Indiahikes is known for its vast database of trek information. Thousands of trekkers use our detailed documentation to trek every day. This database is highly respected for its credibility and authenticity.

Even though Indiahikes has the largest database of treks, it is not enough. More and more trekkers want to trek in different corners of the country. Many do not know that there are trails right in their backyard.

This is where you can help in identifying treks in and around your city.

At Indiahikes, we have opened the role of a Remote Trek Documenter so that trekkers like you can contribute to the ever-growing database.

By working with us as a Remote Trek Documenter, you will bring out lesser known treks on the trekking map of our country. This comes with a set of responsibilities that we discuss next.

➤ What your role will be as a Remote Trek Documenter

As a Remote Trek Documenter, you will plan your exploration by understanding the trail, charting out a rough map, planning your travel, talking to the locals to get as much information, and finally explore the trail.

This means, you should be an avid trekker yourself. You want to explore and document treks as much as we do.

Next, you should know how to take good landscape pictures of the trek. Pictures take trekkers on a trek even before they go on a trek. Your pictures should enable that. (Even mobile phone photography is OK.)

Lastly, you should know how to express the trek in writing. For this you need to have a good command over the English language. Your documentation should serve as the first draft for our DIY Team to readily take up without much editing.

To summarise, you should have the following skills:

Know how to read and draw geographical maps.

Be comfortable with talking to strangers.

Be Curious to explore lesser-known or completely new trails.

Take excellent landscape pictures using a phone or a camera.

➤ How you will be compensated for your work

Each trek you document will be considered as a project. You will be paid per project, once the documented trek is edited and published on the Indiahikes website.

The pay depends upon the type of trek you document — whether it is a day trek or a multi-day trek. On average, you are expected to earn Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per project.

You are also entitled to the following benefits:

Your travel cost to the trek and back is reimbursed by Indiahikes, irrespective of the type of trek you document. (Travelling in flights or cabs are not considered for reimbursement)

If you are required to travel to another city to document a multi-day trek, Indiahikes will reimburse the cost of stay and food. (Up to a maximum of Rs 700 per day for stay, and Rs 250 per day for food)

Note: Your expenses are reimbursed only upon submission of relevant bills/invoices to the DIY Team.

If this role excites you as much as it excites us, send in your applications to suhas@indiahikes.com by including ‘Working as a Remote Trek Documenter’ in the subject line.

Why do you want to take up the role of a Remote Trek Documenter?

Which treks have you done around your city?

P.S. Here are some of the treks documented by our Remote Trek Documenters:

Drop in a comment if you have any questions and we will get back to you.

We are Looking for Remote Trek Documenters at Indiahikes

Did you know that the concept of a Trek Leader in Indian trekking took birth at Indiahikes? 

Until Indiahikes came about, most people would trek with guides, who would take trekkers from Point A to Point B. They’d be able to tell you the route and a few stories about the trails, not much else. 

But our founder had always envisioned a Trek Leader very differently. A Trek Leader would keep you safe, handle emergencies, care for you, scold you, take medical calls, help you reflect on your experience, have conversations with you about your life, your work, your learnings. In his mind, a Trek Leader was truly a “leader,” not a guide. 

It was with this thought he led the initial few groups himself and later coined the term Trek Leader, which has gone on to become one of the most meaningful careers in the outdoors. 

We’ve always wanted to capture the essence of Trek Leading in a film. But the role has evolved so much over the years (and still evolving) that it was not easy to make a film on it.

But our film maker Mayur Srivastav, somehow, has been able to capture the heart and emotion of the role in a lovely short film. 

The film tells you where the concept of Trek Leading came from, the seriousness of Trek Leading as a career, the challenges of Trek Leading and the impact of trek leading.

Watch it yourself and then share your thoughts in the comments below!

What It Means To Be A Trek Leader At Indiahikes - A Short Film

Have you observed that all Indiahikes t-shirts say “High Altitude Trek Team” and not High Altitude Trekker? Not many people know this, but there’s a strong reason behind it.

We have always looked at high altitude trekking as a team sport, not an individual sport. It’s the “team” that treks together to the summit. They camp together, cook together, face their highest moments and lowest moments together. This has always been our ideology.

But I’ve always wondered What makes an ideal team player on a trek? Am I one?

The thought came to me while hearing some anecdotes from our recent trek exploration in Kyrgyzstan (Yes, we just explored a brilliant trek in Kyrgyzstan, which I’ll tell you about next week.)

