At Indiahikes, we go a long way in making camping a comfortable experience for trekkers. Yet there are two things we never want to compromise on — (1) minimalism, which we believe is the bedrock of trekking, and (2) a sense of adventure, which is another fundamental of trekking.

So our camps are designed to ensure all three are in place — comfort, minimalism and a sense of adventure. 

Comfort on most high altitude treks means warmth, safety and good food. Our camping tents and sleeping bags will ensure you don’t look beyond them for warmth and safety. They are designed to withstand the harshest conditions (even in peak Himalayan winter) and have stood the test of time for over a decade, with constant improvements in design. As for food, our kitchen team looks into every aspect of taste, nutrition and health before serving you a meal. So much so that many of our trekkers say they find our trek food more comforting than their home food! 

Minimalism focuses on leaving the least impact on the environment. Indiahikes practices low-impact sustainable trekking in every aspect of the trek — you’ll see this in the way we run our kitchen, in our washing areas, in our rental practices and in our bio-toilet setup (which is one of the best outdoor toilet setups globally). Our trekkers take great pride in being able to trek in such fragile ecosystems in a sustainable way. It’s one of the biggest reasons they choose to trek with us. 

Finally, what is trekking without a sense of adventure! At Indiahikes, we are obsessed with finding terrific camping locations. The Sundarsar campsite on the Tarsar Marsar trek, the Dayara campsite on the Buran Ghati trek, the Pushtara campsite on the Phulara Ridge trek — these are some campsites we have identified and established over the past few years. Not only do we need practicalities like water sources, flat camping areas to be met, but we are also very particular about every campsite being aesthetically pretty. As trekkers ourselves, we know what it’s like to wake up in a gorgeous campsite. So we look for good views, a calm ambience, and safe places to explore around. (Read what goes into choosing a campsite at Indiahikes)

We’re sure you have more questions about camping, food and toilets at Indiahikes. So continue reading as we break each of these experiences down. 

You will be camping in Hillman Expedition tents. These are custom-made all-weather tents that will be your shelter on the days of your trek. 

They will keep you dry when it rains and block the cold winds.

There are two main zones in a tent: the inside and the balcony areas. 

You leave your footwear and wet items in the balcony area and enter the tent. 

Did you know? The dome style tents were introduced to Indian trekking by Indiahikes

Inside the tent, you will find the floor is covered with a foam mat and carpet. This provides insulation and padding from the ground. 

You will also find a sleeping bag. You will use this while sleeping inside the tent. They are designed to keep you warm and comfortable. Use the sleeping bag liner before you slip into your sleeping bag. It is like a giant sock for your body. It ensures personal hygiene and adds a layer of warmth and comfort. 

Protip: Roll up your padded jacket or a few of your clothes for a make-shift pillow.

What do toilets look like at an Indiahikes camp

There are no modern toilets with plumbing in the camping world. You will be using Bio toilets designed by Indiahikes. These are deep pits dug into the ground, which use fast-composting mechanisms to manage human waste. 

Why Biotoilets? It's not easy to manage human waste in the mountains. For every team of 25, the human waste generated is ___kg per campsite. The traditional cat hole system is not effective to manage this volume of waste. It turns your poop into rich manure within 6-8 months. 

Some things to keep in mind for these toilets.

It's a dry toilet. No water. You use toilet paper to clean up and cover up poop with mud and sawdust.

Requires the traditional Indian squat. *We have Western seats available for those with medical issues.

The pit is enclosed by a tent for your privacy. It is also placed slightly away from the campsite. 

Since all human waste is covered up and there is enough air, there is no sight or smell in any of our toilets. 

Do not use wet wipes in the toilet. They are non-biodegradable. Instead, dampen your toilet paper with a drop of water.  Click to see why.

What does your trek food look like at Indiahikes?

The food itself is an experience when you’re trekking with Indiahikes. Your typical meal will include rotis, sabji (vegetable), rice and dal.

All of these are made with as less oil as possible and as much “health” as possible.

You’ll find familiar food like khichdi, rajma chawal, pulao and also pancakes and sandwiches. There will be copious amounts of chai and soup of course!

We have put our menu together after tremendous research on the nutritional requirement of a high altitude trekker. You’ll notice that we always try to include the right amount of calories, carbs, protein, fibre and fat.

