It was in October 2021 that the idea of doing a Himalayan Trek entered my mind. I have always been someone who constantly challenges herself, physically and mentally, and scaling a Himalayan Summit was extremely exciting to me. 2021 lockdown was especially hard for me, since I had gotten into a cycle of eat-sleep-repeat, with barely any time for working out and staying fit. I knew this had to change, and planning a trek was the perfect motivation to start taking care of myself.

And so it began.
The preparation of a 3 course meal.

For starters, I had to stop. Stop eating junk. Stop feeling lazy. Stop sleeping so much. Stop wasting time. The preparation of the entree had begun, and I started taking charge of my life. I joined a gym, fixed 2 hours every morning for working out and taking time for myself.

For the main course, I had to persevere. Anyone can start, but few can sustain. When I started planning this trek, there were 5 of us. But being disciplined with fitness and having patience to see our body reward us when we workout is not easy, given the busy lives we lead. Often, working out at 6am every morning for me meant sacrificing on sleep. That’s not exactly good either, but I had to prioritise and optimize in the given circumstances. So among the 5 of us, eventually due to various unfortunate events and schedules, only I was left, following the regime.

This was a huge curveball for me because I had not really considered going to my first Himalayan Trek solo!
But more importantly, my how on earth was I going to get permission from my parents??

I thought that the main course of this 3 course meal was just about sticking to regime, but now it was also about adding some spicy arguments that would hopefully persuade my parents into letting me travel solo to Uttarakhand and then trust me to scale the Himalayas with no connectivity and no direct way to reach me for 6 days.
Whew.

Luckily for me, my parents had seen me doggedly workout everyday, and they realised how much this trek meant to me. They were certainly apprehensive about letting me go alone, but I am so thankful and so incredibly grateful that they were so understanding. I still remember the moment my parents finally said “Ok, book the tickets”. I remember feeling giddy with excitement, just jumping around the house, laughing with such happiness, hugging them till they couldn’t breathe, thanking them profusely!!

I had overcome the MOST MAJOR hurdle in any Indian household, getting parents’ permission. It was half the battle won.

Fast forward to March 25th.

I had bought all clothes, gear, some equipment and completed my packing. Wrapped up some work related tasks and was all set to go. The Deoriatal-Chopta-Chandrashila trek. This trek was my dessert, the end to my 3 course meal. It was going to be a test of my fitness and my mental strength.

Then on March 26th 6pm, I arrived at Live Free Hostel in Rishikesh. It was a fun and lively hostel, mostly filled with people from the trekking community. Few trekkers had just come back from their climbs and it was awesome to listen to their stories and see their eyes light up as the spoke about the things they had seen!

Among the people I met in the hostel, 2 people stood out for me, one was my roomate from Kolkata who owned her own business, and another was a Belgian guy who had just completed his pHD in Physics, but was currently trekking across India and Nepal. It made me realise that that no matter what you do or where you come from or what your qualifications are, when the mountains call, you go. It is difficult to put into words the things I took away from talking to them, but it was a lovely night, filled with fun conversations, amazing live music, dancing, singing and good food!

The next day was the drive from Rishikesh to Sari. It started with meeting two amazing women, Faiza and Pipu. It was a very interesting meeting because we first said Hi to each other, then the next thing we know, we are drinking Hot Khullad waali Chai and talking about all the treks we have done, admiring Ganga as she flowed in front of us and taking in the early morning views! It was like meeting long lost friends, though I was a complete stranger to them!

In the tempo, I also met Pooja and Rishabh from Mumbai, Mayuri from Pune and Alka and Sara from Trivandrum and Bangalore. We played anthaakshari for almost 3 hours, singing whatever lyrics came to our minds, completely out of tune, mumbling most of the song and then singing the chorus in FULL JOSH and just creating a complete ruckus! Poor driver! We also stopped at Devaprayag, where we witnessed the birth of Ma Ganga. Devaprayag is the confluence of rivers Bhagirathi from Gangothri and Alaknanda from Satopanth, which merge to become the river we worship as Ganga.

