Since my childhood, I have been dreaming of the white giant i.e. Himalayas, spread over several countries in southern Asia. I was so fascinated to visit and conquer this white giant which not only acts as a protecting shield for India but also a livelihood to millions of people. The Himalayan range has many of the world’s highest peaks, including the highest in the world, Mount Everest.
We are regular trekkers and have climbed most of the peaks in the Sahyadri range. But, this time we wanted to make it large and decided to head for the Himalayas. Our destination was the Chandrashila Peak on Mount. Tungnath, at 4100 meters above sea level, is the highest Shiva temple in the world. We chose the month of December, as the Cold Himalayan Winter will make things a bit tougher and challenging. As we were a bit bored of the day-to-day challenges of the life in IT, we wanted to explore some adventurous places.
How we Conquered the Himalayas?
We reached Chopta, the base village, in the night and the temperatures were at -9°C. We had to start the trek before sunshine as there would be fresh snow which will provide a solid grip for trekking. But, once the Sun rises, the snow layer melts and the fresh snow layer disappears so the thick ice below it and the scorching Sun increase the difficulty level of the trek. This is where we felt the importance of planning early and planning well.
As we trekked along, the oxygen levels got lower and at one point we felt like giving up on our quest for the summit. But, all that effort we took to reach that point and some motivational talks by the fellow trekkers kept us on course. The words “Unity is Strength” echoes in our heads. We sang our favorite ones, exchanged thoughts, discussed most unrelated things, did every single thing to keep us focused on the summit and finally, we were thrilled when we conquered the mighty Himalayas. The breathtaking superbly beautiful natural creation was all worth it.
How this changed our lives?
After this journey, when we returned to our “Office-Home” life, we were beaming with that extra confidence that we gained in the Himalayas and more than ready to tackle any of the challenges in our lives and reach our goals. If I have to list a few, gained self-confidence, to stay focused, self-motivated, rejuvenated.
