First time trekker

DivineSelf

I have never trekked before or gone mountaineering.But I am very keen on starting out though I dont have any friends/relatives who have interest in the same.
Could anyone please guide me on how to go about it?Are there any typical places for first time trekkers to go,so as to get a hang of it.
And is there a basic trek for beginners in the Himalayan Region?
Please could anyone guide a beginner on how to start off on a mountaineering spree in the long run !!!

cliffhanger

hi divineself, welcome to IM .........for begining,u can look for any mountaineering or trekking club in ur city.......can make a small group if u can and choose a region u wan to go,then other Imers can help u .......meet up with other interested IMer's and plan a trek......

avid & babu r the best person who could help u .....

DivineSelf

Thanks Cliffhanger.Babu was nice enough to reply to my query immediately.I am trying to move on those lines now.Just registered into IM today,for many years have been dreaming of going trekking and white water rafting,never knew where to start.
Through the newspaper I saw the IM site,and for past few weeks I have been going through the "Trekkers" forum,and I saw a very helpful lot and so registered today.

Hopefully I go on my first trek soon and blog my experiences on IM.And may be in due course advise other new trekkers like a veteran,haha!!!

AvidTrekker

Join the youth hostels [YHAI] and do the Har ki Doon trek with them in May of 2006. Super for beginners.

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DivineSelf

Thank you AvidTrekker !!! Will do
checking the web on "Har ki Doon trek"

trekker2

Aashish has just completed a trek which was his first. You could check it out at Trekking - Badrinath to Yamunotri
You can get first hand knowledge of the trek from him.

cliffhanger

hi avid , don't u think it is too long to wait ......she have to wait almost 10mts for that.....

AvidTrekker

With good reasons; have suggested the above.

The writer has stated she is a female, living in Chennai.

My assumption is, she may be a female around 25; with independent income and a strong family background. Now has heard about trekking from friends or TV and wants to experience the same. Plus she has a webforum avataar called divineself which means she has read something about all of us human beings being essentially divine [ vedanta upanishad piont of view ] which means again strong conservative educated family background.

The family will not allow her to go alone for her first trek. In normal families in India, this is a rare occurrence. Finding out "Travel Partners" from sites like IM etc out of ques. Same reason. Family says no. I have taken treks where sometimes girls were in the majority. I have experience of parents coming to assess the basic honesty and integrity and competence of the trek leader [me]. They feel that "nothing should happen to my daughter".

If any of us were sending a daughter, we would ordinarily do the same. We are Indians. We never forget that.

By suggesting Har ki doon with YHAI; automatically a big organization comes into the picture. Every day at least 30 people are going for the trek. [safety in numbers... nothing can happen to my daughter... so many other boys and girls are with them ] The organization is conducting treks since 1968 or thereabouts [ well experienced.... my daughter will be safe ] Plus tents and other extras will not have to be carried around and food will not have to be cooked on a freezing morning at 5:00 am. A glass of hot chocolate is given at night. [ less trouble on the first trek... you are a bit spoilt on YHAI treks ] Plus, it is inexpensive... the whole trek costs only Rs 2500... less than what you would spend organizing on your own; even if you did not hire any porters or guides. [ the Govt of India subsidizes these treks and the camp leaders and volunteers work for free ]

Though it appears as a single sentence; my recommendation is based on many factors well considered. I have taken more children and teenagers than adults. Experience has been my teacher.

I know four treks in the immediate coming season; including mine own; which I could have recommended. I could have said "Pindari" or "Milam" which she can go tomorrow without having to arrange for food or tents. Will her family send her alone for a first trek? Will any of you send your daughters alone on a first trek?

Now, you tell me..... have I made a well considered suggestion? Even if it is in May 2006; she can make it to Har ki Doon. Other places she may not be allowed.

DivineSelf, you have chosen a meaningful and extraordinary name. May the Divine grant you an actual vision of your own divine "self". If the description doesn't fit you, please forgive me for making assumptive suggestions on an open forum. It is meant as a general guide to recommend trekking to females from Indian middle class families. I want more and more people to take up the healthy hobby of trekking. My suggestions are practical, do-able and happen-able.

