Trekking for the Beginners

Recently while hiking to the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand I got a chance to meet and walk with several completely novice trekkers. For many of them this was not only their first trek anywhere, they were even seeing Himalayas for the first time in their life. This is quite understandable. Valley of Flowers is promoted as a beginners' trek by the trekking agencies, which it indeed is, and it is natural that many new comers to this pursuit choose it as their first Himalayan experience. 

Having interacted and observed them closely during the four days of the trek, I noticed that several of them were very ill informed about the do's and don'ts of a Himalayan trek. Therefore it makes sense to write a blog addressed to such people that will surely help any novice - regardless of his or her age.

What I am writing here is entirely taken from my own experience. No knowledge here is Googled for you. It is knowledge acquired through years of experience in various physical activities.

The trekking agencies do give a lot of advice on their websites but it's either inadequate or on the extreme side of caution. For example, a standard thing that is mentioned on India Hikes or Trek The Himalaya site is "you should be able to comfortably run 5 kms in 30 minutes." This is a load of bull shit really. I have never run 5 kms in my life except on a couple of occasions. And they were never done in less than 30 minutes. 

Such a blanket advice for all without taking into account the person's age is completely meaningless. What a 20 year can do can surely not be done by a 60 year old. But it doesn't really matter. Both can hike a mountain trail with reasonable fitness. Frankly I don't read such literature beyond a few lines.

We must remember - the trekking agencies don't like taking chances. They don't want to be faced with a charge like - you never told us so. Also they never paint the complete picture that might discourage some of their potential clients. After all they are a business. No matter how friendly they sound in their websites, they are there to run a business. 

The kind of things they advice you to take with you in a trek is another piece of total crap. Short of the kitchen sink, they ask you to carry virtually everything. We will come to that in my article shortly. 

So what does it take to trek successfully in the basic Himalayan trails? 

Research The Trail 

Trekking agencies rate their treks in 3/4 categories in terms of difficulty. First is easy to moderate. Next is moderate to difficult and third is difficult to perhaps very difficult. New comers generally choose the easy ones which is the right thing to do. But they are not given any idea about what they mean by easy. If you are a new comer who has never climbed even one flight of stairs at home or office, even Valley of Flowers will seem like a the most difficult trek in the world. Because it involves a walk up a reasonably steep mountain road for about five to six hours on the very first day.

So what is easy or moderate or difficult when it comes to trekking? Please understand that there is no such trek that is like a walk in the park. So when they say "easy" it doesn't mean you will never huff and puff. Most Himalayan treks start with a steep ascent. And for a first timer it is not easy to deal with such a climb. You will most definitely huff and puff and right from the word go almost.

So why is VoF or other such treks termed easy? Well, easy is a trek where the trail is extremely well defined. The VoF trail is wide like a motorable road. It has rocks laid by humans to make it walkable. It even has railings on the sides and tap water every now and then. There are tin shades made over the trail here and there where you can take shelter in heavy rain. There are even garden chairs all along the way, damn it. 

Even if these pilgrim friendly features were not there it would still be called easy because on this trail you need not worry about where your next step will be.

Moderate trek is where every now and then there are sections where you have to measure your steps and step carefully. You have to chalk out your next few steps before hand, These are moderate treks. What is difficult? Well, generally there is no well defined trails. It is where you often fear for your life. You worry that you might fall and either break your limbs or just die. 

Very difficult would be trails where you need to do technical climbing with special skills and expertise. 

Steepness is a given in all treks. Just steepness does not determine how easy or difficult a trek is. Altitude beyond a point is certainly an issue that should determine whether a trek is easy or difficult. At very high altitude even a level path can be dangerous because the altitude itself can kill you. 

Does the trek involve crossing avalanche prone areas? Are their glaciers to be crossed? These make it difficult. Not just steepness.

So my advice is - read up on the trail that you will be following and stay mentally prepared. Many just look at the kilometers. That is a wrong approach. Ten kilometers of continuous uphill climb and 10 Km over a flat valley are two different walks altogether. I never look at the distance per se. I ask how long does it take to cover it. That is a more relevant piece of information and gives you a better picture. 

Pulna to Ghangria in VoF Day 1 is 11 km. Should take less than 3 hours if it was flat. It actually takes six hours for an average trekker because it is reasonably steep. Ghangria to Hemkund is just 6 kms. It took some of our trekmates a good 5/6 hours to cover. 