Devaprayag

After a long drive, we reached Sari, a quite, isolated village in Rudraprayag district. Here, I met the remaining people in our batch, 4 awesome Product Managers — Ankita, Navee, Sejal and Sana, a group of teachers Raji, Murgeshwari and Saba, a lovely and lively couple working in the field of biology and chemistry — Sneha and Abhishek, Saba’s husband Murtuza — a super jovial person, and Sanskar — a 11th grade kid who had come trekking with his teachers! Yep, I was surprised too! But over the course of the trek, I realised that if I had teachers who were as cool as Raji, Saba and Murgeshwari, I wouldn’t think twice before trekking with them!

Our trek leader Yash, although a kid younger to me by a few days, was incredibly mature, kind and patient. His knowledge of the Himalayas and his alert but calm nature is something I found to be really fascinating. The Assistant Trek leaders Shivam, Nihall, Avneesh and Sandesh were also going to trek this route with us for the first time. Our guide was Kailash Bhaiyya, a Sari native.

The Village of Sari

Over the course of the next 5 days, the 25 of us knew that we were in it together. As IndiaHikes says, a trek is not a picnic. It is a rollercoaster of emotions, coupled with exhaustion, uncertainty and hope.

On a trek, we experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows. We plough through injuries, headaches, discomfort and pain. The first day from Sari to Deoria Tal was a short 4 hour trek. The team was in high spirits and this was an easy day for most of us.

The second day was from Deoria Tal to Shyalmi. This was a 10km stretch, where we trekked for almost 8 hours through steep ascents and even steeper descents. The descent is something I am not fond of. It requires complete concentration and balance. One wrong move you go toppling down, along with other trekkers in front of you! This stretch was also particularly challenging for a few people, because descents put a lot of pressure on your knees. Using your trekking pole at the right angle and height is the key to reduce the duress on your knees. But personally, I absolutely loved this day because it was that day I experienced my first wow moment.

I recall the moment I stepped into the bosom of Rohini Bugyal. My oh my. It took my breath away. We had just trekked through stony trails, gained almost 1000 ft altitude to reach Jhandi Top, descended again and trekked through forests which Yash referred to as the “birds’ playground”. We had trekked in complete silence so as to not scare the birds, so the only sound around us was rustling leaves of trekkers’ shoes, the cackle of some noisy birds, the sweet and naughty whistles of a few more birds, and the occasional sound of a far away waterfall. Or perhaps that was just a thirsty trekker chugging ORS? Haha. Excuse my little joke.

Stony Trail to Jhandi Top

Jhandi Top — Marking the border of Sari

Trekking through forests in silence

But it had been a long half day. And then came the first turning point for me in the trek. Rohini Bugyal. My god it was stunning. Huge green grass covers, as far as the eye can wander, the meadow lined with the most beautiful Rhododendron trees, bursting with all shades of red and pink. It was as if god had given hundreds of bouquets to this Bugyal, kissed it with warm sunlight, blessed it with the most stunning backdrop of the mighty Chaukhamba and whispered secrets in its ears, whispers that felt like cool breeze carrying sounds of birds and bees. This was such a magical moment. We were just awestruck by the bursts of pink amidst the folds of the brightest green. When managed to drag ourselves to the top of the bugyal, we just sat there in complete silence and solidarity, taking in the views before us. It was the best lunch we ever had, views wise. And then being the sleepy head that I am, I also took the best nap of my life on the Bugyal!

Bouquets of Rhododendron at Rohini Bugyal

Trekkers crossing Rohini Bugyal

Shyalmi was a lovely campsite, with the wonderful sunset and sunrise views. It was also the campsite where I developed a newfound respect for the mountains. Being a disciple of science, although a believer in god, I never believed in ghosts. Yash had just finished teaching us how to cook our own soup using compressed Butane canister and an alpine stove. It took us almost 1 hour to cook it on the low flame, with poor Pooja patiently stirring it while I again took a nap by sleeping while sitting in the tent(new level unlocked!)

