Trekking in the Himalayas:
A Remarkable Journey
BY LAURA LUNDY
90
I
have long been fascinated by the Himalayas,
which boast the world’s highest mountain
peaks, but never thought I would see them
“up close and personal.” Then in 2014 a
friend and fellow backpacker asked if I would join
her, along with her husband and four friends on a
trek into the Indian Himalayas.
I had met the owner of the tour and trek
company, Namgyal Sherpa, at a Rotary
International Convention in 2012, and knowing of
his experience and excellent reputation, I decided to
go! I was excited but realized that I needed to pre-
pare for the physical demands of such an adventure.
In the months leading up to the trek, I trained
by hiking with a backpack at Harvey Bear Park,
in the Sierras, and near our cabin in Calaveras Big
Trees. I was anxious about the challenge of hiking
at 13,000-16,000 feet, but did my best to prepare.
I knew that on the trek, porters and pack animals
would be carrying most of our supplies.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
MARCH/APRIL 2016
We had to pack light – a down sleeping bag
(rated for 0-15° weather conditions) and pillow,
warm trekking clothes , toiletries, hiking poles and
boots, and a few other items.
In late October of 2015, I flew from San Francisco
to Dubai and on to Delhi, the rendezvous point for
our group. We spent a day and a half there before
heading to Bagdogra and then on to Darjeeling. We
spent a few days getting acclimated to the higher
altitude and visiting a wildlife zoo and the Himalayan
Mountain Institute Museum. I was deeply moved
by our visit to the Tibetan Refugee Center where
displaced Tibetan families were being provided with
much-needed housing and job training.
At our next stop in Gangtok, India, we con-
nected with our tour leader. We toured historic
Buddhist monasteries, attended a local Rotary Club
meeting, and visited the site of one of the club’s
projects, a school badly damaged by the
2011 earthquake.
gmhtoday.com