They had heard exciting tales of trekking in the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, but were apprehensive whether they could embark upon one such expedition in view of the freezing temperatures and alien terrain.

But, a total of 27 women from different parts of Karnataka successfully pulled it off by completing a trekking expedition to Mount Baradasar Pass in the Himalayas recently.

Adventure groups Tiger Adventure Foundation (TAF) and Mountain Goat organised a trekking expedition to the Himalayas exclusively for women. During the fortnight-long expedition, the women – between 13 and 65 years of age – passed through various camps in the Himalayas before reaching the summit of Mount Baradasar Pass situated at a height of 14,500 ft on the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

TAF’s D.S.D. Solanki, an adventure enthusiast, who has been organising trekking expeditions for more than two decades, said the recent expedition to Baradasar Pass by women was the first of its kind in the adventure history of Karnataka. After undergoing endurance training for three weeks, the trekkers – hailing from Shivamogga, Madikeri, Hassan, Chickaballapur, Mysuru and Bengaluru – assembled in Mysuru and left for the expedition on April 17. They reached Dehradun on April 20, where acclimatisation and orientation programmes were held at the Sankri base camp.

For Anitha Arunakshi, a housewife, who had only seen hailstones accompany rains in Mysuru, the huge hailstorm that rocked Dhal Dhal Ridge camp during the expedition was an experience of a lifetime. The entire camp site turned white after the hailstorm, she said. In Devabasa camp, the trekkers experienced large amount of snowfall, submerging them in knee-deep snow. “With snow all around, it was bliss,” said Pratibha Garla, a dentist from Mysuru.

The trekkers reached the summit of Baradasar Pass on April 26 at 10.38 a.m. and hoisted the national tricolour. They spent a few minutes on the peak enjoying breathtaking visuals of different mountain peaks, besides the valleys.

The team returned to Mysuru on May 2.

Suma Mahesh, past president, Inner Wheel Club, Mysore Central, said she was able to complete the expedition and experience the thrill of trekking after overcoming her initial apprehensions.

Riya Solanki, 13, who recently trekked to the Everest Base camp situated at a height of 17,590 ft, was another member of the camp.

Before embarking on the expedition, the trekkers, whose team was named ‘Nari Shakti’, took part in Josh Run and took out an awareness rally on voting rights in Mysuru.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – June 06th, 2018