Imagine you’re asked to run on a treadmill and breathe through a straw. Difficult, isn’t it? At 8848.86 meters, Mount Everest gives you just one third of the oxygen you’re taking in right now. So why would somebody risk going to a place where it’s hard to breathe, where the cold, frigid gusts of wind keep stinging your face? To know that, follow me as I take you through my journey from the sea to the sky, a journey to the top of the world. As a teenager, everybody dreams to accomplish new heights or achieve new feats. But I had a very simple goal: that is to climb the world’s highest mountain. When I looked into the mirror and told myself this thing, I just weighed 48 kg, probably 25 kg more of what I would have to carry on the mountain. But as they say, where there is a will, there is a way. So the will to climb the mountain would eventually subside any kind of difficulties or barriers that I would face. Reaching the summit of a mountain is a goal. But to get there, we need a plan. Often, the first step is the hardest, with thousands more to go. My first step was to beat my alarm clock and wake up at four a.m. However, once the entire day went on enthusiastically, all you need is a little push. That can be either your phone alarm, your mother shouting to wake you up, or the will to achieve your dreams. Gigantic Everest is not your everyday dream. You cannot simply decide to summit Mount Everest after watching a mind-blowing video on how to climb Everest. People become hesitant when they understand the severity of climbing the world’s highest mountain. Imagine that it is minus 10 degrees Celsius outside the tent, you’re enveloped by darkness, and oxygen level is low. Will it be easy to take the first step? It is better to break our ultimate goal into more feasible progressive goals and try to commit to the first step because in the end, we only regret the initial step that we didn’t take. I was in my last year of automobile engineering when I dropped out of college and pursued a course in mountaineering. That was my first step towards realizing my dream. For a healthy mindset, I meditated daily, followed by cycling, running, climbing staircases with heavy loads weighing up to 15 kg. The higher we climb the mountain, the thinner the air gets, so the best training for a climber would be to train vertically. For this purpose, I dedicated my weekends to climbing and hiking in the Sahyadris. Gear up. Now that we are physically well-equipped, it’s time we head towards what is considered the starting point for trekking to the base of Mount Everest. It was the fifth of April 2019 in the morning when we boarded a small flight for Lukla. It was raining, and Lukla is known for its shortest runway on a mountaintop. It is one of the world’s dangerous airports. As we reached midway, the flight started turbulating, and the pilot had to turn around a few minutes from landing. We witnessed a breathtaking scenario, with hearts pounding faster than the engine of the plane. What I learned from this is that death is inevitable; what we can do is to live a life we are proud of during a crisis. Take your time out. It is impossible to think clearly when you are submerged in fear and anxiety. We landed at Kathmandu Airport and started thinking about ways to reach Lukla to begin our journey. We waited for the bad weather to subside, and, after a few hours, hired a chopper that dropped us safely to Lukla. Now began the journey, following the footsteps of Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, which they took in 1953 to make the first-ever historic ascent of the mighty Mount Everest. The mountains were going to be my playground for the next few weeks. After eight days of hiking, me along with my teammates and sherpa reached the base camp of Everest, which is at an altitude of around 5200 meters. Many of us have fear of heights. Trust me: fear of heights will not preclude you from reaching a summit. You cannot overcome a fear unless you decide to face it, no matter how terrifying it is. As we reached the base camp, the first thing that we heard was a huge crumbling avalanche. Far from us, we could see a large mass of ice and snow sliding down a slope, speeding to hit the ground, engulfing everything that came between them at a speed more than 100 kilometers per hour approx, a sight that sent chills to our bones and gave us a reality check to be alert from now on. Placed on ice and rocks, there are tents. Staying at base camp was cold and windy. Now imagine this. Everything is pitch black. Away from all the luxuries, you have nestled yourself in your sleeping bags. But then the fracture of a weak snow layer causes an upper layer to collapse, making a whumpfing sound. What you just heard are multiple avalanches. All night, we heard huge avalanches, which fell as if explosions were happening around the tents. As we left for the higher camps, the team’s morale started to shake with difficulties and challenges endured. There were a hundred reasons to turn back and give up, but the one reason, the fire of passion, kept me going on. Eight thousand meters high now, you have entered what is called the dead zone. Even to be at that altitude, it takes longer than usual. At South Col, it’s super windy. When you’re resting in the tents, you can hear the winds roaring and hitting the tents so hard that at any moment, they could rip it apart or make it fly down thousands of feet below the mountain. Finally, on the 16th of May 2019 at 9:05 a.m., I reached the summit of Mount Everest. It was a dream come true. The last half an hour, as I was about to reach the top, was very emotional. I had a flashback of all the ups and downs in the journey, my family and friends who stood by me through thick and thin. I wished to cry with happiness, but knowing the fact that the tears would freeze and peel off my skin, I just let the feeling seep in. After controlling my emotions, I took the Indian flag and unfurled it with pride, standing between other climbers of the world. Immediately, I took a picture of my family that I had printed on a piece of flex and remembered their sacrifices and support that had been the force to lead me on this journey. Months of hustling in the gym, reading up about mountains, making sure we had the right clothing and equipment, all the planning and preparation that was required had finally paid off. Standing at the top of the world is the best feeling ever. From there, the sky is crystal clear and bright blue, the air is crisp and clean and spikes the back of your throat when you inhale, reminding you of what it’s like to be alive. Seeing nature in such magnificence and being able to experience it with all your senses is an unforgettable gift. I felt small amidst the power and glory of nature. Standing there with arms wide spread, you feel like screaming, “I can do anything; this is amazing.” Answering the question that I had asked you at the start, now do you think it was all worth it? The temperature along with the windchill factor was somewhere around minus 50 degrees Celsius, but the warmth of loved ones kept me going. After spending 27 minutes on the mountaintop, it was time to descend. It was one of the hardest decisions ever. Who would want to leave such a beautiful view? But it was important for me to return safely. Soon after reaching Camp Four and waiting for two days for the weather to clear, I set my eyes on the fourth highest peak, Mount Lhotse. On 21st of May 2019, I did it: I summited Mount Lhotse successfully, becoming the first Indian male climber to do so in six days. I was awarded the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for the year 2019, on the 29th of August 2020, on our National Sports Day, by the Honorable President Shri Ram Nath Kovind in the presence of Sports Minister, Shri Kiren Rijiju. Throughout the journey, I found a new sense of courage, clarity, direction and a purpose in life. If you go by data, the death rate of individuals is five percent. This means for every twenty five people that have summited, one person has died. Someone once told me, every dead body that lies on the mountain was once a motivated soul. I find myself lucky to have lived a safe and successful life in the mountains. Looking down at the bottomless crevasses is scary, but do you know what is scarier? Not being able to defy obstacles, not being able to walk out of the storm. Because life is full of hindrances, but the one who emerges out fighting against his storm is the real victor. So, if you are like me who gets bewitched by the mountain peaks and the marvelous views they hold, start climbing your mountain. Everybody has their own Everest in life. All you need is to find and walk through the right path that leads you through your mountain. The qualities are already within us. The only catch is to put them to test and excel.