Sunrise at Shyalmi

Sunset at Shyalmi

We had a delicious dinner of Dal Chawal, Pappad and Gulab Jamun! Everyone was in high spirits after the longest day of our journey, and a few crazies in the group wanted to hear authentic Himalayan Horror stories. Yash, our trek leader, had been on many expeditions, alpine style, so we patiently waited for him to finish his dinner and entertain us! The wait also included my failed attempt at astrophotography. In the end I just accepted that a camera can never capture what the eye can see. It was such a beautiful night, with thousands of stars twinkling away in the sky like tiny fireflies!

Night Sky

When Yash finally arrived, we had the whole setup ready. We set up red LED lights in the dark tent, sat around him, eager to listen to the stories. Some people were too scared to listen to it, but they made a brave attempt nonetheless! And my word, how fascinating the stories were. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that Yash was a good story teller, but I realised that the mountains have secrets which mortals can never understand. The best we can do is be respectful of the spirits around us, acknowledge that there are forces greater than science and go to sleep peacefully!

Horror Story Night!

The next day was the trek from Shyalmi to Baniyakund. For me, this was the most exhausting day. Even more exhausting than the summit push. We had to to reach an altitude of 8000 something feet in just 6kms. So you can picture the constant ascent through the dense forests. At this point, I think everyone except me and Sanskar had chosen to offload their rucksacks. Sanskar was a 6ft, broad and visibly strong kid, so he did a really good job of it. But I was all of 5'3, and carrying a 10kg rucksack, that included food, water, medicines, sleeping linen, clothes, some gear, and everything else I had brought with me on this trek was a big challenge that day. My gym trainer had helped me build my strength so I was hopeful of being able to carry my backpack till the summit, but this day was particularly tiring for me. There were stretches where I just dragged on with just mental strength, very close to tears caused by sheer exhaustion. I did not know if I would be able to sustain, but I kept telling myself, that I am in the dessert of this 3 course meal, and desserts are supposed to be enjoyed and never left half complete! So I trudged on, with moral support from my fellow trekkers. I think that was one of my favourite parts of doing this solo. Meeting strangers, sharing early morning chai with them, sharing stories and helping each other when someone was at a low point and eventually becoming partners!

The best views come after the hardest climb!

As I said before, we were already tired and exhausted. We could hear the roar of River Aakashkamini from some distance away. When we finally caught sight of her, we took a pause to take in the views. Then we slowly crossed over to the other side, and people started filling up their bottles. But not me! Being a typical Bangalore girl, I did not want to get sick by drinking some random water. So I sat there, a snob on the rocks, thinking “Ew, God knows what is in that water. Do NOT drink it!”.

Then.. Yash asked us to drink water in the most primitive way possible, like animals! We were supposed to dunk our head in the river and drink directly from it! I was mortified! But quite quickly, I told myself, Dpk, you have already tried a whole bunch of new and uncomfortable things, including pooping in a dry toilet, aka “The Hellhole”, so why not try this one too?!

And so I did. I set myself up in a pushup stance, prayed to god, counted down 3… 2... 1… then DUNKED. Dunked my face into Aakashkamini, and gulped a MOUTHFUL of ICY, COLD COLD water. Oh lord. It was like I had gone to heaven. I am not exaggerating this. The water was nothing like I had ever tasted before. It was like beautiful nectar, infused with rich metallic taste, so cold, so pure, so wonderfully sweet and refreshing! And so I did another pushup. And another. And another. I drank like an animal 7 times, my thirst quenched for the next 7 lifetimes, because of how pure the water was. I filled up all my water bottles and just sat by the waterfall, thanking my gods for having allowed me to experience this purity. I realise I am using the word pure a lot, and that makes me realise how meaningless our city lives have become. We are so used to everything being treated with chemicals, food, water, air, soil… it has unfortunately become a norm for us. The mountains are largely untouched, and only a soul that is blessed can truly appreciate the opportunity of being able to sit on Mother Nature’s lap and take in all the beauty around. Trekking made me so grateful for the life I get to lead and the experiences I get to have, and my wonderful parents and brother, without whose support, I would never be able to do this. This was my second wow moment in this journey.

