Before we began this once-in-a-lifetime trekking experience, you could say I was a little bit nervous. I hadn’t prepared physically at all, which filled me with self-doubt, and it was a tough mental battle. As we were in the Hanfil Center in Mussorie, I gradually started getting ready because we went on the shakedown trek as well as a small expedition called Jabber Khett. After doing those little bits, I was feeling prepared mentally and even physically. I thought I could do it and that these ten days would be a walk in the park. I was filled with excitement and an incredible sense of intrigue. Let me just tell you, it was not what I had expected. It was the most difficult and challenging experience of my life. I’m comfortable saying that I will never experience something like this again in my life. Let me tell you how these ten days went in a little story.

A little boy from Jhapa, Nepal (Pittsburgh, PA) wanted to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trekking experience in the midst of the Himalayas. After watching countless vlogs on YouTube of people trekking and seeing countless friends and family go trekking and camping, it was a dream, and the opportunity for him finally arose. As he embarked on this journey, he slowly realized that what those people were doing and telling us about was nothing compared to what was happening here. 13,000ft elevation on top of the Himalayas was no joke. It was a beautiful experience. The very first day, after the bus dropped them off in the middle of nowhere, they didn’t do much other than set up camp, cook dinner, and go to bed, prepping for the big day ahead. The next morning, their journey started, and it was a crazy start with an uphill. Imagine everyone carrying 55+ pound backpacks with all of their gear, walking that uphill road on the very first day. For some, it was easy; for others, not, including Madan, because it was their first time. Going on family walks in Pittsburgh uphills were NOTHING compared to what he was doing here. As the day continued, it definitely became harder and harder for him (Goliath mountain uphills), but he also remembered how important it was to keep himself hydrated and ask for breathers because he kept running out of breath. His legs were killing him, and his shoulders were hurting due to the backpack. As days went by, it became a lot easier to keep himself in check with hydration, sunscreen, and self-care. Taking care of himself involved eating well, which meant cooking. Cooking was definitely a struggle to get used to. The food was different, uncooked, burnt, and let me tell you, lots and lots of cheese, which for someone who eats rice three times a day, the body was not conditioned for cheese and a lot of other things. Madan was cooking one of the days, and they were making pizzas. Because the dough was heavy, it was definitely uncooked, and on top of that, it was with cheese. He took one bite, and his stomach started acting out. He instantly knew he needed to use the bathroom (which is a story by itself that I will get to later on). As he walked down to do the deeds, he felt weird, so he puked in the middle of pooping. Getting back to cooking, it was a different setting where you are not feeling like eating, but you have to cook, you have to do it in the freezing weather while it rains, trying to get your stove to work. With all of that, Madan and his cook teammates, Ben and Allison, did really well over the 10 days. The other teams did really well as well. Moving on, the pooping situation was something he was not looking forward to, and he was planning on not pooping for the entire trek, which was obviously not going to work. During their trial hike, he needed to go really bad, but poop class hadn’t happened, so he waited. As the poop class went on, his body suddenly didn’t need to poop because what they needed to do was go find a spot in the dark or in the morning (if you’re lucky), dig themselves a hole, and do the classic squat down and do their thing. After the first time, it definitely became the norm as he went countless times and even did a double as mentioned above. He always preferred to sleep outside, looking up at the stars, but it wasn’t always possible due to the cold. However, he managed to get three good night’s sleep outside, which was lucky it didn’t rain and make the ground all muddy. In addition, sleeping outside was also something new for our protagonist, as he had never done it before. His brother went camping with his friends, and his friends did as well, and it was something he wanted to do and experience. It was an awesome experience, but let me tell you, he woke up a lot in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. He also felt as if he was sleeping on rocks at times. Furthermore, he was able to be the leader of the day for one of the days. Their responsibility was to lead the team with the wake-up time, breakfast, when to leave camp and hike more, allowing teams to have ample amount of breathers, rest, and make sure the team had high morale, and determining when dinner time was. It was also their responsibility to run meetings at the end of the day where we circle up and talk about how our day went. It was something new for him because he felt as if he was not a leader who is in the front and others follow but a leader who follows the servant leadership method where he takes care of his responsibilities, and his team, and makes sure everyone is well and strong. He did a great job as it was his first time, something out of his comfort zone, but he handled it well. As all the days went by, he was just taken away by the beautiful views of the Himalayas, taking pictures whenever he could as he loved photography, which is one of his hobbies. He spent a lot of time alone (solo) where he took it all in and reflected on where he really was and how he would never be able to be here again. As he embarks on his future journeys, these experiences and memories will rush back, humbling him as he learns what life is.

With the Himalayas trekking, I have learned a lot about myself as a person, and the joy, difficulties, and hardships that come with trekking. I have also learned the importance of food, which I know sounds silly, but having to eat whatever you get, even if it isn’t cooked fully or it’s burnt. For someone who is very picky when it comes to food, being a foodie also doesn’t help during these situations. It was very difficult to adjust, but while receiving feedback from individuals in my team, I was told that I am very flexible and can adjust very well without complaining much, so that was nice. Now, before coming here, as mentioned earlier, I didn’t do much practice to get ready, so I was worried about being physically weak, but that was not the case. I was able to finish the trek, and although the uphills killed my legs, the downhills were nice. It was nice to learn that my body can push beyond its limits and do way more than I thought it could. My friend Nischal pushes me to run a mile at the gym, but I always give the excuse that my heartbeat is too fast and I’m tired, but here there was no complaining; we could only ask for 30-second breathers. Being a leader of the day was something that sounded easy, but it wasn’t. You need to be responsible for the team, make sure everything is fine, ensure everyone is following your choices, and that everyone is satisfied with your decisions. It was a challenge, but I pushed through the day. The hardship of finding water and sometimes having to change the campsite and make other decisions just for water was complicated. During one of the days, the team had to go almost a mile to fetch water, and one the days, we couldn’t find water, and everyone was tired, but thankfully the guides knew, and we were able to set camp.

What Challenges Arose on the Trek and How Did You Overcome Them?

We faced several challenges during the trek. One day, when Nischal was the leader, there was a disagreement about selecting our camp. Some wanted to continue despite our exhaustion and lack of water, but Nischal wisely chose to stay, which was the right decision. Cooking in the rain was tough, especially in freezing cold and hail, but we managed with teamwork and a tarp. Finding water was another struggle; during a storm, a few group members and our guide walked half a mile to find a source. The physical and mental battle was intense, but by maintaining a positive mindset, taking breathers, and staying hydrated, we overcame these obstacles.