I am a creature of the house. I can survive days without stepping out the front door and not think it’s odd. The multiple lockdowns in 2020-21 worked very well for me in this regard. At some point though without realizing it, I had reached a stage where I was reluctant to try new experiences without my extremely supportive partner. Pre-Covid, I went on trips and did multiple exciting things with friends on my own. Post-Covid, this seemed like too much of an effort.
I am the person who is at the airport 3 hours early for a domestic flight. I have my day chalked out, meals planned, events for the month on the calendar and so on. I like being in control of my day and surroundings. This is not exactly the case when in the wild, now is it? With all of this, I pride myself on adapting (contrary to the person I just described).
I have been on a few hikes – NOT the same as a trek – camped on the banks of a river, relieved myself in the wild, but never had I been on a multi-day trek! I recieved a message from my dear friend Niti saying that she was planning a trek and if I would want to go. It was a 5 day trek, a small group of about 5 people, low intensity. This sounded like a pretty good deal to me. I doubt I would have been okay to get back out there with anyone else. The trek as it turned out had me facing a few personal challenges, claustrophobia (being inside a two person tent because it was pouring outside), trekking boots falling apart, not packing the right warm clothes, and more.
The Monal Top Trek came at a time when I, much like many others, was coming out of the pandemic comfort. I decided to challenge myself to reconnect with my pre-Covid self. And I was going to do this with one of my most favourite people, Niti. My old self was good at dealing with tough situations. But did the new me still have it in her?
On reaching our home stay we were told that it had been raining and was likely to continue raining. The temperatures were recorded at 5 to 6 degrees. It was going to be a cold and very wet trek to base. Monal Top is named after the State bird of Uttarakhand, Himalayan Monal. These birds are a rare sight and not easy to spot. On the hike from the homestay to the base, there was a constant drizzle which meant wet gloves and boots (the soles were beginning to come off slowly and steadily).
Our trek guides had sped on ahead to reach the base before the group arrived. They needed to do this to set up the camp site. On reaching the base camp, the view took my breath away. As the fog cleared, the forested mountains made a dramatic appearance. As we were at 10,000 feet above sea level we were amidst clouds. All you could see were the bright tents that had been set up! It was straight out of a horror scene, we couldn’t see a path or trees in front or behind us. We might as well have assumed we were on a bed of clouds. Soon the clouds cleared and you could see Rhododendron and Oak trees peeking through the thickness. Only two days later (when the storm passed) would we actually see the valley and the vastness beyond our campsite.
The second day was mostly spent inside the kitchen tent, which was large enough to accommodate seven of us and the only warm space available to us. We would circle around the stove and play UNO since it was wet and cold outside. Waiting for the food was my highlight of each day and what ended up on our plates never disappointed us! Hot parathas, fresh puris for breakfast, rice and sabzi with dal for lunch and dinner. Dinner was followed by dessert! We had the likes of kheer/ payasam and gulab jamun for dessert. Tea was served when we felt the need to have some. This is not what one expects on a trek! In the great outdoors, a hot meal is a luxury of another kind. From what I understand, time and effort goes into planning these meals with some cheat meals included. Based on the intensity of the trek and the elevation gain on each day, the team curates a daily menu. Rest assured, the body had zero complaints!
By the time we knew it, it was time for bed. Off we went to our tents, I was sharing my tent with Niti. It was drizzling and the temperature felt like minus degrees. And I have Hyderabadi blood – the deccan plateau never trained me to experience cold beyond 20 degrees celcius! We had to zip up the tent with no openings to trap the heat and keep the water outside. Good time to bring up the claustrophobia here. I now had a big ask of Niti, I had to ask her to let me keep the tent entrance open a bit so I could see the sky. Asking her this was difficult because I had been living with a partner who would go through much discomfort to adhere to my comfort. This would have been easy to do for pre-Covid Madiha. I was sharing a tent with one of my closest friends and yet I didn’t have the courage to ask her. Worst case scenario, she says no because it’s not safe (rain and cold) and I end up staying up the entire night. I pushed myself to ask her if I could have a crack in the entrance of our tent because of feeling claustrophobic, and of course she said yes (asked me to bundle up extra)!
This was the first of many small incidents that made me get in touch with my old self and I came back home stronger and better than before. I was reminded by one of my closest friends that I was giving credit to someone else for the strong and independent person I always was. This is what a trek does, you set out with a purpose and discover things about yourself you never pay attention to. I was conscious to reflect on how I did each day of the trek. I am definitely going back with Pink Boots now that I’ve had a taste of the good life!
PS: The sole of my (borrowed) trekking shoes came apart on my trek down from summit to base camp. This happens when you let your trekking shoes sit for months and years without using them. I had to head down hill in my trusted Chaco Sandals – which was a breeze!
Madiha Ali
35| Teacher | Bangalore