(Very) Long Post Alert ! As I sit down to write this, it’s been a little over a month since we embarked on a journey that left a permanent mark—not just on our ankle & knees, but on our souls. The Goechala trek was almost everything we hoped for and everything we weren’t quite prepared for. It was beautiful and brutal in equal measure, a test of endurance, spirit, and ankle strength (more on that later). This wasn’t just a trek. It was a full-blown reset button for the mind. Somewhere between the misty forests, the bone-chilling winds, and the surreal views of Kanchenjunga, something shifted. The brain, usually a noisy place full of to-do lists and what-ifs, quieted down. It started focusing on the little blessings—hot tea, simple wholesome meals, little bursts of sunshine on otherwise cloudy days, shared laughs —and filtered out the mental chatter about everything else. I often wish someone would invent a way to bottle up these experiences. Not just the photos, but the feelings. ...
Despite this being my 6th one in the Himalayas, I was more anxious about going to Buran Ghati than I had been before any of my treks,.... well, apart from my first one, when I didn't have any idea as to what to expect. The anxiety and nervousness was to such an extent, that it almost matched the excitement and that is saying something, since I had been sold on to Buran Ghati the very time i saw a picture of the pass on the website, about a year back ! Reasons for feeling so ? - The biggest one being not going with Indiahikes. I'd gotten to trust their way of working and their philosophy. ( We had got a little late with the bookings, hence missed the window and got waitlisted. Desperation got the better of us, and with a little research we booked the same one with Bikat Adventures.) - The heat and pollution in NCR had reached the point where any form of outside exercise was not only torturous but also self inflicted damage. ( While yoga had been on for the past 1yr, th...