Saturday, December 3, 2011

Himalayan Heights

On Tuesday morning our group bid farewell to the NHPC to start on a trekking adventure in the beautiful Himalayan Mountains. Mr. Dami’s son, Nitin, an experienced and ever so patient guide led us on a five hour, uphill climb. I consider myself to be relatively fit individual, but I quickly learned that the Gold’s Gym stair stepper did not come close in comparison to the trails we forged that day. It was incredible to walk through wooded trails and come across Sheppard homes along the way. According to Nitin, there are often several families who live in the Sheppard homes, which also house cows, sheep, and other animals. These families are self-sustaining for the most part, as Chamba town is a good two or three hour trek down the mountain.

When we arrived at our destination the view was absolutely breathtaking. Nitin and his crew had set up two and three man tents overlooking range after range of Himalayan mountains. We spent the night eating a warm dinner of PASTA with tomato sauce among the usual Indian feast, it was quite a treat. After dinner we drank hot chocolate and sat talking around a bonfire. Though I absolutely loved being able to spend time with the amazing kids in the schools and ashrams, the night we spent in the Himalayans was one I will never forget.

Abbie Jensen

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