I have been looking forward to this trek ever since my husband did it in April 2009, and came back and told me “it is an easy trek, you could do it quite easily and the views of the Kangchenjunga (or Kanchendzongha as spelt by others), the third highest peak in the world are just breathtaking.” The pictures he had brought with him, even in a point and shoot, digital camera, were just beautiful and I wanted to go on the trek that October itself. Well, things did not really work out that year and the next…
Someone once said “Destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way…” and I would like to add “and in its own time…”. All of a sudden in February this year, we received a posting from Saptarashi of the Himalaya Trekker. The Himalaya Trekker is planning a Sandakphu-trek in the 1st week of March. I sent the posting out to a few friends, who I know were keen on trekking. Unfortunately, the timing does not suit any of them and. I decide to go for it alone from Bangalore. A few e-mails and telephone calls from Saptarshi, I have everything that I need for the trek, except a pair of good trekking shoes! As this is a “tea house” trek, we would be staying in trekkers huts, along the way and don’t need any tenting gear or a sleeping bag, but I do need good trekking shoes, with good cushioning and some ankle support. That would be easy, I think, only to find that the standard trekking shoe stores in Bangalore do not carry shoes of my small feet! They all stop at size 7! Don’t women with small feet trek? I call up Sapta frantically and he assures me that as the terrain in this trek is also easy I could do it in a pair of good trainers with good cushioning. Yet, I am not satisfied, so I continue my search and write Nirupa, an avid trekker. Nirupa right away suggested the Forclaz 100 for women, from Decathalon. And out I go on the weekend and guess what, find that they are on a sale! So I get them for steal! Well, everything seems to be working in my favour…
March 4th is finally here; I don’t remember to have been as excited as this in a long while now! I have decided not to have any expectations about the organization. I know that this is the 1st trek on the North-East side for the Himalaya Trekker too. I am just looking forward to my first long trek and itching for a glimpse of the Kangchenjunga. Adding to my cup of happiness, is the fact that I will be spending my day in Kolkatta with Ruchira, Antara, Tara and Angshu.
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