Sid Mishra’s Post

“In the mountains silence, I find how vast the world is, and how small my knowing.” Early June, I went for a spiritually stimulating 5 day/4 night ~48km trek in the Himalayas - starting from Gangotri to Gomukh, up to the breathtaking ‘Tapovan’(from 10,500ft in Gangotri to Tapovan @ 14,200ft) For my ‘Varanasi’ roots, a trek to Gomukh, the source of River Ganga (माँ भागीरथी 🙏🏻) - had a deep personal significance. An additional steep ~4 hour climb to the mesmerising “Tapovan” meadow, at the base of Mount Shivling, made it truly heavenly. But when journey into the mighty mountains transcends into a journey of self exploration - it teaches you a lot more: #1️⃣: Gratitude: "You’re not climbing the mountain, it's the mountain that’s allowing you to climb itself”! My local trek guide’s proverb set the spirit for the next 5 days. Be thankful, respect nature and its every pebble and rock that you step on, because that’s what is helping you reach the summit #2️⃣: Sustainability: “Leaving mountains better than we found them” was the motto of our trek team led by Indiahikes. We strictly didn’t carry/leave any non-biodegradable disposables; reused our wares; did a green-sweep, collected waste left by others where we could. Small contribution when we see glaciers receding, makes you learn the art, criticality and urgency of sustainable living! #3️⃣: Humility/नगण्यता: The deeper you go, the more awe struck you get with the vastness of Himalayas. Makes you realise, “The more you explore, you only get to know that there’s so much more that you don’t know !” Helps throw our egos aside, teaching us to be lifelong students #4️⃣: Challenging the limits: "There's nothing more dangerous than a moderate mountain", I’ve heard Dr. Anand allude to this quote, from the book "Beyond the Summit" - and when I picked this decently difficult trek (for a beginner like me) - from prep to execution and finally the rush when you reach the Tapovan summit - ‘literally’ proved what it meant. From planning to pivoting to teamwork to vulnerabilities - harder mountain offers greater transformation #5️⃣: Conviction & Realisation: Finally, looking back, I realise that "It’s not about the physical mountain we’re climbing, it’s about the mountain within, that we climb". Our inner conviction, ‘can-do’ belief and ability to cross our internal barriers are often a bigger hurdle, than the physical mountain itself. a latepost, and possibly my first personal post on LinkedIn - thought of penning it down, hoping it’ll help others like me Thanks to my colleague Amit for the initial nudge, Neelesh for joining in following my nudge - and to my wonderful friends/colleagues Sachin, Samir, Dipankar, Iqbal, Vinayak, Chintak, Deepak, Amit and so many others who keep inspiring everyday by pushing their physical limits Looking forward to my next one ! चरैवेति चरैवेति … 🙏🏻