A life changing walk in the Himalayas
What feels like a lifetime yet only a year ago, I boarded a plane to India and took the first few steps of a 10 day journey to the Himalayas. Today, it’s surreal to think that I did that. I raised a ton of money and actually trekked and camped on some of the highest mountains in the world. It’s one of those experiences that was so incredible that it barely feels like it happened. But as my social media reminders show me, it absolutely did, it was one of the best things I've ever done, and has left a lasting legacy.
As part of the get-fit programme, I did a practice walk in the Peak District. The walking guide for the day had a fascinating story. When she was younger, she had worked in a bookshop. A job she thoroughly enjoyed and didn’t see herself ever leaving. Then, a friend of hers asked her to join her on a Nepalese trek. She said no thank you, it wasn’t for her. The friend went, had a phenomenal experience and wanted to go back again the following year. Again, she asked her friend again to join her. Now, I can’t remember for how long she said no, but in the end this lady was worn down by the asking and agreed to go to Nepal. She returned a changed women. She did go back to the bookshop for a while, but the trek had shown her parts of the world she’d never expected to see, it had massively broadened her horizons and had given her seriously itchy feet. As a result, she left the bookstore and set up her own business as a women’s walking tour guide. She’s now as free as bird, travels the world on her own terms and was one of the most positive (and interesting) ladies I’ve ever met.
It’s amazing what travel can do.
Back to India… I’d never been before and I was excited to go to places that I wouldn’t necessarily go to on a ‘tourist’ holiday. And I got a bucket load of just that. I got to visit mountain communities and witness a very different life to the one I live back home. As I trekked the foothills of some of the highest mountains on earth, I met people going about their everyday routines. I met a lady carrying the fuel for her fire. Another, walking alone, on a mountain path, on her daily commute - a two hour walk each way. One lovely lady even invited us (all 20 of us) inside her home to teach us to make chapati. We were introduced to this community by a wonderful group of guides who each had their own fascinating story about their own mountain life.
Of course the trip wasn’t just about the cultural exposure, but the natural beauty too. And I know this is no shock to anyone, but the Himalayas are big! The sheer scale is mind-blowing and the endless vistas sublime. And then, all of a sudden, when you’re stood on the top of the earth, you feel incredibly small. For me, it felt like an outer-body experience – I could see myself stood in such space and such beauty and it was unreal!
What’s true about trekking a long way over an extended period is that you have an incredible amount of time to think. It makes you consider your own life choices, what brings you joy and what you want to do more (and less) of. It made me remember that there had been a couple of times previously in my life when I’d wanted to go on a big adventure and I hadn’t done it. I had wanted to do Camp America, but we couldn’t afford for me to do it (and truthfully, my parents didn’t want me to AT ALL). And then post uni, I had wanted to go Inter-railing around Europe. At the time, no-one else had wanted to go – the costs, the job offers, the girlfriends, the boyfriends… the excuses. Twenty five years on, I ask myself why I didn’t just go on my own? I clearly wasn’t quite brave enough back then. The mighty India walk gave me the time to realise how grateful I was to be having this adventure and that never again would I shy away from going on or doing the things that I want. In fact, I made myself a promise at the top of the world that I would actively seek out adventure, and be brave enough to take big decisions even when they might feel a bit crazy. [Also read the crazy decision to buy a crumbling Spanish house…]
Post India, I have travelled well. I’ve been to new places and had new adventures. In the past 12 months I’ve been to France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Thailand, Iceland and counting… But I’m hooked, I want more. Whilst I’m not about to become a women’s walking tour guide, I do still have a big list of things that I want to go see and do. And I don’t just mean travel. Bring on the concerts, the festivals, the road-trips the books, the shows, the fundraising, the new jobs, the lifetime of adventure. There’s a big wide world out there and I want to see more, learn more, do more. No excuses.
So as I look back on last year’s trip, I take stock. In many respects getting fit for and doing a Himalayan trek was a life-changing experience. But it also made me recognise that adventures like these are do-able. They’re not beyond reach, there’s no real excuses not to do them. If I want to explore all of the things and places that life has on offer, I just have to be brave enough to take the decision to go for it.
