The Call of Mountaineering – Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Part 1)

Decisiveness does not always foretell your ability to make wise calls. Sometimes indecisiveness may also lead to reaching a step closer to your destination. The drag of life had hit me, deep inside – nothing was moving forward! The forgotten existentialism almost touched me, when I signed up for a mountaineering course at the much coveted, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.  I do belong to a family of avid mountaineers – fearless & restless. But for me, life was comfortable, only sometimes nudging me out of my comfort zone. So this course was an ice breaker for the soul.

October was still a distant thought & for me, I was just counting days & months. Preparation was only limited to 3 – 4 Kms run per day & a month long Pilates class, apparently for the mind & body. Before I submitted my form for the course, I sincerely did a medical check – up, for the sedentary desk job I performed more religiously than actually taking care of my body. The reports diagnosed weak bone strength & lack of Vitamin D. It was a huge impediment when I had just thought of a mountaineering course. However, I persisted. Lack of stamina while running was sometimes too apparent, making it all the more discouraging. But, I continued to keep a check on my strength & opted for a trek to Valley of Flowers & Hem Kund Sahib @ 5,000 mt. Only to disappoint myself further, as the steep ascend at Hemkund made it just worst. NO, I wasn’t medically unfit, it was sheer lack of an active lifestyle, while I was ironically working for an Adventure Travel company.

My father, a huge source of inspiration, who had completed both his Basic & Advance courses from the same Institute kept the words of encouragement flowing. While for me, I just had this rush to be in the mountains. Having skipped the rigorous work out I kept moving towards just one goal – an escape to the mountains.  Indecisiveness you see, works you out in itself. The fact hit me hard when the actual training at NIM on October 19^th confronted MY DILEMMA of “Will I be able to make it to the end?.”

So did I make it?

READ PART 2: CLICK HERE