Bombay to Bugyal

The word Bugyal means meadow. I didn't know that until I decided that I would do something new this year, something I've never done before.

I've always wanted to go to the Himalayas. Not on a family vacation, or to all the touristy places, but on a trek. I've seen my dad go every year and come back, a new version of himself. He always says that seven days in the Himalayas gives him the energy to live for the rest of the year. I've always been fascinated by this and i wanted to experience it for myself. So I looked up the easiest high altitude trek in the Himalayas ( highlight easiest because my fitness level needs work. A lot of work.) So, I found Dayara Bugyal and I was completely mesmerized with its beauty. I showed the pictures to my roommates, they absolutely loved it and decided that we would be going together. Our first trek, so far away from home, and all alone. We had to train, running 5kms under 35 minutes which was a mammoth task for our unfit bodies, bit we managed somehow. The training process also included multiple visits to decathlon, a practice trek to karnala fort and avoiding junk food( this was the hardest part). And finally, we were ready.

We landed in Dehradun from Mumbai and travelled about 8 hours by road to Raithal, at 7000 ft above sea level, which would be our base camp. We met with the rest of our team, our trek leaders and were briefed about how the next five days would look like. We started the trek from Raithal and within half an hour, my body was questioning my decision to do this. I was breathless, out of shape and finding it very difficult to move on. But then, at our first rest point, our trek leader asked us to team up with someone we did not know and to complete the rest of the trek with them, our trek buddy.

My 'trek buddy' was a woman named Niyati. She had come with her husband and daughter.

She was so incredibly nice and we talked so much that i didn't even realise when we reached our first campsite. The rest of the day, we spent exploring the campsite, taking pictures, making reels( yes we did that) and getting to know each other. 

There is something so beautiful about talking to so many people from so many different states, cultures and backgrounds, thinking we're so different, and finding out that our hearts beat as one!

The next day, was a DIY day, a do it yourself day.

we had Gaia, an app that lets you know the direction you're going in when you're in the mountains and walkie talkies to keep contact with the rest of the team. We also learnt how to pitch and unpitch our own tents, how to use sleeping bags and liners, how to use dry toilets and how to make food when you're on such a high altitude. Later that evening we played games and sang songs to our hearts content, stargazed, talked about our fears, our dreams, our hidden talents, literally everything under the sun. We also had Eco bags, where you're supposed to collect all the plastic waste you see on the trail and then segregate it when you reach the campsite as an effort to leave the mountains greener and cleaner. It taught us sustainable living, and the  minimalist approach to life.

The next day was the summit day.

We had taken a packed lunch and it was going to be a long way up. We were fine until the forest section was over and the meadows started appearing in the periphery. The walk got harder, the air got thinner,and everybody got quieter, only the unified rising and falling of our breaths audible, in tandem.

At the point of the final climb, I was so tired I was almost about to give up. Still, holding each others hands and singing hum honge kaamiyaab, we made it to the top.

And after that I forgot my pain.

The clandestine gangotri ranges stretched proudly before us gleaming in the sparse sunlight. We were standing on a ridge, with snow covered valleys on either side. I dont think I've ever felt so complete, before I saw the view from the top that day. There was a shivling ( a representative idol of lord Shiva ) on the summit, and I can't quite explain in words what I felt, a sort of a spiritual connection, that someone is here, watching over me and taking care of me. 

It was beautiful.

This was a place that made you forget your fears, your insecurities, your complaints, where every breath you take in and give out reminds you that you're alive. A place that makes you feel so small so insignificant in front of nature, that all your problems automatically go away. A place, that converts strangers into a family you never knew you needed, a place that makes you feel that you can do anything!

Although I'll say I loved every second of this trek, there are a few moments that I'll cherish forever.

The fact that we were cut off from our regular lives with no internet and no reception, the scrumptious Tibetan thupka that we had on our very first day, sleeping bags, KitKat and Oreo( the mountain dogs which accompanied us on the trek right from day one till the end), Bobby sir ( on of our guides) singing "shining in the setting sun like a pearl up on the ocean" and " khaamoshiyaan"

with all the wrong lyrics, stargazing at night, washing our dabbas in the ice cold water, watching jaane tu ya jaane na inside the tent because it was too cold to sleep, the beautiful mountain views that changed colours at every turn, the gorgeous white clouds in the skies telling us stories, the local rhododendron juice and finally, our entire team. 

I've never met so many wonderful people with so many different outlooks on life.

and as for me, this trek taught me to push myself, to challenge myself and told me it's okay to put myself out of my comfort zone. It taught me to not make my problems bigger than what they are, it taught me to let go and be free. It made me feel comfortable in my own body, in a way that I've never felt before. I finally understood why people  go to the mountains and come back, as better versions of themselves. 

And as for our problems, struggles and fears,

they will never go away. Every day, comes with a new challenge, a new obstacle. But how do you deal with it?

Sometimes, you just need to change your altitude.