River Aakashkamini

When we finally made it to Baniyakund, we received a soldiers welcome! The camp had trekkers who had just returned from their summit climb, and they stood in 2 rows clapping for us and cheering us as we walked between them! It was such a lovely gesture, we were grinning, proud as punch, for having made it to the final campsite. For me, Baniyakund was the most beautiful campsite, almost comparable to Rohini Bugyal. Yellow tents on the green meadows surrounded by Pink rhododendrons and huge trees was a very welcoming sight for us. As everyone went to pick up their offloaded bags, I had a sudden rush of adrenaline and I ran to the top of the bugyal with my 10kg backpack to secure the tent with the best view for me and Mayuri!

Pro tip — chose tents on flat surfaces over tents with the best views lol. My tent was on an incline, so we, along with our bags and shoes, kept sliding to the bottom of the tent!

Baniyakund, you beauty.

Campsite View at Baniyakund

After we were refreshed and rested, we climbed to the top of the meadows and sat down for a pre-summit attempt briefing by Yash. It was a long, but much needed speech, where he told us to remain humble. One line stuck with me — You never climb a mountain, the mountain allows you to climb it. It is the will of the mountains that determines whether you will make it to the top or not. So stay humble, and stay ready, because the weather in the mountains are extremely unpredictable. Be prepared to experience emotions and feelings you have not felt before. Be ready and be grateful.

It was a lovely lovely day.

Tired and Happy at Baniyakund!

Atop Baniyakund campsite

Our next day started at night!! 1am to be precise. We had breakfast of hot upma and porridge at 1:30 am, and by 2am sharp, everyone had layered up and were raring to go! This was our summit push day.

We knew it was going to be an arduous journey to the top, for we had to gain an altitude of 4000 feet in 6 or 7 kms; i.e, go from 8000 feet at Baniyakund to 12000 feet at the Chandrashila summit! The night was pitch black, our only source of light being our headlamps and the hundreds of twinkling stars. The only thing I could see was the shoes of the trekker in front of me. The only thing I could hear were footsteps and panting. It was a silent night, filled with nervousness but determination. We just knew that we HAD to make it to the top. Step by step we trudged on. When we walked, our bodies started sweating. When we paused for a water break, the cold night coupled with sweat made me shiver like a leaf. Despite the odds, we braved on and made it to Chopta. Then began the real ascent. The night had grown colder with first signs of snow and we were sweating profusely … not a good combination! We marched on, like soldiers with a cause.

2am Summit Push

Then we came to a point where we had to put on spikes on our shoes. This meant I had to remove my gloves. I have extremely low tolerance to cold, and my hands were already numb and swollen. When I removed my gloves, the cold it me like a truck. My body started shaking, my brain started freezing. With help from Sneha and Abhishek, I managed to put on the spikes, but panic had gripped me. I started hyperventilating, partly from exhaustion of carrying my bag, but mostly from the insane cold. Saba noticed this and tried calming me down, but the fear had gripped me, had wrapped itself around my brain. I turned away from her, my eyes welling with panic induced tears. I kept trying to pull myself together, but for some reason, the tears wouldn't stop. I looked around me and realised that I had walked some distance where there was no one behind me and no one in front of me. I started gasping for air. Then in the far distance I saw Kailash bhaiyya! This calmed me down a bit and as neared him, I was able to stop crying because I didn't want anyone to see me cry! When I reached him, I saw that 3–4 other trekkers were there already. Then I noticed that as I was shaking and shivering with cold, Faiza was chilling with no gloves on! This made me feel really insecure, my silly brain made me feel like I was WEAK! I know it was stupid for me to feel this way, but I wasn't able to fathom how she was functioning without gloves! I think she sensed that I wasn't in a good shape, so she walked up to me and asked .. “Deepika, are you okay?” The concern in her voice broke a wall and I started crying. My hand was genuinely going numb with the pain and I could feel it swelling up. My face was flushed and because of the crying, I was expending my energy too fast. I was gulping air and gasping for breath. Looking back, I realise that I was having a full blown panic attack. Something I had never experienced before.

