Back Roopkund trek : My ‘Meri trek story’ is actually my ‘Life story’

Roopkund trek : My ‘Meri trek story’ is actually my ‘Life story’

My ‘Meri trek story’ is actually my ‘Life story’. A story that redefined me, that is extremely close to my heart and really special. Mountains change your life, they say. I consider myself lucky enough to have a personal encounter of it…on my very first trek!

Let’s go back in 2014 to the time when my life changing trek happened. Himalayan trek was a long pending wish on my bucket list. Finally, I made up my mind and searched online for a trek. That is when I stumbled upon Trek the Himalayas website. It appeared like a responsible organization and I registered for Roopkund trek. I was put in a batch that was to start on 21st May 2014. Subsequently, a friend of mine also showed interest in the trek and it became the two of us. The 21st May batch could not accommodate one more person, hence, both of us were shifted to the 19th May batch. I was thrilled, I was excited, I was going to the Himalayas!

After a long wait, we finally reached the base camp and met fellow trekkers. There was a guy from my city (Mumbai) in the same batch. His name was Sailesh Nair. Since I am not a social person, I mostly kept to myself and did not really speak to him until after a couple of days. I noticed he was making efforts to know me. In the beginning, his interactions looked friendly to me and I did not think anything about it.

Slowly as the days passed I was enjoying every bit of the stunning layout, totally unaware of what the mountains have to offer. Then came the summit day, the most daunting day of all the treks. We woke up at 3:00 am. Our trek leader Nitin made sure all was in order and we started our trek while it was still dark. We had received a generous snowfall during the night, therefore, the trail was covered with knee deep snow. With dark clouds hovering over us, we made it to the summit. This was the most satisfying moment for me, I was happy. However, the peaceful moment did not last long, on our way back I twisted my ankle. It was painful, I was losing pace, I was frustrated.

Meri trek story

I believe fate had planned something, because, Sailesh emerged out of nowhere and offered to help me. I liked his kind gesture. I was overwhelmed. Despite a strenuous climb to the top, he was thoughtful and was encouraging me. The twisted ankle got worse the next day when we descended to the final destination of the trek. Again to my pleasant surprise, Sailesh assisted me throughout. He did not mind my slow walk. In fact, he was appreciating that I am still moving on. I was also enjoying his company. We got to know each other more. The trek eventually came to an end, leaving behind long-lasting impression of those lovely moments.

Meri trek story

Little did I know that the guy who was helping me out on the trek was my future husband. Exactly three years later, in May 2017, I got married to Sailesh. It was destiny, first Trek the Himalayas shifted my batch then, that injury. We met in the most unexpected way and it still feels bizarre. I could have never imagined or asked for this wonderful blessing from the mighty Himalayas. One amazing trek came with the life-changing event.

I consider my ‘Meri trek story’ as my life story. Or to say, it is actually my love story!

Meri trek story

Written By
Prachi Ojha