Weight Management 

In the mountains how much weight you are carrying is crucially important for enjoying a trek. There is a famous saying that "in the land of the Lama, don't try to be a Gama". Here Gama is the legendary wrestler. It means, in the Himalayas don't try to show off your strength. Manage the weight you are carrying by not taking unnecessary items. 

These days, the agencies allow you to give your main load to their mules and you can walk with a small bag of essentials. This bag should have the following items - a raincoat even if the weather looks sunny, a hollowfill or down jacket, a spare pair of socks, drinking water, some snacks to munch on the way and a small emergency medical kit like a crepe bandage (you might sprain your ankle), some cotton wool, Dettol etc. If packed lunch or breakfast is given at the start that you have to carry too.

When you walk you will feel warm pretty soon unless you are in sub zero conditions and the weather is gloomy with no sun. I usually walk with a base layer, a thick or thin T-shirt over that (depending on how warm or cold it is) and a rain coat with the front zip open. If it gets really warm I take the rain coat off and put it in the bag. If it gets chilly I can pull up the zip. If walking in really cold weather take a pair of gloves too.

If you stop on the way and it is cold you will get the chills pretty soon. This is when you should pull out the warmer jacket and use it. Keep the head covered all the time. You might want the gloves also. 

I keep the spare socks to deal with any accidental dipping of the feet in water. Walking with a wet pair of socks is a sure fire way of catching a cold.

Another important point to note - if it is winter, put a layer of Vaseline or moisturizer on your face, particularly on the nose tip and cheeks. Keep the ears closed.

I also carry two bottles of water. One has Electral in it. Manage your thirst and electrolyte level carefully. Drink a little every now and then. If you feel thirsty it's already too late. Many people prefer the bladder on their back with a sipper near their mouth. I have somehow avoided it so far. Mainly because of the cost. Also I don't like sipping like that.  

Dehydration can be dangerous in the mountains. You can get cramps. You can feel pain in the joints. All sorts of disasters can happen. If you are young you might get away with a bit of dehydration. For the older people it is of critical importance. 

 

The Mind over Body - A Mental Attitude

Most youngsters who think of going to the Himalayas for a trek, I have noticed, bank on their gyms to see them through in the mountains. This is a big mistake to make. I have seen well built North Indian boys in their mid-twenties with gym sculpted biceps and lats going back from a trek to Roopkund on the second day. They all had excellent muscles and I am sure they spend hours in their gyms to build them but they lacked something more crucial. A strong mind. 

Walking up or down a steep trail for the whole day, often in bad weather, is what you should expect in a trek. Just lifting weights doesn't prepare you for this. You could stop once in a while to rest or to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings but rest of the time you just have to walk like a mule. Look down at the trail and keep walking. Some do it with a load on their back. Some without. But just keep walking. That's all. This is for the easy treks. On difficult treks you have to constantly look for where to place your next foot and sometimes about losing your life.

Now to walk the whole day like a mule, you don't really need muscles sculpted in the gym. What you need is a certain mindset. A mind that accepts physical suffering for a long time throughout the day. A mind that doesn't give up easily. A mind that is not looking to prove anything to anyone. A mind that is not trying to "defeat" the Himalayas but seeks her permission to go to her interiors to see the beauty that is lying there and unseen by most. 

You don't need to be able to lift X kilos to do this. But you certainly need to have experienced suffering and physical exhaustion at whatever level. While walking up a steep trail over a long time I often play a scene in my mind. It's a hot and sultry evening in May in Calcutta and I am running in the Lakes. I am sweating profusely, But I am going on. I have to finish the distance of X. It doesn't matter what X is to you but have you suffered like this ever? If not, go out and experience such suffering. It could be a long walk. It could be a short run. Whatever it is but you need some memories of suffering. 

You are lifting weights. Have you lifted a bucket of water for the family ever? If you are just lifting weight then it becomes your comfort zone. Come out of that comfort zone. Get the habit of panting like a dog. Whether from walking or running or skipping - do pant over a long time. It is not only good for your heart, you will be able to negotiate the Himalayan trails well.

By the way, I am by no means discouraging going to the gym. By all means please go and sculpt your body if you are a yongster or strengthen your bones and muscles if you are a senior. But don't think that only going to the gym is enough preparation.

If you are walking as a prep, carry some weights in a rucksack. Just putting two 2 litre water bottles means you are adding 4 kilos.