We Care- so should you

Time to Repay to Mother Earth:

Impact

The extent of the impact of Global Warming:

Rongbuk glacier of Mount Everest on the tibetian plateau is the best example. This is seen as the sensitive barometer of the impact of global warming and is experiencing accelerated glacier melt and other ecological changes. The glaciers are melting at an annual average of 131.4 sqkm over the past 30 years.

The Global temperature is increasing constantly every year.

Temperature in Bangalore has gone up by around 6 degree Celsius over 4 years.

The max temperature in Bangalore was around 21 degree in summers in 1996. Over 10 years it has touched 43.

Ground water was available at 180 ft 10 years back in Bangalore. Then at 350 ft 5 years back and now, in most places even at 1000 ft ground water is not guaranteed

The lungspace is reduced with cutting down of trees.

Your role

Adopt a Tree 

Conserve Water

Use CFC bulbs that consume lesser energy

Use mass transport /Car pooling

Take a walk to the near by shops, friends/relatives place

Tips to bring down your carbon footprint

Take bags for grocessories/vegetables, reusable bags for shopping

Think before you ink and print less paper

Unplug unused power points

Switch off personal PCs over weekends

Avoid plastics in your daily usage

consume 60% less power by configuring your browser to use black as background.

Trekking - Getting started

The idea of this section is to welcome newcomers into our sport with a brief summery of what is required to get you off on the right foot.

What actually is trekking?

The word trek or trekking can mean different things to different people but generally it involves walking with a backpack in some kind of a wilderness or off-the-beaten-track type of area. Trekking is often a form of exploration on foot where the participant is either solo or part of a group or team. The group/solo trekker sets out to follow a predetermined course of tracks or negotiable routes while taking in the cultures and scenery that the experience of the journey has to offer. The object of the game being to safely and successfully complete a pre determined circuit or arrive at a specific destination. For this reason some degree of navigational skill is required on the part of the participant, particularly if the participant is trekking solo. The length of a trek can be anywhere from a couple of hours to days or even weeks.
The word 'trekking' is a fairly general term but related disciplines include; hiking, bushwalking, tramping, hill walking, fell walking and backpacking. This site receives visitors from many different countries who often have their own terminology. For example, if you are from Australia you will no doubt be thinking in terms of bushwalking as you read this guide; For our American visitors it will be hiking; our New Zealand friends will refer to it as tramping and the Irish, British and Scottish love their hillwalking. As each country is unique, so too are the conditions in which you will trek, hike, tramp, bushwalk etc. Since it would be impossible to write a guide that encompasses all conditions and for the sake of simplicity, this website uses the more general term of 'trekking' where possible.
An experienced trekker is a person with a superior level of fitness and the necessary skills, confidence and ability to operate comfortably in a remote and often rugged outdoor environment.

Getting started

Trekking is an activity that you can start with only a minimal of gear and experience. If you have a National Park nearby, you have the perfect place to start. Most National Parks have walking tracks suitable for both beginners and experienced trekkers. It's just a matter of choosing a walk that you're comfortable with and as Nike would say, Just do it!
 

Get to know your own ability

Start off with a short walk on a well defined track early in the day. This will give you a chance to gauge your performance. It is tempting for an enthusiastic beginner to go that bit further too late in the day. If you leave no room for error you could find yourself in trouble very, very quickly. Always be observant of landmarks that you may need to refer back to if you become disoriented. If the track you have chosen is short and well defined you will have a much better chance of reorienting yourself. Before heading out evaluate the prevailing weather conditions and take the appropriate clothing and water for the conditions. See if there are guidebooks available for walks in your area.

The next level

It won't be long before you're busting to try something more challenging. As you venture into more challenging terrain so too will you need to increase your level of knowledge, fitness and skill. This is particularly important if you eventually plan to trek solo on multi-day adventures.

Trekking - Safety & first aid

Get to know the basics

A basic knowledge of Safety and first aid while trekking should be high on a trekker's priority list especially if you plan on going to remote wilderness areas. Completing a recognised course in first aid is something that all trekkers should at least consider.

It's never about being reckless

The taking of calculated risks goes with the territory when you enter a remote wilderness area. You are, afterall 'in the jungle' so to speak. Not only is there a greater chance of injury due to the often rugged and unpredictable terrain, but there will be nowhere nearby to get help in a hurry if you need it. For this reason any risks that are taken should only be taken when absolutely necessary. This is particularly important for solo trekkers. Being in the outdoors is often about taking calculated risks. It is NEVER about being reckless.

Minimising the chance of an accident

There are lots of ways to minimise the risk of having an accident. Probably too many to mention but just about all accidents can be minimised by applying commonsense to all that you do outdoors.

• When trekking, always watch where you are placing your feet. This will minimise the chance of stepping on a loose rock and spraining an ankle or stepping on a snake that's too lazy to get out of your way - It happens!
  
• Avoid walking close to cliff edges if there is another way around.
  
• Use commonsense when crossing rivers. There is more about this subject on our skills & techniques page.
  
• The use liquid fuel to kick-start your camp fire can be extremely dangerous and therefore it is not recommended. Some of this stuff is highly volatile. A serious accident can happen in the blink of an eye.

Personal hygiene

Personal hygiene is of the utmost importance when trekking. Regardless of whether you're trekking through a third world country or through remote pristine wilderness you are going to be exposed to many more germs, microbes and bacteria than you will in an urban environment. The products that you use to keep clean will vary depending on the environment that you are in but the aim of the game is to keep your hands, face and cooking utensils as clean as possible, particularly at meal times so as to avoid infection and illness.

Do's & Don'ts for Trekkers

- National parks and wildlife sanctuaries have rules for visitors that are made to ensure environmental protection as well as your own safety. You can contribute to the preservation of  natural heritage by observing the simple rules of leaving nothing behind, taking nothing with you.
- Avoid narcotics, essentially everything from 'soft drugs' such as marijuana to 'hard drugs' such as opium and heroin, both during travel and at hilltribe villages. There are severe penalties for such usage.
- Valuables, such as passport, jewelry and money, should be deposited in the safe of your hotel or guest house while you are trekking upcountry.
- Wear sensible clothing to protect your limbs and sleep under a mosquito net at night. Malaria is a real threat, and sensible precautions should be taken to avoid it.
- Bring warm clothes during the cool months, November-February. Pack light and bring along insect repellant for jungle trek or camping trip.

When visiting hilltribe villages trekkers should also remember to
 
- Respect hilltribe beliefs and religious symbols and structures.
- Dress modestly. Hilltribe people are generally modest. Inappropriate attire may offend them.
- Ask permission before photographing someone. Some villages do not permit photography.
- Avoid trading western medicines and articles of clothing. Contributions to their welfare, items such as pens, paper, needles, thread, cloth and material used for embroidery are perfectly acceptable.