DIY Trekking: Set your spirit free

In today’s times, our tight schedules often leave us with little or no time for our family and friends. One of the best ways to make people around us relax and rejuvenate is by taking them on trekking holidays, where they get to connect with nature, landscape and culture in its undiluted form.

The state of Uttarakhand boasts of some great easy to do family treks. Doing a trek makes us realise and respect the little pleasures of life, like spotting a wildflower in full bloom or a brightly coloured bird gracing a branch of a tree.

The next question that will invariably pop up is should the trek be a DIY (Do It Yourself) or does one mandatorily need to deploy the services of an organised agency? The options range from a trip organised to the T (certified guides, excellent logistics, satellite communication, extensive medical kits) by a reputed trekking agency to self-organised amateur treks.

The latter option too can be an enjoyable and pocket-friendly way to experience the mountains at your own pace. It’s not always necessary to spend thousands a day through an agency in order to enjoy the splendour of these mountains as many people seem to think. All it takes is a bit of self-confidence and knowledge.

Choosing a trail and preparing your own itinerary:
The most important aspect of a DIY trek is identifying a trail that meets your criteria. Some trekkers like the popular/established trekking routes while others prefer routes less explored. Some research of the terrain is also critical as this (along with the season) would determine the kind of clothes and equipment one would need to carry.

Do you need a guide or a porter?
If you choose DIY, recognising the difference between porters and guides, and knowing which one you need, is essential. While a porter can be very strong and helpful in carrying your bags, they cannot make decisions for you in the high mountains nor have any responsibility for your safety.

A guide, on the other hand, should have mountain experience, first-aid training, and a guide’s certification. When one has to carry a lot of baggage one would need to hire a porter. If the trail is too fraught with danger (say crevasses) then one would also need to employ the services of a local guide.

Navigation and weather forecasts:
Essentially trail navigation is a mix of reading maps, common sense, and a decent sense of direction. Free forecasts on the web nowadays do a good job at predicting major weather shifts and big storms.

There are a plethora of good maps and guidebooks available, especially for the Himalayas. The Lonely Planet Trekking Guide for Indian Himalayas, Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya by Harish Kapadia are two of the often-referred guidebooks.

Of course, in the end, what you will rely on predominately to navigate is your own "trail sense". This means in general when you come to a junction most often you will want to continue on the most heavily used path, especially if that junction is not on your map.

Communication:
Good communication is an absolute necessity for safety while trekking in the Himalaya. There is really no alternative to a satellite phone (mobile phone service, while theoretically available in some trekking regions, can be quite unreliable). Sat phone rentals with prepaid minutes are now inexpensive, and can be used to check the weather, keep someone up to date on your location, and initiate a rescue if there is an emergency.

Choose your type of shelter:
Shelter-wise trekking is broadly of two types - Home stay with locals and camping in the open.
The great thing about the first style of trekking is that it allows one to travel light and trek for long periods without carrying heavy supplies of food.

Furthermore, trekkers are provided with a unique window into the cultural life of the people in that region as they eat and sleep in the same manner as the local family. Of course, the disadvantage of this style of trekking is the loss in flexibility since the routes and stopping points are dictated by places where you can eat and stay.

If you prefer to camp in the lap of nature, it is best to carry your own gear. If you are going on a longer trek, where you need to be completely self-sufficient it may be necessary to hire porters and mules.

Carry a medical kit:
You should know how to use a medical kit. Your kit should include prescription drugs for altitude and illnesses—discuss with your doctor what medications you should have for a trek at high altitudes. Combine this drug kit with a trauma kit, with enough supplies to treat a wound or injury for a few days in a remote location. And don’t skip the personal education necessary to use this kit.

Be conservative:
Along with all of these considerations, the most important factor in safety in the mountains is still your personal decision making. Be conservative in your decisions. If weather, acclimatisation, or health is not what they should be for you or your teammates play it safe and descend, turn around, or take a rest day. The mountains are entirely unforgiving of mistakes.

The final word:
It is not mandatory to be a die-hard mountaineer to enjoy trekking. If you are reasonably fit, have a spirit of adventure and are not afraid of walking, you qualify. If you really want to get a feel of the earth, want to walk through the forests all by yourself and chart your own itinerary go trekking- all by yourself, with your family or friends.

The Garhwal Himalayas brings an array of priceless trekking options, which can be explored within a modest budget. From the very basic grade to the challenging ones every level falls under this category and the budget can be customised.

Without compromising on the level of comfort, the trekkers can witness some of the unsurpassed mountain views and sense a different thrilling feel that any person is likely to experience in a trek. Explore the treks virtually before you take the final call.

By:Sriparna Saha