Here are the Three Learnings Hari Took Back From his Rupin Pass Trek

“Anyone who has heard of Rupin Pass or been there is left speechless after seeing the lower waterfall campsite.

I was eagerly waiting to experience this phenomenon through my own eyes!

On the fourth day of the trek when we reached the Lower Waterfall campsite, I wanted to take my own time to sit and experience the vastness of that place.

I remember I was sitting on a rock kept at some distance from the campsite. The Sun was coming up and the mist was clearing.

It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen, yet there was something odd happening over there.

Everyone else at the campsite was rushing from one place to the other. Someone had to wash their lunch box, someone wanted to change their clothes, someone wanted some toilet paper. All of them were rushing from here to there.

I thought to myself either I’m a fool who’s just simply sitting here and feeling overwhelmed by the beauty of the Sun playing hide and seek with the snow-covered peaks or others are not bothered about the grand setting in front of us.

Everyone was caught up in the urge to be “busy” even on the trek.

I wish they could pause a little at that moment and just simply sit to appreciate such a grand setting.

The next day when we trekked from the lower waterfall to the upper waterfall, I cannot forget the experience of walking through that section.

I had started trekking a little late from the lower waterfall campsite along with one porter and our trek leader Lay.

After some time on that trail, I started noticing how green and pleasant the entire stretch was looking.

Slowly, there were flowers popping from different angles in front of me. Every time I looked at a flower it brought a huge smile to my face.

That’s where another strong realisation hit me. Whatever we do in life, we should be like these flowers to others around us. The flowers make you happy immediately, what if we as humans could do that to other humans who are around us?

The climb to the upper waterfall from the lower waterfall is quite steep.

 It’s always better to keep your head low and walk.

The steepness of this climb made me realise the third important thing.

In life, it’s always important to keep your head down and walk. You should be as humble as you can be.

Because the moment you feel superior and put your head up to climb you can lose your grip and put yourself at risk.

This realisation came to good use the next day.

The next day of the trek was the much-awaited day of climbing the Gully.

However, the weather posed a lot of challenges for us. We didn’t get clear weather for a considerable amount of time all throughout the trek.

Even on the day of Gully crossing the rains were coming and going. We were sceptical about crossing the pass.

When we reached the base of the gully, trekkers were not sure if they would be able to climb that section. The weather made them feel under-confident.

While this was happening, I heard one of our guides saying “One step at a time!”

This thought stuck with me. And I started motivating everyone with the same.

It made the whole climb so much more enjoyable for me. We just kept our head down and focused on one step at a time.

This simple thought made it possible for the whole group to climb the Gully without any issues.

I always knew these things which I am talking about. But the way it hit me while trekking is something much deeper. These learnings are going to stay with me for the rest of my life.

I can’t believe a trek can reinforce life learnings within us so strongly that it transforms us every time.”

- Hariharasudan, Indiahikes Trekker