The exploration team consisted of our founders, Arjun and Sandhya, the head of our L&D Team, Lakshmi, our founder’s daughter, Mini, and Gerrit Onstein, our overseas expert on Experiential Learning from The Netherlands. Five seasoned trekkers. They trekked across the Ala Kul mountain pass in the Karakol region of Kyrgyzstan. 

While they regaled us with their stories, I quietly made notes of what an ideal team player would look like on a trek. 

Trekking in Kyrgyzstan was very different from what we expected. It was a lot greener, much more forested as compared to the barrenness we expected. For all of us at Indiahikes, it was a wonderful learning experience.

“During the first two days of the trek, we noticed that Gerrit had a slight bump on the top part of his foot,” Arjun recalls. “It’s an abnormality he has developed recently. Plus he is around 6 ft 4 inches tall. He rarely gets shoes his size. Nevertheless, he wore his ill-fitting trekking shoes and started the trek. 

“It was the day of the pass-crossing. The climb was a stiff one, at an almost 60-degree inclination. We were trekking on the slippery moraine. With every step we took, we slipped a few inches. This went on for an hour until we hit the pass. 

“The view from the pass of the Ala Kul (lake) made us temporarily forget the difficulty of the climb. But it didn’t stop there. We had to trek for two more days, with long hours of trekking, on tough terrain, with a steep descent over rocky scree. A river crossing came in too, on the penultimate day,” says Arjun. 

Gerrit on the pass, overlooking Ala Kul lake. Photo by Arjun Majumdar

“We were back at the hostel in Karakol when Gerrit took off his socks and shoes. We were shocked to see that his entire foot was gnashed! His wounds were pulsating raw and bloody.

“His foot had been grazing the insides of his shoes throughout the trek. What surprised us was that he did not once mention this to us. He had quietly climbed the pass, gotten on the other side, and nursed his injuries after we were back at our base,” says Arjun. “He wouldn’t have mentioned these to us if I had not spotted his injuries accidentally!”

When I think about Gerrit Onstein, a fun-loving, Gandalf-like 60+ year-old with over 30 years of experience in the outdoors, I can’t help but feel a strong sense of admiration. Anyone in his place would have likely raised a hue and cry about a crushingly painful foot. But he went on without a sound, withstanding one of the most painful experiences for a trekker.

To me, his resilience was a huge takeaway. There have been times on treks when I have been riddled with muscle cramps, fatigue, or bruises from small slips and falls. (I’m sure you have too.) The question is, how many times have I been able to overcome small issues on my own without bothering my team about it? 

Resilience is not something anyone is born with. It takes time, hardship, and experience to build. In fact, trekking is one of the best ways to build resilience. 

But many people confuse resilience for a sense of “I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.” The question is, are you doing it with grace? Are you trekking with a sense of “It is ok, it is part of life,” or are you grimacing on the trek? The answer to this will tell you whether you’re an ideal team player or not. 

Lakshmi making her way up the challenging moraine towards the Ala Kul Pass. Picture by Arjun Majumdar

2. An ideal team player is an active contributor at all times 

“One of the people I loved trekking with this time was Lakshmi. Even though we meet each other at work every day, seeing a person on a trek for 5 days is completely different. And seeing the way Lakshmi went about her trek surprised me,” says Sandhya. 

A story that stuck with me was when the explorers narrated the story of Day 2 of the trek. “Day 2 was a particularly long one,” says Lakshmi. “We were trekking to the base of the pass, and I was mentally exhausted. Like every Trek Leader, Arjun had said “Bas, another 750 meters more,” and it took us more than an hour to reach the next camp,” recalls Lakshmi, scowling at Arjun. 

“In my defense, my map had the camp marked at an earlier spot, wherein it was much later,” laughs Arjun. 

Vast grasslands to be traversed on Day 2, beyond the last mountains you see.

But what Arjun said after this was my biggest takeaway. “I noticed that Lakshmi was exhausted that day. She was visibly tired, and nearly irritable. 

“What surprised me was that as soon as we reached the camp, despite her tiredness, she was the first to start pitching camp, fish out the dehydrated food, light the stove, and start cooking,” recollects Arjun. 

“She did this throughout the trek. Right from the word go, Lakshmi was on her feet, taking charge of everything she could.”

