A Step in the Right Direction #BucketList2019

I have always been a fan of the hills and I try not lose an opportunity to say that out loud. Another thing that I'm fanatic about are bucket lists! I make one for almost all aspects of my life-like books, travel, sitcoms and I even have one for my goals (no kidding). The whole idea of making a list is to get those things done one by one right? But the one thing that remained constant since my first year undergrad was Into The Wild which is my way of saying Go Trekking!

After two unsuccessful attempts over my undergrad to pack my rucksack, I almost gave up. Almost. I was super restless and tired of waiting for the right time.

2019 would have been the same old but something just got over me and I talked my dad into booking me a two-day trek to Nag Tibba. I convinced him that it was the shortest and I'll be back even before he'll realize that I was gone. So bags were packed, tickets were booked and we were all set to go! (Oh I forgot to mention the part where I managed to drag my best friend along).

So here I am on a Thursday morning, running to college and back home while the next morning I'm running at a crowded bus stop to catch a bus to Dehradun (which I almost missed). We reached the city, grabbed some food at one of the best places in town and traveled around in the blue local transport called Vikram.

The weekend started at 6:30 in the morning where we all assembled at the railway station and, settled in cars to take us to the base camp at Panthwari village. We stopped on our way to have breakfast with a perfect view of Kempty Falls. We had a small orientation session at the base camp which was basically the house of the local guide- Surinder Bhaiya who was mostly badass and amazed at how slow people can walk.

So this is how my first climb goes.

I struggled.

I struggled a lot. First day was like hell for me. I kept taking breaks just to breathe and was at the end of the line. I remember how I started thinking that it was mistake and maybe my fascination for the hills doesn't make me a trekker. Now that would have been devastating. But I made it to the camp site! The rest of the day was all about playing games with the team and hurling in the dining tent together listening to the Nanda Devi odyssey.

There was no rush. Just calm and quite.

The next day started at 3 in the morning. We packed everything and started walking into the long night with our torches. I didn't know back then that the four hour climb to the summit was about to be the best experience of my life. We walked through forests and open meadows. Sunrise on the trail was mesmerizing and the views breathtaking. I was at ease and all I could think was reaching the summit. No deadlines. No exams.

I owe a lot to my best friend because of whom I didn't give up when I was about to and who pushed me to go beyond my limits throughout the trek.