Forty Treks and Counting

My Journey From Laka Glacier to the Sahyadris

“My first real climb broke me a little. I went back to the same mountain three times until it had taught me everything I needed, and only then did I feel ready for the rest.”

Everyone who climbs has an origin story, the trek that turned a casual interest into something that would shape the rest of their life. Mine has a name and a place: the Laka Glacier, high in the Dhauladhar range above McLeodganj in Himachal Pradesh. I arrived there as an unprepared beginner and came back changed, and then, unusually, I came back twice more on purpose. That glacier became my training ground, my classroom, and the foundation for more than forty treks across India since. This is the story of that journey, and the mountains that built me along the way.

Where It Began: Laka Glacier and the Climb That Humbled Me

The trek to Laka Glacier runs up through Triund from McLeodganj, climbing through forests of oak, rhododendron, and deodar to a snowline at around 3,200 metres in the shadow of the Dhauladhar peaks. On paper it is graded easy to moderate. To the version of me who first attempted it, underprepared and overconfident, it felt like neither.

I remember the exhaustion hitting far earlier than I expected, the way my lungs worked harder as the air thinned past Triund, the slipperiness of the final approach to the glacier where the trail turns rocky and steep. I made it, but barely, and not gracefully. What stayed with me afterwards was not the triumph of reaching the snow. It was the humbling realisation of how little I actually knew. I had treated a real mountain casually, and the mountain had quietly corrected me.

Most people would tick Laka off their list and move on to a new trek. I did the opposite. That first climb had shown me exactly how much I had to learn, and I decided the honest thing to do was go back and learn it properly, on the same ground that had humbled me.

Why I Returned to the Same Mountain Three Times

There is a quiet wisdom in repetition that the rush to collect new summits tends to miss. Returning to Laka Glacier again and again, I learned things the first attempt had hidden from me.

• I learned to read my own body. Going back let me feel exactly how altitude affected me, how to pace my breathing on the thin-air sections, and how to manage my energy so I was not wrecked before the hard part. You cannot learn that from a single frantic climb.
• I learned the craft on familiar ground. Laka Got, near the glacier, is a place where trekkers practise snow craft, walking on snow slopes and reading icy terrain. Practising those skills somewhere I already knew, rather than on unfamiliar ground, let me focus on the technique instead of the fear.
• I learned what preparation actually means. Each return, I came better equipped, better trained, and better planned, and each time the same mountain felt different because I had changed. The trail was my measuring stick. My progress was written in how Laka treated me.

By the third visit, the mountain that had once broken me felt like an old teacher. I was not conquering it. I was graduating from it. And that foundation, built through deliberate repetition rather than restless novelty, is what made everything that followed possible.

“The mountains do not reward the people who rush to collect them. They reward the ones patient enough to go back and truly learn.”

From One Glacier to Forty Treks Across India

With the Dhauladhar foundation under me, I began to range widely, and the variety of Indian terrain became my ongoing education. Here are the treks, peaks, forts, and climbing spots that have shaped my journey, region by region.

The Himalayan and Northern Roots

Triund and Laka Glacier, Himachal Pradesh. Where it all began, and the trek I have walked more than any other. The Dhauladhar foundation that taught me altitude, pacing, and snow craft.

Vaishno Devi, Jammu & Kashmir. A climb of a different character, as much a pilgrimage as a trek, where the steady uphill rhythm and the press of fellow travellers taught me about endurance and shared purpose on the trail.

Manki Point, Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh. A sharp, characterful hilltop with sweeping views, a reminder that not every rewarding climb has to be a multi-day expedition.

The Sahyadris: My Second Home

If Laka Glacier was where I was born as a trekker, the Sahyadris of Maharashtra are where I grew up. These rugged Western Ghat ranges, made for monsoon trekking, became my regular proving ground.

Kalsubai Peak, Maharashtra. The highest peak in Maharashtra, often called the Everest of the state. Summiting Kalsubai was a milestone that proved the Laka foundation had truly taken hold, a long, rewarding climb to a commanding summit.

Salher Fort, Maharashtra. One of the highest fort treks in the Sahyadris, layered with history and demanding on the legs. Fort treks like this taught me to read old stone routes as well as natural trails.

Malshej Ghat, Maharashtra. A mountain pass that comes alive in the monsoon with mist and waterfalls, and one of the most atmospheric places I have ever walked. Beautiful, slick, and a sharp lesson in monsoon caution.

