Read the adventurous Manali mountaineering experience shared by traveller Avinash Kumar.
In my life, there are so many phenomenal travel experiences, but one of them still bloats me with nostalgia and draws a grin on my face. It was my visit to an adventurous camp in Manali (Himachal Pradesh). It was one of the moments of my life when I saw nature so closely. The Pir-Panjal Ranges of the Himalayas were covering themselves with a blanket of snow. The ranges used to be kissed by the first ray of the dawn which compels it to be blushed goldenly. The atmosphere was filled with chirping music and the beautiful fragrance of blooming flowers.
Upon arrival, I reported at the campus of the training centre, where we were about to be trained for a basic mountaineering course for the next 10 days. The campus was surrounded by ginormous Pine trees. The campus had some smilingly blooming flowers and the air was carrying those sweet scents with itself. Those next 10 days were going to be the best 10 days of my life.
On the first day, we were allotted hostels and provided with ID cards. The next day was orchestrated with PT and exercise where I was selected to lead the group of 10 people for the trekking. We were trained for the next 3 days with various exercises and some theoretical points about mountaineering. On the fourth day, we were trained enough to do some basic rock climbing. For the same, we arrived at the nearby mountain ranges. The scenery was spectacular; the top of the mountain was touching the clouds and the weather was so soothing, the music of the waterfall was making my soul dance, and the sight of nature was beyond words. So many animals and birds were roaming there, it felt like they were talking to nature in the language of the universe. Meanwhile, we started attempting the rock-climbing activity. Some of the people in my group hesitated a bit, some of them directly refused to climb and some people fell while attempting the climb. But, no worries, they were not injured as the safety harness was there with every individual.
I climbed to the top with a smile of joy on my face. It was a spine-chilling experience that fills an individual with thrill and satisfaction. I repeated the climb one more time and the mountain was surrounded by clouds, and in no time the drizzling started. It felt like nature was treating us with its one more present.
The next day we went to the banks of the Beas river for the river crossing event. There, we were first trained to tie knots for the river crossing bridge. And then, we made the bridge and started crossing the river. The river was roaring and flowing with all its strength. This activity needs more valor. I enjoyed doing this event with all my heart. The next five days were going to be grand for all of us. We had to begin our trek to the Dhundee sector and attain a height of 10,000 feet. The trek was of 62 km and the path had some very steep climbs. The way was going to be exhaustive and frustrating for some of us and they really needed some support from fellow teammates.
The next morning, we all kept our essentials in the trekking bag and started our preparation for the trek. As I was the leader of my group, I just briefed my group about what we are supposed to do and what not. I tried to fill them with enthusiasm and determination to conquer the path and complete the trek. The trek started and as a group, we moved without any problem for the first few kilometers. But some of the members were emotionally broken and some were home-sicked, it happens often while doing a tough task. We tried to console those people by cracking some jokes but it was not enough; one member of our team said that she cannot trek more and she started to sob. I consoled her and carried her trekking bag to move further. It all happened for the next two days. We reached the last base camp on the third day of the trek and there everyone was rekindled to conquer the ranges. Now the ranges where we had to reach were visible and it was no less than a motivation for us.
The next day we all wore our windcheaters to go to beat the highly blowing snowy winds of the mountain. We started the trek early in the morning and again encountered the same sorts of difficulties but now the bonding between us was strong to easily beat these trivial difficulties. Finally, we were about to reach the final location. We were able to see the destination point but the only obstacle that was between us and success was a furiously flowing mountainous river. With our equipment and our training in river crossing, we made a bridge and crossed the river. The mountain was even more beautiful than it appears from the base camp. Maybe it was the lens of our success that made it look more beautiful and pleasant. That day everyone was exceptionally overjoyed. Every person was behaving like a kindergarten kid. That night was the most beautiful night that I can ever bestow on my eyes. This experience would smilingly be there in my heart forever and ever.
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