About a month ago, one of the Indiahikes team members shared a story that struck me as one of the most powerful stories I’d heard in recent times. 

It was shared by Shachi Tripathi, a Trek Leader with Indiahikes. It was about a trekker, Sayma Nasreen, who trekked with her to Hampta Pass. 

Sayma, in her own words, belongs from nowhere. Since her father is in the military, her family changed cities frequently. She has lived in Mumbai, Kochi, Vizag, Goa and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. She does not consider any single place as her home. At present, she is a final year medical student in Kolkata.

Moving around from time to time while growing up allowed young Sayma to see new places and make new friends. It was all very exciting and thrilling for her.

However, it didn’t take much longer for things to go downhill.

The flip side of hopping from one city to another is that you come across all kinds of people.

Sayma, in her formative years, encountered bullies who constantly tried to put her down just for being herself. Being subjected to unwarranted criticism at a tender age made her feel insecure about who she was. It dented her self-confidence.

Having no idea how to deal with all the bitterness directed towards her, she kept everything to herself. She played those unpleasant memories over and over in her head, which led her to become wary of people. As a result, the once outgoing and full of life Sayma went into a shell. The negative emotions inside her kept building up and triggered anxiety.

As years went by, Sayma’s mental well-being deteriorated further. Her anxiety snowballed into panic attacks when she was in the 11th standard. By then, she had also developed a condition known as maladaptive daydreaming, which is essentially a coping mechanism in response to trauma. She would spend hours fantasizing about different situations in order to disconnect from her reality. In other words, she took refuge in an imaginary world of her own; it made her feel safer.	

It was during college that she first felt that her vivid daydreaming was interfering with her daily life. She wasn’t able to give the required time to her studies. That is when she decided to seek help.

Recounting the most difficult phase of her life, Sayma says, “I used to play detailed scenarios in my head for long periods every day. I did it for years and never thought it was something unusual until it started hampering the time I needed to indulge in essential real-life activities. Finally, I went for a check-up and learned that it was a symptom of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).”

Trekking was one of the things Sayma used to daydream about; it had been on her wishlist for long. Shortly after her diagnosis, she made up her mind to go on a trek. She signed up for the Hampta Pass trek with Indiahikes.

In the meantime, she started receiving treatment. That was a tough phase. She was experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. It was a long road to recovery. Before the start of the trek, she had been in therapy and on medication for about a month.

“I was trying to control my coping mechanisms and was refraining from engaging in daydreaming. Since I didn’t have any other outlet, it was making me miserable,” recalls Sayma.

Things Slowly Started Changing on the Trek

“On my way to Hampta Pass,” narrates Sayma, “I rediscovered a facet of people that I had long forgotten. It all started as soon as I met my Trek Leader Shachi. She didn’t judge me one bit when I told her my story. She was extremely kind and caring. I could be myself with her with no qualms.”

“As the trek progressed, I saw the same positive energy in every individual in our group. It was overwhelming to see strangers being kind for no other reason than being kind. There is something about being in the mountains that brings about a compassionate side of people,” adds Sayma.

Strangers on a trek can offer some of the best help to you and your mental health.

Aside from this, the physical challenge of completing the trek helped her unearth a much more resilient version of herself. “As I was approaching the summit and the view was unfolding before my eyes, I thought to myself, if I could make it up till here, I could certainly fight my demons and lead a better life. If I could climb a mountain and be that cold for six days with wet shoes, I could definitely fight my mental health issues and take charge of my life,” she recollects.

“I came back from the trek transformed into a positive and confident person. I confronted people who had caused me pain in the past or had invalidated my trauma. For the very first time, I dealt with my unpleasant memories in a healthy manner. I stopped shying away from being myself and now proudly admit to who I am as an individual. Eventually, I came out of maladaptive daydreaming. I started living in the present moment,” concludes Sayma.

What Makes Trekking Remedial to Such an Extent

Sayma’s story is a significant one. Not because she came back more confident and resilient, more so because the trek proved to be faster, more effective than her month-long therapy and medication. 

Decoding the therapeutic powers of trekking, Izzat Yaganagi, the head of Experiential Learning at Indiahikes, says, “When people are immersed in their problems and are living in that negative environment for long, it becomes difficult to deal with the issues they are facing. They are too close to the problem and their judgment is often marred by their current situation.

