Why the Mountains Keep Calling Me Back

Apr 15, 2026

Intro Image

If I ever disappear for a week without any trace, you can safely assume that I am in some remote corner of a mountain. And no, you are probably not getting a reply anytime soon.

I have not travelled much in my life. Before joining IIT, the only proper trip I remember was to Nainital and Agra, and that too when I was in nursery. I do not even remember that trip properly. To be honest, my parents were never big fans of travelling. My father had a transferable job, so we kept switching cities, but I would not call that travelling. For most of my childhood, travelling was simply not a thing for me.

Then college happened.

College gave me a kind of freedom I had never experienced before. I was probably one of the most excited people whenever a plan came up, and rightly so. I wanted to use that freedom to the fullest. My first trek was in July 2022. It was Kheerganga, a short beginner-level trek, usually done in two days. And man, I loved it.

I still remember the feeling of walking through those trails, slowly leaving the noise behind. That trek gave me a weird sense of achievement after completing it. It was not like clearing an exam or finishing a project. Nobody was going to give me marks for it. There was no resume point, no certificate, no external validation. Still, reaching the top felt deeply satisfying.

I really wanted to try another trek, but I could only go during semester breaks. My next one was the Triund trek near Dharamshala in Dec 2022. It was also a short trek. After that, I wanted to try longer treks for the thrill.

Sadly, I planned multiple trips in 2023, but my plans always got cancelled for one reason or another. Mostly, one person would ditch the plan, and then others would follow one by one. Lol, this happened so many times that eventually I stopped making plans. I had planned to go to Kedarkantha in Dec 2023, but could not go, for the reason you might have guessed. Anyways, we went to Manali instead, but did not do any trekking.

So, during the placement semester in 2024, we had planned to go on a trip after our group got placed. But everyone went home right after placements 😢. I did not want to go home too soon, and by then I was so fed up that I just booked a trek starting in 2 days. I went to Decathlon to buy what I needed, and then just proceeded alone.

The trek I chose was Kedarkantha. It was my first trek without any of my friends. I was so fucking nervous, because for the first time I would be trekking with unknown people. The day I reached the base camp, it was early December and there was no snow. I was really disappointed.

We had a trek briefing that night, where I got to know that the temperature near the summit could drop to -10 to -15. I was not at all prepared for that, because my trek’s POC had told me it would only go till -2 to -3. I was shit scared. I had to rent a jacket and other stuff on the spot. In that group of 20 people, I was the youngest, and clearly one of the most underprepared.

It was very cold, and to my surprise, it started snowing during the briefing. It was my first time seeing live snowfall. I was mesmerized, and also shit scared of what was supposed to come.

The next day, the trek started, and I would be on it for 4 days. I was excited. It was cold, and it kept snowing that day. The snow made the trek a bit risky, which added to the thrill. I was really enjoying it. It felt completely different from my normal life: no network for a few days, and far away from the stress of the outside world.

Kedarkantha Summit

There were a few moments when I reconsidered my decision to go on this trek, especially during the night before summit day. I could not sleep in the tents. It was really uncomfortable, and I started trekking sleep-deprived.

Anyways, summit day proved me wrong and made it the best trip of my life. It still is.

People

Most importantly, I met new people, got a completely new experience, and realized how bad my health was :)

Man, this trek made me realize what is out there, and it got me hooked. It made me interested in trying other treks. It was also the sole motivation that made me continue going to the gym seriously during my final semester. Even now, it keeps me motivated to take better care of my health.

After this trek, I started creating a list of treks I would like to do in the future. I do not know when, but I genuinely want to try each one of them:

And the list goes on…

You might think going on treks again and again might get boring, but it really does not. There are so many different things each trek has to offer. Kedarkantha is an amazing winter trek. Deoriatal-Chandrashila is known for rhododendron bloom during March-April. Valley of Flowers is famous for blooming season in August. Gaumukh Tapovan takes you to the source of the Ganga. EBC takes you to the base of Everest. KGL and Manaslu Circuit are among the most beautiful treks you will find in the world…

Mountain landscape

Every trek has a unique character, and there are endless different experiences waiting out there.

Written by Khushvind Maurya