Back in 2020, I began wandering through the forests of Almora in search of new rock. The idea was simple. Climb whatever we found, using whatever we had. I was dirtbagging then. I had little in terms of resources, and my pockets were often empty, but I carried a kind of wealth that only youth can afford. Despite the uncertainty that lingered at the edges of existence back then, I remained quietly committed to my purpose. Climbing took precedence over everything else. The only real challenge was to keep it that way.
Six years have passed since then, and I often return to the thought of how fragile youth really is, and how much of it I took for granted. I thought I was invincible, assuming my body would always hold. Looking back, it feels almost laughable, the absurdity of it.
A couple of days ago, with the help of Karn, who has since become a close friend, I bolted the fifth route that we had once top-roped in those early days. Finishing it brought a sense of closure that had been waiting in the background for years. I had published a guide some time ago, but I always knew that it remained incomplete. Ethically, those lines needed to be bolted and led. They needed to be seen through.
Siddhartha bolting First Date (5.9 / 5c), Kasar Devi Temple area
Karn at the anchors, tightening them on Birth of Clarity (6B / 5.10), with Siddhartha alongside in the lower simtola range.
Prerna on trad, making the first ascent of Frog in the Brush (6b / 5.10) in the lower Simtola Range
Today, as I sit on a ridge overlooking the Himalayas, I can finally say that I have done just that. Every one of those routes has now been bolted and led. I also owe a part of that to Loki and Prerna.
Loki working a new line next to Frog in the Brush, top bolts still to be finished
I often think about whether I could have done this earlier. Perhaps I could have tried. But I also know that it would not have come together the same way. I was not ready then. There is a certain timing to things, something that cannot be forced no matter how hard you push.
I am older now, and more aware of the direction my life is taking. There is caution, but also patience. I have learned, slowly, to step back and allow things to unfold as they must.
The most important lesson for me has been understanding that I do not need to push all the time. The constant urge to strive, to climb harder, to exhaust myself in pursuit of a goal, has not served me well. It has led to injuries, to frustration, to a kind of noise that drowns everything else out.
What has begun to make sense instead is something quieter. Learning to filter out the noise. Learning to listen to myself.
It is something I struggled with for a long time, perhaps until quite recently. Sitting here now, with the mountains spread out in silence, not everything feels like it needs to be pushed anymore.