Life Lessons I Learned from Mountains

Over the past few years, I’ve developed a deep love for Mountains. No matter the season or the location, there’s something about towering peaks and deep valleys that inspire me. There is a gravity in mountains which pulls me toward itself. Adventure Travel is an activity that requires a leap of faith, one that pushes you to move out of your comfort zone, knowing that you are giving up on your comfort to try something new, something daring, something challenging, yet fun and adrenalin pumping. An experience that you won’t forget, that will change you in a way or another without you even notice it.

Trekking in the mountains may look fun, but it is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of determination and willpower to complete a hike and reach the destination and sometimes, the descent is an even more challenging journey that one has to face. But, at the end of day, you are going to realize that it is the challenges and the hardships that will make you stronger as a hiker and as a person. There are many things one can learn from the mountains that individual can apply in their own life.

Dream Big – One should make great plans for future. It is said modesty is a virtue. I believe modesty is not a virtue when it comes to self-assessment and goal setting. There is no limit to what one can accomplish in life if one dreams big, stay committed to success and work hard.

Avoid Naysayers – There will be people who will tell you that you can’t accomplish your goals. It’s too hard”, “You set your sights too high” “and that’s not possible”. Never allow yourself to be fenced in by the doubts or expectations of others. Sometimes your worst naysayer is yourself. I reach a point where I feel overwhelmed by the difficulty of the task and I want to give up and try another time. You too will hit those hard patches during your life journey and will think about giving up on your dream. Banish those thoughts from your mind and stay the course. Surround yourself with people who are better than you.

Set Goals – In order to accomplish great things in life, one need a game plan. With the help of others, create that game plan. Sometimes it is best to focus just on the short-term goals so you are not overwhelmed with the enormity of the task. Break list of task for the year into smaller groups of things to accomplish each month. Always be motivated.

Work Hard – Anything is possible if you work hard and are mentally committed to success. This requires short-term sacrifice for long-term gain. If you work hard now and sacrifice some fun in the short term, you will enjoy a lifetime of happiness and satisfaction.

Positive Attitude – Mental preparation is far more important than Physical preparation. An important part of mental preparation is to visualize success. Always do best to make experience less painful and more pleasant with a smile and few words of encouragement. In a world full of vague cynics and sourpuss, an infectious positive approach can boost the morale and lift up the disheartened spirits of the people around you.

Learn from Mistakes – One will experience setbacks, disappointments and failures. When that happens, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, figure out what went wrong, make the necessary adjustments and get on with the journey.

Trust – Trust in yourself and your ability to succeed. Trust in others, for example, your family, friends, teachers, pastors and teammates. Most important of all, place your full trust in the Lord.

Enjoy the Journey and always give Thanks – Savor the positive experiences on your life journey. Find the best in every situation and hold on to those great memories. Always remember to thank the people who have supported and helped you realize your dream. Most of all, thank the Lord who loves you the most and keeps you solidly focused on the path to happiness and success.

Gratitude and Kindness – It has been truly said that every true success is a mankind joint venture. Live by those words. Help others, just as you have been helped. The smallest act of kindness can set in motion events that transform lives and benefit society. Do your part to lift up those in need and help them reach their full potential. Your life will be enriched by random acts of kindness.

Value of Teamwork – You won’t achieve your goal if you don’t work together, and you won’t have a successful project or product launch if somebody in your team messes up.

Time and Resource Management – Time is precious. Everyone’s day has 24 hours. No more and no less. So how you tackle those 24 hours can make the difference between a wasted day and a day you can be proud of. Pack your stuff and manage them properly. Avoid materialistic things which are not required. Maintain cleanliness and share stuff within team.

Stress Management - Stress is quickly becoming one of the biggest health issues in the world today. Going to the mountains is a meditative and spiritual experience, a true break from the daily grind and monotonous worry.

Patience - Mountains have taught me patience. Keep a calm, clear head and stay focused on what is important. Only people who can wait through this difficult period potentially can continue the journey and reach the top.

When the task is complete and you got the reward move on to the next task. Realize how far you’ve come and how much you’ve accomplished. Revel in that success.

Snow Trek Expedition to Laka

The best travel stories are the ones that teach you something along the road. Being a sports lover, the dream of my life is to experience most of the sports. I remember the cheerful times when I used to play hide n seek, carom, soccer, and now taking up adventure sports with nature. 2015 has been my ninth year to go for Adventurous Trips to North India. As Every year, this time also the place was new and exciting. I would like to thank the Youreka Team for making me a part of this wonderful expedition. This time I decided to do something daring and thus I went for a Snow Trekking expedition to Laka for a time period of 8 days.

