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The group of twenty-four people who came
together at the Hotel Caravan Centre in Leh were from across the UK, of
all ages and walks of life. Some knew each other from their local area,
some were relatives, some of us had taken on Mount Kilimanjaro in 2006,
and some were just there for the trip of a lifetime. There was a time
when being thrown into a situation where I didn’t know most people would
have terrified me. But after 6 years at university and 5 years of NHSF
involvement I’ve realised that it’s an opportunity, to share, to learn and
to enjoy being with a group of unique individuals. And the variety of
people present just made it even more exciting that I’d be spending the
next two weeks getting to know them.
 We
had plenty of opportunity to get better acquainted, as the first four days
of the trip were spent in and around Leh, with the purpose of
acclimatising to the high altitude: the higher above sea-level you are,
the less oxygen there is in the air. This takes time for your body to get
accustomed to. But this wasn’t just about preparing our bodies for the
harsh conditions we were about to experience, it was also about
psychologically preparing for the huge challenge we were facing. As
you’ll read later, the relationships we formed with each other proved
vitally important as the journey progressed. And being in Ladakh provided
a lot of food for thought. It’s a corner of India unlike the India I am
used to experiencing: different language, different customs, even a
different religion, as the area is predominantly Buddhist. Yet there was
still a sense of belonging, and that really made me think about where my
sense of connectivity to India comes from.
 Taking
in the environment around me, I contemplated both the stark differences
and striking similarities between life there and life here. Just because
we have more creature comforts are our lives really better? We were out
there to raise money for charity, but by donating our money to ‘help’ what
judgements were we making about their lives? It took me many days of
thinking on the trek to realise that there is nothing wrong with trying to
make a difference. What’s key is how you view what you are contributing.
We cannot assume that we have all the answers or can ‘solve’ problems:
we’re not helping or giving charity, we are serving, offering sewa,
as best we can. This point didn’t really hit home until we returned to Leh
following the trek. We had the opportunity to see the film Ancient
Futures, which looks at the history of the Ladakh region, and how
modernisation has affected it. It touched me in a way I wasn’t expecting,
making me re-think the concept of ‘progress’ and what gives value to life:
individually, in families and as communities.
I started the trek on Thursday 5th
July with a head full of such thoughts, but also with a stomach fluttering
in excitement and anticipation. Having tackled Mt. Kilimanjaro in the
summer of 2006 I wasn’t as nervous as some, but as we drove higher up
through the mountains to our start point at Choksi there was no escaping
the enormity of the task facing us in our attempt to climb the peaks of
Palam and Stok Kangri, at 5360m and 6114m respectively. Want to talk about
the changing landscape from lush oasis to alpine desert (still don’t
understand the definition of this) – no trees grow above 4600m. The next
eight days were quite possibly the toughest of my life. We experienced
weather conditions across the board, from scorching sunshine to heavy
snowfall. We’d be wearing sunscreen and sunhats in the daytime, and
huddling in fleeces inside our four-season sleeping bags at night. The
terrain was hard work, and every time we increased altitude things became
a little more difficult for our bodies. But those aren’t the things that
defined the trek.
Every time tiredness washed over us, all we
had to do was look up at the sheer beauty of the scenery surrounding us to
renew our energy. If we became disheartened, we could always rely on
another member of the group to lift our spirits with a joke or words of
encouragement. Mealtimes felt like family dinners, where we shared
stories and sang songs (sometimes even in tune!) to put smiles on our
faces.
The dynamic of the trekking group was a
tremendous part of our experience in Ladakh. Every person had a different
background, but we were all brought together by a shared goal, which acted
as motivation for all of us. The personality of each person contributed
something to our success: Ashokbhai kept us smiling with his constant
jokes, Nareshbhai provided an older calmness; the antics of Sanjay,
Dharmesh and Raghav often had us crying with laughter; Rajubhai and
Harkishanji often started great evening conversations in the mess tent.
