayaris and Vinay’s beaming puzzles. Certainly we all had made likeminded friends.

As we begin walking over surpass, we removed our shirts and celebrated our victory, clicked as many snaps as we could. Finally all our hardwork, days of climbing, months of training had paid off. We were there where we aspired to be. 

As the day passed we continued walking over the top of the mountain, sometimes climbing up sometimes climbing down. Fumbling slide's from the top was like cherry on the cake :).

we could also see how large glaciers melt down to form small streams and how this steams flow into each other to form river. Something which we learnt in our school's.

As we started to descend from the top, we walked over hard soil and green grass for the first time after days. Green never looked as beautiful as it did on that day, nor any other color had any match for its beauty. Chunks of melting ice with wet green grass was a treat for our eyes, flowing small streams of fresh water right from the tip of glaciers made this place breath taking.

If hills are compared with challenges, Climbing hills and trekking comes senseless to many, so as taking risks in life. Most of us try to avoid hills. what’s good about living on plain land? being under our comfort zones? Life happens only on hills, there’s opportunity to prove to yourself that you are stronger than ever before, ever imagined, ever believed. If you never attempt the ascent, you will never know the thrill of owning your shadow.