Sahyadri ranges, Maharashtra. Beyond the named peaks, the broader Sahyadris became my training landscape, the place I returned to again and again to keep my skills sharp and to lead newcomers on their first real climbs.

Gujarat’s Hills, Forts, and Forests

Closer to my own base, Gujarat offered a surprising variety of terrain that many overlook, and it became a rich part of my trekking map.

Pavagadh and Mount Pavagadh, Gujarat. A historic hill of temples and fort ruins with a rewarding climb and panoramic views. A place I have returned to often, blending heritage with the pleasure of the ascent.

Idar Hill, Gujarat. A rocky, boulder-strewn hill that is excellent for scrambling and for practising the kind of rock movement that builds confidence for harder climbing.

Polo Forest, Gujarat. Trekking among ancient ruins wrapped in forest, a gentler, atmospheric kind of walking that proves adventure is not only about altitude.

Jambughoda and Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Gujarat. Wilder, forested terrain rich with wildlife, where the trekking is as much about quiet observation and respect for nature as it is about the climb.

Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat. The last home of the Asiatic lion, and a humbling reminder that we walk these landscapes as guests of the wild things that live there.

Gabbar Hill, Ambaji, Gujarat. A sacred hill with a steady climb and sweeping views, another trek where the spiritual and the physical journey run together.

The Southern and Deccan Trails

Travelling south opened up a completely different ecosystem, lush, layered, and green, and added some of my most satisfying climbs.

Tadiandamol, Karnataka. The highest peak in Coorg, a glorious green climb through shola forest and rolling grassland. One of my favourite southern treks and a place I have happily returned to.

Perumal Peak, Tamil Nadu. A rewarding hill climb in the south’s cool, fragrant ranges, offering the kind of quiet, less-crowded trail I have come to treasure.

Ananthagiri Hills, Telangana. Gentle, forested hills perfect for accessible trekking and for introducing beginners to the joy of walking in nature without overwhelming them.

Rajasthan and the Rock

Guru Shikhar, Rajasthan. The highest peak in the Aravalli range and in Rajasthan, a memorable high point with views stretching across Mount Abu. Standing on the Aravallis’ summit is a special kind of reward.

Toad Rock, Mount Abu, Rajasthan. A famous, characterful rock formation and a fun scramble, the kind of playful climbing that keeps the sport joyful.

Where I Train on Rock: CBD Belapur

CBD Belapur Rock Climbing, Navi Mumbai. Not a mountain but a craft school. The natural rock faces here are where I have spent countless hours practising and teaching rock climbing fundamentals, grip, balance, footwork, and the calm commitment a hard move demands. This is where much of my climbing instruction for newcomers happens, close to the city yet genuinely challenging.

What the Whole Journey Taught Me

Looking back across all of it, from that first humbling glacier to the forts of the Sahyadris and the hills of Gujarat, the lessons are remarkably consistent.

• Foundations beat shortcuts. Going back to Laka Glacier three times, instead of chasing new summits, is the single best decision I made as a trekker. Everything since stands on that patient foundation.
• Variety makes you complete. Himalayan snow, Sahyadri monsoon rock, Gujarat’s forts and forests, southern shola, Aravalli granite, each terrain taught me something the others could not. The breadth is the education.
• The mountain is always the teacher. Whether it humbled me or rewarded me, every climb had something to teach if I was humble enough to receive it. The day I think I have nothing left to learn is the day I become dangerous.
• Sharing it multiplies it. Leading newcomers up their first climbs and teaching them on the rock at Belapur has given the whole journey a meaning that solo summits never could. The best part of getting good at something is helping someone else begin.

The Trail Goes On

More than forty treks in, I am nowhere near done. There are peaks I have not touched, forts I have not climbed, and rock faces I have not yet read. But every one of them will be approached the way Laka Glacier taught me to approach a mountain: with preparation, with humility, and with the patience to learn whatever it has to teach. That first glacier broke me a little and then rebuilt me, and I have been grateful to it on every trail since.

If you are standing at the bottom of your own first big climb, exhausted and unsure, I want you to know that the humbling is not failure. It is the beginning. Go back if you need to. Learn the ground. Build the foundation. The mountains are patient teachers, and they have given me a lifetime of lessons, one climb at a time. I hope to meet some of you out on the trail.

“From a single glacier in the Dhauladhar to forty treks across India, the lesson never changed: prepare, stay humble, and let the mountain teach.”

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