|
Trekking is undoubtedly of value to physical fitness but its aim is not to produce atheletes. It is an activity which should develop real love for the mountain regions and appreciation of their grandeur. Trekking leads to a closer interest in plants, trees, birds and animals, indeed in all the form of nature studies. It inculcates the virtue of sacrifice, the value of physical exertion sometimes to the limit of endurance, and above all, the spirit of comradeship. A sense of adventure adds excitement towards the fulfillment of the goal. Trekking is an art which any healthy and young-minded person can learn at any age. It is always best to start early in life to get the most out of it. Trekking does not demand great strength or immense wealth but merely a desire and willingness to accept certain rough with the smooth. Once this habit is initiated, one soon learns that in order to enjoy it more he/she must minimize his/her wants during the trek. Yet there is no compromise with safety. Mere survival is not the freedom of the hills. There is no greater oppressor than wild nature in the raw.
A sound trekker is a mind full of his/her own minimum
needs. Trekking inculcates qualilities of self-reliance, being fit and
willingness to help. A trekker therefore, carries on his back - in
miniature - his entire home, bed, kitchen and other needs during the
trek. To achieve a sense of freedom the trekker must give up certain
comforts and avoid burdening himself with the non essentials, as for
the trekker has no other power of locomotion than his own legs. He
learns the campcraft to make himself comfortable outdoors. |
 |