TREKKING

Up until the late 1800’s, mountains were looked at with admiration & fear. They were wild landscapes not seen as pathways to adventure but the home of the Holy or the Hostile. Places of peril not beauty, where only the Gods and monsters dwelled. Revered as deities, the alpine was not an adversary to be challenged or conquered but to be silently moved around. In the laps of these gargantuan peaks we lay humbly, mere mortals. Over the course of the next century & a half came along men with a silent calling, urging them upwards & onwards for reasons galore, towards summits untouched by man. Mountains slowly but surely became objects of adoration. The crown jewel of this admiration, having enthralled millions, were the mighty Himalayas.

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Decades removed from the primitive age of discovery & exploration of the high alpine, we live today in a world driven by technology in an environment humanly arranged to the tiniest detail. On the other hand, mountains are fiercely untamed & ungovernable. Therein lies a stark contrast to our daily lives and a faint voice of our beginnings. This is the very reason we walk these Himalayan trails, through boughs of dense forests and vibrant grassy meadows. Alongside gurgling rivers and over rocky moraines. On knife-edged ridges towering above the treeline and through snow fields that chill our bones. Trekking in its essence is an activity of consistent physical effort in absence of our so called ‘creature comforts’. Carrying 15Kg backpacks for a week, no showers, no beds, minimal change of clothing, sore & aching muscles, no electricity, no social media, no gourmet food and more importantly, howling winds that will have you crying for the warmth of a thick woolen 'razai' (blanket) and blistering cold forcing you to think twice whether to answer nature’s call in the wilderness. Herein lies the mystery, why do we keep going back ?

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In our minds, 'Trekking' is so much more than meets the eye. It is the golden orange hues of sunlight over steaming hot chai or soup at dawn & dusk. It is the joyful conversation amongst friends around the flaming warmth & crackling of a log-fire. It is the colour of blooming Rhododendrons & perpetual chirping of Magpies. It is the vistas of endless, criss-crossing hill ranges & the bustling valleys within. It is the crunching of crushed leaves under your boots & rays of sunlight emerging into forests of Oak. It is the heritage and culture of the most remote yet hospitable mountain villages. It is the crossing of precarious log-bridges & trudging upwards to high mountain passes. Most importantly, it is the sensation and feeling of pure stillness & calm unlike any other. Glorious views of mighty Himalayan peaks bathed in Alpenglow is promised. Camping in lush green grasslands on the banks of turquoise blue rivers staring at jaw dropping waterfalls is a given. Glissading in snow till your rear is wet and your faces red being hit by friendly snowballs is a guaranteed delight. But what we intend to offer you is something deeper than what is visible and tangible. We believe a trek should be more than just a walk from A to B with a singular focal point to draw you in. For we want to leave you with a story. An experience that stays etched within the deepest part of your heart. Woven together by laughter, conversation and perspective that enriches you each time your mind wanders in nostalgia to the days you spent under bright blue Himalayan skies and the enchanting twinkling of countless stars.

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To those who have glimpsed this magic, be it for even the most fleeting of moments, it is quite clear as it is inexplicable. The laps of the Himalaya are places where time warps & bends, slowing to an absolute still with a vision of clarity and elation. Why these trails call us back repeatedly is a mystery unsolved but the grandeur they hold is as clear as day.

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