Looking at the state of the mountains, cities and the world, we often tend to lose hope and wonder how our capacity to destroy nature is so high. But every now and then we see something that restores our faith in humanity. For me, it was the sight of 30 enthusiastic trekkers doing their best to save the Hampta pass trail!
In less than an hour after the trek started, a few people came to me asking why the eco-bag is so small and complaining that their bags are already full. The same day I saw one of them borrowing and filling up at least 3-4 eco bags. When he couldn’t find any more empty eco-bags, he started filling a plastic bag!
It’s hard enough to collect 2 sacks throughout the trek and these guys did that in just one day! After a special Green Trails briefing, everyone took keen interest in finding out more about toilet systems and the waste management that we practice. Everyday, they would ask me where it is okay to brush their teeth such that it doesn’t harm the water or the soil.
At the end of the trek at Chatru, people are usually so tired that they just sit or sleep on the rocks till the cars are ready to leave. This time I saw them desperately cleaning Chatru, trying to fit as much as possible in their eco-bags. Looking at them Shyam bhaiyya and Dinesh Bhaiyya helped in cleaning up! In the debriefing, the trekkers themselves promised to keep an extra bag every time they visit the mountains. I was almost in tears looking at their dedication. Special thanks to Jit’s leading which made the Green Trails work so smooth!
Of course Sunil bhaiyya and Harka bhaiyya helped everyday by advising the local staff not to wash in the streams and not to litter. They themselves collected 1.5 sacks of waste!
Definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had in the mountains! Something I couldn’t have gotten by attending the process dynamics or biochemical engineering classes back in college.