Menu design: In the first half of the day, your body requires a continuous supply of glucose and multiple carbohydrate-rich meals to ensure your body cells are kept well nourished. 

In the second half, post trekking hours, we add protein-rich food to the meals to help your cells rejuvenate and rebuild. Fats, being hard to digest, are kept at a minimum. 

In addition to food, your body also requires lots of liquids to rehydrate, which are built into the menu.

It took many heads to come together to make this menu - our research team, our ops team (to manage transport of provisions, kitchen equipment, gas cylinders, etc to campsites), our cooks, who were trained specifically for this, and of course, our Green Trails team, to ensure that we produce minimal waste with all the cooking.

"Basic cooking at high altitude is a lot of hard work. Preparing a lip-smacking dish is even tougher. It takes about 12-13 whistles to simply cook potatoes. When our luck is bad it takes even longer. Our cooks wake up at 4 am every day in rain, wind and snow to make a wholesome meal," says Sandhya UC, COO and cofounder of Indiahikes. 

If you’re particular about some vegetables or ingredients not being in your food, let your Expereince coordinator and Trek Leader know. We will prepare it accordingly. 

And oh! We almost forgot! All this food will be served in your own cutlery. So don't forget to pack a lunch box, mug and spoon with you!

What we eat goes a long way in determining how sustainable we are as a trekking community. At Indiahikes, we ensure that our food is fresh, seasonal, procured locally as much as possible and most importantly, brings in minimal packaging to the mountains. 

This brings us to the end of the this article. If you have any questions about the camping experience, fell free head out to our community forum and get them answered.  

What the Indiahikes camping experience like? Check out this article to know more about how we camp, manage human waste and prepare food.

What is the Indiahikes camping experience like

Many applicants wonder how their career would grow at Indiahikes. There is also a misconception that since we are in the outdoor industry, growth here would be limited. Which is why we made this video with our founder and CEO, Arjun Majumdar, on what your growth would look like if you're working at Indiahikes. 

Having said that, working at Indiahikes can be extremely rewarding and equally frustrating. At Indiahikes everyone is committed to the vision of the organisation. It is very different from corporate culture. Here responsibilities are high, work is busy. People love what they do.

Since 2008, Indiahikes has defined the future of trekking. Most trekking trails, like the Roopkund, Rupin Pass, Buran Ghati, Kedarkantha, Kashmir Great Lakes, Tarsar Marsar, Brahmatal, Warwan Valley, Phulara Ridge have been brought out by Indiahikes.

Modern safety systems like the microspikes, pulse oximeters, radios and oxygen on treks have been introduced in Indian trekking by Indiahikes.

Our Green Trails project has revolutionised how trekking trails are preserved in India.

Finally, the Indiahikes Experience has transformed the lives of thousands of trekkers in India. Today, more than 20,000 trekkers trek with Indiahikes every year. While we continue to grow towards our -- Everyone Must Trek -- we are hoping to see likeminded team members join us on this journey. 

To see all our openings, head over to our careers page here.

A video by the founder of Indiahikes explaining what career growth at Indiahikes looks like

What Does Career Growth At Indiahikes Look Like - Careers In Trekking And Outdoors

outdoor careers growth jobs work working culture values

What Does Career Growth At Indiahikes Look Like 

It took two treks and two and half years for a successful dentist to make a firm choice, “not towards working in the outdoors as a Trek Leader, but working with Indiahikes as a Trek Leader.” 

And on this chosen journey with Indiahikes, he has grown from Trek Leader to senior Trek Leader; worked in the Exploration and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) teams, and now is a Filmmaker with the Indiahikes content team. 

Dhaval Jajal’s journey reflects a carefully considered career shift into the common ground between one’s passion and duties. 

Dhaval graduated from the prestigious SDM College of Dental Sciences, Dharwad in 2009. Inspired by his uncle’s dentistry practice, he set up his own practice. “From the knowledge I gained while studying, to working, then managing everything on my own – I totally enjoyed it,” says Dhaval. 

In 2016, he wanted to go on a trek and like most people, found himself on Google, “because I didn’t know anything about trekking.” Most sites listed on the first page had some or other information missing, he says. “Some wanted my number and email id to send me information. Some did not list the dates. The region and level of difficulty were not clear.”

