Why trek solo ?

"Why trek at all?" might be the initial question.

I have always felt that trekking/hiking has a healing factor. It distracts you from the possibly stale life you have. Now, you might be the happiest person in the world with all the riches, great friends, wife/husband, stable job, cars and .. an endless list of things.

You might have all of that or some of that. Regardless, it goes stale.
Your mind craves for new stimulus.

Taking a hike up the mountains provides that stimulus and more.
You meet new people who are often very different from the kinds you know.
New cultures, customs, traditions, routines.

I personally find meeting new people a very refreshing experience. Especially, the people who are far cut off from the urban life.
Imagine, not knowing what traffic, pollution, crowded roads is like.
It is life, as it was meant to be.


Trekking Solo

Trekking or even traveling solo has many dangers. Mostly, it all circles around "Safety concerns".
Which is truly legit.
Something unfortunate happens and you can already hear the people talking about "How he/she never listens", "He/she asked for it" and a lot more.

Most people have a very negative opinion about solo trekkers. I have personally got compliments ranging from - "Lunatic" to "Self absorbed" myself.


I think there is a need for a declaration of intent.

Going solo is more about finding yourself. Finding who you really are.
Finding what people call "soul".

The most rewarding experience is to get to be yourself.
In our daily lives, how often do we get to express ourselves the way we want?
Aren't we too concerned or bogged down by the societal expectations, with people judging us by our actions ?
We think we're free but we're really mostly in chains. 


Trust me, It takes a lot of courage to pack your bags and head out on your own.
In the initial days of my solo escapades, I used to not eat properly the day I used to leave for my journey out of sheer anxiety.
And when you finally muster up the courage, the negative words of people ring in your ears like a warning siren. Your heart beat races up thinking about the feasibility of all the bad things that can happen.  It pulls you back. Your backpack is heavier and its not just due to gravity anymore.

How do you leave then ?

"Leap of faith"

Being mindful of all the negative possibilities is good. It keeps you on your toes and alert for any danger.
But what really makes it happen is looking at the light at the end of the tunnel.
You don't run a race with your head hanging back, you run it with it pointing ahead!

Case in point

And once you do manage to leave, everything feels light. That feeling of embarking on your personal journey is soul satisfying and brings out the best in you.

This gets amplified once you're really in the mountains. A simple activity like walking is a life enriching experience, one that you will keep with you for the rest of your life.
It becomes a part of you.

You get a high level view of what your life looks like. Not just because of the increased altitude but because you're no longer in that maze called routine life.
If you look hard enough, you can even find the way ahead in that maze.
Simple solutions to problems you thought will rule you for the rest of your life. 

Perspective, I believe is the word. 

Being a solo trekker, you learn to deal with situations on the fly.
When there's nobody to rely on, you rely on yourself.
When you rely on yourself, you adapt and learn things you otherwise may not.

So, there are two persons.

The one who was filled with anxiety while leaving the door of his house, filled with doubt, filled with regret and apprehensions.

versus 

The other who has conquered all those feelings and feels like a conqueror. Buoyed by increased confidence and faith in himself/herself. Possessing the knowledge of what he/she's capable of.

The one who returns is the one who's liberated.

And that alone, makes it worth it.