Part Of You

Written on 10th September 2015

After 7 consecutive weekends and 11 total treks/hikes in past months I still don't know what I am doing. I don't know if I am overdoing it or over obsessing about it. I don't want to give it a tag, be it passion, obsession, hobby, or anything else. I don't know where I am taking it. I don't know if I am taking it in right direction. I don't even know what "it" is. Some say its a recovery phase I am going through, some say I am trying to forget something, some say I am trying to prove something to myself. I don't know, but I even don't agree with any of these speculations. There is nothing to recover from, nothing to forget, nothing to prove.

I just want to go there. I don't feel "enlightened", "relaxed", "changed", "awed" by going there. Yes I learn a many things, some of which I am able to express, some of which I even can't think about consciously. May be I am selfish. Wilderness, mountains, etc. are all welcoming. They all seem to say the same thing, " I am here, and I always will be. I can't come to you. You have to come to me ". They do not tell me why. They just call me. I feel for them. I want to care for them. They let me care for them. There are no expectations. No promises. Just care. They let me be a part of them. When you are carrying a baby in your arms, the baby is a part of you. If there is a accident you will take care of it as if it's a part of your body. You will try to protect it with priority. Like when you fall on your face your hands go take the impact even if they hurt, safeguarding your body, your brain. Your brain is a part of your body. When you are in the wilderness, you are the wilderness, you are the mountain, the mountain is you, the wilderness is you.

No, I don't want to tag it with words like passion, obsession, hobby, conquer, glory, etc. whatever. I just want to go, to be a part of it. To care, to be cared.

“Thank you, for letting me be a part of you!”

The Question - Why

Written on - 3rd August 2015
What are we really trying to do?
Travelling really teaches us something. Every time you travel out of your routine, you learn something. Teaching you good, bad things like a moody professor is what's life is. A professor once told me " life me har aadmi se knowledge Lena chahiye, chahe fir wo aadmi koi bhi ho" (We should be able to learn something from everybody.)
Yes it's right, everybody can teach us something.
So a Sunday's trek from khopivali village to ahupe ghat taught me something from some people, people I never knew, strangers I never thought I would meet.
Tired and fatigued with Akash and Sudhindra, I  reached near a water cistern on the ghat.  I was admiring the cistern when a guy sat on a rock behind me. I bet be didn't make any noise. I asked him, how much time more to reach top from here? He smiled and said I will get there in 30 mins. You guys will take 1 and a half hour. I wasn't offended. As I knew very well that it could be true. Remembering the fact that I had already thrown up twice due to nausea and my calf muscles pained as if they were shouting their existence, I thought that this man is awesome.
And he really went in ahead on the trail swiftly and easily
He told us that he was going to Pune from some long route which I don't remember. He said that it would save him a hundred bucks.



We met him twice up there. It seemed that he was waiting on us. Akash was a little skeptical of his presence. Akash asked him. " you were gonna reach in 30 mins. How come you're still here? "
He smiled and replied " I thought you guys are going so I have company i am taking a far away route just because I have 100 bucks less on me. It would help me a lot if you help me with 100 bucks.".
We didn't give him money. He went on his own.
When we reached ahupe and were having our lunch. A farmer brought his buffaloes on the field. He started to have a conversation with us. We spoke with him for a while, then while leaving he asked us " are you going to visit someone in the village " we said no we will get back down. He asked us coldly, "what's fun in coming here? I don't get you people ". He went a few steps ahead and pointed us to another group of trekkers.
These two incidents made me think why, why why am I doing this. This route used by villagers on daily basis have no clue why we take the same route and come back? Why a guy trying to save money takes the route? We had even spent more than him, just for coming on that route.
What was worse. The guy asking for money or me asking why. Why am I doing this.

First Solo Trek

Written on 10th August 2015

First solo trek.

This was an unplanned event. Planned but not planned.

Kalavantin durg was the planned one but unavailability of partners and commitment with them about that trek was an issue. Also I wanted to try something with offbeat partners.

Not that I hate people I go with, it's just that the priorities and reasons I go to the mountains are very different from their reasons. Again that doesn’t mean that I am better than them or they are not so good. Its just the things they do on a trek do not fit in things I want to do.