“When we travelled in and around Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, she took charge of maintaining accounts of our travels. She did it immediately with every minor transaction. On another note, she ensured that she tended to 12-year-old Mini, being a role model as a didi. I realised I was watching an ideal team player at work,” says Arjun. 

Mini, Lakshmi and a local guide in the meadows of the Ala Kul trail in Kyrgyzstan. Picture by Arjun Majumdar

This got me thinking. How often have I been an active contributor to my trek team, taking charge and contributing on my own? Have I gone out of my way to help fellow trekkers? Do people have to tell me what to do or do I voluntarily step up?

You’ll notice that most trekkers come back with a deep sense of admiration for their Trek Leaders. It’s for this very reason. Trek Leaders tend to be active contributors. They go out of their way to care for trekkers. It could be lending a helping hand, offering to carry the backpack of a fatigued trekker. Many times, they even stay up all night to keep an eye on a mildly sick trekker. 

This is a hard-hitting lesson I learned from Lakshmi, to be an active contributor at all times. Not everyone can. All of us want to rest, have our own “me time” on treks. Yet, only a few can be contributors like Lakshmi. Yet, they are the ideal team players. 

Lakshmi and Sandhya cooking outdoors, improvising to keep the wind out, with the Ala Kul Lake forming the backdrop

3. An ideal team player on a trek accepts and welcomes any circumstances

You know, one thing that bothers me these days is when trekkers start making demands. Some want continuous hot water at remote high-altitude camps. Some of them want single-occupancy tents. Some of them want someone else to wash their cutlery. Sometimes, I wonder if they realise the significance of what they’re asking. 

On the other hand, when I heard about how Mini trekked, it really soothed my soul. Mini is Arjun’s 12-year-old daughter. I have watched her grow over the past six years. She is like my niece. Having been a trekker from the age of 6, she has always learned the right spirit of trekking. She is one of the most adjusting and demand-free kids I’ve known. 

But this was the first time Mini was going on a trek that would demand a lot out of her. “She has never walked on such alpine terrain before. I was worried about that. The moraine section leading to the pass was grueling. It was something that tested everyone’s endurance, including seasoned trekkers like Sandhya and me. But Mini didn’t say a single word. She just went about putting one foot in front of the other,” says Arjun.

Mini on the moraines while descending from the Ala Kul pass. Photo by Arjun Majumdar

“Even after crossing the pass, the descent on the loose scree was draining. It was rocky, steep, and continued for 4,000 feet. And after the whole descent, we had to cross the river. While the water was thigh-deep for most of us, it was waist-deep for Mini. She just crossed the river, because it had to be done. There wasn’t any fear or apprehension,” says Arjun. 

“Even when we had to use the pre-constructed camp toilets at two campsites — they were pretty horrid — Mini didn’t say a word. She managed with what she got at every point in time,” adds Lakshmi. 

“That’s what you want from a team player. Someone who adjusts with what you have and makes the best of it. And for someone as young as 12 to do that is incredible,” she says. 

From a larger perspective, this has always been our outlook at Indiahikes, which our co-founder covers beautifully in her TEDx talk on How She Climbed The Mountain of Entrepreneurship. Listening to her talk will give you an understanding of how we look at work, life, or our treks.

An ideal team player is someone who accepts any circumstances, welcomes them and even enjoys it, just like how 12-year-old Mini did. Not many of us are ideal team players on treks. But we can be one if we just keep these thoughts in mind.

4. An ideal team player on a trek is physically and mentally prepared for the trek

When the explorers were narrating the story of their trek, I realised that all five of them were tight as a pack of wolves on the trek. “There was only a five-minute difference between the first and last person, even on the toughest day of the trek,” recollects Sandhya. That’s how physically fit everyone was uniformly. 

This was apparent on the penultimate day of the trek, when they had to cross the furious Karakol river.

“Before we started the trek, every local guide had told us that the bridge on the river was broken, that crossing the river would be impossible. This meant that we would have to return without completing the trek. 

But having studied maps, and constantly quizzed other trekkers and guides along the way, we realised that not all sections of the river were very turbulent. Upstream, there was one section where the river fanned out, became flatter and calmer. We knew we’d be able to cross this section with knee-deep water,” says Sandhya.

“Even so, we knew that there was a 20% chance of the river being un-crossable. For this, we were well-prepared to trek all the way back, climbing 4000 ft back up. We knew all five of us were physically and mentally prepared for such a situation,” says Arjun.

