What is the Right Mindset for a Trek?

At Indiahikes, we believe that every trek holds the potential for a transformative experience, regardless of the weather or other external conditions. This philosophy was beautifully demonstrated during the recent National University of Singapore (NUS) Rovers club trek to Ali Bedni Bugyal.

It was constantly raining throughout the trek, with a maximum of two-three hours of sunshine on any given day. 

Despite the relentless rain, the NUS Rovers students embraced every moment, learning and immersing themselves in the trek's experiences instead of letting bad weather get the best of them. 

Their unwavering resilience and enthusiasm turned what could have been a challenging journey into an unforgettable adventure.

This trek is a testament to how the right mindset can enhance the trekking experience. At Indiahikes, we go to great lengths to facilitate such transformative experiences, ensuring that every trek becomes an opportunity for growth and learning. 

However, in order to make the most of a transformative experience, it is important for trekkers to bring the right mindset.

So what is the right mindset?

How does Indiahikes prepare trekkers to have the right mindset before a trek?

As we say at Indiahikes, 'We have always wanted trekkers to be well-informed before they go on a Himalayan trek. Knowledge is the difference between a safe trek and a dangerous one. It’s also the difference between a wholesome experience and a superficial experience'.

Prior to a trek, we make sure that students who choose to trek with us are physically well prepared in terms of fitness and endurance. Often, the Experience Coordinators support the students and encourage them in their fitness journey prior to a trek.

The entire period before students embark on a trek, all the information about what to expect in terms of safety, culture, terrain and any changes that might be required is shared with students.

Furthermore, we make sure to discuss the importance of following our Green Trails practices which minimise our overall ecological footprint and leave the mountains better than we find them. This helps students understand how to trek sustainably and understand their role as responsible and mindful trekkers.

With such discussions and our 'Ask Me Anything' sessions we ensure that everyone who treks with us understands the 'why' behind 'how' we do things differently on our experiential learning treks.

This preparation helps build the right mindset before a trek.

What ingredients of trekking with the right mindset did the students of NUS Rover’s club demonstrate?

The vision of the NUS Rovers student club is to roam, venture and explore. Their idea is to explore friendships through adventure and explore adventure through friendships. They believe that as long as a person is game for a good challenge and passionate about exploration, their club membership is open to everyone!

In other words, they are less concerned with a person’s experience and skill level and more concerned that they bring the right mindset when it comes to exploration.

Curiosity

Siddharth, our trek leader, explained how leading this group was a special experience for him. The NUS students were fascinated even with the sight of a buffalo in one of the villages. He observed that they had a deep level of curiosity and appreciation for every experience that they had. 

Resilience

Although it was constantly raining and wasn’t the ideal weather for clear views, the students moved ahead without losing their spirit. A quality which is less common than one would expect. A quality, which we see as a key ingredient in trekking with the right mindset. 

Team Spirit

The students from the NUS Rovers club celebrated every win, big or small. Reaching a campsite, supporting fellow students, all of these were reasons to celebrate. These students were truly adaptive and showed a great team spirit. 

How were the students mindful of the place, people and culture?

For the students from NUS, overseas trekking trips are seen as the meeting point between a challenging mountain climb and an indulgent holiday. Before embarking on the treks, they expressed their desire to have a culturally-rich experience. 

Respectful of culture

Our local guides who accompanied the students on the trek enjoyed sharing local songs and stories. One such story according to the Pahadi narrative, is that the entire trail of Ali Bedni Bugyal marks the journey of Shiva and Parvati and their children between Kumaon valley and Kailash Manasarovar. The students were eager to learn more about the local culture and were respectful of both the culture and values of the regions they trekked to. 

While they enjoyed the exposure to the culture in the treks, they did feel slightly hindered by the language barrier. They felt that they could best express themselves and their emotions in Mandarin as opposed to English. However, they did not let this barrier hold them back in their effort to engage with the staff and guides on the trek.

Leaving the mountains better than we find them

When we introduced our Green Trails practices, they were quick to engage with the dialogue to better understand their role as sustainable trekkers. They went the extra mile to carefully segregate and collect trash as and when they found it, and did not see it as a chore. 

Why is it important to cultivate the right mindset before setting off on a trek?

The outdoors can be unpredictable as the NUS Rovers students experienced. The students met this challenge head on. This attitude allowed them to transform their experience of poor weather conditions into cherished memories.

This transformation was possible because the students came prepared with so many wonderful qualities of trekking with the right mindset that they had both a thrilling and a meaningful experience.

For us at Indiahikes, we were truly inspired by the mindset we saw. It motivated us to reflect among ourselves and the trekking community about how we react in poor and unpredictable weather conditions.

So ask yourselves, do you feel it is a chore to trek in rainy weather conditions? Are you of the mindset that the rain, cold and wind are forces that simply need to be endured before that nice hot cup of chai inside your tent?

What we learnt from the behaviour of the NUS students is that if you treat poor weather conditions as something that needs to be endured, you begin to condition yourself to elicit a negative reaction to difficult conditions.

The right mindset is what sets a miserable trek experience apart from a meaningful trek experience. 

The right mindset is not just about resilience. Being informed about what to expect, respecting the place and people where you trek, being curious about the natural world, being adaptive and trekking sustainably are all reasons which helped students from NUS go back home with a rewarding trek experience. 

Be it safety or trek design, we at Indiahikes do our best to ensure that anyone who treks with us goes back with an experience that transforms and stays with them. Bringing the right mindset equally goes a long way in creating a meaningful and memorable trekking experience.