My Name is Mrunal and I am a high-altitude trekker. I am fond of mountains and my fascination with the Himalayas has taken me on many beautiful trails and closer to the highest peaks of the world. Himalayan treks, I have done so far are Kanchenjunga Basecamp, Sikkim; EBC Gokyo Ri, Nepal; Sandakphu, WB and Nepal. I have also done some small treks in Maharashtra, Harishchandragadh Konkankada; Kalvantin Durg; Kalsubai, Alang Madan Kulang; Baglan trek (Salher, Mulher, Salota).
How it all started?
I heard about the Himalayas when I was in 5th grade. One day while I was eavesdropping, my father’s friend was requesting my father to let me join his Himalayan trek, he was a trek leader then. That’s when my mother needed me in the kitchen, and I could never hear the end of their conversation. That night at the dinner table, I was hoping my father would ask me if I was interested, but I was never asked ☹.
That year; 1998, my only association with the Himalayas was to locate Nanda Devi and Brahmaputra on the Indian map in a geography test. My father’s disapproval did stir some rage in me. However, it did not last too long. Years passed, and I hopped from school to engineering, career, and nuptial bliss. This tiny unpleasant memory of disapproval became dormant and I never got an opportunity to even be near hills until my visit to Bhutan and Sikkim in 2017 with my husband.
The face of snow-covered peaks from a very long distance was in front of me while flying to Paro. Druk Air airlines shared the exact location of the flying machine and the pilot hinted that the sky was clear, the weather was pleasant, and we would be able to see Mount Everest and there I saw for the first time. For 20 min I was glued to the view. I was awestricken. In few days I saw the bride of Kanchenjunga “Mount Jomolhari” from Chele la pass near Paro. In Sikkim in the same year, I could glance the Mount Kanchenjunga, Mount Pandium and their full faces were visible from Pelling. I was content to see them, but this could not be the only way to see them. I wanted to have a closer view of them. In Lachen, North Sikkim, our guide showed us the trekker’s trail to Kanchenjunga Basecamp from the bird-eye viewpoint. Soon the travel ended, and it made me exposed to many possibilities to explore deep inside the valleys and the cascaded mountains.
Glimpse of Mount Kanchenjunga, Mount Pandium
Mount Jomolhar
In April 2018 I was preparing for the B1 Goethe Zertifikat exam and there had ought to be a reward after I clear it. That’s when I had an epiphany, why don’t I trek in the mountains? I decided for the Kanchenjunga Basecamp trek, starting from Yuksom in Sikkim till Rathong Glacier. This 10-day trek was the most difficult one for a beginner like me. Walking through the thick Kanchenjunga National Park was unprecedented, however, I cried the first day when I reached Tshoka from Yuksom. There was excruciating pain in my legs and the sodden sleeping bag and damp smell in the camp made me feel horrible. I could not understand how there was a cheerful noise coming from the far pitched tents when the stay was so horrible. Perhaps I had to wait till the next morning when I was sipping the bay leaf tea in front of the Kabru Peaks.
Blissful morning
This was MY cheerful moment and this moment changed my perception towards everything that was going to happen in the upcoming days. Day after day I was adapted so well that my countenance showcased my happiness and I was glad that I did not return and kept going and finally reached Rathong Glacier at an altitude of more than 4700 meters and finished my first Himalayan trek.
Rathong Glacier
This trek was like a genie out of the bottle, I started to read adventure books, blogs and started to understand more about the trekking gear, technique of packing a backpack, shoelaces (yes 3 types I learned). I became more aware of many aspects which helped me a lot in the next Gokyo Ri Trek in March 2019. This was my Solo Trek of 18 days in the Solukumbhu District of Nepal. One of the best times of my life I had during these 18 days! There were moments of pain and euphoria, one of which; when I climbed Gokyo Ri.
A glimpse of Mount Everest from Gokyo Ri
During the EBC Gokyo Ri trek, I met many new people of different nationalities and their stories intrigued me even more. I was so glad to have an opportunity to stay with the Sherpa family for 3 days and know about their Summit stories, their views on global warming, and ate some of the best dim sums ever.
After this second trek, in October 2019 I went for the third Himalayan trek – Sandakphu with India Hikes. This time I prepared very well and took up daily running for 3-4 months. Sandakphu is said to be the most underrated trek of the Himalayas and I pity that! I would recommend this trek to any beginner, who wants to experiment with trekking and to see the panoramic view of the highest peaks of the world. This trek has everything and the most diverse trail that changes every day.
Sleeping Buddha from Tumling
After these 3 high-altitude treks, it was finally clear to me; this fascination will not fade, it grew even more. So, I started to blog about my Himalayan Treks.
Later in 2019 after Sandakphu, I began trekking in the Sahyadri during weekends. The experience was in contrast to the Himalayan trek. These treks were exhausting, and the humid climate made it even worse. But still, I kept looking for some novelty and kept going with different groups.
Baglan trek was my last trek and later in 2020 world entered Pandemic! All these treks I have done in the span of 2 years! Trekking has changed my life completely. It has introduced me to minimalism, veganism, reading, writing, photography, blogging. I have met some amazing people and the most important thing; it has pushed me beyond my physical limits. It has also introduced me to running and Isha Hatha Yoga.
If you want to sneak peek more into my experiences or if you want to just check out the photos, you connect me with –
My blog – https://trail2happiness.in/
IG – https://www.instagram.com/moo_naturliebhaberin_/
Tripoto – https://www.tripoto.com/profile/moo_fernweh
If you have any message/comment, please share me on email shikha@memoirsoflife.in.