1. WILDCARD ENTRY TO THE HIMALAYAS / Accidental Trekker Series

Few years ago, I was regularly participating in 10k runs. I used to go to the gym every morning and practice running. I was very aware that running in the open air was much better . Nevertheless,  I chose to hit the gym as I had a few colleagues accompany me to the gym creating a healthy competition about being regular.

One morning my colleague told me that,they are going to the Himalayas on a trek .My colleague also told me that, it needs a lot of workout as it is going to be a 11day long trek . My colleague seemed excited to see snow for the first time and also camp in the snow. This took me back to my school days where one of our teachers (Aruna Desai Madam ) was felicitated in school for completing a Himalayan Trek . I was proud of my teacher then, and felt proud of my colleague now. 

Surprisingly, I never felt the urge to make it to the Himalayas though my colleague's narration made it look very colourful. Instead , since TCS 10k run was approaching, I took it as a healthy competition . While my colleague was busy working hard to mark feet on the Himalayas, I got busy to mark my feet on the roads of Bengaluru to run for an educational cause thru TCS 10k run. 

Couple of days later, I was watching "Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani" a Hindi movie on trekking where, Deepika Padukone makes an overnight decision and gets  "A WILD CARD ENTRY TO THE HIMALAYAS". I jokingly told my grandmother that may be I should also just make such a WILDCARD ENTRY since my friends are also going to a trek near Manali (The same place that's shown in the movie) .My grandmother went into panic mode and I had to pacify her all day and convience her that trekking is not my cup of tea.

Coincidentally , I started noticing that, every movie I watched had a portion of it shot in the Himalayas. Without my own knowledge, the thoughts of Himalayas continued to linger in my mind. One evening , I told my parents about how my joke gave a panic attack to my grandmother. I also told them that I am somehow not able to get over the visuals of Himalayas . To my surprise, my parents were more aware of Himalayas treks than I was. They told me about how safe and organised the treks are . My parents told me that ,If i get an opportunity in future, they will surely encourage me to go ahead. 

These lines sounded like music to my ears. I realised that, my own pre-conceived notion that my parents won't let me travel was stopping me all these days. I realised that , although I am not a travel freak, A WILDCARD ENTRY TO THE HIMALAYAS surely excites me. 

Next morning, with my fingers crossed, I asked my colleague if I can join them. I was told that , booking needs to be made many many months earlier and it is nearly impossible to get a "WILD CARD ENTRY" unlike what the movies portray. Though I was disappointed, my colleague managed to motivate me by telling me that I am welcome for their next trek considering that I am kind of regular with my workouts. That day I ran a Kilometre more than usual ( In my head ,I had already started preparing for my first Himalayan trek ,no matter when !)

That evening I again saw "Yeh jawani hai Deewani" again ,laughed at my foolish imagination, yet secretly wished a "WILD CARD ENTRY" miracle happens the next morning and went to sleep. 

The miracle did not happen the next morning but it did happen a few days later. A girl in my colleague's trekking group was dropping out. Online cancellation of her slot would open a new slot in the same batch. We had to grab that slot before someone else books it. This was one of the most tenseful moments of my life(more tenseful than exam results atleast). We chose a common time where she cancelled her ticket and within no time I booked mine and it worked.

AND YES I DID IT.. I GOT MY WILDCARD ENTRY TO THE HIMALAYAS . SARPASS TREK MAY 2017 ,REPORTING AT YOUTH HOSTEL ASSOCIATION OF INDIA- KASOL BASE CAMP ,HIMACHAL PRADESH ,INDIA .

Stay tuned to know about my first Himalayan trek

-Charita 

An Accidental Trekker