Then I recalled what Yash had told us pre-summit climb. The mountains make you feel things you haven't felt before. He had briefed us about the Comfort-Panic-Learning (CPL) cycle. When we come out of our comfort zone, we may go into a panic mode. We need to convert that into Learning; learn how to overcome the panic and settle into a new comfort zone.

I focused on that. I clutched my trekking pole like my life depended on it, and decided to take it one step at a time. Soon I got into a rhythm, and I had begun making my way up the steep ascent. It was a rock snow wall at 40 to 50 degree incline. Slowly but surely we climbed on, taking small breaks, but never stopping. Sheer exhaustion and cold had started to envelop me as I inched closer and closer to the summit. I could see 3 other people who had reached there, and now I got an adrenaline boost yet again. My Rucksack and I had gone through so much till now, it was only a matter of a few more steps that we’d make it to the top!

And then when I was 2 steps away, I heard Yash saying CLOSE YOUR EYES! DONT LOOK! I was surprised, but okay, I conceded. He made 4 of us hold hands, and he steered us to a spot on the summit. And then he said okay, open your eyes. At this point, you can play the most inspirational boss music you have ever heard. You can play the whole orchestra in your mind.

When we opened our eyes, the sight before us just BLEW US AWAY. WE WERE AT THE SUMMIT OF THE MIGHTY CHANDRASHILA! IN front of us we could see Chaukhamba, Janhukut, Mandani Twins, Kedarnath, Bhagirathi sisters, Dronagiri, Nandadevi, Hathi Parbat and most of the peaks of the Gharwal Himalayas. The warm glow of early morning sun lit up the mighty mountain peaks, overshadowing the cold air that was piercing our souls. Being in the presence of these giants awoke a gamut of emotions in every trekker. We were crying with happiness, laughing with pride and smiling with pure content. In that moment, I was at my most vulnerable self, but I also had never felt as strong and powerful ever before. I had done it. I was at the summit, basking in the glorious soft sun, surrounded by India’s mightiest mountains. My rucksack and I had made it. It is difficult to put into words the immense sense of achievement that was washing over all of us.

At that point, each trekker had fought their own battles in their own way. We all had overcome our devils and doubts and insecurities, and had made it to the top! This was a moment of complete Triumph for the whole team!!

Triumph.

Summit Views

Hello Rucksack, my old friend

My hands were frozen, so couldn’t capture the golden glow, this picture was taken a significant time after I first laid my eyes on the Gharwal Himalayas from the summit.

Snow Cover

Hugs and Happiness

A doggo atop Chandrashila!

Champs!

The mountains taught me so much. After spending more than an hour at the summit, our descent was a jolly and fun one! I had a spring in my step, I started cracking the worst jokes, laughing and giggling happily at silly knock knock jokes even as the descent got harder with the melting snow. But I was unstoppable now! A champion in my own right!! We all were champs! I was no longer afraid of the cold or snow!

HA! Take THAT SNOW! #kungFu

As I recount my experiences here, I am smiling non stop. I would never change anything about this experience, and I am ever so thankful to the entire Indiahikes team for making us feel so safe during every step along the way. I honestly would not consider doing a trek with any other company, apart from IndiaHikes. Avneesh, Shivam, Nihall and Sandesh were so wonderfully patient and helpful, we were all touched by their kindness and zest!

Indiahikes is changing lives, and they honestly changed mine. I unlocked new levels within me, and I respect my body and my place in the world so much now.

As a solo female traveler, I had my apprehensions, but I was in such good hands that safety was never a concern for anyone on the trek in all the time we spent together. Live Free Hostel at Rishikesh was equally safe, with the crowd mostly being trekkers. I stayed in the women’s dorm. The food was yum and the staff was helpful and responsive!

Post the trek, Mayuri, Pooja, Rishabh and I stayed back in Rishikesh for a couple of days. We went cafe hopping, shopping, white water rafting, cliff jumping, attended the Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat and danced and sang in devotion to Ganga and Krishna! The fact that my swimming skills saved me from being swept away by the rapids when I lost grip of the boat as I jumped from it is another exciting story!

Jumping before oncoming Rapids!

Laxman Jhula at night