“Going on a trek makes for an immediate and a drastic change in the surroundings. It enables them to distance themselves from their problems. Without much effort, it gives them a birds-eye view of the problem. Their biases and pain points go away. They become more objective. Their issues become smaller and smaller the more time they spend away from it,” she adds.

The therapeutic nature of trekking is backed by science as well. Many studies have shown that going on a trek positively impacts the mind by releasing feel-good hormones. This was also highlighted by Indiahikes founder Arjun Majumdar in his TEDx Talk.

When we trek, our body releases large doses of endorphin, the hormone that makes us happy. Then there is a boost of serotonin, which relaxes us. We also get strong doses of dopamine, which makes us feel accomplished. There’s also a good amount of oxytocin, which gives us a sense of tranquillity and love.

These far-reaching benefits make trekking an ideal choice for adventure therapy.

Much like Sayma, there have been several others who have benefited from trekking to overcome mental health issues, the loss of a loved one, lack of confidence or lack of resilience. 

Indiahikes is starting Adventure Therapy treks with the sole objective of enhancing the soothing impact of trekking. These treks will be facilitated by a team of professional therapists who will conduct one-on-one as well as group sessions with the participants.

The presence of trained psychologists will enable individuals to dig deeper than usual to explore the root of their issues. Talking therapy and experiential learning will be the key features of these specially designed treks.

Sayma’s story is a testament to how transformative trekking can be and with Adventure Therapy treks, Indiahikes aims to elevate what a trek does on its own.

The first batch of Indiahikes’ Adventure Therapy trek, which will be led by Ms. Izzat Yaganagi herself, leaves for Dayara Bugyal on April 25.

How A Young Medical Student Battled Mental Health Issues On A Trek 

After a series of dialogue and persistent efforts from our Green Trails crusader Mohit, the Commissioner of Haldwani has granted us permission to use use the landfill for disposing off non recyclable waste. This permission allows us to dump non-recyclable waste collected from our treks as well as from villages around in the trenching ground for free.

The regular practice so far has been to transport the waste from Lohajung to Dehradun. With this new permission in place, not only does the cost of transportation come down but it also acts as a partial waste management system for villages around Lohajung and for the Roopkund trek.

The villagers have already been giving their waste to indiahikes. Mohit is now working on finalising terms with the Taxi Union to transport all the waste to Haldwani. 

In Mohit’s absence the village Pradhan continued to collect sacks of garbage on his won. At last count, he had collected over 25 sacks. 

For us, this is the first sign of a welcome change in Lohajung. It reveals that villagers are starting to become far more proactive participants of the solution to the waste management problem than ever.

Waste collection log this month in Lohajung: 

Meanwhile in Sankri, our Green Trails interns Shantanu and Shashwat organized an extensive clean-up with the school children.  They targeted the main market road and dump spots on the way to the school.  Around 200 children participated enthusiastically in the clean-up.

School children assembled before the eco club clean up drive in Sankri

The interns followed up the clean up drive with a poster making event. The theme was ‘environmental pollution’. The event saw over 30 children unleashing their creativity.

Participants of the poster making event at Sankti

Shantanu says, “We told them about the theme and a few slogans. We also gave them free reign to draw anything they felt like, related to the slogans. It was fun helping them and giving them any guidance. The children gave it their all in making these posters. From the posters, I could see that they are aware of the problem and want to be a part of the solution.”

The Indiahikes staff at Sankri conducted a clean up drive in the surrounding villages last week. They collected over 405 kg of empty liquor bottles strewn across the slopes. We sent this waste down to Purola.

Would you like to buy an upcycled pillow?

Green Trails interns Shantanu and Shaktisuman are now trying to put the plastic waste found in Sankri to a different use. They have started making pillows with this waste.

These pillows will be put up on sale in the coming weeks for anyone to buy. We hope to use the funds generated through the sale to incentivize villagers to segregate waste at source and give it to us in a clean state. If you are going to Kedarkantha, you can take a look at these pillows and buy them at the end of your trek if you wish.

Students participating in the workshop at Sari

Meanwhile, at Sari, our trek leader Rajkumar conducted a workshop for around 60 students from classes 6-8 in the local school. Indiahikes has been engaging with this school for Green Trails activities for a long time now.

