1. The Himalayan Trek

2. Organized in collaboration with the Exnora Naturalist’s Club, Bharat Dharshan and Trek India, our school Vidya Estancia took 27 among us along with our teachers- Mrs. Uma Maheshwari , Mrs. Meenakshi , Ms. Sai Priya , Mr. Bhaskar and Mr. Manigandan on a trek to the Himalaya during the summer vacation for 14 days. We would like to convey our heartfelt thanks to our Principal, Mrs. Maheshwari Natrajan who took tremendous efforts to initiate this trek.

3. Being in the state of fever pitch, our journey began on 22nd April by a night train GT Express at 7:15 pm. We started the journey with a mixed feeling of thrill , excitement , happiness and curiosity. We too had a great time with our friends discussing about the trek.

4. 23rd April
We spent the day in the train doing a variety of things including singing , chatting , playing truth or dare , eating , listening to music , taking selfies , watching movies and so on. The school provided food with the help of Travelkhana. To sum up, the day was exciting!

5. 24th April
We reached Delhi early in the morning and were received by Mr. Era.Meyappan , the advisor of Trek India. He led us to a hotel named Karat 87 located in he heart of the Delhi city to refresh. Each 5 among us shared a room which was more than comfortable. After our breakfast , we began our sightseeing.

6. The first place to visit was the tallest brick minaret in the world- Qutub Minar, the history of which dates back to the 1200s. The remarkable part was the iron pillar which has the uniqueness of being unrusted. Exploring every inch of the monument was mind blowing. We took loads of pictures of it.

7. The next stop was at Akshardam , the world’s biggest comprehensive temple which displays a millennia of traditional Indian culture, architecture and spirituality. Firstly, we walked into Sahajanand Dharshan or the hall of values. It exhibited honesty, unity and peace through a series of exhibits using animatronic figures, scenic representations and short videos.

8. We had the wonderful experience of watching giant screen film which showed us the journey of Neelkanth who explored the deepest gorges of the Himalaya and the ride in the cultural boat for 12 minutes which made us sail through the Vedic era.
We ended refreshing half day sight seeing by 4:00 pm and left Delhi by Volvo bus to Himachal. Delhi was a clean and beautiful city. The reason behind its singularity is its valuable history. We were very happy since we were able to learn in depth, about our culture, history and values within half a day ‘s time in the Metro city.

9. 25th April
We arrived at the base camp Naggar (5800 feet) early in the morning and were received by Mr. Rajeev Sharma, the director of Trek India and listened to his motivating speech.
Later, our instructor, Mr. Nanak Chand took us to the nearby temple of Lord Krishna. It was believed that Arjuna had sown a seed in this temple which was given by Lord Krishna. Thus, the fruits of this tree were not plucked by anyone living here.
We ended the day with exciting activities and exercises to acclimatise us.

10. 26th April
We started the day with morning exercises and game named Tom and Jerry.
After the breakfast, we involved ourselves with extreme excitement in doing activities such as rappeling and river crossing. To complete these tasks the person needs to be determined and should have concentration.
In the evening, our instructors Mr. Jagdev and Mr. Meyappan explained us the Do‘s and Don’ts to be followed during the trek. They also explained how to pack a rucksack and some precautionary methods to prevent diseases.

11. 27th April
At last, the day had come! We began our trek to Kankaradi (approx 7000 feet) at 8:00 am with packed lunch and some snacks. We had to walk for 8 km approximately. We reached our destination by 4:00 pm. The route led through a thick forest which provided a beautiful view of the hills and the snow clad peaks. The evening was cool and breezy. The instructor, Mr. Khem, taught us how to use a sleeping bag which helped us survive the cold. The day ended with merriment along the camp fire.

12. 28th April
We resumed our trek after a small prayer at 8:00 am to Chaklani (approx 10,4000 feet) through Chandrakani pass. During the 5km trek, we learnt values like helping each other , maintaining peace , to adjust , and to enjoy every minute. We were inspired by the people who live there without much facilities . We reached our destination by noon and relaxed till the next day.

13. 29th April
We spent the day playing in snow! We went to Dhanna Kunnu (11,700 feet) and returned to Chaklani the same day. We had great fun with our friends and ended up wetting our shoes and gloves .

14. 30th April
After clearing our tent, we started to descend down to the base camp Naggar through the beautiful meadows and the forest of oak and pine. We reached by noon exhausted!
1st May
We spent the day in Manali. Firstly, We went to Solang valley. We took a picture wearing the traditional dress of Manali.

15. Then we visited Hathimba devi temple Vashishta hot springs
Then we visited Hathimba devi temple Vashishta hot springs. We didn’t miss out savoring the famous trout fish and momos! We returned to the base camp after some shopping at Manali. We bought key chains and pen stands as a souvenir.

16. 2nd May
We got ready and packed our things to depart. After the vote of thanks, we left manali by volvo bus. We were sent off by Mr. Naresh Sharma, the other director of trek india.
3rd May
We reached Delhi in the morning and were transferred to the hotel to refresh. We got ready for shopping. In the night we left Delhi by TN Express along with the Himalaya carried in our hearts.

17. We reached Chennai on 5th May, with the sweet memories carried in our hearts…
We once again thank our principal who had taken a great risk to send for such a long days. It was a life long memorable experience which created a lasting impact in our hearts. We learnt how to be helpful, minimize our needs, to lead a peaceful life , being organized and so on. This trek would not have been possible without Mr. Rajeev Sharma, Mr. Naresh Sharma, Mr. Era. Meyappan, our instructors – Mr. Nanak Chand , Mr. Khem, Mr. Honey, Mr. Jagdev , Ms. Suma , Ms. Sakunthaladevi and the cooks. We thank the almighty and our parent’s prayers which kept us safe till we reached our respective homes. Our special thanks and love to our teachers who substituted our parents for a fortnight.

18. THANK YOU