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When the mountains call...
Australian-born rock climber Greg Child rightly says, “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.”
Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m above sea level) in Tanzania is every mountaineer’s dream and it came true for Sumeet Soni, 40, who is the CEO of Zapbuild and founder of SimpliHealth, CityWoofer, and Big Rox Media.
He, along with two other school-time friends, Swastika Gaur and Rachna Arora, decided to climb to the top of the world to celebrate turning 40, and prepare for the climb by doing exercises to improve stamina, breathing, and, most importantly, mental strength.
Sharing memories, Sumeet says, “Day 1 was pretty easy as it was a walk through a dense, green, misty rainforest. We were quite enthusiastic and energetic. By Day 4, it started getting difficult as the terrain was sandy, stony, and dusty. During the hike, physical endurance is one thing, but mentally you start questioning your decision as breathing becomes difficult.”
Day 6 was the toughest as that’s’ when they scaled the summit. “We were hardly eating anything and at around midnight the hike started so that we could reach the peak by 8am. It was at this point that all difficulties of the climb were forgotten. We felt like this was an achievement of a lifetime. That moment was surreal. We felt like we were on top of the world,” he recalls.
“During the climb, all we got was Tanzanian food, so on Day 7, when we got down, the first thing we did was scout for an Indian eatery. We chanced upon a dhaba run by a Sikh gentleman and the meal there tasted heavenly,” he says, laughing.
A QUESTION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Retired banker and a resident of Sector 24, Panchkula, Raman Chander Sood, 70, says he had an interest in trekking right from the start but as work and responsibilities came in the way, it became a lost dream.
But it all changed one day when he visited his daughter. “My 10-year-old grandson came to me and asked, ‘Nanu, what’s your purpose in life?’ I said that now I’m a retired man and have done all I could have. It’s time to sit back. But he insisted that everyone, no matter their age, must have a purpose in life. I was taken aback and forced to rethink,” he says.
“I realised that I’m free of all duties and can live my dream of rock climbing and one day, climb Mount Everest,” Raman adds.
The keen trekker has completed Kailash Mansarovar (China), Shrikhand Mahadev (Himachal), and Everest Base Camp – three passes trek (Nepal) since then.
Recently, on a 10-day expedition, he climbed the 6,111-m Mount Yunam to become the oldest person to have scaled this peak on the Manali-Leh highway near Baralacha Pass in Himachal Pradesh.
“I was the oldest person in a group of 11 people and finding out that I could match their speed and stamina was a boost. It’s motivated me to keep going,” says Raman.
“My immediate target is to climb the highest peak in the Zanskar Valley of Ladakh, Mount Nun (7,135m). I have decided to climb the highest peak in every continent, especially Mount Everest,” he concludes.