Along with basic English, Rajkumar also taught them about the different kinds of waste found in their surroundings. He was pleasantly surprised by the knowledge that these children already possessed. This workshop will continue for a few more days.

Our Green Trails team is always game for new ideas and ways to tackle the growing waste crisis in the mountains. If you have any ideas to contribute, please email Lakshmi, our Green Trails Head on lakshmi@indiahikes.com.

Indiahikes Gets Permission To Use Haldwani Landfill For Non-Recyclable Waste

Please note that this is a special trek designed for stargazing enthusiasts. The trek fee is slightly more than the regular fee. Know more about the trek here. 

This is a trek specially designed for trekkers above 58 years. The trek fee is Rs 3000 more than the regular fee (Please note this is only for Himalayan treks) Know more about the trek here. 

Please note that this is a special trek. The trek fee is Rs 3000 more than the regular fee. Know more about the trek here. 

Please note that the family treks are meant for families with a child/children under 14 years of age. If you do not fit this criteria, you can register for any of our regular groups. Read more about family treks here.

You are joining our waitlist. Your chances of getting a confirmation are high, but not certain. We will notify you as soon as a trekker cancels their trek.

When we brought out new trails in Indian trekking, safety came with us. Back in 2012, we were the first to introduce microspikes, and two years later, pulse oximeters became standard thanks to us. Nobody does safe treks like Indiahikes. In the mountains, emergencies don't care who you're with – everyone knows that when trouble hits, you look for the yellow tents of Indiahikes.

We are India’s safest trekking organisation

We are pioneers in trekking. Since 2007, we have brought out treks that have become India's most famous treks: Roopkund, Rupin Pass, Buran Ghati, Kedarkantha, Kashmir Great Lakes, Tarsar Marsar, Brahmatal, Phulara Ridge—the list goes on. In 2023 alone, we brought out five new treks in Indian trekking. We know treks better than anyone. This comes directly from the reason why Indiahikes was born: to bring out trek information and enable trekkers to trek on their own.

We are pioneers of treks in India

More than 25,000 people trek with us every year. We are the largest trekking organisation in India. 24% of our trekkers come back to trek with us every year. Over 4,000 students from the top educational institutions trek with us every year. Aside from this, families with children choose to trek with Indiahikes knowing that our treks are the safest. We have taken over 8000 children trekking so far, and the number continues to grow. 

We are India’s largest trekking organisation

We focus on designing transformative experiences. Our trek leaders conduct thought-provoking exercises that help you reflect and contemplate. This impact stays with you for a long time. Trekkers return feeling energised, more confident, or developing abilities to deal with difficulties. Many have changed careers, rethought their core values, become more humble, shown gratitude to others, or started a new fitness journey. 

Our treks are transformative

Since 2012, we have pioneered sustainable practices that have become standard in trekking. Using eco-bags, our trekkers have cleared over 120 tonnes of litter from the mountains. We do not carry packaged foods; instead, we serve freshly made food. We do not light campfires; we carry coal to light angethis to keep you warm. Our bio-toilets not only keep our toilets odour-free but also enrich the soil. When you trek with us, you leave mountains better.

We are India's most sustainable trekking organisation

5 Reasons Why Indiahikes

If you are unable to complete a trek, or if you love a trek, you can repeat it with us anytime. You don’t have to pay us for it. See our thoughts behind this here.

You’re guarded with our trek again philosophy

Our thrice-a-day oxi-metre checks keep altitude sickness at bay, never allowing you to reach a point where you need evacuation.

Daily 3-time health checks keep you safe at any altitude

With around 30% of our trekkers being women, all women, including those travelling solo are comfortable to join any of our groups.

Join any group, they are all women-friendly groups 

Our kitchen teams understand your needs as a vegan (or a Jain). We will take special care of your food, even in the remote Himalayas. 

We have specially designed bio toilets to ensure you have no sight or smell in toilets, at the same time making sure the toilets cause no harm to the fragile ecosystem we trek in.

Be comfortable and sustainable with bio toilets

We’ll admit it. Our love for food surpasses our love for minimalism. Expect freshly cooked, multi-cuisine food at all camps, designed to meet your nutritional requirements and keep your taste buds happy!

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