On the second page, he hit upon the Indiahikes website. The detailed, neatly organised information blew him over. “In half an hour, I became a fan of Indiahikes,” says Dhaval. I signed up for the Rupin Pass trek, not knowing what to expect.    

Soon, he found himself “trekking Rupin Pass with strangers who felt like family.” 

“Those 7 to 8 days were amazing and calming. I had not been on a vacation since opening my clinic. I also actually learnt what trekking is,” he says. 

Meanwhile, he was also on a journey of discovering the insides of Indiahikes. 

“I got introduced to the concept of “Trek Leading” for the first time,” says Dhaval. His initial understanding of trek leading was that it was a “fancy job in which you work in the Himalayas, go on different treks, meet different people every week and get paid for it! What could be better?” laughs Dhaval. 

A deeply transformative experience at Goechala 

In the year before his next trek, he read all the articles about trek leading and working with Indiahikes. 

“Through them I got an insight about trek leading. What I saw as a trekker was 20% of it. There was more behind the curtain,” Dhaval shares. 

On his second trek, he studied the nature of work a Trek Leader undertakes. All the romantic notions he had gathered of the job during the first trek, almost immediately fell to pieces. 

He observed all that the Trek Leader did. “What is his role when he is with the team and the staff? How is his day structured? At one of the campsites he was digging the toilet pit. In another he was setting up the dining tent in bad weather.” He realised that while leading a trek, “everything is your responsibility.” 

The Goechala experience was even better than Rupin Pass, says Dhaval. “I had a deeply transformative experience. When I stood at the viewpoint seeking answers, everything seemed possible.” 

(Inside story: An image that Dhaval shot on the Goechala trek immediately caught our attention at Indiahikes. Very few trekkers had been able to capture emotions on a trek as beautifully as this image.)

It was then that he considered shifting careers. He started researching mountaineering courses. “Since my journey in the outdoors started with Indiahikes, I never considered any other organisation. For me, working with Indiahikes was as important as working in the outdoors.”

“Having gone on two treks with them, I understood how they operate and what they were trying to do. I saw that they actually implement everything they talk about on their website, in the field,” says Dhaval. He decided he would want to work with Indiahikes but did not apply. 

“I took 2 years to convince myself. There were many questions. I had studied dentistry for five years and worked for 10 years. This choice would go in the opposite direction of that one.” He also needed to convince his family as “it is very difficult to make someone who has not gone on a trek understand such a choice.” 

The choice was even more difficult because of his own feelings, he says. “I was in it for the long haul. I wanted to do this for good.” 

It was in 2019, two and half years after Goechala, Dhaval applied to work with Indiahikes.

Dhaval was among the fastest to progress from Asst. Trek Leading to a Trek Leader purely based on his skills and passion as a Trek Leader

“Like-minded people working in one direction”

On joining, Dhaval was immediately taken up with “the work culture.” He says, “It felt good to be with like-minded people working in one direction. It helped me to be focused and confident that I had made the right decision. The people and milieu made it very easy for me.” 

He got to know the organisation better during the 21 days of training at Dehradun. He learnt about the safety protocols, different treks, Green Trails, soft and hard skills, fitness and more. All of this would be put to the test when he embarked on his first trek as an Assistant Trek Leader (ATL) to Dayara Bugyal. 

A few hours before the trek was to begin, his Trek Leader called and informed him that she was unwell. Would he be able to manage leading the group? Shaken up initially, he “felt confident after 5 minutes,” shares Dhaval. 

He led the team for two days till his Trek Leader joined. This is a “very special memory” and “laid the foundation” for his work, he says. From the second trek, he started taking the team on his own. He graduated from Asst. Trek Leader to a Trek Leader only after leading 15 to 20 groups. 

It is the idea of like-minded people working towards the same vision that keeps Dhaval attached to Indiahikes. 

Transitioning to a filmmaker and the Bangalore office

In 2 and a half years, Dhaval led about 70 teams and got designated as a Senior Trek Leader along the way. I am curious to know when and how the filmmaker in him emerged. Turns out, that journey started while he was a trekker with Indiahikes. 

“During the Rupin Pass trek I clicked photos with my DSLR camera. During Goechala, I decided to try videography,” he says. He wanted to capture the different moments that the team goes through on a trek. He had spent time learning to make good quality videos and honed his editing skills. 

