Usha, her father Prakash and her brother Diwakar (L-R).
Credit: Special Arrangement
Mumbai: In a rare coincidence and achievement an 11-year-old girl and her 16-year-old brother from Uttarakhand, along with their father, have successfully traversed the formidable Bali Pass, one of the most-challenging Himalayan treks.
This high-altitude Himalayan trek, peaking at 16,200 feet, was no small feat, but the family emerged triumphant after a thrilling seven-day journey through the Govind Pasu Vihar National Park in the Garhwal Himalayas, culminating in their arrival at Yamunotri.
The family hails from Nainital, the Himalayan resort town in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state.
The father Prakash Pathak works in a private school, while his daughter Usha is a class 7 student at Mohan Lal Sah Bal Vidya Mandir, Nainital and his son Diwakar is a class 10 student at Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Haldwani.
The sister-brother duo and their father completed the trek together during the first fortnight of June.
Their adventure was expertly organised by Mountbuzz Pvt Ltd, a mountain-focused tour operator.
“With the right attitude, everything is possible. We want to make adventure safely and easily available to people of all ages, in a sustainable way. Through our outbound training programs, high-altitude expeditions, and trekking, we are trying to water the plants from an early age, by unlocking new doors of opportunities in the outdoors,” Aritra Mahapatra, a trek leader and certified mountaineer, Mountbuzz Pvt Ltd, told DH over phone.
Mahapatra is an alumni of Sainik School, Purulia, and has completed multiple courses from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) in Uttarkashi and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling including specialisation in Search & Rescue.
Speaking about the trek Usha said, “I really enjoyed the trip to Bali Pass. It was really beautiful, and I want to thank my father for taking me there. I want to do more treks in the future as I love the mountains. I have learned how to pitch a tent and also how to do river-crossing!”
Usha's elder brother Diwakar found the experience equally exhilarating and educational. Reflecting on the trek, he said, “This was our second trek with Mountbuzz, and it was full of adventure. We had a lot of fun and I got to learn so much about the mountains. We saw Mount Swargarohini, Black Peak, Bandarpoonch, and many other notable Himalayan peaks. We were given valuable information about mountain behavior, hazards and safety, waste management, survival lessons, and the dos and don’ts of high-altitude trekking. I look forward to becoming a mountaineer and climbing Mt. Everest one day.”
Usha and Diwakar's father Prakash also said, “As a father and a teacher, I wish the best for my children. I am a nature-lover, and I want my kids to be able to connect with nature and learn how to respect the environment. I believe that we as parents must take our children out to the wilderness so that they become more independent and self-reliant in the future and understand the values of resource management and time management."