An unsettled spirit and a calm head make for a powerful mix for setting new benchmarks. Endowed with a free and strong spirit and an empowering personality, the record-breaker, 8-year-old, Miss Grihitha becomes the youngest female child from Maharashtra and the second Indian to reach Everest Base Camp.
With her sights set on Everest's apex, she made her way to Everest Base Camp but the journey was crammed with balls and chains. The beginning was passing through beautiful little towns and thick jungles, but as she went up and higher, the vegetation gradually faded, leaving behind only arid landscapes and towering mountains blanketed in snow. The daily trip would begin at 8 or 8.30 a.m., and she walk until 5:00 p.m. Used to be that by 6:00 p.m., the temperature would drop to the negatives. Unfortunately, the trek took a turn for the worse when Harita (her sister) became ill with high-altitude sickness and had to be taken to a lower altitude.
Due to the high elevations, Grihitha had frequent stomach problems and fatigue. Cooler temperatures and less oxygen in the air contributed even more. However, It was a new experience to walk on the Khumbu and neighboring glaciers, where every step required extreme caution to prevent the breaking of the ice.
Along with tasting the joy of success at Everest, Grihitha’s objective was to hit the heights of Kalsubai (the highest peak in Maharastra.) At night, Grihitha hit the road to Kalsubai from her house and arrived in Bari, the base village, at 1:00 am. She set out at 3:00, when it was still dark, and made it to the peak by 7:00. Some hurdles were tiresome, but the big ladder was thrilling. Up top, the weather was ice-storming. So far Grihitha has touched a great number of hearts with greater track records. Grihitha and her sister, Harita have been trekking for over a year, and they have done more than 40 treks, including technical and complicated treks like Kalsubai, Alang gad (4,500 feet), Madan gad (4,900 feet), Kulang gad (4,825 feet), Karnala fort, Gorakhgad, Jivdhan, Sudhagad, Ratangad, Bhimashankar Jungle trek (Shidhi ghat), Harihar fort, Irshalgad, Dhak Bahiri jungle trek, Aadrai jungle trek, Sandhan Valley trek, etc.
Grihitha set out to break the Scottish Crack record. She was applauded by the book of records for these two appealing achievements. She received praise for achieving a world first by climbing the Navara Navari Pinnacle while dressed in a traditional Marathi Navari saree.
Grihitha has seized success for herself. It was a journey of sweat and joy held together as a perfect mix. Withal, at the milestone established at the base camp, the Indian flag was raised as an expression of pride. Today, Everest Base Camp inspires her to climb Everest and undertake other 8,000+ expeditions.
Comments