c u on top - satyabrata dam

This was the toughest list to come up with since the choices were countless and I could include 100 treks of equal merit. But limitations are good since it then narrows down the field to something manageable. To be absolutely unbiased and fair to the entire world, I have therefore selected an odd number like 18 treks. This would represent three treks for each of the six continents, leaving Antarctica out of the field since even a walk of few hundred meters anywhere in this continent ranks among the best. Since I have a list of top ten treks in the Indian Himalaya, my real backyard, no treks from Indian Himalaya is included in this list, though there are a few that would definitely rank among the top treks in the world. Asia is a vast continent with magnificent mountain landscape and innumerable hikes through them and to offer a wider selection I have included only one trek from the Himalaya (which is most unfair).  Even I had a hard time reconciling to this self-imposed restrictio...

I normally cover this under Camping and Expedition guidelines but over the years I have realized that it is often a neglected feature in most hiking trips in the mountains, especially those that are supported by commercial agencies. In such groups the members (clients) do not bother at all about what is happening to the garbage that they are producing each day. Since an outside manager or group in-charge who is being paid by them, is present, the clients per se feel that the manager knows his job and is doing what is needed. I would construe this as a negligent behavior and unwillingness to take responsibilities. The impact of your presence in nature upon nature must be your equal responsibility if not more than the service provider since it is you for whom he is doing it. It baffles me to observe that most of the so called commercial support agencies do not abide by the strict norms and guidelines that have now been laid by all local administrative authorities in terms of garbage disp...

Dear Friends, if you are a regular visitor to my blog then it is safe to presume that you do have some amount of interest in venturing into the outdoors and wilderness; cerebrally perhaps if not always physically. You might also be venturing into the real outdoors where survival might often be a direct outcome of your own actions and the gear that you carry with you. Far from civilization or any mortal help it is wise to be prepared for the unknown, for that uncertain factor that even the best laid plans cannot rule out. I always have a ready backpack in my home along with a ready survival pouch. I just replenish the contents as and when they get consumed or else expire due to shelf life. But never would you find even a single content missing from my packs, even when I am at home. Well, I am an extreme outdoor person and I always expect and am ready for a disaster. Like I often say that with me around, you are safe from any kind of disaster including nuclear fallout. I do exaggerate ab...

Genesis of this post lies in an evening several years back in Mumbai. I had just delivered a talk on my climbs and as I came down from the stage a group of people surrounded me with their smiles and greetings. Once the crowd thinned marginally I noticed a young couple, shy and hesitant, hovering at the periphery looking at me expectantly. The beautiful lady was visibly pregnant. Our eyes met and I smiled back and they stepped forward. While shaking my hand, she asked, ‘Can I go to the mountains?’ And the husband mumbled, ‘You know…’ I nodded knowingly. But in reality, ‘I did not know, I still do not know.’ I have no idea if a pregnant lady can go to the mountains. I have no recollection now of what I had said then but what I do remember was my complete amazement at the lady’s desire and spirit and her husband’s willingness to share her dreams. At a time when most women would stay put at home surrounded by near and dear ones opting to be pampered this woman here actually wanted to visit...

Hi friends after three days of seeking inputs regarding what kind of posts would you wish me to write, I have collected nearly two dozen requests and suggestions through FB and email. To summarize all of them of which many were similar though differently worded, I would write the following posts in the coming days: (a) my top 10 climbs of South America (b) how can a beginner plan, prepare, train and start going into the mountains (c) wild life encounters (d) my extreme adventures from lesser known spots on Earth Of those that I cannot encompass in a post I would like to mention the one from Nadya who wanted me to write about an experience that I would want to be the base of a documentary. There’s only one experience of mine that can justify this and that’s my walk across the entire length of Africa at the age of 18. It is too vast and mindboggling an experience to be put in a post. I would be coming out with a book on that and it can surely be made into a Hollywood thriller. As for Kar...