WHY WE TREK?

Why we trek.
I’ve often found myself under scrutiny when someone asks the dubious question. Why do we trek. Mountains are like roads. You see the same things in different shapes and sizes. Some climbs, some walks, some water, some heat, some panic, some trepidation and some remorse. Mostly – some entertainment.

So why do we trek? Many non-trekkers have pondered me with the thought. Couldn’t you just spend the weekend chilling with a good food and a movie? Maybe a trip to the beach and some friends . Why go all the way into the mountains, hurt yourself, get tanned (not a particular problem for my well nurtured skin tone), get tired and suffer from cramps for the next 2 days! Why?

As trekkers, the answer is clear. It’s second nature – like riding a bicycle. But how do you explain this to a first timer or a non-trekker? Every step you take right from the point you leave the base camp to the stage when you are traveling back is a reflective education. To me, trekking is a school.

Humility to begin with. Life teaches you a little something when there are 40+ people endeavoring towards a single cause – fending for each other – walking hand in hand so to speak – with not a care for the countless self praise that we are so tuned into accumulating in the city life – and to be in the sheer presence of nature. Yes – there are things greater than I.

The very basic pre-requisite of carrying less to walk more is the shortest cut in learning the art of contentment. How little do we really need! A mat, some fruit, a few packets of ready-made poli, 2 servings of Maggi and maybe if you get lucky – some Chappati! Soon we learn that it’s a LOT for 2 days.

When I walked through Venkateswara, I couldn’t help notice in awe, the formation of mountain rocks. Could the tectonic activity that we’ve reluctantly heard about from a disgruntled geography teacher actually have been true? Does water really flow from the mountains into the valleys? If the water tastes so amazing here, then boy think of the centuries of pollution we must have dished out in the cities to be victimized with hard, insipid water. We are lucky however to be in an era where this level of nature is still accessible. What of our children, and then theirs? Mountains and Nature could merely become pages out of history books and that I am alive today to experience the wonder which centuries later – people might only read about (or watch in cgi).

Trekking is a school. Yes, it’s the same mountains and the same rocks. Yes there is some water and some of it “falls”. But when you see it, it’s awe inspiring. It’s magic – nothing less. When you wake up on a sleeping mat at 6am and with eyelids mustering strength to travel the 2 centimeters, the sight is one of hovering rocks and majestic ranges. Water ripples in the distant and the ear is soothened to contentment. Try experiencing that in a 30 by 30 apartment!

When books speak about a universal connection with all things living (and those that don’t), it’s not all fallacy. There’s significant truth in it and people see that in many ways. A few meditate. A few pursue music. We trek.

Trekking is a school and the knowledge is not only irreplaceable, it is acutely unobtainable within the walls of city life.

So – to the non-trekkers and the first timers who have found trekking an arduous challenge, I urge you to look deeper. The school is here today and it awaits students with an abundance of knowledge, education and love.