My Happiest Trek Moment – Personal Stories of Euphoria, Friendship and Bliss - Part 11

What is the My Happiest Trek Moment campaign?

Frankly, we’re tired of all the negative news around us. You must be too.

We are cooped up at home, not meeting people dear to us. All we get is bad news about Coronavirus spreading its devilish arms. Almost any conversation becomes about Coronavirus. It’s become quite frustrating.

So we have created a space that takes us as far away from Coronavirus as possible — to the trekking world where we all yearn to be.

As a trekker, we’re sure you relive moments from your trek every now and then — it could be that euphoric moment when you finally reached the summit! It could be that moment you were moved to tears by a beautiful sunrise. It could be the reflective time you spent by yourself at a campsite.

You’re welcome to share your stories! We’d be happy to feature them! Find all the steps to send it here.

With no further ado, here are some fantastic stories that trekkers sent to us! 🙂

Btw, make sure you share these stories further, to help more people beat the lockdown blues!

| A bunch of misfits, but we made it!

“We are a group of 20 medicos, after a demanding month of February where we had our final year exams. We were awaiting our results, in the meanwhile we decided to climb Kedarkantha.

I was glad to be back outdoors; little did I know back then that we were in for an another mentally challenging period. The taxing journey to kotgaon where I lost count of how many times each one threw up. Thankfully we had a good night’s rest at Kotgaon and set out for Khujey early in the morning.

Five hours into the trek, we found out that none had been adequately prepared to pull this off. A month of binge eating due to the stress had left us severely out of shape. We were supposed to reach Khujey by 2pm, but we only made it to the halfway point by then. I could sense the team’s frustration. By the time we made it to the dhaba which was at the halfway point many were starving and at the brink of collapse.

Gathering in a giant circle we motivated ourselves, our trek leader played a vital role in pushing us through all that misery. We filled our stomachs to the brim and marched on, even when our bodies didn’t cope the mental grit and determination each one had was astounding. We never gave up even when the odds were stacked highly against us.

Looking back after coming back from making a successful summit climb of Kedarkantha. This was what that held us through, the determination to never give up on your teammates and the courage to pursue the unknown.

When I clicked this picture, I could see that each had one goal in mind and they were steadily pursuing it, not complaining and more importantly not giving up even when every cell in our body screamed “Enough of this drudgery!”.

As we made our way forward through that thick snow, we had this phrase ringing in our ears “One small step at a time “. Finally when we reached the summit at the end of a hardous four day trek it was not so lonely at the top.” – S R Aravind Prakash

| The moment that changed my perception

“In March 2019, me and my wife went for a winter trek to Kedarkantha with TTK. It was our 1st trek yet an amazing lifetime experience.

As myself a leisure traveller on first night at our base camp we slept in a sleeping bag inside a tent. I felt very bad that night and said my wife that next day morning we are leaving for Dehradun back, it seemed quite a bad idea to trek but next day early morning I woke up at 5 am, came out of my tent and to my surprise, I saw such a beautiful views of sunrise, snow capped mountains, lot of birds chirping and felt such a wonderful experience which I haven’t felt yet in my life.

My mind changed, I told my wife we are staying here only and will continue our trek. It was a fairy land. We made a great bonding with other group members and finally made up to the summit with such a good team leader and other 5 guides who were very helpful to us.

It was such a mesmerizing journey that even today I close my eyes and I find myself in the mountains and pray I would soon go for another trek. Would love to go with Indiahikes next time.” – Nitin M Kankaria

| A song at the sight of the mighty Kanchenjunga

“The storm was raging throughout the night at Sabargram campsite (Sandakphu Trek).

The anticipation of seeing the Kanchanjunga massif so close on the trail became to fade away due to bad weather.

But something woke us all in the morning. The weather gods were being generous with us. Unzipping my tent I saw the world’s tallest peaks staring at me and waiting for the sun to enlighten them.The clouds were below us and there was only the thin air which stood between me and the gigantic Kanchendzonga. The unthinkable unfolded before our eyes as the peak was shrouded with the golden rays of the sun.

It was the reward that we all deserved after surviving inhospitable conditions and never losing hope. To pay our respect to the mountains, we sang the Bengali Kanchanjunga song in front of the Almighty Mt. Kanchanjunga. This was something more than all of my wildest dreams combined. This sight will be etched into our mind for a long time to come.”  – Shubham Thakare

| Mt Trishul – A diamond shining in the dark

“This picture takes me back to May 2018 Roopkund trek with Indiahikes.

