Finally you are going for the trek you have been planning since long time and as part of your preparations you have read all articles about proper diet and proper fitness before trek. You have infact gone through all those YOUTUBE videos from "how to buy a perfect trekking bag" to "how to pack it" and you feel in your heart that you are ready for it. And the moment you start your first uphill climb you feel that the weaker side of you is coming to life and you are starting to get self doubts and agitations. Suddenly your mind is filled with lot many question but little do you know is, the mountains have facetiously kept some surprises for you. Wondering what those would be?
1) You had no idea you could carry that Backpack
You carefully choose the perfect bag and packed as per the instructions but the moment you carried that huge backpack from your home to the nearby bus stand all you felt was its too heavy for you. However, you had no way to go back now and you are probably cursing yourself now for why packing that extra pair of socks. As part of positive affirmations you are reminding yourself of all the reasons why you chose to trek at first place and march your way forward. But you will be surprised to see yourself becoming one with that bag in only 15 minutes of trek. It will not feel heavy anymore and mostly the moment trek is over you will miss that on your back.
2) You never knew that world can function without you
Your usual morning ritual at your home is waking up to the sound of alarm and with one opened eye seeing your Facebook updates. You have practically never spent even one entire day without Mobile phone, television, radio city and internet and the idea of living without these used to give you jitters. But only few hours into the trek and you will forget everything about it. You will no longer get an urge to watch scores of the latest cricket match or news on water bill crisis and you will certainly do fine without conference call. All you would feel is the eternal peace without electronic gadgets around you.
3) You make close friends or might even meet someone special
The moment you saw your fellow trekkers you felt jitters of fear. You wondered whether you would like spending time with them on mountain top or not. You felt shy in opening up to them but always remember that mountain has a habit of bringing people closer. The moment first night of trek comes to life, you will feel warm enough in the presence of bonfire with all the fellow trekkers and who knows you might actually meet someone special. Trekking can actually offer a great platform to test human relations. You will get an understanding of people around you in a better way. You will know who will offer you support when you will need it the most and whom you can tolerate without deodorant (side effect of no bathing on trek).
4) You find a new comfort zone
You never knew, you could spend your days without taking bath, without eating pizza, without your mother and lover but days into trek and you have hardly missed anything so far. This has surely given you time to rethink about your life back home. You are now face to face with the fact that minimal is actually comforting. More you jazzed things in your life more difficult it had become.
5) You see the better side of you
In your day to day life, no matter how busy you are, you always find some time to blame yourself for something which went wrong and might be you are beating yourself for something you did wrong a while ago. Go for a trek and you will actually get strength to give yourself that “much needed “break and mostly forgiveness. While walking in silence on that mountain you will feel like you are able to map your life easily. It’s like a slideshow being played for you about all the things you could have done better and about how it all is still ok. You are now at peace and hence you have that courage which you were searching for a long time. You know in each nerve now that all that is happening is finally leading you to a better self and that will be a very happy surprise for you.