Morning Trek in Sakleshpur

Sakleshpur and Chikmagalur are our favorite haunts for my family. In one of those long weekends we were in a resort nearby Sakleshpur. It was one of those days when we trekked to a nearby hill in Sakleshpur resort.

There is something about trekking in the morning, the chill, the dew and occasional fog covering everything. The birds chirping away with excitement. . It is always a lot of unknowns when you climb even a mild hill with almost no preparation. What started out as a moderate climb started to become steep and with the dust becoming like grease on the hardened mud it became slippery, sometimes the grass on which we stepped just let our shoes slip due to the dew. Since we started quite early it was quite dark and visibility was less, we needed to be careful while climbing. Slowly what started out as casual trek turned quite challenging. The villagers there are used to it and they can climb even the most steep slope as if they are just walking on a level road. And they can do it with the most primitive and ill suited footwear. During the journey some of us were slipping, cursing and blaming each other etc.,

Just observing all of our reactions,

I was struck by this thought that we are always swayed by two balancing forces

1.One pulling our ego to not lose and not give up and be a loser

2.That nagging fear and heart beat that says this is not possible to achieve and is quite dangerous.

Depending on which force is strong decides your decisions and both are feelings mind you, they are coming up based on lot of factors fatigue etc., but at the same time there is a lot of made up assumptions.

Slowly with tiredness and the above forces fighting in the mind of everyone the team dispersed to their own pace and likeness (people who could understand the plight and seem to have the same condition) Kind of flocking of birds of the same feather only this time the feathers were replaced by tired legs and body weight balancing issues.

Then I remembered the sentences from a trekking guide ( Gharwal guy). they are people who stay at the Himalayas and are some of the most adept at trekking the mountain slopes, He said that " when we climb a mountain we should always go with our head down with humbleness otherwise the mountain punishes you. If you are able to climb the mountain it is because, it let you climb and not because you were capable of it. So be humble. In one instant you can be past. " Apart from the practical advice watch where you walk. I was stuck by the wisdom of these words.

Wherever egos and feelings are playing havoc on everyone, if you are humble and just take one step at a time believing that things work out well then the chances are you are taking the most factual and practical decisions at every step.

Finally all of us managed to reach the top and relaxed on the top for sometime enjoying the cool breeze and the breath taking views that is a reward of almost every trek, While coming down was a different problem the sun was high and you had to get down as there was no option to stay . But the lesson stayed.

Are our decisions we make fact based or are also influenced by these two which are feel based ? Humbleness to accept a failure at the same time taking steps to move forward is it the most practical way ?