The Karakol river in a slightly gentler section. Picture by Arjun Majumdar

To me, this is the ultimate sign of a well-prepared team, where every team member puts in time to prepare physically and mentally. They not only study the trek and know where they are going, but are ready for any outcome on the trek, however difficult it looks. “The moment you have unprepared trekkers with you, you know that they are a liability,” says Sandhya. 

Having heard many of their stories, I can continue to talk about more attributes of being an ideal team player on a trek, but I’ll save it for another day. 

To me, the top 4 learnings are to be resilient, contribute actively to the team, prepare well for the trek and learn to deal with any circumstances that you face. 

If you can do these on your trek, you’ll be an asset to the team. Anyone would want to have you as a team member.

I would like to know your opinion or observation. What do you think makes an ideal team player on a trek? Drop in a comment below and let me know! 

Are you an ideal team player? In this post, we draw examples from our latest exploration in Kyrgyztan to illustrate an ideal team player.

Who is an Ideal Team Player on a Trek? - Lessons from Kyrgyzstan

It was 6 AM on a Monday in May 2019. I had drafted my resignation mail; all that was left was for me to hit the ‘send’ button. It was a big decision for me. I was afraid of giving up on a corporate life that was seemingly “safe and stable” as per society’s standard. 

On the other hand, I had applied for a role on the other end of the spectrum — to be a Trek Leader in the Himalayas with Indiahikes. I was not sure about what it would be like to work as a Trek Leader; something that every trek leader is asked by his/her trekkers now and then. 

After all, Trek Leaders live a visibly hard life, leaving behind their families and social ties to work tirelessly in snow, rain and harsh sun, away from all the comforts of civilization. 

Nevertheless, I did quit. I joined Indiahikes as a Trek Leader and it has been almost 1.5 years of me leading people on high altitude treks across the Indian Himalayas. 

Now that I look back on my journey, I can easily answer the question ‘what it means to be a trek leader at Indiahikes’ and that too, with a lot of pride.

The first thing that comes to my mind is how many survival skills I have picked up working at Indiahikes. With the legacy that Indiahikes has built of being the pioneers in trekking in India, any new Trek Leader feels the pressure and responsibility to gain a lot of hard skills and quickly at that.

After all, to help give trekkers a safe high altitude experience, one needs to be a master of outdoor skills himself. 

I remember, I had to undergo an intense training of 15 days after joining Indiahikes curated by the senior Trek Leaders along the lines of a Basic Mountaineering Course. Right from learning how to pack my backpack properly, to wielding ice axes on snowy slopes and evacuating trekkers, I was taught everything.

The two weeks of training instilled such a sense of confidence in me that, now, I know I can survive by myself almost anywhere and in any situation; a belief that helps me lead trekkers with confidence.

Along with the technical skills, it takes a lot of soft skills and people management skills to handle difficult situations in high altitude wilderness. Taking on the role of a Trek Leader at Indiahikes ensured that I develop a strong personality and can make decisions at the drop of a hat and make my team have faith in my decisions. 

Along with decision-making skills, I honed my communication skills. After handing briefing after briefing to a team of 20+ trekkers, I slowly got over my fear of public speaking. Now, I can bravely address a room full of people without breaking a sweat.

Over the past 1.5 years, I think I have developed a strong sense of compassion and empathy for others as a result of the strong value system Indiahikes has. This is inculcated into each individual working with the organization. 

The time I managed a clinically depressed young girl going through a mental breakdown in the middle of a trek made me believe working as a Trek Leader has helped me develop a well-rounded personality that can fit into any mould: a leader, a friend, a speaker, a motivator, an empathetic shoulder to lean on.

Understanding Your Responsibility Towards the Environment

Working with Indiahikes has also made me a responsible citizen of the world, something I take huge pride in. Green Trails, a wing of Indiahikes, based on the creed “Leave the mountains better than we find them,” ensures our trekking is sustainable.

In fact, sustainability is one of the dearest values of Indiahikes, and working here, I have myself become more conscious of my choices, not just in the mountains, but also back in the cities. 

In fact, I started my journey at Indiahikes as a Green Trails intern, working on the Manali slope, implementing sustainable practices, and conducting workshops for local villagers. It was my experience there that introduced me to this value system at Indiahikes and finally made me join them as a Trek Leader.

Shouldering the Responsibility of Representing the Safest Trekking Organization in India

Being in the position of leadership at Indiahikes is no easy task. We are the safest trekking organization in India and this position comes with a lot of responsibility. The trust and faith our trekkers put in us to keep them safe has its own weight on a Trek Leader’s shoulder. 

