"The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir.
"John of the Mountains” and "Father of the National Parks”, as he was also known as, John Muir, the Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist and glaciologist, was an early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States.
It’s never easy, though, to take this call of the mountains as it requires exemplary courage and determination. And the challenge is expected to double down if you’re a young girl or boy, merely in your teens.
Anvi Amit Joshi, a grade 11 student in Qatar, is made of tough mettle, an example of dogged courage and determination. She’s come up trumps in her mission to reach the Kang Yatse II (also called KY II) Peak, an altitude of 6,250 metres.
Having conquered the challenging climb on August 8 this year, Anvi says she feels "very pleased to have made my country proud with my achievement. I hope my certifications and felicitations will help inspire others to set out on their own adventures. Motivating more [people] to join our community of trekking is an opportunity I truly enjoy.”
Kang Yatze or Kang Yatse is a mountain located at the end of the Markha Valley in the Himalayas in the Ladakh region of northwest India.
When asked about the challenges she faced in her mission, Anvi says, "Climbing at an incline of 75-80 degrees with a weight of around 10kg on my back was a very new yet tough experience where mental strength was my only support.”
Getting comfortable with the technical equipment, she points out, proved to be no easy task as the snow boots were making it extremely painful to walk with the weight of each being approximately 4kg.
"With every step we took, the gaining altitude proved to be yet another obstacle we had to cross, not to mention the numbing cold that was freezing our fingers,” she avers. This, however, was not her first major climb. Her previous trek to Mt Kilimanjaro was a height of 5,895m. "As an eager mountaineer just waiting for any opportunities to gain more experience in this field, I wanted to surpass my previous record and achieve a height of 6,000m-plus,” she tells Qatar Tribune.
Anvi’s journey of trekking kicked off at the age of seven and she credits her parents for this. "Being the ones to introduce me to the sport, they [her parents] have done everything to push me forward to achieve greater heights and make my country proud. Their immense support and encouragement have helped me to accomplish eight successful treks. As for my school, they have always appreciated my climbs. They’ve supported me with extra classes due to my absence while on treks,” she says with a feeling of gratitude.
And finally, Anvi has a message for her ilk of young girls and boys: "Get out of your comfort zones to achieve your dreams. With all the distractions nowadays, it’s very easy to be drawn into a luxurious and lethargic routine.”