Nimuben and Manjuben played a key role in setting the pace. The rule was
that we were only as fast as our slowest member, but rather than this as
holding the team back, it ensured we were moving gradually enough to
acclimatise to the increasing altitude.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say
that this group spirit played a big part in getting us to the top of Palam
Peak, which happened around lunchtime on Day 3, 7th July 2007.
Words cannot describe the beauty of the views we saw stood there at almost
5400m above sea-level: 360° of snow-topped mountains against the bluest
sky. It was my 24th birthday and I was literally standing on
top of the world. Exhilarated as I was feeling, I also felt a calmness
that bordered on the spiritual. It gave me a strange sense of
perspective: how small we are in the grand scale of things, yet how much
we can achieve if we have determination and drive.
 Pushing
ourselves to the limit was something we had all prepared ourselves for,
but once you reach that limit the safest thing to do it to stop. For this
reason, Day 5 saw the group split as 9 people headed back down to Leh, and
13 of us continued on to tackle Stok Kangri. The trekking route was such
that we had descended on Day 4, and then had to climb back up to the top
of the Stok La Pass at 4900m. More than ever, it was supporting and
encouraging each other that kept us going. The unsinkable spirit of my
group was to prove more valuable than ever on Day 6, as we made a short
journey to the Stok Kangri base camp. Even before reaching the camp,
altitude sickness had finally taken hold, leaving me feeling dizzy, sick
and weak. A decision was made, quite rightly, that my attempting the
summit would not be a good idea. I was utterly disappointed, but however
great the challenge, it’s never worth placing yourself in unacceptable
danger.
In the early hours of Day 7 (11th
July), 10 people set out to try and reach the summit of Stok Kangri, which
is a towering 6114m above sea level. The route was steep and treacherous,
and they were on a time limit: once the sun rose, the ice covering the
peak would start to melt, making it extremely dangerous to return. It was
a feat even to make the attempt, and all of those 10 people deserve credit
for their courage. In the end, only one person, Dharmesh Mistry, made it
all the way to the top. But his achievement was something that made us
all proud; this was a journey we’d made together, an experience we’d
shared that brought us together in a way we didn’t anticipate.
 The
return of this now tight-knit group to Leh on 12th July brought
mixed emotions: we were exhausted (and looking forward to experiencing
running water again), but there was something quite sad about leaving the
peace and unspoilt beauty we had been so lucky to experience out on the
trek. We saw landscapes change from lush oasis to alpine desert, saw
wildlife which included mountain sheep, goats, donkeys and yak. There was
a real sense of connecting with nature and a chance to truly reflect on
how we exist within the environment around us.
I predicted this trip to Ladakh would be
something special, and I was not disappointed. The challenge of climbing
the peaks was only part of the experience. The eclectic group of people,
the incredible wildlife, the beautiful scenery, the constant laughter… All
these things will stay with me as much cherished memories. A special
mention must be made about the guides who accompanied us on our journey.
Without their service and support, we wouldn’t have lasted a day. They
were constantly smiling, providing encouragement. Our food was
incredible, there was always enough purified water to drink, and whenever
someone was particularly struggling they wouldn’t hesitate in taking their
rucksack and motivating them to continue. Their prime concern was our
welfare, and they never showed frustration, despite the slow pace of our
relatively inexperienced group.
Ever since I became part of National Hindu
Students Forum (NHSF), I’ve been accepting new challenges: organising an
event, becoming chapter president, joining the National Committee, giving
speeches, making presentations... Taking on a challenge will always bring
trials, tribulations and ultimately a sense of achievement. But if you
can carry out that challenge to make some sort of difference - within
yourself as well as externally - you gain a feeling that’s something
different, that’s even deeper. This feeling made me look inwardly and
think about myself, about what drives my decisions, about my inspirations,
about my aspirations. Most importantly, this feeling made me contemplate
if I needed to make changes in my life. In the future when I look back on
doing this amazing trek, that feeling is what I will remember most of
all.
Vibhuti Patel
3rd Year PhD student,
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick
President, National Hindu Students
Forum (UK)
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