That is why each Trek Leader undergoes extensive medical training, not just once but several times during his / her career as a Trek Leader. In fact, it is so extensive it made me capable of responding to almost any medical situation in wilderness, including the worst cases of altitude sickness. 

Recently, I had a trekker on the Gaumukh Tapovan trek, who got hit with severe AMS at 14,000 ft. Her oxygen dropped to a life-threatening 55. I had to put her on oxygen support as well as give her Dexamethasone to evacuate her.

Throughout this evacuation, I was not nervous even for a second. I was sure of exactly what I needed to do to keep her safe because of the training and safety protocols we have at Indiahikes. 

This experience reminded me of a quote by a senior Trek Leader, “Things may go wrong only with one trekker out of 500, but you need to be ready at all times for that one trekker.”

Zooming out a bit, working at Indiahikes means you are never limited to just your designated role. Everyone is expected to contribute to the organization’s growth directly by looking into not just their role, but also at other areas of work — operations, the Indiahikes Trekipedia, Green Trails and Experiential Learning. 

Additionally, as you grow within the organisation, you’re expected to take on larger roles to train younger Trek Leaders, help mentor them, help them understand the culture of the organisation and take the organisation’s vision forward in a cohesive way.

I think everybody does this almost naturally, given the passion and ownership everyone at Indiahikes has for defining the future of trekking in India. You have to wear so many feathers in your hat that you are never just just a trek leader; you are a manager, an innovator, an explorer, a master organizer and planner.

Lastly, I believe that working in the outdoors has its own charm. We get to travel to far off lands, away from civilization, closer to nature and experience local culture. But working here at Indiahikes also gives me the opportunity to be closer to myself. 

The way Indiahikes looks at trekking not only truly resonates with my beliefs about trekking but also has enriched my experience of being in the outdoors. I have had a huge internal transformation and become so much aware of myself. 

Helping trekkers look at trekking for what it is — a mind, body and spirit transformation — makes me find meaning and satisfaction in my work, which I have not found anywhere else.

I believe all of us working here at Indiahikes, whether on the slopes or in Bangalore, truly believe in the philosophy of enjoying our work. We all take immense pride in working at Indiahikes. 

We are almost like a band of misfits, who are looking for meaning in their work more than any materialistic gains, coming together to change the face of trekking and being celebrated for our audacity to think so!

Trek Leader Akshay Upreti shares how it feels to leave the 'safe and stable' corporate job and work as a Trek Leader at Indiahikes.

What it Means to be a Trek Leader at Indiahikes

Today, I’m writing to you from a different setting. I’m sitting amidst a large group of trek experts, innovators, sustainability champions and trek documentors. I’m with the entire Indiahikes team. 🙂

For the first time, all our Trek Leaders have descended to Bangalore from the mountains. One by one, they marched in over the past two days, all of them pink, sunburnt, wearing big smiles after a successful month of trekking. 

We’re all gathered here to reflect on how the October season went — the challenges, the successes, the learnings.

Despite working here for almost 6 years, I’m still surprised at how deep our conversations about trekking are. All our conversations revolve around 4 of our core beliefs that often define the future of trekking — Safety, Green Trails, The Indiahikes Experience and our Trek Information. 

But this time, I sense a tremendous change in the Indiahikes team. 

During the lockdown, we got the luxurious time to reflect on our beliefs and processes of the past 12 years. (Funnily, in the midst of running treks for 12 years, we haven’t gotten time to do this.) 

Now, when I take a step back and observe, I see that we’re headed in a new direction. I can go as far to say that we’re about to change how you will look at trekking forever. 

I know that the trekkers who trekked with us in October vouch for this. No matter what mindset they came with, every single one of them ended their trek saying they had never imagined trekking in this way. 

Today, in my own small way, I’m bringing to you thoughts from Indiahikes 2.0. 

And I’ll do this by sharing some insights on how trekking was different in the month of October.

Here’s a picture of all of us right now. It might surprise you that in a formal meeting we’re all sitting here on the floor, but this is how we are. This is how our meetings are in the mountains and in office.

It’s no secret that the Coronavirus pandemic completely wiped out the travel industry for nearly 8 months. Trekking was hit much worse — it was considered completely “inessential.” 