The video came out well. He was thrilled to receive an email from Swathi that Indiahikes would be happy to sponsor his treks if he was interested in creating more content. “It meant a lot to me. I started working on improving my skills further,” he says.

He took lots of photos and videos for the content team while working as a Trek Leader. “I felt like an extension of the content team while working as a Trek Leader. This made the transition to the content team as filmmaker, very easy,” he says. 

“Exclusive trek leading, I knew I could not do for more than 2 years. It takes a toll on your body. Besides, I had joined at the age of 32. So balance in my personal life was important to me. I wanted to settle down and live with my family,” he says candidly. 

Thanks to the support from the Founders, he was able to achieve this balance which he defines as “working with Indiahikes and yet not compromising on family life.” 

Therefore, it was not difficult to leave the mountains and move to the city. He recently led a trek to Sandakphu because a Trek Leader was injured. “Once a Trek Leader, always a Trek Leader,” says Dhaval.

Even though Dhaval moved from the mountains to the city, he believes he's contributing as much to trekking as he was while actively trek leading. Picture by Yash Trivedi

His advice to youngsters transitioning into an outdoors career with Indiahikes is – “Working in the mountains is a byproduct of working with Indiahikes. Cultivate a bigger perspective and get to know the organisation, its values and culture so the work becomes easy. Do not look at this as a short term transition. Think long term.”

“There is a lot of freedom at Indiahikes. Your growth is in your hands, and the core team is very supportive of the direction in which you want to grow” he adds.

He personally intends to focus on making short films for the Indiahikes channel and would like “to raise a team of filmmakers.” At an organisational level, he doesn’t think it matters what role he will play “because even as a Trek Leader, I played many roles. I was in the Exploration and DIY trek teams, besides contributing to the content team. Through different roles, you get to nurture your capabilities here,” says Dhaval, rooted in contentment and confidence. 

The story of Dhaval Jajal, who shifted careers from 11 years of dentistry to an outdoor career at Indiahikes

How A Dentist Of 11 Years Transitioned Into An Outdoor Career At Indiahikes

dhaval jajal trek leader career working with indiahikes jobs 

For many years, we have wanted to capture what safety means to us at Indiahikes in a film. The idea of safety has evolved so much (and is still evolving). 

Finally, we have been able to put the journey of safety down in a film. It is not only the story of how we look at safety at Indiahikes but also a story of how safety has evolved in Indian trekking.  

The Head of Video Production at Indiahikes, Dhaval Jajal, has somehow been able to capture the thoughts beautifully. He does this in a short film of less than 10 minutes.

I won’t tell you more. I’ll let you watch it yourself. Click on the image below to watch. 

At Indiahikes, safety comes before anything else on a trek -- be it the scenery, the experience, the food, the comfort. Here's a film that explains exactly how we look at safety on a trek.

What Safety Means To Us At Indiahikes: A Short Film

Because if the founders, Arjun and Sandhya, find out what I'm writing, they'd go into hiding with embarrassment! They'd ask me to stop right away. 

Well, there's a reason I'm writing this. 

Everyday, when I open the newspaper or Twitter, I read about so many CEOs and founders. I read about their business outlook, their lifestyles, their habits, their personal affairs. 

In fact, I recently read a book about Mr Ratan Tata, written by a young lad who works with him closely. I was marvelling at the candid image of Mr Ratan Tata I got — he was so different from most of the CEOs we read about. No airs about himself, no flashy lifestyle, just a simple person with good habits and a large vision. 

For the past seven years, I've been working under two of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country. They have built the largest trekking organisation in India, along with it, shaping the trekking habits and behaviours of the country. 

Sometimes, I'm at such close proximity with them that I forget the significance of their accomplishments. I almost take them for granted. Yet, I know that their habits and outlooks have moulded each of us at Indiahikes. 

So today, I thought I'd outline just a few of their habits, which I've found to have a lot of personal and professional gain. 

This is in no way a character dissection because there's so much more to them, but these are observations to learn from, habits to reflect on. 

1. They don’t spend unnecessarily (not their money or others) 

Our founder, Arjun Majumdar, was recently invited to Vellore Institute of Technology as a speaker. They requested him to speak to the E-Cell students about his learnings as an entrepreneur. 

