Backstage Entries

(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. ...

There was only one reason why I had been delaying penning down this account. How can you describe an event that was so beautifully magical and as perfect as it could get, without the risk of not doing justice to the entire experience :) So please bear with this longish narrative ! Preparation : With the regime of yoga & jogging on alternate days, I was hoping that I would not be struggling too much on the Sandakphu-Phalut trek, which was rated “Moderate” mainly because of extremely long walks on the rough & hilly terrain. This one had been on my list since forever, mostly because the idea of walking alongside of the magnificent “Sleeping Buddha” had an intriguing appeal. Day 0  I’d booked my travel to NJP on Kamakhya Exp, which had a slotted departure time of 11:30PM, but was delayed at source by 6 hours. Spent an uncomfortable night at the station, with the wait ending at around 5 AM, when the train finally rolled in. Killed time alternating between sleepi...