Last year, Nutan was doing a Sahyadri trekking. The trek was ending, and the view from the mountain was filling her heart. At the same time, something was asking more from her. She wanted to do a more challenging, but less crowded trek. And, the quest ended up with adventures Goechala trek. It was tough and challenging, and thus, it became Nutan’s bucket list.
She came to know that a Goechala trek was being conducted by
Shikhar Travels in October. The trek was supposed to happen during the Diwali
holidays. Since Diwali was a big occasion in the family, it was a bit hard for
her to convince her parents. It was a rebellious step, and she got herself
registered for the trek.
She was happy to spend the Diwali time with the mountain
rather than in the city. Since every trekker had to carry their own luggage, it
was necessary to remain physically fit. She joined a gym in order to maintain
her physical strength and stamina. Along with that, she started doing other
exercises and running. These things helped Nutan to be fit and healthy.
With all the preparation and a will to face the challenges in the trek, she reached Bagdora on October 22nd. The Goechala was a 10-days’ one. The base camp of Shikhar travels was at Yuksom, and the trekking started from there. She saw and experienced many things during the trek. She crossed Teesta River, covered rocky patch and did a jungle walk during the first three days.
It became harder on the fifth day. She had to do uphill
climb through the rocks. And as the uphill climb was finishing, the road
becomes narrower. The walk down through the narrow road was becoming more
dangerous.
Next day, the trek started at 3am in the morning. They were
going to Dzongri to see the sunrise. While trekking, Nutan got a headache and
felt nauseous. She was feeling really bad and was thinking to retire from the
entire trekking. But gradually, after some food and rest, she felt good and
continued her trekking.
She reached the summit on the eighth day (October 29). They started at 2am in the morning. It was a long walk to Samiti Lake. From the lake, they had to climb on the rocky patched to reach the View Point 1. The view was amazing from the point.
The journey to View Point 2 was steep descend. Nutan walked
through the White Sand Desert, Zemithang, which looked like a whole new world
in the mountains. She passed some green trail, huge rocks, frozen water stream,
huge rock boulders and a long steep climb to reach the View Point 2. The view
was magical. She got a closer look of Kanchenjunga from there. The bottle green
colored Goechala lake added the beauty of the place.
After some rest, they descended down. The Goechala trek came
to an end with another two-days trekking, which included a long jungle walk.
“The Goechala Trek experience changed my life. The change
might not be visible because it happened within. In fact, the change started
the moment I decided to do it. The trek also brought me closer to me. I got to
know my limitations and strength – physically, and mentally!”
Nutan has already completed her mountaineering course, in
order to fulfill her other bucket list – to become a mountaineer. Another bucket
list of Nutan is to reach the top of Kangchenjunga.
“Pain is only momentary. It lasts only for some time. Negative thoughts will be there always. But remember that, those are only temporary. Believe that you have the power to overcome those thoughts and those bad times. Overcome such negativity, never give up, and keep going. The victory will be yours!”
Small or big, it is the experience that matters. The
satisfaction you feel when you tick off one item from your bucket list is
inexplicable. Share your amazing bucket list stories and experiences with us.
We will feature you on our page! And, if you are going to tick off some more
items from your bucket list, do add those bucket list items on this blog page.
Guest blogger: Nutan
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