After Arjun had accepted the invite, they offered to book flights for him from Bangalore to Vellore and ferry him in a taxi to the college and back. 

Arjun would have none of it. He didn't want them (or anyone) spending such unnecessary amounts on him. Instead, he booked a two-way ticket in a train, which cost less than 1/10th the flight fare. Even when he returned and got off at the Railway station, he took a bus back home. No Uber, no auto. 

This is something true of Sandhya too. Even after a 26 hour international flight, I've seen her take a bus back from the airport to her home, not indulging in the Rs 800 taxi drive.

Time and again, I have seen them being frugal with money. Whether it is their personal income, the organisation’s finances or anyone else's. They frown upon unnecessary indulgence and believe in saving for a rainy day. 

We saw a hard-hitting impact of this habit during the pandemic — all our treks were wiped out for nearly a year, and yet we had our income flowing. All because the organisation had reserved finances in some way. 

Perhaps this habit has stemmed from the trekking world, where only your needs count and not your wants. The founders have ensured that frugality is not a virtue here, it is a way of life. 

The Indiahikes founders have always been careful about how they spend, whether its their own personal income, the organisation's finances or anyone else's money. Here's Arjun doing a bus ride, which is a normal thing for him during travel.

2. They have been running 5k every morning for the past 13 years (together!)

I think even within Indiahikes, several people don’t know about this habit of our founders. I, too, found out only a few years ago. 

Right from the beginning of Indiahikes, our founders have been running 5K every morning (consistently within 27 minutes). While this consistency is a true testament to their fitness, that is not really the habit I want to point out here.  

They start their run together at 6.15 am everyday, and are in continuous conversation with each other during their run. 

Given that they are always surrounded by team members in the office, they rarely get time to discuss larger thoughts about the organisation and the direction it is headed in. Their morning run is their time to take a step back and reflect on how the organisation is growing. 

They discuss everything, right from the organisation’s objectives, to new explorations, to ingraining the right values in team members, to challenges Indiahikes is facing. 

This is also their time to reflect on learnings from any articles / books they have recently read. 

Watching this habit of theirs, for me, the biggest takeaway is that to build a successful organisation, it is imperative that you dedicate a few hours consistently everyday to nurture and care for the organisation. Just plain work is not enough. 

This shows clearly in the way they have steered the organisation from Day 1, making important pivots when needed and sticking to the strong guns when needed.

For the past 13 years, Arjun and Sandhya have been running virtually together everyday, using it as an opportunity to discuss organisational thoughts.

3. They read at least five newspapers everyday

After their runs, every morning, both of them head back to their respective homes and start their reading. Business news, international news, local news, op-eds, they drink them in like morning coffee (neither of them actually drinks coffee). 

It's not just newspapers. They are voracious readers, always reading to understand how the world's best businesses are run. They are always up to date with the latest technologies and business models in the world. 

This makes a very big difference to how they see Indiahikes. They always look at Indiahikes on a global pedestal, seeing how we can be the best in the world and not just best in India. 

This habit of theirs rubs off on all of us at Indiahikes. Because everyday at lunch we have elaborate discussions on the affairs of the world. Just this afternoon, our conversation was about Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as the COO of Facebook, which in turn became a conversation on women in leadership. 

"Many people know we sit together and have lunch like a family, but what people don't know is that the conversations, the debates and the learnings make our lunchtime as meaningful as it is. All the credit goes to Arjun and Sandhya for that," muses Lakshmi Selvalumaran, head of Experience at Indiahikes. 

Lunch time at Indiahikes is special not only because we eat together, but because of the several discussions and debates we have about the world's affairs. Picture by Jothiranjan

In both our founders' homes, they are the Compost King and Queen. On a weekly basis, you'll see them chopping peels, churning, sieving and composting. Regularly, this compost lands up in our office lawn, which has grown luxuriant with so much healthy manure. 

But it's not just about composting. They are both very conscious of the waste they produce and how they can reduce it. 

Whether it is larger lifestyle changes of avoiding takeaway food and driving electric vehicles to smaller habits like tending to their own gardens, they are very conscious of how they can preserve the environment around them. 

