Summing Up 2022

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Perhaps with the coming of age or far too many adventures, my memory is getting foggier day by day or rather year by year. 2022 came and went into and out of my life just like any of you and though I vaguely recall doing tons of stuff in 4 continents and around a dozen countries the details escape me. Hence this would be a very short post, highlighting only the highlights so to speak.

 

I do not remember where or with who I was on last New Year’s Day. Though I was surely somewhere in Europe. And I must have been either in the mountains or in august company of beautiful women. On my birthday I was snow shoe hiking with my sister through the hills (I certainly cannot call them mountains) of Austria and Liechtenstein. We made water from snow, drank tea, thanked each other and had a jolly good time. Thereafter I popped over across the Atlantic and did something that I had never done before. A road trip through the US along with a friend, in which I actually did majority of the driving. The car was huge, 4X4 and had the best suspension and personalizing options. We must have driven over 15000 miles, of which I must have clocked nearly 9000. I didn’t even know that I could drive. Not to mention on the right side of the road or gunning at 90miles ph through desolate landscapes. I didn’t get hauled up, no tickets and no road crashes. And I didn’t even have a driving license. Back to Europe in May I did plenty of hikes and climbs through some of my favorite mountains in Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, etc. out of which for the first time I went to the northernmost Romania border with Ukraine and discovered an amazing maze of pristine villages and generous people. A side trip to Turkey guiding on Ararat followed by the Kackar Mountain range near the Black Sea, which was certainly the highlight of my Turkey trip. Also covered several hundred km on the Lycian Trail. Then a quick trip to Kili guiding on a full moon climb.

 

My Euro trip of 2022 concluded with hiking with my sister on her birthday through the spectacular hills of Liechtenstein, and this was unique because for the first time in a single year, she and I spend our respective birthdays together. I flew back to India in particular to attend one of my shepherd frieind’s daughter’s marriage in the mountains as I had promised her that I won’t miss her marriage. So not only I attended her marriage but several others in the village as it was marriage season. To counter all the food, I had to hike like crazy each day. Just a day before the New Year, snow sprinkled from above over my village painting everything white and what a site that was for my eyes. From a snowy slope I bid goodbye to 2022 and welcomed 2023 staying far above and away from the world.


In 2022 something extraordinary happened after I returned to India. I visited the same spot where I had stood 54 years ago with my father at the age of 4 and had seen the Greater Himalaya for the first time. It's called China or Naina Peak, a viewpoint near Pangot Village around 15 km from Nainital. And there met a musical couple. And I featured in their music video (something entirely unique for me). Here's the link to that Music Video


So what did I gain in 2022? As always new friends, new exciting adventures including several for the first time in my life, new trails to hike and discovering that how much more I must travel for the world is full of unknown and unseen places and infinite possibilities. Now if you wonder why this post is being posted nearly 10 days into the New Year then I must say that I have been busy. Now I would look forward to an exciting 2023. I wish you all more adventures, more unseen vistas, further insights into your own self and as always RRR – reduce, recycle and reuse.

 

See you all on top.

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