So when the government eased the lockdown restrictions in August, it was with a lot of anxiety that we announced dates for the month of October. We wanted to start trekking again, but we had a big question mark about whether trekkers would step out at all.

“We were also apprehensive about organising treks during a pandemic. How would we keep trekkers safe? Could we deliver the new Indiahikes Trek Experience? Could we ensure trekkers followed Green Trails practices despite the fear of catching an infection?” shares Sandhya UC, the co-founder of Indiahikes.  

It was with all these worries that we announced trek dates. But it was not just the dates we announced. Our core team sat together and put down an exhaustive list of 31 safety protocols. This was not just reassuring to trekkers, but it immediately brought about a leap of interest in trekking. 

*This graph shows how traffic on our website dramatically increased as soon as we announced trek dates and our safety protocols.

*The second graph shows a sudden boom in trek registrations. Of course, it did not catch up with our earlier numbers (and still hasn’t), but it was a considerable increase.

“Seeing these numbers, we got a lot of reassurance that trekkers wanted to head out and trek. And that’s when we started our preparations in full swing”, shares Suhas Saya, the head of our Trek Coordinators team.  

I want to give you a bit of a background here. We did not enter the October season like we did during any other time. 

For 8 months, the trekking world had gone cold. Our Trek Leaders were locked in at home. Our mountain staff had moved back into agricultural work. Many of our transport and lodging partners had shut their businesses. 

Not just that, much like anyone in the travel industry, Indiahikes had taken a big financial hit during the lockdown. Whoever was coming back to work did so with a pay cut. 

But it did not take long to bring our mountain folk back to work, and to get back in touch with our other partners. Our Trek Leaders, too, were waiting to head back to the outdoors.

By late August, our preparations for October had begun. We booked tickets for all our Trek Leaders to visit Bangalore for a 14 day training. 

Just when all Trek Leaders were set to visit Bangalore for a training, tragedy hit.

“It was like a big storm hit us. Arjun is usually the heart of such training programmes,” shares Lakshmi Selvakumaran, the head of the Indiahikes Experience. “But when we work in the outdoor world, we learn to tackle these storms. We postponed tickets, digitised our entire training programme and carried it out online and were just as successful,” she adds. 

“The training changed how we looked at trekking,” says Ravi Ranjan, our Slope Manager. “Until February, we would take trekkers safely on the trek, enrich their trail experience, and bring them back with a great experience. Trekkers would come back happy and gratified with their experience. 

“But this time, we had a higher calling. We wanted to bring about an internal transformation in trekkers,” shares Ravi.

This is where the Indiahikes difference lies

At Indiahikes, we don’t look at trekking as a sport. We look at trekking as a journey that impacts the mind, body and spirit. 

Trekking touches the core of who you are. You shed the mask you wear in the city. You’re not a “team lead” or a “student” or a “colleague” anymore. You’re just you. I’m just me. 

We see extremely intimate moments when trekkers drop to their knees, in tears at what they’re experiencing. Many weep their hearts out. 

For many trekkers, this is a side of themselves they have never met. It makes them extremely vulnerable and humble. I’m sure you’ve felt it too. 

At Indiahikes, we’ve always tried to enhance this impact. And we’re going deeper into that journey. 

Sitting here today, our Trek Leaders shared lovely stories of trekkers. No matter what background they came from, they went back home transformed — more confident, more zealous about life, more real, more conscious of the world around them. This is an impact that’s going to remain imprinted for years to come.

This trekker herself shares her experience. She was someone who was extremely apprehensive about continuing her trek after the second day. She almost gave up. But then, her whole experience transformed her from within. 

Here’s another trekker who was so inspired  by our Green Trails initiative that she came back and organised a clean up drive in a park in Mumbai. Several of them have made sustainability a part of their lifestyle now. 

Listening to these stories of inspiration has filled me with a renewed sense of excitement.

I know it has been just a month since we restarted trekking, but my instinct tells me that something is about to fundamentally change in the way you experience trekking. 

It is going to be more powerful, deeper and transformative. It’s not going to be the same as before.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Drop in a comment below with your thoughts.

Why Trekking With Indiahikes is About to Take a New Turn

At Indiahikes we stand for trek information. One aspect of it is that we document treks. We document them in great detail — right from the landmarks, water sources, the kind of forests and terrain you see, to photographs and videos of the trail.  

Ideally, we believe that you shouldn’t need an organisation like Indiahikes to do a trek.   You should be able to simply read about the trek on the website and do it by yourself. That way, your trek becomes more independent, more adventurous and less expensive.

