The thrill of the hilly labyrinth!

Since my childhood days, I have explored and engrossed myself in the world of books. The black on white is what I did everyday- sometimes out of love for reading and sometimes by force of habit. Apart from books, my family was my sole driver and this never left space for anything else. So, when Joy asked me to accompany the Hiking club, I agreed. Somewhere, I felt I wanted to wander even though I wasn't lost! I regretted this decision many times before we left for the trek. How could I lead a group of 18 students,with no ‘experience’ in hiking?
Little did I know that the students I am going with, never needed a leader! They had done all their ground work to increase their stamina and were now ready to take on the challenges the mountains posed to them. Right from shoes, 18-kg rucksacks, warm jackets to headlights and gloves, they had prepped up suitably. They had planned the trek with as much precision possible- enquiring about the weather everyday, plotting all feasible routes and arranging rucksacks for everyone. While this may be one of the many treks they have done, I was a dilettante in this field- nervous yet excited. 

Each day started with packing sleeping bags, crawling out of tents to feel the cramped legs and arms and then, a hot cup of tea/hot chocolate to de-frost. This was followed by daily chores and a thorough clean up and pack-up of tents. This prepared us enough for the adventure ahead. The toughest day of the trek was when we moved from Lamadugh campsite towards Riyali Thatch. Leaving the treeline behind around mid-day, we had to hike up a snow covered peak called Khanpuri Tibba. As we began, I started to feel way too exhausted with aching shoulders, running nose, dried throat and nearly empty stomach. That’s when nervousness enveloped and the scare of ending up as a liability for the group struck me.The oxygen levels were lower and a lot of effort went into every step. A little bit of water to hydrate my body and a motivating nudge from Enosh who said, ”Mam, the trick is to NOT look up!” was enough to start again. As I bent forward a little to distribute the weight of rucksack over my back, I could walk faster. With the confidence creeping in, I looked up and a spectacular sight made my heart skip a beat. The God’s light, the near-parallel sun beams coming from the clouds (also called crepuscular rays), was right infront of me. It reminded me of a scene from the movie ‘Into the Wild’ where the old man’s last message to his friend Christopher is that,”When you forgive, you love and when you love, God’s light shines on you!” I paused to ease my breath and imagined taking as much oxygen in the air surrounding me. At that moment, I felt as if I could hold ‘infinity in the palm of my hand and eternity in an hour’. The reason for this ecstasy was that I was amidst all bounties of nature - snow covered peaks glistening in sunlight, gushing sound of water with not a stream in sight and the steep slope on the right hand side as if challenging us to look down. One couldn’t see even a speck of smirch and filth anywhere. When you witness the panache of mighty mountains, you realise how tiny and miniscule you are. At the same time, you feel very light because you can shed the layers of societally imposed pieces and just stand in wonder. No expectations, no complications and no obligations! Quoting right out of Shakespeare, “When comes such another?”

Resisting the temptation of divulging the little details, I shall jump right into the priceless lessons I learnt out of those.
1. Warmth can be found in the coldest of places. We had the good luck of receiving the warm hospitality of a bruno-black Himalayan dog who chose to give us company during the bonfire session. I even heard him growling at the approaching mules in the night when we were all resting in our tents. 

2. You may be beaten and bruised but you can’t be broken, if you are to clasp the winning point. The everyday thrill of diverse terrain, higher peaks and steeper slopes forced many of us to just keep pushing ourselves to limits unknown to us.
3. Sitzfleisch is all that is needed to ace a race. Mountains dare you using different variations of face-off with a point of no return! When you are walking on a steep trail with snow all around, there is no escape.

To sum up, I think we had the much-needed rejuvenating and refreshing break from mundane and busy city life. All of us, I would like to believe, were so engrossed in capturing every moment that the upcoming tough trails didn’t bother us. The best way, therefore, to leave the ghosts of the past and fears of the future is to immerse ourselves in the present as if nothing mattered more.
I don't have an appropriate line or aphorism to conclude this account, so I shall say, “Choose to dare!”

(the slogan of Hiking Club, St. Stephen's College)