As spontaneously as the plan was made the bags were packed. All necessary items collected and checked and we were off for a week-long trek to Annapurna Base Camp. A week only? You won’t make it. Just reach where you can and then come home were the words we heard when people found out about it. With people trying to root doubts in our head our determination got stronger in our hearts and we set off with zeal to do it in 7 days. A 7-8 hours walking on the first day, that too uphill, can be exhausting. I was almost thinking that it was a bad idea to have come for a trek. Half way up the hill my thighs give in and I was frustrated and tired, but then I looked around to go all the way down would require me to walk as well and I can’t really stay in the middle of the jungle.

It was the first day and it would be the most difficult day indeed but I also knew the destination would be memorable because the effort made was enormous. Remembering my older trekking experience to Gosaikunda, Everest trek, and Muktinath I realized that I was filled with excitement to have conquered and the happiness to have experienced it for I know there were difficult times then too, then I started walking. It really got me thinking it was really all the stories of the journey that we remember more than the destination and the dal bhat power certainly gives you the power to do it . We saw the whole Milky Way above us and the moon shining to show us the way for us to walk as the sky slowly changed color and the magnificent blue sky and the sun kissed mountains.

The last day’s walk was for 5 hours and I reminisced about our whole trip and I realized treks are actually tests of tolerance when you’re actually pushing yourself to do more than you think you can.

Trekking, as many people would perceive it, is not about the destination, it’s about the journey similar to our lives, and we need to live and enjoy every moment no matter how hard it becomes because the difficulty levels most certainly increase the value. As they say it, “After the darkest hour comes the day”. From many trekkers around the world that I have met trekking I vividly remember meeting a Japanese group of 10, the oldest being 80 years old and they were planning to reach Everest base camp in almost 70 days. As amazing as it sounds it just proves that age is just a number and every time I was exhausted I would think of him and get pumped up so that I can walk much more.