I could have never imagined anything other than a normal life when I was a kid. Being brought up in a middle class family meant you had set ideas about life and your goals. Job, marriage, kids and such are the only achievement that are on the horizon. Even the brief stint with drugs, sex and booze in college was actually just the sort of stuff what headstrong boys did before they settled down in the mundane life mirroring their fellow human beings.
And then I discovered mountains... It was an experience I couldn't even imagine. You used to watch people lumbering up mountain sides, panting and sometimes clinging to dear life, you read about them in books, their pain, their shattered hopes and finally, the triumph that they felt in their hearts. But who even dreams of doing for themselves? Even in toady's age, where the changed lifestyle and money has made these mountains accessible, people only go to them for weekend getaways.
But when I discovered the Mountains in my life, I had found what I was looking for all my life. The aura of the misty mountains, the emotions that sweep through me when I gaze upon them, the unbeatable euphoria that I feel when I am at the top after a gruesome climb through blistered heels, sweaty body and sun burnt skin, this is how I felt I should live my life. It is not the physical exertion that makes me wanna go back to the mountains. Its the sense of achievement that one feels when one has overcome the unclimbable obstacle or the huge boulder one had to crawl up, with absolutely no holds in sight. And mountaineering is not about the physical exercise. Its more about your mental strength. Your experience on the mountain is determined by your mental make up, and, in turn defines your mental make up too. It makes you stronger, more aware of who you are, what you are and what you are capable of. For me, every trip to the mountains is a chance to not only push my physical boundaries, but to let my mind free and to wander amongst the vast open spaces you can see from the top. But most importantly, I teach my mind to take complete control over my body, to push through pain and fatigue, to reach the goal.
And the best part, the mountains have made me a gift so valuable, I could never imagine my life without them. All my mountaineering expeditions would have been incomplete and utterly impossible without my friends. I have made thicker friends here than I could ever find elsewhere. The are now the inspiration of my life, my motivation and the core of happiness in my life. I am grateful for their smiles, for their strong supporting hands, their kind encouragements and their constant companionship.
I hope, with my blog, I can show you the beauty and joy that I feel when I am there. I want to try to take you there with me, on my journeys, on my walks, so that I am able to share the beauty and joy that I have discovered with you...