For instance I do like photography, but I don’t click photos for preserving memories. Yes, photographs can be good memories but people have to start preserving something in their memories too.

So stopping every now and then if there is something photographic is not a problem or an issue but stopping every now and then to click your own photo with the subject is a big turn off for me.

So I asked my trek guru for the Neral - Peb -Neral trek route, which was supposed to be a long trek. I asked him whether it was safe enough for me to do it solo( just out of curiosity and enthusiasm ). He strictly said no and gave me this another trek near murbad, which was safe and easy and pleasant.  

I asked around people who I thought would make a difference in my trekking experience ( Yes I was being selfish ). After lots of pleading and lots of convincing, people politely refused me. I felt bad yes. I felt lonely, yes.  I even cancelled the plan out of rage and sadness, but then the people who “politely” refused me were the ones who got me out of my rage and sadness and motivated me to keep up the plan. Somewhere the “Show must go On” enthusiasm took over me and I decided to go. ( Note for the “people” involved - I know it was a lots of emotional drama. I am sorry if I hurt anyone and am really really thankful for your efforts and precious time ).

Ok, then…

Motivation - Checked

Enthusiasm - Checked

Willingness - Checked

Lie to parents - Checked ( Of Course they didn’t knew that I was going solo ).

I was feeling lonely though when I started my ride. But then I gave it up for the beautiful morning and the green roads. I started singing songs( Pretty much loudly ). I reached the town from where I was to take the village route. I felt damn hungry, but I didn’t want to stuff myself. So I agreed on junk snack. I didn’t enjoy it. I tried to hurry through it. It’s weird to have junk food alone on a stall.

After eating I again started my ride towards the base village. It was a long ride. A man going towards the same village asked for a lift and I agreed. I reached the village. Parked the bike at a safe spot under a shed. Took a kid along to guide me towards the start of the trail. Reached the trail and started the trek( Yes, solo ). I couldn’t see the mountain where I was supposed to go because of fog and rains, but I decided to stick to the most prominent trail whenever I came through a diversion or multiple routes. I used my instincts( not my skills as I don't have any yet ) and my amateur internet blog research. Yes I was a bit paranoid and bit extra careful, I was surrounded by a jungle after all. I am scared of snakes as I don’t know enough about their behavior. Trail was fairly simple, it comprised of a few ascends and a few straight walks and monkeys. Ascend towards the end was a bit steep. It took a test of my not so good stamina and endurance. As happened on a couple of treks before I felt nauseous. I took a rest for quite a while. Started again when I felt better. Now I could see my destination and I was again enthusiastic. I went ahead with excitement and guess what it was just 5 mins from where I was. I said to myself, Yes it’s all worth it.

I realized that I am alone up there, It was a feeling I had never had in my entire life. There was a jungle under me and there wasn’t anyone ahead of me in kilometers(I could see the trail, there was no one on it).

I spent some time up there, clicked a few photos. Had some snack, then I saw a few people coming up on the trail. I still had some time all by myself there. I decided to start my descent as soon as they reach up.

I started the descent as soon as they got up. I took the same trail downwards. Was extra careful as it was slippery and as there was no one with me. Went a bit off trail but i realized it soon and found the correct route quickly.  I looked back towards the mountain when I had descended quite a bit and saw that the fog had lifted, clicked a few pictures, made a mental note of the confusing trails and headed towards the base village.

I reached the parking spot, spoke to a villager who was friendly to me in the morning and started my ride back.

Note: Going alone for me was more of not finding company at the last moment. I was guided well about the route and the trek. Wilderness is a vast unknown, which is to be respected and cared. Remember- We are the visitors there. Don't overdo the welcome!

Plot

I write.... I keep it..... I feel like sharing it..... e-mail/text it to close friends. They read... Everything was going good.
A few of them suggested to start a blog. I gave it a thought. Why not?

So now
I will write...I will keep it..... I will feel like sharing it.... I will upload it on the blog.... close friends will get notifications via e-mail.... Everything will go good :-))

What Content and topics??
Even I don't know myself. It could be anything. Mostly it will be about travelling/trekking/hiking. As it's the new in my life and as I write, mostly after I have been on a hike/trek/travel.

What you will find here firs,t will be posts and things that I have written a while back. They will be the things I wrote at that time, which I won't edit before posting.

So let's see...