Take a trek, here’s why…

Take a trek, here’s why…

21/12/2018 Off By the writer

I took my first trek at 19, not because I understood what a trek was but because I needed a break from the generic holidays of the world, while having fun. Plus, it was on my bucket list. There I discovered the true meaning of a trek. Now I tell everyone that they should take a trek at least once in their lives, not a day trek, but a trek for at least 3 days, summer or winter it doesn’t matter as far the core experience goes. There are many reasons, the adventure, the photos, the accomplishment, the freedom, but the 3 I have in my heart are:

1. The people

In a group trek you meet a lot of people, all from different paths in life. During the trek you are likely not to have phones and other forms of entertainment with you, so you will have to talk to the person next to you. I am not good at talking but a trek makes it easier. Of 22 people in our group we had; a government official, an air force pilot, sailors, a cricketer, a gym owner, a bank official, engineering students, an ex-airhostess, a software developer, and an accountant to name a few. Just listening to some of the stories really opened my thought to whole new horizons. All that was just in 4 days, and I didn’t even talk much.

Just listening to someone else’s life stories help you to think about your own reality, problems and happiness. It helps that you will be in a peaceful place but just the thought can change your entire thinking. In my trek the local leaders were the best because they are content with their lives without complaining like we do, they are just so likeable. We even spoke to other trekkers from other groups. The beauty of people is that you tend to stay in touch after the trek too, I am still in touch with at least 5 people through social media, and we would all go on a trek again should it be possible.

2. The place

I went to a high altitude trek(13000ft) in the Himalayas but any trek gives the same feel. Away from the rest of the world, with a view of a landscape untouched, unharmed by humans. It feels so beautiful that you feel free, with nothing on going on in your mind. Personally, I feel it is the best way to “get away from it all”, because even if you want, you can’t think about anything else.

Such is the feel that it isn’t possible to describe it properly.

The mountains are untouched by humans, so clean, so pure. We could see that no one had interfered with this natural beauty.

Talking about human inteference, on our way back we could distinctly see the divide between mountain and human parts, where the former was clean, untouched, the human part had become dirty and unattractive in a bid to become a tourist attraction.

Imagine that perfect dream, with clouds beneath you, as the sun sparkles bright over your head, but in real life(give or take the clouds).

3. Value life in its simplest form

While on the trek, I only saw happy faces of locals, who never seemed to be living in an area without the luxuries of a modern city, yet they were satisfied with their lives. Every person I smiled at actually smiled back more than I did. It was just so pure.

Neither did we have any kind of electronic entertainment so we actually spoke to the people and enjoyed the world around us(as much as one can while freezing). For once in a very long time no one in the group cared about the rest of world, about news, sports, business, or even other people at times. We saw the untouched beauty of the mountains, as saw it as the world should be, as it was before human interference.

We even took in a local dog who followed us from the start to the summit. Those hours spent in the group tent just talking, about everything, and everyone sharing life stories, interesting experiences. We even managed to do something the newer generation would not know much about, playing in the outdoors with a ball, with snow and nothing more.

Once you are away from the luxuries of the world, you feel much lighter in your head, “I don’t really need a car, a phone, too many clothes”. Although I must admit that it gets hard to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor. They are a menace to get into and zip up, not to mention that they don’t have moving space in them on what is almost always a hard ground. That was probably the most difficult part, although it was a nice experience.

We don’t always manage to get away from our daily lives while on holiday, but on a trek it becomes much easier, and I would recommend to everyone that they should take one, as soon as possible. If you have already gone on one, what are your 3 best reasons?

Random thought: Why is it the rule of 3 that satisfies humans so much, what is it about this number?

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