The Word “trek’ would mostly only have reminded me of the television Series ‘Star Trek”. Never ever had I visualised even in my wildest dreams ‘an actual, real, on foot’ trek up a mountain-top at a height of 1600 feet (490 metres) above sea level. Sharing 6 Life Transforming Lessons learnt on my 1st Trek:
(Original Pictures from Trek in July 2017 to Sarasgad Fort, Maharashtra)
We started from the foothill at Pali Village (Raigad, Maharashtra) on our way up to Sarasgad Fort. First step onwards was an upward climb on a hilly terrain, in the mild drizzling rain.
1. Well Begun is truly Half Done:
My biggest lesson was, Planning and Prior-preparation helps give a good kick start to an upward climb. Good to have at least one person along whom you trust fully. It's also a great help to join the company of people who are explorers on the path, but more knowledgeable than you.
Be sure to make prior arrangements for atleast the known or predictable challenges ahead. For Eg. For a trek, prepare with good walking shoes; carry a haversack with minimal necessities like enough water, Glucon D, and some biscuit packets; maybe also a lightweight raincoat.
My biggest lesson was, Planning and Prior-preparation helps give a good kick start to an upward climb. Good to have at least one person along whom you trust fully. It's also a great help to join the company of people who are explorers on the path, but more knowledgeable than you.
Be sure to make prior arrangements for atleast the known or predictable challenges ahead. For Eg. For a trek, prepare with good walking shoes; carry a haversack with minimal necessities like enough water, Glucon D, and some biscuit packets; maybe also a lightweight raincoat.
The key is to travel light without any baggages (physical and emotional) and this gives a good kick start on any uphill climb.
2. On Every Difficult Path - There is No Substitute for Experience:
the most important element was the presence of an experienced professional trekker who would help and guide at every complicated step of the climb. The trek leader asked us to either follow his exact foot steps, or, to place the next step forward, check if the foot is stable and then transfer our body weight on the front foot and lift the back leg. A technique that was most helpful through out.
A Guru or teacher in our lives does exactly the same – sees a pathway where we cannot see one and guides us on every single step in our lives.
3. We find Our Best Friend and also Our Worst Enemy in Ourselves:
All the way Up and Down the mountain, we were all in a
single line. Even though, we are in a group, yet on an uphill climb, it's each to his own. One single person
slipping downward would also mean throwing all remaining people behind him / her off
balance.
On a challenging path & in critical situations, opinions and judgements of other people don't matter at all. In the end, one's own mind can either be one's best friend or worst enemy. Win Over Your Mind and you can win the whole world!
On a challenging path & in critical situations, opinions and judgements of other people don't matter at all. In the end, one's own mind can either be one's best friend or worst enemy. Win Over Your Mind and you can win the whole world!
On a Mountain trek, Nothing beyond the last 3 steps and next 3 steps existed in the world. No matter how big a worry or fear or anxiety might fill one's mind and heart, we cannot but keep your mind in the present moment and focus only on the immediate next step.
In life, just incase the tried and tested Meditation techniques
are not appealing or working for you, go for a Trek. A Trek is as good as a 6 hour ‘Open Eye
Meditation’, literally!
End of a long trek, the resultant satisfaction, sense of accomplishment, inner quiet and contentment is unparalleled. It changes the way we see ourselves and what we think we can do and cannot do!
5. Crossing Your Threshold: Its all Mind Over
Matter:
I am quite a fitness-freak, but still, nothing could have prepared me for the physical exhaustion that comes from climbing upwards continuously for couple of hours. At One point, I felt totally out of breath, throat parched, my sugar levels really dropped and I felt cold sweat on my forehead.
My legs were shaky from exhaustion. I felt unsure about going on. At this point, a dear friend said ‘Take a sort break and then continue. And Don’t
worry, once you have crossed your own threshold, then you will be fine through out
the remaining trek’. AND TRULY that is how it was! After this I even climbed 111 steps of more than 2 height each, without any problem whatsoever.
This is true even in our lives. Once we manage to cross the maximum-known
threshold of a seemingly impossible situation, then the problem ceases to exist
completely.
6. We Take back Only Pictures, We Leave back Only Our FootPrints:
Our Main Guide on the trek, Hitendra Patel, was ONE Consciousness “with the pathway, with the mountain, with the group”. In the Spiritual World, He would easily be referred to as a ‘true Yogi’. I was telling my friend at the end of the trek, ‘Remove this one person from the trek and it will all not be the same’.
Our Main Guide on the trek, Hitendra Patel, was ONE Consciousness “with the pathway, with the mountain, with the group”. In the Spiritual World, He would easily be referred to as a ‘true Yogi’. I was telling my friend at the end of the trek, ‘Remove this one person from the trek and it will all not be the same’.
An unbelievable experience, this 1st trek was followed by many more and each experience was extremely fulfilling because ultimately on completion of any challenging climb we leave back only our footprints and take back only memories!
Do share about your own trekking experiences and learnings from the same, in comments section below! Look forward to hearing from you all.