Climbing a Mountain
- Death staring at him in the face of every moment,
- He saw accidents of nature which are a way of life for trekker,
- He met many extra ordinary people during the memorable trek,
- His journey was of spirit, courage and perseverance.
I liked many characters mentioned above. Their attitude towards life is different but as a trekker they are more or less same. I am impressed by these characters from this book.
Sandip, a trekker who was at 26,000+ feet close, remembered his mother who was a very practical woman and helped him to go on trekking and keep calm. Sandip was shocked when his tour leader Dorje Sherpa told him about the death of a Ugandan climber. He was also shocked when Dorje mentioned the death of a British Climber near the balcony. These events make you restless while climbing a mountain. Trekking becomes very difficult when they are focusing on the final stretch. They are more worried about ensuring their oxygen mask and cylinders. Their shoes, crampons, harness are very important to them when the summit is very close. As such short distances always take more time to climb when the summit is very close. Luck plays a very important role and well wishes from mother felt important. Of course, co-trekkers and tour guide Dorje Sherpa played an important role. One should not have any negative thoughts coming to mind. It is very dangerous. He saw one of his friend trekkers lose his sight during climbing due to lack of enough oxygen. Of course such difficulties are unpredictable. Only Tour Guide like Dorje Sherpa will be helpful during the climbing. He could hear the blessing of his mother, “Now go and climb that mountain”. He did achieve his target of reaching the summit.
In his story, “Peace and Noise”, we read about the interesting character Ramnath. We meet such people in our regular life. But Ramnath is not a good companion when you go trekking. We know Ramnath when we hear his behavior when he talks to his talkative driver Hari. Hari, though talkative, is a good driver as he knows what to see on the way to the summit. Hari was explaining to him in detail what to see on their way. He was mentioning him about DEV Prayag, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, RudraPrayag, JoshiMath and Auli. Ramnath just did not hear him properly and he was more worried about a luxury resort with many amenities. Even he neglected his suggestion of Gondola ride or a village walk. He was just busy fiddling with his phone and Kindle. He could not find the peace he was searching for. As such he was not a good trekker. Such characters are not to be selected for trekking. When he was returning home, he told Hari, he will come again and Hari should show him all those places.
“Secret in Mountains” is a very interesting story about Village girl Binita and her mother Kamala. Binita changed her name to Jeevan when she became a trekker woman. She always looked at jagged peaks of the Himalayas. Accidentally when she met Narendra, tour leader, he gave her the job of accompanying two foreign ladies Eleanor and Margaret for carrying their luggage. Her forbidden dream of seeing the mountain was automatically fulfilled. She remembered the words of her mother Ama – “Girls don’t go to mountains and stay at home”. Margareta told Jeevan that the mountains don’t care who you are. Jeevan realized that by accompanying Eleanor and Margaret, she understood the secret of climbing a mountain.
The Story “A Burden off the Shoulder” is about a man named Vivaan who was fed up with his routine life. His attitude was different for fixing his priority, time and relationship. He had different views on earning money, doing a job and finding a friend. He knows that life is short and it will end anytime. He was staying near a beautiful village on the hills where trekkers and Kedarnath pilgrims stay. He was very happy in the village due to the silence of the valley and chirping of the birds. He wanted to go to Chandrashila peak to see the panoramic views of the Himalayas. His tour guide introduced him to Dachen who will take him to Tungnath temple of Chandrashila. Dachen goes on this way frequently. He was from Nepal and not from Garhwal. Dachen is not only a helping man for trekking. But he was really a good trekking guide. Dachen told him that people of the mountains have a lot of faith in deity. One should visit temples in the mountains.
“A NEW SUMMIT” is a very interesting story of Akanksha who was in the Himalayas for trekking. She was an orphan girl. Her father and mother died in an accident. At the age of 20, Akanksha left her home for freedom. She took a Bus heading to the mountains and landed in Sankri, Uttarkashi which is a starting point of many Himalayan treks. She accidentally met a group of trekkers and the group leader thought that she was a solo trekker. She requested the group leader and joined his group which had 4 men and 3 women members. She had no money but she was good at taking pictures and writing captions. Tour leader asked her to join as a photographer for his travel company. After a one hour journey they had a stop where a bunch of tents were installed. She was given a sleeping bag and her tent partner was Meera who was almost like her mother’s age. She was very friendly. She briefed her about her past life and her strict stepparents. She did mention her dreams of independence and her wish of taking a job in the city.
Arjun, team leader, was impressed by Akanksha and asked her to lead the group. She did it with full confidence. They reached the summit and saw the breathtaking panoramic view of the mountains. She has proven to herself and to others that she was capable. She was a dreamer and a fighter. Now, she was a woman with dreams, determination and courage to make life reality.
This book explains to you how trekking makes you a dreamer and how your courage and determinations become strong. One should start trekking at a young age and visit the Himalayas very often.
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