Trekking involves exploring nature where fitness comes into concern as it lasts for a couple of days whereas hike would just be a matter of hours. It is definitely the ideal choice for nature lovers who love to wander like clouds, away from the chaos in the soothing breeze where you can disconnect from the world in true sense.
I had been a part of Himalayan trek which lasted for 10 days where 2 days were dedicated to acclimatization and medical inspection before we started the summit. It’s the experience that I cherish forever where I made friends of different cities, experienced human behaviour as there were people of different age groups and everyone had a story to tell. There are various travel companies and websites that offer trekking options in India but I had opted for Youth Hostels Association of India, which is known for its decorum also it will offer the best price as they don’t intend to earn or make it a business generating company as I feel their only goal is to give each member some experience of lifetime. The best part is that its very strict when it comes to safety of women and disciplined in terms of time as most of the camp leaders are retired military officers who believe in motivating the youth for trek and encourage to attract more trekkers as in that way the locals are benefitted with the visitors. The nature lovers can feel secured as there are two local guides who lead the group in the entire trek as one will lead and the other will be in the end to ensure that no one is lost amidst the trail.
It’s very important to plan a trek well in advance as there are many physical parameters to be checked in the process also my personal trekking experience inspired me to spread my views on it.
So, here we go,
1. Dates: Check for the dates in advance as most of the treks are seasonal, explore the vlog/blog of the place to get some idea of the local surrounding and means to commute as most of them are in the outskirts.
2.Fitness: Prepare yourself for the trek with active physical fitness by regular walks of 30 min and gradually increase your pace.
3. Footwear: Make sure you wear the trekking shoes while your regular walk to make yourself comfortable and do carry a pair of sandals as you can wear it during your stay in camps.
4.Bag: Carry minimum things which are essential because as the height elevates in the summit we hope to get rid of the bag itself. At times there are porters available who can help you out by carrying your bags but it completely depends upon their availability, so be wise while selecting the bag.
5.Things to carry: Completely depends on the person as the list of essentials differ for all but eventually ensure its light in weight. Most of the common items are made available at the camps also the list is provided by the organisers to help you out and in case you miss something the fellow trekkers and camp leaders will definitely be at your rescue so it’s absolutely fine in case you miss something.
P.S: I would recommend that it’s something worth giving a try as it definitely adds memories for lifetime. Also, I would like to share some Pro Tips- Trekking is definitely not for the mirror lovers who love to adore the cosmetics as everyone here ends up in sweat with suntan, days with no bath (wet wipes justify the purpose), no washing of clothes (deodorants and perfumes are the only saviour) along with daily long hours of walk until the next base camp arrives; also not recommended for internet addicts as most of the camps don’t have network, so be mindful while planning a trek as it might not meet your dream stories! Thanks for reading until end!
