Nalin Khanduri, Founder GIO
Why do I love to trek so much?
I asked this question to myself for the first time just a
couple of days back. Considering that it’s my passion and I have been at it for
years, I was shocked not to have a ready answer to this apparently simple
question. I started out on the trails at an early age of 8 years and have been
treading the wilderness for close to 32 years now. It was with my father and
uncle that I took my first step into the `other side’. In these years I have
burnt quite a bit of rubber, walking long distances into far off regions, creating
experiences etched permanently into my memory. From beginning itself I have felt very
comfortable being with nature, never feeling like a tourist and never enjoying
it like one. I would, from time to time, enter this world for a few days, spend
time there and come back planning my next trip, needless to stay enjoying every
second of it. While my reasons are not
so clear I can share from experience what makes many people head to the remote mountain
again and again.
Mountains hide a lot from us, within their deep valleys
and lofty heights. They hide enchanting landscapes, budding wildlife,
interesting cultures & intriguing mysticism. Exploring these well nurtured
secrets is addictive to say the least. Considering that Moon, Mars and the 2 Poles
are not really next door, trekking offers a great solution to satisfy the
explorer in one. Also mountains, like the people they shelter, change form and
character every few hundred kilometers and this variety in landscapes and
culture is what interests a lot of people. One summer you could be walking the
high alpine meadows of Garhwal Himalayas enjoying goat cheese and ‘kacchi’
(local brew made from millet), while the next moment you could be walking on moonlike,
stark and breathtaking terrain of Spiti Valley in Himachal, savoring Yak cheese
and ‘chhang’ (rice beer made locally).
Mountains bring with them some amount of unpredictability
and ruggedness which reflects in the people they shelter and their way of life.
Living the simple yet adventurous mountain life gives a very different flavor.
Food is just for nourishment, clothes just for protection, trail mates your
family and your two legs mode of transportation. It can’t get any simpler. Learning
to play the outdoors, without meddling too much with it gives a good kick to
quite a few including me.
Unfortunately, I am not someone who can claim to be
perpetually stressed because of work or a series of broken relationships, but
can still say with a lot of conviction that contrary to the popular belief very
few people trek to de-stress. Also, I have never met a single enthusiast who
treks for fitness benefits. On the other hand there is a very big group of
trekkers who have a spiritual connection with the mountains and this group is
not limited to our own ‘sadhus’, but people from all over the planet. Then
there is this big group of people who quench their thirst for adventure walking
the wilderness. Mountains offer the best playground for adventure with features
like forests, rivers, gorges, glaciers, snowfields & mountain summits and
all this in a very dynamic environment, controlled by none. They offer one an
opportunity to set a challenge for oneself, however big or small, and living up
to these challenges can be a great source of joy, enticing one to keep coming
back for more.
How one gets the bug, I am not too sure of; but what I
know for sure is, once you get bitten, there’s no doing away with it. I am
hooked to the outdoors for all the above-mentioned reasons and more; and
believe that the mountains are still holding lots of pleasures for me which
they will unfold slowly and slowly…
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