The first trek of our life should always be our best moment.

Just visited your friend’s social media page/timeline and you are awestruck by his photographs from last weekend? Planning to try something similar? Planning first trek can be tricky.

I have chalked out some of the basics.

Here is the list of the things you need to take care of.

Fitness levels:

• Firstly know your fitness level. Because you are the best person to understand your body more than anyone else.
• If required visit a doctor.
• Remember there is a difference between trek and tour.
• Tourists go out for picnics and are relatively safer. Trekking requires discipline and endurance.

Deciding the location:

• Never plan to go for any trek just because someone else is and are posting some breathtaking photographs.
• Always start with easier treks first.
• It’s advisable to go for someplace closer to the city as a beginner. Your first trek should ease your body into the fitness levels required.

Deciding on the Company:

• In case you are going with a trekking group, make sure you get all the info about them and share their info with your family members.
• Ask questions like the number of participants, number of trek leads, difficulty levels etc. Refrain from going with groups who have more than 30 participants per group. Also make sure the participant trek leads is 10:1 at the most.
• In case you are going with a group of friends, it’s always advisable to hire a guide and always stick together.

(In most of my treks I have come across a lost group of friends. They are either without guides or their friends were too fast and they are left behind)

Things to be carried:

• Lunch and Some ready to eat food. Plum cakes, Biscuits etc
• A bottle of water (at least 2 Ltrs)
• Towel, a napkin, Extra Pair of clothes
• Windcheater, blankets
• Good trekking shoes & Torch (compulsory)
• A haversack to put all your things, so that your hands are free (avoid sling bags)
• Camera (Optional)
• First Aid Kit
• Electral/Tang powder/Glucon-D

Trek Uniform:

• Wear good shoes with grip. ( I have seen people losing sole of their shoes every other trek)
• Carry Extra chappals
• Always wear comfortable clothes as per the season.
• Don’t be shy of sun hats, caps, glasses, windcheater etc. (
• There are places with biting insects, avoid shorts in those places.

Avoid

• Wearing Gold and other ornaments. (You don’t want to be concentrating on many things during your first trek)
• Drinking and Smoking or any kind of intoxication.
• Going alone.
• Tight clothes and lose shoes.
• Trying risky patches.

Remember, trekking is not a race so never compete. The accomplishment is completing the trek safely and not early.

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