I fully appreciate cliffhanger's concern, because I also want to trek NOW; and not after T E N long months. But all of us do not have the luxury of "choice" in this matter.

DivineSelf

My God!!!Avid Trekker I bow to you. Amazing everything that you have deciphered (you call assumption!!!) from the basics (even my age) is 100% correct to the last detail.
I am glad to see that you have understood my predicament completely.I am having a tough time convincing my parents to let me go solo.Babuchand would be conducting a trek for beginners in October 1st week he said,and I started canvassing about it to my parents so as to get permission to get to go solo (unfortunately nobody I know is interested in the same).I even showed her so many threads in this forum,to show you guys mean busines when it comes to trekking and mountaineering and are completey trustworthy.But to no avail I am quite disheartened about it(not disheartened about my parents and their refusal because I know they just care too much )But I cant imagine giving up either,so just following the old adage try!try!try! and hopefully I succeed some day
I was too uncomfortable to talk about all this in this forum because you all are so passionate about this (mountaineering) I thought youll would find me very childish (talking about parents and all) and may just brush the post off as a childish fascination and I was worried youll would not take me seriously.I was sooo wrong
But let me just put a note,I am as passionate as everyone in this forum and have been from childhood,and indulged in it in my own small way by going for small family treks (25kms-50kms) in Ooty,Kodai and Moonar (of course they are not comparable to the kind you'll do) and by reading up on all the travelogues trekkers write and reliving their experiences in my imagination.But I cant write like you'll a single line on any of them since I have never done it.
My people cant get it how me,a girl,am so passionate about trekking/bungee jumping and white water rafting (my favourite)!!!
And Yes Avid trekker more than all this trekking and mountaineering what is more important for me is Self Realisation this life- seeing the divine in me and in all.That is my goal.I am sorry that I am being very personal on this forum right now,but I just had to send this reply after seeing Avid Trekkers write up.And thank you all for not belittling my interest as some childish fantasy.And let me jus say I have been reading the forum mainly trekking and mountaineering for past few weeks,you all are a real helpful bunch and I can see how much you'll love mountaineering
Hopefully some day I too can write my trekking exp in this forum.Thanks all and wont get this personal on this RUGGED TREKKERS FORUM again

cliffhanger

@ avid ....u may be right , actually i hav'nt thought about these things.......but if she has the freedom to go then it is upto her to decide what to do ......wether wait for 10 mts or look for some friends...


@ divine...... decide what u want to do or what u can do, and make plan according to it......

cliffhanger

@ divine.....if u want to go and u have the chance please take it because u cant say what u wil be doing in may 2006...

DivineSelf

Yes Cliffhanger I know what I want do!! I am trying to solve the can issue.Right now scouting for my girl friends and relations to come with me for the October first week.
My folks are ok if there is someone they know and can trust!!
So keeping my fingers crossed
Please do advise when anything comes for beginners.I may hit gold with atleast one of the many treks

AvidTrekker

What trek in October? How many days?

Just curious.... also sometimes I can help out by suggesting other beginner females to accompany you for the sake of your parents' blood pressure... all the girls have the same parental pressure; and I have answered to quite a lot of parents.... which is why I have stopped taking them with me.

My upcoming trek has five females, but they are veterans; and the trek is tough... going up to 17500 feet which is not for beginners.

HAPPY TREKKING!!

DivineSelf

I dont have the details yet.He said it is a Tapovan Trek in the first week of october with a handful of beginners.He said he would send in the details later.

Anyway let me see aage aage dekhte hain hota hai kya! I have not given up hope

babuchand

hi avid i have send her my tour plan....if she comes along with atleast one more lady then we will have no prob taking them to tapovan and madhyamaheshwar (either or both). as I am having a mixed team in respect of trekking exposure, she and/or her friend will certainly fit in.... and the trek is not of tough category.

anyway where r u going???? 17500ft seems interesting...!!!

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babu
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