PART 1 - Beyond the Mountains: A Journey of Adventure, Emotion, and Human Connection

Some journeys begin with destinations. Others begin with people. This journey, organised under the banner of the Women Adventure Network of India, eventually became both.

What started on 24th May as a trekking and adventure expedition to Himachal Pradesh slowly unfolded into something far deeper than travel. Eighteen women from different states, cities, professions, generations, and life experiences came together for a week that would eventually become a story of courage, vulnerability, laughter, resilience, and emotional connection. The participant list itself felt like a journey slowly taking shape across India. 

First came Bimla Deoskar from Nagpur — the leader of the group and perhaps the strongest force behind the spirit of the entire expedition. A woman whose journey itself deserves a separate story, Along with her Better half Mr. Avinash Deoskar she has been a catalyst in helping tribal children dream beyond limitations and even supporting young climbers in their journey towards Mount Everest. Her presence brought experience, discipline, warmth, and inspiration together into the group.

Then came Neerja, Mahek, Mrunal, Mragna, Yamini, and Falguni from Nagpur itself. Megha joined from Jabalpur, while Trupti and Geeta came from Mumbai. Then the Nashik group started adding its energy with Manisha, Gauri, Purva, and Parbhjyot joining in. Payal travelled all the way from Chennai, while Indrani joined from Lucknow. Shakuntala came from Gurgaon, and finally Leela joined from Mandi, carrying with her the quiet warmth of the mountains themselves.

With every new joinee, the participant list no longer looked like names from different cities — it slowly started looking like a story waiting to happen.

By the end of the journey, the mountains were no longer the only thing that had changed shape. Something within each participant had quietly transformed as well.

For us the journey began from Nagpur aboard the Kerala Express towards Delhi. Like most memorable journeys, the excitement had started long before the train moved. It began during incomplete packing, repeated reminders, overstuffed bags, sleepless anticipation, and the strange emotional energy that exists before stepping away from routine life.

Indian train journeys have their own unique sociology. Compartments become temporary worlds where strangers silently become observers of each other’s lives. Some passengers unpack food within minutes of departure. Some immediately claim upper berths and sleep peacefully for hours. Some remain lost in conversations while others sit quietly near windows watching stations pass. Amidst all this movement, our own excitement continued growing steadily.

The train was delayed, but strangely, nobody felt irritated. When the destination involves mountains and adventure, delays somehow stop feeling inconvenient and slowly become part of the memory itself.

By 25th May, the Nagpur team reached Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station as per the train’s arrival schedule. There were two teams arriving from Nagpur, while other participants were joining separately from different cities and states altogether. From the station, we proceeded towards NOMA, a Navy Guest House in Delhi. After continuous travel, NOMA felt less like accommodation and more like recovery. The comfort of proper food, coffee, rest, and a quiet space to freshen up suddenly felt luxurious. Not everyone gets permission to stay there, and being able to experience it felt like a privilege made possible through Neerja.

That evening, we reached ISBT Kashmiri Gate to board the overnight bus to Manali. The bus too arrived late, but by then delays had already become unofficial companions of the trip. Eleven participants boarded from Delhi while the remaining members were to join later.

As the bus slowly moved through the night and Delhi lights faded behind us, conversations reduced gradually. Some slept instantly while others remained awake, looking silently through windows as highways disappeared into darkness. Somewhere during that journey, the trip quietly shifted from “travel” to “experience.”

The following morning, near Mandi, the mountains finally introduced themselves. The roads changed first. Then the air changed. Even silence changed. Clouds rested lazily around mountain ranges while the Beas River (ब्यास नदी) flowed alongside the roads like a quiet companion guiding travellers forward. After a refreshing morning coffee and tea break, a sudden burst of energy took over the entire group. Someone started humming a tune, another joined in, and soon the bus transformed into a moving musical gathering. Antakshari, old Bollywood songs, ghazals, and endless singing continued for almost three and a half hours. Laughter echoed through the bus as even the other passengers began enjoying this unexpected free entertainment, smiling, listening, and occasionally joining in with songs of their own.

Nobody could resist taking photographs. Yet, some landscapes are impossible to capture completely because mountains are not merely visual experiences; they are emotional experiences. That morning, everyone understood why people repeatedly return to the Himalayas despite discomfort, cold, and physical exhaustion. Anyways Soon we reached the stop and from there the camp guys escorted us to campsite.

Reaching the campsite felt magical. The tents, the flowers, the arrangements, the cold air, the food, and the mountains surrounding the camp together created an atmosphere that felt both raw and comforting. The simplicity of mountain life slowly began replacing the urgency of city life.

That evening, after tea, a practice trek towards Shabri Temple was organised. The trek was not merely physical preparation. It became social and emotional preparation as well. People who had met only recently slowly began becoming comfortable with one another. Formal introductions disappeared naturally because mountains remove social formality faster than cities ever can.

The evenings around the campsite became one of the most beautiful aspects of the journey. Every participant carried a completely different story of life. Different struggles, different strengths, different professions, and different emotional journeys somehow found space around the same fire and under the same sky.

Among all these conversations, the experiences shared by Bimla Negi Aunty deeply inspired everyone. Her stories reflected a truth often forgotten in modern life — adventure has very little to do with age and everything to do with spirit. And finally the time to say Goodnight came and we all departed towards our tents.

Night brought another first-time experience for many participants: sleeping bags. For some of us, including me, they felt simultaneously funny and uncomfortable. Getting inside them itself seemed like an adventure. Yet perhaps that discomfort symbolised the beginning of adaptation. Adventure starts exactly where familiar comfort ends.