Walking Wanderer

Nothing helps you evolve the way nature does….

Have experienced it first hand in the few experiences with the mountains that I have had in the past one year and this time around from a mountain so close but yet never experienced before.

Pavagadh –  a humble mountain standing high…. is a mere 45 kms from my hometown Vadodara which is the so called “Cultural Capital” of Gujarat. Pavagadh is located near Champaner a historical city located in the Panchmahal district  which houses the Champaner – Pavagadh Archaelogical Park – A Unesco World Heritage Site .

At the summit of Pavagadh hill, 762 m above sea level, is the temple of Goddess Kali, which is the oldest in the area, dating back to 10th-11th century. Every year thousands of Hindu devotees visit this temple. To reach the temple at the summit there are various options. You can take the 5 km long stepped walk along a jungle footpath to the top of the hill; else there is a cable car which will haul you to the summit. But this time around we were going to climb the Pavagadh the the third way…. the unconventional way from the back side of the mountain….with no marked routes taking you uphill.

Early morning in the month of January at  0400 hrs….Sunday…the alarm rings…..feel like snoozing it and getting back into my warm “Razai”…..but then my inner voice speaks up “How can you even think of doing the Chadar trek in Ladakh next month if you can’t even get up early for a preparatory trek to Pavagadh”….and that made me spring out of the bed.

At 0500 hrs for the first time met the group that treks at Pavagadh every Sunday…. Have done a few basic treks in the Himalayas but was my first one at Pavagadh….and it certainly made me realize how often we underestimate things that are easily available and accessible to us!!

Although had been told by many that this one shouldn’t be taken lightly……both I and my husband Rohit reached the base of Pavagadh in our regular running shoes with a bottle of water and a flashlight.

Beginning with a walk in the woods in the dark to climbing rocks & boulders as the Sun rose….the climb kept getting tougher and tougher………..and  by the break of dawn it had dawned onto me…. “This certainly wasn’t like anything I had done before”………..Had never attempted rock climbing before and for the first time learnt to observe and value the almost invisible dents in the huge boulders which served as footholds as we climbed them;  For the first time realized how important it was to work on overall strengthening rather than just focusing on strengthening of legs when my arms wouldn’t  support me the way I wanted them to,  every time I had to use them to pull myself up a steep rock.

We ventured through unexplored paths, at times walking through long grass and shrubs and at times climbing up narrow paths strewn with shrubs and thorns on one side and the deep valley on the other.

But this was a journey taking me to the top…….loaded with expectations of the beautiful panoramic views I would witness once I reached the peak……and although challenging, it was super exciting!! And there we were at the peak finally soaking ourselves in the beauty of nature………seeing horizons never seen before!

And as I rested at the top enjoying these beautiful vistas , it made me think….aren’t our  journeys in life towards our goals similar? Riddled with unexpected challenges? But as long as we see ourselves moving upward the challenges seem to be exciting, however tough they may be………..and the tougher the journey the stronger  the sense of Euphoria when you finally achieve your goal…..when you finally reach the peak; And so did I feel when I looked around to see the breathtaking views once I reached the top of Pavagadh.

But is life only about climbing peaks and staying there forever?…… Well it’s about continuously challenging ourselves to climb mountains never climbed before and view  perspectives never seen before.

But again climbing new mountains means coming down the older ones……and although the uphill climb is challenging & exciting ……….it’s the way you handle your downhill journey that determines your possibility and capability to embark on the next climb……

The mighty Pavagadh makes you experience the value of focus, steadiness, stability  and being unruffled as you move downward…..and all that at a time when your body wants to take a break and just relax.

As at Pavagadh, our life’s downhill journeys too happen at a time when we are probably not ready for  them……..they are not the journeys which excite us, in fact they are the ones riddled with moments of self doubt, plunging confidence, fear of  the unknown  and times when you feel like giving up………But as I climbed down the mountain experiencing all of the above………realized these were the most crucial moments of my journey this was the time that needed me to be more spirited yet cautious, more flexible yet focused, more agile yet stable, supporting each other in the team rather than being self focused………. as that would determine how soon I would be ready to climb the next  mountain…..

And as I finally reached the foothills of Pavagadh…….already planning my next climb …..did realize – Tougher the mountain climbed………..Stronger the lesson learnt.

Pavagadh did teach me a vital lesson of life – The strength of an individual isn’t determined by the peak he climbs…….it’s  determined by the way he handles the downhill journeys  in between the peaks climbed by him.

About Author – Himani Chandorkar is the Co founder of Acumen 360, she is an entreprenuer in the field of learning & development through experiential methods. She view travel as an opportunity to return home richer with learning from experiences you can follow her through her blogs mytraveldoodles

 Pic Courtesy : Sid