Itanagar, April 7: Anshu Jamsenpa's attempt to get "closer to God" took her through more than difficult terrain and inclement weather.

Along with physical peril, the Arunachal Pradesh mountaineer had to battle depression during her journey to the peak.

Her hopes soaring as high as the mountains she will attempt to scale, she will reach Kathmandu in Nepal on Thursday before attempting to scale Mount Everest two days later.

While she hopes that the weather gods will be kind during her attempt to scale the highest mountain in the world for a record fourth time, her two daughters and their father back home will be foremost on her mind.

The 35-year-old became the first mother to climb Everest twice within a span of 10 days in May 2011, in her first attempt.

In 2013, she became the deputy leader of the first Northeast expedition to Mt Everest. Now, she will attempt a double trip to the peak.

Her daughters Passang and Tenzing are already on their way to becoming adventure sports enthusiasts. Both girls, studying in Classes IX and IV, recently attended an adventure sports training camp and Tenzing, the younger of the two, said she would follow in her mother's footsteps.

Anshu's husband Tsering Wange is a tour operator from Bomdila in West Kameng district, apart from being a skydiver and mountaineer himself.

At the official flagging-off ceremony of "Everest Again" here today, Anshu spoke of the scope and challenges of being at such high altitudes.

Although she took up mountaineering quite late in life, it has never been a deterrent. And while she has won several government awards and is likely to have a biopic on her life, today she touched upon an aspect of mountaineering that isn't often talked about.

"At those high altitudes, we are unable to think and function normally," she said. "One mistake can be fatal."

Anshu says she went through varied emotions during her three climbs to the top of Everest. "The first time I became extremely emotional. The second time around, I was excited and wished my daughters were with me so I could hug them," she said.

However, on her third climb, she underwent a different kind of emotion. "I became sad and questioned myself as to why I was doing this," she said.

While the physical perils and threats of mountaineering are common knowledge, it is the mental toil that affects climbers most.

During the formal event today, Anshu said she went through a brief period of depression after her last climb in 2013.

She said her training, mental strength and the support of her family helped her during that time.

Later, she said that the treacherous climbing and weather conditions often take a toll on the mental health of climbers.

She spoke about an old Sherpa climber who had told her of his own battle with depression as he felt that she would better understand what he went through.

Anshu though says it's difficult to explain specifically what causes these emotions to flow.

One thing she is sure of is the elation of scaling some of the highest peaks in the Himalayas.

Last year alone, Anshu scaled three Himalayan peaks - Lobuche (6,119 metres), Pokalde (5,896 metres) and Island (6,189 metres) - in just three days. Till this day, she has unfurled the Indian flag on nine different mountain peaks. And after each successful climb, Anshu said, "I feel closer to God."