Our vision is to see that Indiahikes’ website remains the largest and detailed database of all trek information in India — guiding anyone who wants to do a trek to be able to trek on their own. 

Now considering the scale of work that this documentation needs, we need your help.

1. A map of the trail: Tracking a trail on a GPS is very cool. Every time we have done this, we have felt like real explorers. All you need is a geo-tracking app — GAIA GPS and Geotracker, to name a few and you can mark the trail, important landmarks and record the altitude, directions, everything. We use such files to create better maps and get accurate trail information.  

The more detailed landmarks the more information the map carries.  These are useful for our trekkers to see the trek differently — it can almost serve as a guide for the trek. Outside our trekkers, it also helps other trekkers to independently do this trek with ease. 

2. Photographs of the trek: Honestly, our website is nothing without the pictures. If we think your photograph suits our website, then we’d be happy to feature you on it. We’ll feature you on our social media and tag you too. So you’ll get the attention you deserve! Few things to keep in mind:

Choose the best photos you think represents the trek.  Choose a variety of photos that fall under different themes — landscape, action, portraits, etc. 

Rename the photos like this “Trek name – Your name – Caption”. For example – “Kuari Pass – Aditya Ramesh – View of Mt Nanda Devi”

Put them all in one folder on your drive and share it with us via the google form shared below.

Here’s something that will help you with the pictures – 9 tips to be a Good Trek Photographer.

3. Video footage from the trek: If you can bring back some steady, good footage from the mountains, that would be gold for us!  This could be as sophisticated as the footage taken using drone or your professional camera. We even appreciate videos taken using your phone camera as long as they are steady and showcase the trek or the trekkers’ stories. 

One strong criteria to keep in mind though would be this — We are looking for good quality videos, and steady videos. So if you’re slightly experienced, then do send in your footage. It will be put to good use.  

4. Details about the trek route: These details require a keen observation of the trail. And take it from us, this can bring your trek alive a hundredfold. If you’re observing the kind of trees, birds, flowers you see, or the terrain and gradient, you are “experiencing” a trek a hundred times more than anyone else.

So with these observations, put down these details of the trek. This will help us understand a trek better and give a better virtual experience to those visiting our website.

Your favourite trek story (Oh believe us apart from the stories you create on the trek, our Trek Leaders and Guides are brilliant story-tellers!)

Any tips you can pass off to future trekkers

Remember that every sentence you tell us adds value to future trekkers. They will learn from you about the trek and experience the trek better.

So, there you go! We hope you have more clarity on how you can contribute to our website. 

Out of the four points we have mentioned above, which one would you like to help us with? 

You can share it with us through this Google form.

│ A note about copyright for photos and videos: Copyright for all images submitted as a participant remains with the respective photographers. However, each photographer grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual license to Indiahikes to feature any or all of the submitted images in any of their publications, their websites and/or in any promotional material connected to this competition.

Here is How You Can Contribute to Our Website

Our Chief Editor, Swathi Chatrapathy, was invited a few months ago to deliver a TEDx talk. Swathi was very keen to talk about how anyone must look at work. She was much anguished about some fundamental mistakes people seemed to be making in their careers. 

Her thoughts are fresh, insightful and full of practicality. Swathi talks about what it means to make your work your identity (it is a new thought), Why the “why” of working is even more important and finally she dwells on the much debated work-life balance and comes up with her own understanding of it. 

It is a 17 minute video but you can’t let go even for a minute. Swathi’s stories to illustrate her observations fill up the entire talk. 

Click here to watch the video on Youtube.

I’d like to start by showing you a picture of my office.

This is one of my offices. I call it my office because this is part of my work. I sit here talking with our team members, discussing work, about the problems we face and how to solve them. Some of our discussions have led to far reaching consequences in our work and in trekking.

I want to show you a picture of my other office.

This is also my office. My more permanent office in Bangalore. It’s here that I sit at a desk, I work on a laptop, I have working hours, the whole gamut.  

Shuffling between the office and the mountains, I have learnt a few lessons about how we must look at work.

And hopefully, by the end of what I tell you, you might see work how I see it too. 

I am Swathi Chatrapathy. I head the digital team at Indiahikes, where we are doing some extraordinary work in defining the future of trekking in our country. I do not know if you know but Indiahikes is the pioneering organisation in trekking in our country. It is also the largest trekking organisation.  

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