This habit is clearly reflected in our Green Trails practices at Indiahikes. It's not only their intention, but also their large knowledge that helps us better our human waste management in the mountains, reduce the waste we produce on a large scale in our trek operations and overall bring down the carbon footprint of trekking. 

5. They know almost all the employees on a personal and familial basis! 

I'll admit Indiahikes is not a large organisation. We are around 200 strong. Most of us know all other team members at least by name. 

Frankly speaking though, from all I've read on the internet, the CEOs are the last to know all team members. 

Arjun and Sandhya know almost every Trek Leader, every Experience Coordinator, every cook and guide by their names and even their family backgrounds! While most team members know each other well within their own teams, our founders know members of all teams well. 

I keep wondering how they manage to make time and space for so many team members and dive deep into all their lives. But somehow, magically, they do. 

A rare thing I notice is that this is not at the cost of their own family relationships. Arjun lives with his wife, daughter and parents. He regularly takes his daughter trekking and involves his family in all the ongoings at Indiahikes. Sandhya, on the other hand, lives with her husband and her mother. She regularly goes out with them on small day hikes. Her husband is almost a part of Indiahikes behind the scenes. 

This whole outlook of theirs stems from a simple belief —  Relationships come above business. "We believe an organisation is not about markets, products, services or profits. It is about building strong relationships. The stronger the relationships, the more robust is the organisation," they have always believed.

The founders make it a point to take the whole team outdoors regularly to have informal conversations with everyone about trek stories and personal lives.

6. They pursue and encourage a high quality of life.  

Almost everyday after lunch, you'll see several people at Indiahikes running off to their cosy corners or rooms for a nap. This nap time is not only accepted by our founders, but also encouraged. They love their nap time themselves! 

Again, this stems from their deep concern for everyone's well being. 

Whether it is going running in the morning, eating healthy home-cooked food or sleeping well, they are not only practising it themselves, but constantly egging everyone on to do the same. 

Recently, they also moved their homes closer to the office to cut out commute time. They believe commuting to work is one of the biggest waste of human potential. 

A direct reflection of this is that 90% of our team members live within a 1 km radius of the office. Cutting out the commute enables them all to run in the morning, cook their own meals, pursue their hobbies or even work. In the end everyone pursues a healthier lifestyle. 

7. They regularly rescue and care for animals. 

Two weeks ago, I saw Sandhya's room door closed, and I was wondering why it was shut. Our founders rarely shut their room doors, since they want to invite conversations. 

When I knocked and peeked in, I was welcomed by a tiny kitten that ran towards me. Sandhya had rescued it from a neighbouring area, and it was now ours to foster until it found a home. 

If you've ever visited our office, you may confuse it for an animal sanctuary. We have Blacky, Lola, Pepper, Berry, Sapota, Puppy (and now Kittu), all of them being cared for during the day at Indiahikes. 

While we have different team members taking them home after the day's work, it is only Arjun's and Sandhya's deep care for animal welfare that allows us this atmosphere. 

So much so, that a large sum is set aside by Indiahikes every month for the well-being of these animals. (It was their birthday gift to Lakshmi and Sharu, two of our team members who run foster homes for animals.) 

"When we talk about care as a core value at Indiahikes, it extends not only to our trekkers but to every form of life. And that care exudes from Arjun and Sandhya first, and then seeps down to the very last team member of Indiahikes," reflects Izzat Yaganagi, head of Experiential Learning at Indiahikes, who has known the founders for over ten years. 

The Indiahikes office doubles up as an animal sanctuary because of the founders' love for animals.

While asking my colleagues for more thoughts on our founders' rare habits, I realised there's so much that we could write a book about it! 

There are so many of their habits and qualities that have inspired us to become better professionally and personally — from aiming higher at our workplace to simplifying our own personal lives, they have taught us hundreds of lessons. 

If you ask me, their strong leadership and pursuit for global excellence is one of the biggest reasons to work here. 

I hope this small post leaves you with a small insider-perspective of our founders. I'd love to know what you think after reading it. Do drop in your thoughts in the comments below. 

An insider-view of the daily habits and qualities of Indiahikes Founders

7 Rare Habits of Indiahikes Founders

Indiahikes founders, working with indiahikes, founders, culture, value

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 

The Indiahikes Weekly Digest brings you the latest news, updates, articles, and videos from the trekking world.

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