Well to begin with, the happiest moment was to reach the Bedni Bugyal campsite located approx 11700 ft, and describing the experience the evening.

With a good lunch from IH cooks , the weather favoured me to sit back in the grassland in front of the gigantic yet soothing view of snow peaked Mount Trishul.

As the time passed by, the climate became all the more pleasant with the rays of the sun falling on Mount Trishul and sky changing its color slowly and gradually from blue to little orangish.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Mount Trishul, but the changing colors of the sky enlightened me to widen the beauty to the entire surrounding.

To experience this was treat to my eyes. As the sun was about to set Mt Trishul shined brighter like “Diamond shining in the dark”.

Things changed into thoughts and there was peace of mind, calm, serene beautiful, mystic are some the words I would put forth to describe the beauty.

The photo click doesn’t describe the beauty of the moment, since the experience from the naked eyes was much more than the photo click.

The eyes were open, no talking was required, just a time I stared at the beauty of nature for hours together and thanked almighty to let me experience it.”  – Chirag Parmanand

| The moment I made new friends and let go of my fears 🙂

“This is probably the last picture of the Dayara Bugyal trek. Very near to the base camp. Indeed one of the most memorable ones. This is me on the left and on the right you’d see my trek mate and now one of the dearest person I know, Giri. Until this moment, we haven’t spoken to each other properly throughout the journey. And after this moment, till today, we’ve never ran out of topics to talk.

Having fear of heights, I could not gather the courage to stand on the wall and get pictures clicked like everyone else. But he insisted I must try. He helped me sit first and then gradually developed the confidence to stand. I was able to stand up, although stiff and frozen. However, enjoyed it every bit of it. The picture is clicked by our friend Mythili, who we adore and love.

Sharing this picture to thanks Indiahikes for making me meet people, who are here to stay with me for a long long time to come. ”  – Vishnushree Dalmia

| A view to die for!

“This was my first proper trek, to Muktinath in Nepal. The time was April 2007. We were a group of four, including my cousin brother, our guide Chhewang and our porter, Danny. After a rigorous trek of 6 days starting from Beni near Pokhara we had reached Kagbeni the other night. On our way we had covered beautiful landscapes ranging from lush green to barren rocky trails. The great Kali Gandaki river had been our friend all through the trail.

During the trip we had some of the best views of the majestic Annapurna and Dhaulagiri range which cannot be described in words.

Here, after we had trekked up to Muktinath from Kagbeni, our guide Chhewang took me to a corner of the courtyard where our trekking hut was located and this view was on offer!!!

One of the best that I have seen so far and definitely one that is etched forever. Here we can see the barley fields of Kagbeni, followed by the rain shadow stretch of the river bed that stretches right up to Jomsom. And on the left of this picture stands the Annapurna range in all its glory. A lovely mix of green and barren that is so common in that part of the Nepal Himalayas.

Even though I have been to mountains many times this view still remains the high point of my trekking experience and may not be easy to beat!”  – Tirthankar Roy

| The day when the impossible became possible 

“It was the test of my patience, my endurance & to see that I am capable of achieving impossible things.

So while we were ascending towards our last campsite to Akhoti Thach on the Kedarkantha trek, there came this path where we had to cross a huge branch of tree. This branch was on a good height of a very narrow path way which had to be climbed on from the ground level.

I decided to go after most of my fellow trekkers climbed the branch up with their backpacks on. It was a very dangerous task to do as if your leg slips, you are down in the valley the very next minute. My heart started beating faster as I realized that I will soon have to climb that narrow path way and cross the huge branch of tree with my backpack on.

Knowing that I won’t be able to lift myself up to climb the pathway with my backpack on, I yet tried it all by myself without taking help from our guides. I failed in my first 2 attempts and wanted to cry that every one of my trek mate could do it but me. But cousin who had joined me on the trek, kept encouraging me and guiding me on how I could lift myself to climb the height. With some boosting, I could successfully climb the pathway, but the main task arrived next.

The dreadful huge branch that was to be crossed. And it was so huge that you literally had to hug the branch, spread your legs wide to cross it. With the support of my brother & our guide I somehow managed to accomplish the impossible.

That was a moment of achievement for me & I had never been so happier and felt proud of myself. The particular trail taught me that I have the capacity to achieve things that I consider not achievable for myself. All I need to do is push myself to the best of my limits and have an positive approach towards the task.”  – Aayushi Shah

| Finding my joy in the simple things 🙂

“For me happiest moment is not just a moment where you are smiling and enjoying, but a moment which reminds you of what are the things that make you happy. It is that moment which defines what you should lookout for to be happy in life.

