A few years ago, I did a trek with my uncle in Uttarakhand. The trek is a 6 day trek with Govind Ghat as the base camp. I did this trek in early July when the flowers were still blooming. Each day we did a different trek, some being harder than others. The last day's hike was my favorite. We hiked up to the altitude of 14,400 feet. Hemkund Sahib was a beautiful lake with temples surrounding it. After praying and dipping our feet in the cool water, I decided to go back to Govind Ghat by mule. The experience was one I've never had before. The pathway was so small I felt like I would fall off and I wasn't able to communicate with the people leading the mules because I don't know Hindi. After we reached Govind Ghat, me and a few others who came in the mule hung around and talked to the trek leaders and chefs.
The first day of the trek was the longest. 9 hours of uphill with a lunch break in between. We took the lunch break right near a loud relaxing waterfall. After eating, I put my head down to get some rest without the intention of sleeping. 10 minutes later, I woke up and realized I had fallen asleep. I just couldn't help it, with a fully belly, wonderful cool weather, and a waterfall.
While trekking, I made many friendships. One person I talked to all the time was a wise teacher from Dallas, Texas. Since I live 4 hours from there, we talked about the difference of Texas and India. He actually had been living in India for the past 3 months learning about the culture and meditation.
Another friendship I made is one with a travel blogger. She travels to countless places and blogs her trips. She also posts YouTube videos about her travels. When talking to her, she spoke a lot about what she learned from other countries and how she travels alone.
This trek was very eye-opening for me as I saw and understood why my uncle was so passionate about trekking. I also met so many amazing people from different backgrounds which would have never happened if it wasn't for my uncle taking me on this trip.
(all pictures including cover picture are mine)