Living up the phrase that ‘age is just a number’ are these twelve gritty women mountaineers who are on a 4,977km long trek from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh. All are between 52 to 68 years of age and are walking under the banner 'FIT@50+ Women's Trans Himalayan Expedition 2022. The five month long expedition has been organized by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation and is in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Senior representatives from the Tata group and ministry of sports flagged off the expedition from New Delhi on March8 at a ceremony held at Taj Palace hotel. The expedition is headed by Bachendari Pal, the legendary mountaineer and first Indian women to summit Mt. Everest. At 68 she is also the senior most.
The group arrived in Dibrugarh by a Vistara flight and from there they travelled further to Jairampur in Arunachal Pradesh. The expedition began on March 12 from Pangsau Pass on the Bhutan border. “Earlier plan was to start from Bomdila and cross through Bhutan as this is a Trans Himalayan expedition. But due to Covid restrictions for foreigners in Bhutan we didn’t get permission,” Bimla Negi Deoskar told me while speaking on phone.
As the women walk through the North East states, the army is accompanying them all along the route which too has been changed for various reasons by the army. “There are security concerns and also the threat of wild animals as the original route meanders through thick jungles. We have been advised to follow the route which is now being planned by the army and disclosed to us just two days in advance,” Bimla says. Army personnel from the Maratha, Gurkha, Madras regiments are walking with them or following them in their vehicle.
Each day the group covers 20-23 kms on foot. They start at around 4am and walk for eight hours and try to reach their destination by noon. After 19 days they have walked 380kms. Currently they are walking on roads crisscrossing the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, W. Bengal and Sikkim. “This is the simple part of the expedition and is not as thrilling for us as we are all mountaineers and used to difficult terrains,” says Bimla about the group which has three Everest summiteers among them and the rest are also stalwarts having summited some of the most difficult peaks in India and abroad. “We are meeting a lot of people on the way, visiting schools and interacting with groups of senior citizens and women and speaking about fitness, health, hygiene and even deaddiction,” says Bimla and adds that the star speaker is their leader Bachendari Pal as people want to know of her experiences and listen to her. (click on the link to follow their journey) https://instagram.com/bimladeoskar?utm_medium=copy_link
A mountaineering expedition is a tough call as members have to carry their belongings, rations and other stuff on their back, they have to set up tents and cook their meals at places where they halt. “But so far army has made excellent arrangements for us at distances where we stop to rest and have a meal. We are also not carrying any stuff as a truck is following us with it” informs Bimla. Though they are walking light yet many have had blisters and swollen feet. “Our spirits are high but there is no denying that with age our body too has had its wear and tear. Many of us have knee and spine problems and when we reach our destination we soak our feet in warm water and take as much rest as possible,” informs Bimla.
Once the women enter Sikkim through Darjeeling in W. Bengal the terrain will change and they will be taking smaller narrow mud paths and climbing uphill. They will also be crossing 37 mountain passes on their way across the trek.
The women had prepared extensively for a month before starting on their journey and had regained fitness with exercise routines. “I feel I have returned to those early nineties,” says 55 year old Chetna Sahoo from West Bengal who is an Everest summiteer. “We are pushing our limits and it’s a great feeling when we are able to stick to our schedule and cover the distance well in time. Being an experienced mountaineer is a big help here as we have all learned well from our mistakes and are more mature. At our age diet too is light so we refuel ourselves with dry fruits, plenty of water and simple traditional local food,” she adds.
Besides promoting fitness, another dimension of this expedition is national integration and getting to know the people of North East and mountains. Even the twelve members of the group are drawn from different states like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. “This is a great opportunity for us to learn about the cultural diversity of India. We are eating local cuisine and observing the style of dressing and the culture of these North Eastern states. It is so beautiful and sparsely populated. We go to a new place every day and are feeling very rooted and blessed,” says Chetna.
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