Today I am here to share a little experience of my little adventure I had last weekend. it all took place rather suddenly and that was strange as I had absolutely no inkling or even a desire to venture out to an unknown place that too for a trek.
So now when I look back I really think it was meant to happen so it happened and I am so grateful for that.
Anyhow I met this friend after quite long time, infact the strangest part is that we hardly keep in touch but at the same time whenever we meet its always very pleasant and educating .. she is an amazing person full of life and spiritually quite evolved too.
And well she does a lot of trekking and wondering and exploring different places mostly all by herself .. wow ! and for that I really admire her .. yes she is a mom too …
So even moms can find a way to fuel their passions if they really want to.
We sat chatting and she happened to recount her latest adventure trip all alone to Karnataka … beautiful sea and scenery..and I don’t know why I just felt like doing something … though I knew I cannot leave home for many days at a stretch ..but something exciting which we can do in 2 days .. and that’s when we decided on this churdhar peak trek… hadn’t even heard of this mountain before … so looked up to google and got amazing reviews ..Though one intriguing thing is that this spot is not as famous as it should be .. so you might not find it in many of the travel logs. But I am glad we did this.
Churdhar is one such awesome destination where you can quench your thirst of experiencing nature at one of its best faces. Located in the Sirmor district of the state, it’s a place of great religious importance to the north Indian Hindus. At 12000 ft (3647m), The peak is highest in Sirmour and outer layers of Himalaya. Churdhar is snow covered in winter and is visible from Shimla.At the top of the Churdhar peak, a giant statue of Lord Shiva amazes as well as takes you back to the tales of the great Indian epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. Trekking to a peak one passes through the changing scenes of the diverse nature, and observing the culture, when you place your feet on the peak point, you feel satisfied and overwhelmed with earth’s spectacular beauty. The whole area of 56.16 km² comes under the sanctuary, which makes it one of the most peaceful places on earth. The place can be approached by two main routes, from Nohradhar, Sirmour of 20- km and Sarahan, Chaupal of 8 km. During a trek of almost 5 hours, you don’t feel tired as the striking views, like that of the Kedarnath and Badrinath peaks, ranges of Lahaul and Spiti, thick forest full of chirping noises, Gujjars with their cattle and many more, keeps your energy level up. Also, a few other charming spots and temples, that you come across while you are on the way to Churdhar, make the journey unforgettable. If you are lucky, then a musk deer or a Monal might make a sight. Here are some of the most tempting glimpse of the valley and the peak.
So after a lot of researching we finally decided the best would be now as first week of November starts getting icy cold up there . Now why am I telling you my story is for this reason… first of all let me make it clear that, I am not a trekker by any means, and this would be my very first trek … 18 km one way up … and though it is very beautiful but for a beginner it can be quite challenging as the terrains change with every segment .and though my partner was experienced in a way I was completely in dark about what to expect and how to deal with it .. also another major point of worry that my people were facing was the cold… we knew its going to be freezing up there even at this time… and I have a condition called the Raynaud’s syndrome in which my blood vessels gets constricted in very cold weather or even in temperature variations.. and that leads to huge huge problems ..as my heart has to work double the time to get the blood circulating and in higher altitudes it can lead to major problem.
So yes I had a lot to think of ..as just covering myself was not an option.. this place was bare … with minimum facilities … I knew this was a challenge … as I have no prior experience of anything like this… by the way just to let u know … even in chandigarh I get raynaud’s attacks, an AC too can make my condition worse .
So now you see why this was a real challenge for me , to stay fit the entire journey.
Why did I opt for it : knowing that if I fall sick , it would be hell for me and my partner and once u start the trek there is really no way to come back… as the entire trek is divided into 3 parts of 6 km each … and each of the bases have only one small hut like dhaba which serves tea and Maggie , no water , no washrooms, no medical aid. And there is no civilization after or before the bases.
And also most the way no cellular network ,,,, so you are literally in the hands of God once you start.
Also we both were the only women trekkers. We haven’t come across any woman or women doing this trek all alone so far.This Fact made us feel quite proud about ourselves.
The journey was beautiful, something beyond my imagination, the entire region was untouched by civilization it was raw and beautiful, breathtakingly, we also got the magnificent view of the great Himalayas, though it was partly covered with clouds.
The jungle route was amazing , just few sounds of birds chirping and the wind hustling through the pines. The experience of going through the Rocky Mountains and the grassy plains in-between was mesmerizing.
Though the trek was long and tiring , it brought smile to our faces whenever we encountered some of natures splendor on the way.
So we covered the entire 36 km ( up down ) in 16 hours divided in two days . one of my best experiences in life.
Yes I am glad and so happy to have done it . my confidence of facing challenges have soared . now I know I can scale mountains higher than this definitely and also I am no more afraid of the cold.
P.S Our guide told us that we had crossed over 20 mountains on foot throughout the journey … :))wow ! that really fueled our confidences even more.
Now the main reason of blogging this wonderful experience is not just to tell you the story but also how I overcame my limitations to cover this journey and do it without any mishaps or failings.
Reaching the destination is not the point, the point is how you reach it. The journey that is so important for all of us. Yes, most of you reading this might think what is so great if you climb a 12000 ft. , people are doing mount Everest all the time now.
Yes you are right, it’s nothing great or spectacular for the other person but it is for the person doing it . I did it the first time, did it with the physical limitations I have , did it without ever doubting myself the entire time, though the people around me had a lot of fear and doubts about everything .
I did not let those fears and doubts cripple me throughout the journey, yes the journey was not very easy, yes it was very very cold in fact freezing, at one point I was ready to give up but then , I did one amazing thing and that was surrender , I surrendered to the journey itself… and that’s the faith that carried me up and down in one piece .
So the take away from this story is that:
- ITS ALWAYS YOU VS YOU. YOU ONLY HAVE TO PROVE TO YOURSELF NOT ANYBODY ELSE.
- NEVER COMPARE YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS OR GOALS WITH OTHERS
- YOU ARE WHAT YOU BELIEVE. HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF.
- LIMITATIONS ARE ONLY IN YOUR MIND
- WHATEVER YOUR DREAMS AND GOALS ARE JUST DO IT NOW!
- LASTLY LEARN TO SURRENDER TO THE POWER THAT LIES WITHIN YOU AND SEE HOW YOU CAN MOVE ANY MOUNTAINS NOT JUST CLIMB THEM.
HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY LITTLE JOURNEY. AND ALSO FOUND SOME INSPIRATION IN IT. ALL I WANT YOU TO DO NOW IS TAKE OUT A PEN AND PAPER AND WRITE DOWN WHAT IS THE NEXT IMPORTANT STEP YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH IN YOUR JOURNEY OF LIFE. COULD BE ANYTHING, ADVENTURE, TRAVELLING, CAREER, PASSIONS, AND HOBBIES ETC.
WITHOUT THINKING TOO MUCH JUST WRITE IT DOWN AS IT COMES TO YOU. DO NOT GET ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR CAPABILITIES OR LIMITATIONS.
ONLY YOU KNOW THIS.. SO PEN IT DOWN RIGHT NOW…AND KEEP THINKING ABOUT IT, ALL THE TIME… IN YOUR FREE TIME, DAY DREAM, VISUALIZE YOU DOING IT. DON’T THINK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES OR PROBABILITIES, JUST DREAM AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE FREE AND YOU CAN DO IT.
THAT’S ALL YOU NEED TO TELL YOURSELF NOTHING MORE AND NOTHING LESS.
Have Faith!
Soma Kalsi
( Your Fitness trainer)
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