Being tough and setting new goals for yourself
Lucie, one of my best pals in the social sabbatical project, asked me if I can join her for hiking the Ruku Pichincha peak which is at 4700mts high. I was not sure if I could really climb that high with my current stamina and my post-meniscus surgery. However, I took a step back and reminded myself that this whole sabbatical program is to come out of your comfort level and explore things you have never done or wanting to do for a long time. That’s the moment I decided to accompany my friends to take this challenge.
We all met for breakfast at 7am and left the hotel at 7.40am. We reached the foothill to take the cable car and started the hike at 3,947mts. When we started hiking, I did not have any clue that I will be hiking for 6 hours since I did not do any research on the total time for the hike, elevation etc. I trusted my friends completely on the technicality of the hike and did not want my research to bias this beautiful experience. It really worked as every peak that we climbed was the best experience I ever had. Sometimes, going for a trip without planning really works as you may come across things that you’ve never heard or read in Google or in Lonely planet. This fresh feeling is something unique but I won’t do this for all trips as I generally plan extensively before all of my trips!
Throughout this whole journey, I realized that stepping out of my comfort zone requires bravery and does not come naturally. However, it needs some mental fine tuning to remind yourself that you are experiencing something new for which you may never get a second chance.
This hike renewed my confidence and made me feel like I can do more hiking of this sort. However, I never imagined that I will be doing another one which is even tougher just the week after the first one. My second hike on this trip was the Cotopaxi volcano mountain which is again further up in height compared what I climbed in my Ruku Pichincha peak hike. This was 4,900mts in elevation and quite challenging. However, the anticipation of encountering a glacier, which I never experienced in my life, was the most important factor that pushed me to reach these heights. When I reached the planned summit, the feeling of being in nature and kissing the mountains was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. I was in an energetic rejoice when I saw the white glacier-like mountain wearing a white Panama hat 😊
On our way back, we cycled for 10kms down the hill was the most thrilling experience in this whole hiking. There is absolutely no control when you drive downhill as the path is filled with pebbles and loose sand. At many points, I felt that I was going to fall and lose my control. However, my diligence and balancing skills really saw me through.
Ziplining in Mitad del Mundo which is a 2–3hrs drive from Quito was another thrilling activity that I did. I never did ziplining before and hence I did not have a clue on how that experience would be even though my experienced team mates gave me an idea. Doing this over the forest at 20–30 km/hr was thrilling, fearful and adventurous. However, that’s the whole beauty about conquering your fear and enjoying the ride over the forest by watching every detail in the forest. In that moment, I realized how beautiful and breathtaking these activities are, when you keep your fear away and start enjoying the present.
Canyoning in Tena, Ecuador was the best thing I ever did in my life. Climbing down in a rope for 20 mts through a heavy waterfall was quite challenging, slippery and adventurous but I trusted Diego who is Estaf’s relative. When I slipped a couple of times in the beginning, I was not sure whether I had the courage to complete the task, but I soon learned how to keep my balance. This really helped me learn how to tackle things when you experience something that you have never encountered. I also did much research for tips and tricks, but nothing worked when I was on the rope and realized that the rope was the only thing to help save my life!
These activities and situations really helped me to be braver and made me feel a divine connection with Ecuador.
