Subdue Triund Mountains

Early morning wake up on the 31st of November. Honestly, I didn't want to go haha me and hiking don't really go together. When I heard it was 2,000 metres high I was like ummm I'll stay back at pray for you guys lol this Tongan doesn't hike. But I decided to give it a try and do something new. We beat the sunrise and jumped into the truck. We were so excited! It was pretty cold at this point as we tried to stay warm. The truck drive was a like a rollercoster ride but with no seat belts. We dodged a few branches and saw some monkeys on the way. As the morning fog slowly cleared and the moon faded into the distance the beauty of the mountains were revealed.

We arrived bright eyed and eager to start the trek. But we came upon a small hut with a local man and his 2 mountain dogs. We needed to sign a big book with our name, nationality and emergency number. I thought this will be an awesome photo shot. So I turned around with my phone took the photo and then suddenly my right foot slipped into a pot hole on the stairs and I fell to the ground. What the heck! I was so pissed off at myself lol but my friend's Soriechon and Finga were at my aid they just checked my foot to make sure it wasn't broken. At this point it seemed I just sprained it. So I just shook it off and ensured my friends I was 'all goods' I can walk. 

I stuck to the back of the group with a few friend's. I felt slow and unfit. My Nike's were not the right foot wear but I didn't feel any pain from my sprained ankle. The path was rocky and hard. My friend's were in good spirits and we shared stories as we admired the spectacular view. A few hours went pass and we were gaining momentum but I was struggling so a friend handed me a walking stick as we listened to music. We finally reached the top of Triund. The sight was so incredible and breath taking. We had lunch and I sat with a few friends to take rest eventually fell asleep for a few minutes. The other's walked further up to explore more and take photos. I woke up to the sound of my friends talking as I sat up to check my foot I noticed it was swollen and slightly red. I was thinking it was alright and showed my friend's. GG my crazy English friend came along and kindly wrapped my ankle with a bandage and prayed. I was thankful and ensured everyone it's okay I can walk. So a few friend's left ahead of us making their way back down the mountain. The boys were still exploring at the top of Triund except for Pintu. As we gathered our bags to get ready to leave. I stood up to walk and felt a sharp pain shooting from my ankle. I couldn't walk properly the mountain path was uphill so I started to hop along and jump over rocks. It was to hard, so my Indian sister's Soso and Archna both took my arms they carried my weight down the mountain. Both girls were determined to carry me even thou I was a lot taller and heavier. But they had a great attitude and were determined to get me back home safely. At this point I was in a lot of pain and the girls were getting tired. So Pintu decided to carry me on his back down the rocky path. At first I was like are you sure because I'm pretty heavy haha but he persisted. Pintu was physically strong and would carry me for 10-15 minutes and then rest for abit. He was also getting tired so swapped with Shubham my little brother by age but was the tallest in our school. So thankful to have Jeebita, Chon Chon and our sweetest lecturer from England Caroline walking in support. They carried me to the pit stop where we could refill water at a small shop looking over the mountain ledge. We decided to wait for the rest of the boys to support me down the mountain. We called out to the boys and noticed them running down the mountain side and taking short cuts like ninjas. They were use to the mountain terrain as the boys came from North East and South India. They also carried me down the mountain. I think it took us 6-7 hours down Triund. We reached the bottom around 5.30pm. We were extremely tired, thirsty and hungry. Back at the base there was mixed emotions and was a challenging time for everyone. But one thing I believed God was preparing us to overcome the obstacles by being united together as a family. I have so much love for everyone that day. #maloaupito