Weather conditions change quickly in mountains, you need to respond equally well, become safe and continue enjoying the trek.
We urbanites are so preoccupied with our daily lives that we seldom have time to look up to the sky, unaware of the fact that we are missing some of the most beautiful & heavenly moments of our stay on this planet earth.
Sunrise & sunset, we can’t see because of the urban obstacles around us. We have to make a special effort to go and see them from vantage points. At night we are unable to see the stars because of the dispersed artificial light that illuminates our urban landscape.
With the changing seasons, the sky changes its texture from deep blue to grey to white and sometimes black. Nevertheless, on a clear day, you can enjoy the deep blue sky that is so soothing to the eyes. The morning and the evening sky become interesting if you have time to see the birds flying to their respective destinations, their calls music to the ears.
On a different day, one has to be a keen observer to see the different formations of the clouds. The formations have different names & characteristic and to some extent, you can forecast the weather conditions. It is as interesting as any other hobby.
However, when you are camping & trekking in the mountains, particularly the Himalayas, you are in for a wonderful experience with the clouds. Early in the morning at daybreak you will be greeted with a cloudless sky. You have the time to enjoy the sunrise and the glowing peaks around you. As the day warms up you can see the clouds rising slowly but majestically from the valley below and then for some time hanging around the tall peaks. As the day warms up further and the winds gather speed the clouds start drifting slowly to engulf the peaks, bringing down the curtains on the act one of the day.
You have had your breakfast and you are ready to trek for the day. As you gain height and look around you realize you are walking through the clouds. Sometimes it’s a whiteout and you can see nothing around you. If it gets windy you see and feel the clouds rushing past you, creating small openings for you to peek through them to see the trees and the ranges around you. You wonder what next!
By late afternoon you have trekked for the day. You are in the midst of setting up your camp. The tents are up, the Rucksacks are unpacked, and having changed your sweatshirts you come out of your tents to realize the sudden drop in temperature. The wind conditions have changed drastically. You grab your windproof jacket and come out again to look up and see the huge clouds hanging over your heads. You wonder at the shape, size, and density of those clouds and begin to guess whether it will rain or snow. Within minutes you are hit by a hail storm. No doubt you are stumped. You get back to the safety of your tent and come out after the storm has subsided to look at the ice-covered ground. The cloud cover has thinned; you can move around now and enjoy the nature’s bounty. The curtain has come down on the act two of the day.
The sun has gone down behind the mountain, the sky is blue again and the stars have started appearing in numbers. By the time you have warmed up with a bowl of soup your dinner is ready. After a hot and sumptuous dinner before you retire to your tent for the night you have another opportunity to look at the sky, this time not for the clouds but at the millions of stars. They appear to be so near, you feel like reaching out to them. Look for the Milky Way, the constellations and try to identify the north direction. Most admirably if you feel like penning a poem do it. You have romanced with the clouds and the stars, it’s worth romancing with the words.
Next time whenever you feel like going to the mountains do it the Outward Bound way.
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