After our trek to the Brahmatal top late I’m the month of march 2019, we had about half a day left before departure . While exploring the city of Lohajung, we came across this small school teaching kids from class 1 to 7. (Don’t remember the exact strength)

One of our trek mate who was aware of this had got pencils scale and erasers to distribute to the kids.

With the trek itself leaving a lasting impression in our hearts, this small act of kindness was an icing on the cake. The smile on those small faces was deeply touching. We were humbled by the sight of it and learned one thing.

Happiness has to be sought out in small things. I believe and follow it till date.”  – Nandan Venkatesh

| The moment we experienced euphoria amidst snowfall

“I ventured for my first Himalayan trek “Rupin Pass” in end September last year. TL Tanmay Angre, guide Subhash, sweeper Raka and we 19 fellow trekkers were super excited and were enjoying the climbing. On 4th day, we reached Udakanal camp. When you are amidst mountains, weather is unpredictable. In the early October, less snowfall was expected but to our surprise there were intermittent rains at Udakanal and snowfall at higher altitudes. Next morning, TL informed that due to heavy snowfall, two teams that went ahead of us are not able to move forward and are returning. We doubted our fate, whether we will complete the trek or not?

On 6th day, Lord Indra was merciful and the rains stopped. We started towards Dhanderas camp so that we can at least experience the Rupin lower and upper water falls. With this spirit, we passed through dense forest of tall pine trees and muddy trails. As we reached, view of mighty Rupin Pass covered with fresh snow mesmerized us.

Sky was clear till 4 p.m., later it started snowfall at upper campsite. At 5:30 p.m., the technical expert of Indiahikes called a meeting and gave facts about snowfall of 5 feet. He ushered, “weather is not favouring, we have to respect mountains and all of us would start going back to Dhaula next morning”. We requested technical expert to take the decision next morning based on the weather scenario. He was adamant, we had to agree to this man, we did not have a choice. All of us asked ourselves to agree to the decision based on the situation.

At 5:30 next morning, TL came outside our tents and uttered, “people, get ready, we are going up”. His words seemed a dream but those was real. God favoured and weather was clear. We climbed to the upper water fall camp on this day.

On 8th day, at 4 a.m, with microspikes, headlamps, and high spirits, we started the final ascend. In dark, at sub-zero temperatures, with falling snow, climbing on icy mountains was difficult. When we reached halfway on the slope, we were informed to hold the movement. From other side, a herd of lamb starting crossing Rupin Pass. Flowing water from rocks became snow. It was a frightening situation, any one slipping from his position would cause the entire team fall from the slope, resulting in fatal accident.

The hail storm was on as we climbed to the summit point. Finally, with god’s grace, we reached the summit point safely. We were relieved and the team enjoyed euphoria amidst snowfall.”  – Manish Wadhwani

| Life lesson learnt on the Roopkund trek

“To be honest, my happiest moment is a cliché. It’s the moment we reached the Roopkund trek top. One might ask what’s the big deal about it. But it was our first trek, anyway.

We started to plan this trek in around January 2016 and fixed the dates as 4th June to 11th June 2016. Little did we know what we were into. Since it was our first trek, we made all the rookie mistakes. Not Training enough, underestimating the challenges we were going to face and casual approach with the basic equipment that we needed. So, when I say a stick got me up on the top, I am not kidding, since I didn’t even carry trekking poles! We were 5 friends and unfortunately 2 of them couldn’t make it to the top. They had to stop at Pathar Nachauni. I do blame myself for pushing everyone. But we learnt very important lessons that day. Everyone who inquired me about that trek I made it a point to make sure I give them the advice of preparing physically and mentally better than us.

I am an experienced trekker now. I have completed more than 15 treks under my belt (including high and low altitude treks) and planning this December again if corona situation allows. But this first one wasn’t just a trek. It was a Life Lesson! One we will never forget. I got wiser in those 7 days than I was in 7 months before that.”  – Parth Palan

We’re almost nearing the end…

We have so many more beautiful stories shared by trekkers. But, we’ve got space for only 20 more such stories on our website!

If you’d like to contribute your photo and story, send them to tws@indiahikes.com

Use the subject line: My Happiest Trek Moment

We’ll be featuring the best of entries that we get on social media.

Meanwhile, stay home, stay safe. While we’re locked down physically, let’s allow our minds to wander and feel the joys of trekking.  🙂