2	Abode of Gods
the sight of rolling mists of enveloping valleys in a pall of
vapour. This land of fact and fables has been described as the
abode of Gods and Goddesses; in fact what Palestine is to the
Christian and Mecca to a Muslim, likewise Uttarakhand is to
a Hindu—the home of the great Gods which hold the way to
final liberation.
There may be dozens of reasons why people come to the
Himalayas, since time immemorial but the most appropriate
seems, as a guide said, that he is fully alive on the mountains.
Others do it because they want to escape from society either
in search of spiritual longings or for their sheer fascination
for solitude. Some take to trekking and mountaineering to test
their physical endurance and to be free and breathe fresh air.
Companionship is a strong motivation too, because the pilgrims,
tourists, trekkers and even mountaineers stay in close touch
and this chance for lasting friendship lifts climbing above
other sports because society tends to make human relation-
ships superficial, mountaineering deepens them since 'shared
adversity has a lot to do.' Another reason is that human mate-
rial for climbing attracts substantial men. In fact, there is a
clique of super climbers who starve for new vistas of vision,
strange people and new peaks, seeking unclimbable and for
this purpose spend nights roped together on sheer wall bivou-
ces or snug in a bed roll under constant discomfort of falling
ice and snow on the high Himalayas. Indeed this is a different
treed of visitors to the Himalayas.
The trekker meets through his mind's eye new civilizations,
inhabited by strange people who practice different trades and
indulge in uncommon traits of socio-economic behaviour. The
entire phenomenon is baffling. The disire to see strange cul-
tures holds irresistible attraction.
Trekking as a sport
Like all other sports, trekking is a safe sport, provided you
are well equipped and know what you are doing. It strips
character to the bones. A few minutes in a camp or on a rock
can tell you more about a man's character than five consecu-
tive cocktail parties or continued sessions of gay games in a
,disco. On a ledge, no one can fake anything. Words hardly