Laka is situated on the base of Dhauladhar Mountain Range which is the highest peak of Himachal Pradesh. It is a beautiful valley surrounded by green trees, fresh air, snow, sense of peace, and with a height of 11000ft. This place is located above the Triund peak and one can see the beautiful range from the Triund base camp, which is above Mcleodganj near Dharamshala. I along with a group of 23 others completed this expedition successfully.

The Journey to this long expedition started from Delhi on Thursday night and the very next day we reached the beautiful campus in Dharamshala. After taking some rest and knowing some basic skills, next day we geared ourselves up to trek till Triund. A long trek of 1300m was athough challenging but the scenic beauty of the mighty mountains made it easier for us to do the challenge. We stayed there for a night and began to trek towards Laka the very next day which was our final destination. We reached Laka by Sunday afternoon and for the first time I had experienced Hailstorm in Mountains which was like no ordinary. The snowballs were as big as Ferrero Rochers. After pitching our tents there, we took some rest for sometime which was followed by collecting wood for the bonfire in the forest.

Next day, we began our day with learning some techniques of Snow Craft. As the session got over it again started raining and for the first time I experienced snowfall in the month of June. Temperature dipped below and nights up there were freezing cold. On Tuesday, we went to Lahesh Cave and spent an afternoon in the cave. The cave was surrounded by clouds that were at a height of 12500-13000ft which is one third the height of Mt. Everest. The following night was therefore very challenging because of the continuous rain and cold breeze that hit us. But we accepted the challenge with full courage and fearlessness.

On Wednesday, we trekked back to our campus in Dharamshala and after five days I finally took a refreshing and had a sound sleep on a mattress. I felt incredible and actually patted myself for the endurance I had shown. I got to know the importance of water, kerosene, natural resources, tissue paper, food, fire, wood, and many other resources. For the first time, I lived without any sort of gadgets and internet for five days that helped me explore that there is a much more beautiful world beyond these artificial things. Although, I felt the absence of Internet that connects to the world but its absence helped me explore the other world virtually. I want to keep this spirit of adventure alive in me for all my life. This helps me to be strong, blissful, fresh, and motivated and that helps me to lead a better life ahead.

I hope the next expedition is going to be more longer and challenging than this one!

Back to the wild: Christopher McCandless

Adventure is always fun and learning. For me, it is like living and discovering life without any fear. Yesterday, I watched a movie named ‘Into the wild’, which is dedicated to Christopher Johnson McCandless, who was an American adventurer. I can always relate adventure with me as I had done several activities it in the past. Chris was 22 years old and graduated from college in May 1990 when he set out across the American West in a trip that would ultimately take him to the wilds of Alaska.

He was desperate to break ties with parents. He dreamed of an Alaskan Odyssey wherein he would live off the Alaskan wilderness, far away from civilization. After his graduation, he donated all his money to charity organization and burned left over money. He left the car behind and buried the license plates. The car was later used by local police force as an undercover vehicle. He sometimes used his name as Alexander Supertramp. He kept a journal describing his physical and spiritual progress as he faced the forces of nature. He always carried set of books with him to read.

He never took money in his life from others. He worked in farms, kitchens to buy things for him and but never asked anyone to feed him. He does not even have a compass and no experience surviving in the Alaskan Bush. After hiking from the snow covered Stampede trail, Chris found an abandoned bus used as hunting shelter and began to live off the land. He had rice, rifle, several books, and some camping instrument. He lived for 113 days in the bus and never contacted his parents after he left his home.

In ‘Into the wild’ movie, it is suggested that the reason of his death was “rabbit starvation” and he might be poisoned by a toxic alkaloid called ‘swainsonine’ by ingesting seeds contain the toxic. He reached his final destination on April 28, 1992 in Fairbanks Alaska and he died on August 12, 1992. Hunters found his body 19 days after and later his parents would visit bus 142 to leave a memorial.

Chris actions have caused many different debates on safety in the wild and what not to do and many have said that he did amounted to suicide. However, he had also had a lot of praise for his courage and spirit of adventure. Bus 142 has become somewhat of a tourist attraction, with many visiting every year and posting videos and pictures on internet. There is a documentary and book written on him. The story of Chris really inspired me and gave message of not giving up dreams in life.