Mount Abu is a beautiful place known for its amazing mountains and historic temples. My school organised a 4-day field trip to mount Abu and I enrolled for the same. We had one trekking activity each day and a team game activity later. Some of the well-known places visited by us were Mowgali land trek, Golden horn trek and local town visit. We stayed at Aarna campsite, known for its proximity with wildlife and nature. Overall, the treks in which I performed were challenging, fun and a different experience.

LO-1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth.

This was my first ever trekking experience, and I learnt a lot of things. There were a few instances where the trekking was a bit challenging, but I was able to complete it under the guidance of the mentors. One of my strengths for this activity is stamina: I didn’t Get a lot tired during the golden horn trek, while most of the other members were tired. However, one of my weakness that I found is my lack of stability while trekking. I lost my balance a couple of times which can turn out to be dangerous depending on the situation. Hence, I will improve on this factor for future treks and activities. 

LO-2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills-

As this was my first trekking experience, I felt a bit challenged in certain instances. For example, during the Golden Horn trek (climbing the final part) I was skeptical whether I would be able to climb the large rock. This was because I didn’t know where to keep the right step. One of the mentors saw me struggling with this problem and immediately guided me (and taught me) how to know that where you should keep your step to get the optimum grip. From this situation, I developed the skill of climbing large rocks only by placing steps effectively. 

LO-5: Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively-

After coming from trekking, the organisers used to plan team games and activities for us to enjoy and build our collaborative skills. Even our mentors participated in theses games which bumped up our enthusiasm. I was given to opportunity to become a leader for one such team game- where the collaboration and unity of the teams were tested. This experience really helped me sharpen my leadership skills and understand how to organise your team to do a task efficiently, and without much chaos! My team enjoyed the game too, and we ranked 2nd in the game; followed by a motivating speech by one of the organisers on team spirit.

LO-7: Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions-

Mount Abu is a place known for its tourism; which, although being good for the people, is bad for the nature and its beauty. To avoid litter and wastage of water, we used all the resources judiciously and carried a plastic bag to keep our waste in it while trekking. It was nice to see everyone being conscious of their activities which could have hampered the environment in one way or the other. 

LO6:Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance-

While trekking, it was really sad to see plastic articles and paper bags thrown away irresponsibly on the path. Therefore, I and some of my friends decided to properly dispose theses waste items by first collecting and then dumping it if a dustbin was nearby. I also ensured that the cutleries used by our group was properly washed and given to the restaurant staff. I and many other group members and mentors used water judiciously throughout the trek.

Arguably, trekking is one of the best hobbies to take if one is a risk-taker (or wants to be!) The constant determination to reach the summit, no matter the obstacles that come in the way, is really worth the effort and the adrenaline rush after seeing the beautiful landscape is invaluable. During the golden horn trek, all of us had the choice of backing out, but seeing each other’s enthusiasm, no one backed out. In the end, all of us risk-takers were rewarded with the amazing view of Mount Abu and mountains.

Conclusion:-

Overall, the trip to Mount Abu was a great learning experience for me. It was my first ever trekking activity and it has greatly motivated me to go for further trekking trips and sharpen my skills along the way.