Here’s your health plan for a safe trek

A few years ago, on a hike up Mt Kanchenjunga, a young boy stopped midway and couldn’t muster the strength to complete the climb. He was a cricketer and was otherwise fit and healthy. But at a height of 10,000 feet, he gave up and the rest of the group had to leave him right there and continue climbing.

“It’s such circumstances that really pull you down and also spoil all the fun. When one member is down at these dizzying heights, the others are forced to take care of him and bring him back to safety—which is not as easy as it sounds,” says Arjun Majumdar, trek leader and co-ordinator of Indiahikes, a project that documents lesser known trails in the higher Himalaya and the rest of the country.

It is in this context that trekkers’ wellness becomes important. Over 25 years as hiker and trek-organiser, Majumdar has come across a large number of people, at least five in every ten, who are forced to retreat because they just weren’t fit enough for high altitudes. Inadequate information, according to Majumdar, is one of the reasons that lead to trekkers giving up.  

Interestingly, Delhi and Bangalore fall under his list of cities that draw a huge number of unprepared trekkers. “It’s not how physically fit you may appear—it’s about how you perform on those tough terrains,” he says. Unlike most trekking organisations that just outline the do’s and don’ts on their internet portals, Majumdar and his colleagues detail exercise regimens to check for the trekkers’ mental and physical preparedness for such trips.

Inexperienced trekkers usually do not know the reason behind their heavy panting or a tingling sensation in the ears as they are climbing the mountain. Most of them, says Majumdar, tend to mistake dehydration for Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), commonly known as altitude sickness. With similar symptoms that include nausea, tiredness and headaches, these problems vanish as one descends to 10,000 feet. Even the fittest of the lot can get AMS. “It depends how fast you ascend. The faster you go up, the more tired and slouched you will become. Diamox, a carbonic anyhydrase inhibitor, is a medicine that helps you overcome this problem. It opens up the capillaries and acclimatises you to the altitude, almost instantly,” says Majumdar. 

Then, there is good old water — a lifesaver all the time. Trekkers who experience the sweat can drink up to two litres without having to worry even a tiny bit. It’s an almost instant cure to any bodily inconsistencies. And, of course, the hiker must let the diet rest.

Celebrity nutritional consultant and author of Don’t Lose your Mind, Lose Your Weight Rujutha Diwekar says: “Once you’re up there, you should forget those diet fads and concentrate on eating fresh, local food. Foods like rice, wheat and potatoes help in retention of water.”

Although there aren’t any books on trekkers’ wellness in the country, Majumdar feels Diwekar’s book is the closest that adopts his philosophy of healthy travel. “Though she has trained Bollywood stars like Kareena Kapoor and a host of others to achieve a size-zero figure, many pointers in the book are also useful while planning a trip. After all, it’s about enjoying your vacation and having loads of fun. Who wants to fall sick on a trek?” he says with a smile.

Trekking tips

Arjun Majumdar’s plan for trekkers eyeing a long mountain climb.

1  An exercise regime at least two months before the trek. 

2  During this period, bring your bodies to jog 4.5 km in 30 minutes, drink 4 litres of water every day and eat healthy food.

3  A 30- to 45-minute workout plus a medical certificate from the doctor is also required. 

4  After a month, the team meets up in Cubbon Park, Bangalore, where you will be made to jog for 15 minutes, at the end of which Majumdar gives a clean chit to the hikers.

5  “There have been times when I’m not totally happy with their performance and I tell them that either they put more effort or back out,” he says.