Walk in the Wilderness

Adventure sports and trekking in India is taking some wild turns with number of accidents having been reported lately. The most recent ones have been from Mumbai where a girl Shanti Shenoy fell to her death at Ajoba hills while trekking with her group of friends. Prior to this a young boy in his teens succumbed to his death due to high altitude sickness in the Himalayas. It was reported that his organizers from Mumbai were not well equipped to handle the situation. Also there was a paragliding accident at Kamshet where one person lost his life after he collided in mid air with another glider. All these accidents hopefully make the authorities take notice and come up with some rules and regulations for the adventure sports in the country and for the respective states which are active in Adventure Tourism and Sports.
Recently Jayesh from Odati Adventures and Myself were quoted in an article in Sunday HT‘s (dated December 30, 2007) Grey Matter/City Limits section in a story on Mumbai’s trekking scene, how safe is it and what precautions should be taken to make your trekking experience successful.
The article talked about how this industry was unorganized and that there are no registrations guidelines for companies and there is no one single regulatory body to regulate this industry and bring in safety norms. Most companies like Odati follow their own internal rules and regulations and safety norms which they have chalked out for themselves and follow them strictly.
Jayesh Morvankar of Odati Adventures is quoted in the article as saying: “Proper guidelines need to be put in place for this industry to be successful”. Suresh Shetty, Minister of State for tourism, says the Government is thinking about setting up such an agency specifically after Shenoy accident. Time will only tell if this will happen. We professional trekkers can only hope for the best and in the meantime continue to follow our own internal regulations and standards of safety that we have set for ourselves. And you make sure you follow the following do's and dont's listed below.

Some Do’s and Don’ts (as listed by us for HT’s article)

Before departure or registration

• Check the credibility and experience of the group/organizers/club that you are going with
• Enquire about the other participants’ experience too
• Check how long it will be- short (1-2 horus), moderate ( 2-4 hours) or long (4-6 hours) trek
• Check if the walk involves obstacles like exposed rock-patches, ridges, steep climbs, etc and whether you can handle them
• Check if the group/organizers is carrying a well equipped first-aid kit and if they have the experience to handle emergencies
• Make sure you’re medically fit for the trip and keep the organizers informed about your medical history if any
• Wear the right kind of clothes and shoes: loose track pants or cargos/cotton trousers and tee-shirt. Avoid jeans. Most importantly, wear a good pair of trekking shoes which has a good sole and grip. Avoid fancy shoes and leather formal shoes. Always carry a pair of extra floaters with you.

On the Trek

• Always ask all your questions before you begin walking
• Be informed about all the approaches and exits to the nearest habitations en route
• Discuss the dangers of walking/hiking in the wilderness ( animals, terrain, weather, locals etc)
• Never, repeat, never wander away from the group without the consent of the group/leader
• Never venture into the darkness alone
• If you are not experienced enough do not venture on trails that you are new to
• Even if confident, let the group know where you intend to go
• Never venture in the darkness alone
• If inexperienced, always take someone along when you attend to Nature’s call s
• Make sure you have the right gear to handle a trek you have registered for.