CLIMBING A NEW HIGHI had never climbed a mountain till I climbed this one. I always thought about scaling one when I’d watch rolling ranges from inside a train, car or a bus. The peaks were inviting…but I knew the lessons lay in the journey. As I discovered when I touched the base and the peak of Triund in Mcleodganj.
You know what’s in store right in the beginning. I don’t want to give it away but I have not known steeper roads before this. Giddy up! Local kids run past you as if the road is a flat field…heightening the feeling of your own immobility and breathlessness.
But sights get prettier as you move along…trees, trees and more trees! Dense forests give way to mountain paths and soon enough we were blessed with the company of two friendly mountain dogs.
The climb is almost 5 hours long. But I want to talk about the most important aspect of this terrain – that it makes you think and leaves you blank with physical exhaustation. Here, your brain is engaged in getting past stones of all sizes, maintaining a steady pace, soaking in all the natural beauty and getting lost in your own private thoughts - all at once. It’s rigourous meditation at best.
The view from the top is always nice…but getting there is another story. It kills you. It kills you even on your way down. The body asks for a break but you cannot give it. You have to keep your mind strong and just move..move..move! Screw the scenery…move…get out of here…into civilization….a hot tub…a glass of wine!
Beauty comes at a price…but the pain is worth it all. Never will you appreciate the feeling of feeling so dead. It makes you feel alive.
[Photo Credit: Nithya Hariharan]
