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Let?s face it, no trail seems easy as long as you are on it and some stay that way long after you?ve boarded the earliest train bound for home. No body (not to be confused with nobody) is perfect and each reacts to the gauntlet of adversities nature throws at the trekker in a different way. When the going gets tough, the trekkers get going ? some towards their destination and some to the nearest roadhead to catch the next bus to the station to board the next homebound train. It can, therefore be safely concluded that if there is anything tougher than going on treks, it has to be to sit at home trying to grade them. But do it anyway.
GRADE E: If you love the mountains, you?ll complete this trek, which is usually on well-walked trails that anyone in good health can undertake. The treks involve around five hours of walking a day through not-so-difficult terrain. The treks are short, a week at the most, with a couple of rest days thrown in. More often than not, there are trekkers? huts and lodges along the way. Sample: Chandrakhani pass (14,000) in Himachal Pradesh. The Gomukh-Tapovan trek in the Garhwal region in Uttaranchal, which ends a trifle above 16,000 feet, is a must-try. And the Kunwari Pass trail from Auli to Tapovan, also in the Garhwal region (and also around 16,000 feet) is a classic Grade E trek.
GRADE D: Such treks involve longer or steeper walks at a higher altitude. It?s a good idea to practise walking and exercises around a mon- th in advance to let your lungs and feet know what they are in for. Unlike popular perception, running and bo- arding a bus or surviving a bumpy ride in the cramped confines of the vehicle does not qualify as a fitness quotient. The Harkidun trek (above 15,000 feet) in the Garhwal region and Shingo-La (above 16,000 feet) in Ladakh are good bets to test fitness levels before trying Grade C treks.
GRADE C: Such treks mark the line that boys usually do not cross. They involve fording rivers, making knee-wobbling descents down gorges and climbing all the way up the other side. Fitness is all-important on such treks, which involve more than seven hours of walking daily for periods that could extend to above 10 days. If there are passes to be crossed, the walking tends to be longer and the gradient more killing. The trek across Mawali pass in Garhwal or the Yoksum-Goecha-la-Chourikhyang trail in Sikkim constitute a good try.
GRADE B: Love alone does not make one set out on such treks. It takes confidence and contempt for the mountains? moods to wage this war. At above 17,000 feet and usually shouldering backpacks loaded with warm clothes and rations, such experiences do not make for good bedtime stories. These routes take weeks of preparation to be fit enough to undertake. The mental make-up plays an important role in success, it is not unheard of for even guides to mistakes, but the sense of achievement that comes with success is overwhelming. Debsha pass and the Pin-Parvati trek in Himachal offer such opportunities as does the Untadhura trek in Kumaon, Uttaranchal.
GRADE A: The less said the better. Words are a waste when it comes to describing the travails of climbing above 19,000 feet and well into the death zone. Crevasses, snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures make up the perfect day on such treks. The walks in such oxygen-starved altitudes could extend for more than 12 hours a day and such treks usually last around 10 days. The ?A? here stands not only for the toughness of the trek but the mettle of the trekker. The Dundhar Kandi trek, and across the Kalindi pass in Uttaranchal are treks reserved for that band of the physically elite.
All said and done, however, there is no denying that trekkers rarely choose treks on the merit of the toughness of the trail. After all, enjoying one?s stay in the mountains and learning to respect nature is what always tops his/her mind.