Ulysses 360 Degrees

Trekking does not require any special technical abilities.The trails used are generally safe and anyone with a little trekking experience and in physically fit condition can undertake a trek without fear. Age in itself, is no bar - although persons over sixty should normally avoid strenuous and long treks.

An average day may entail eight to twelve miles of trekking, lasting six to eight hours including halts for rest and meals.

While in the mountains, always make an early start; this has many advantages. Early morning is the best time for trekking- the air being fresher and more invigorating than later in the day. It has a clear and crystalline quality which adds to the experience.Treks undertaken in the forenoon are usually better than those  in the afternoon. Streams are easier to ford in the morning, before the melting snows (from further up in the hills) have added to the volume of water. Afternoons in the region (and almost throughout the Himalayas) are usually cloudy and gusty – with drizzle or snowfall. Perhaps the greatest advantage of an early start is an early arrival – for this enables you to rest at the end of the day's march, look around and make a fresh start the next morning.

To begin the day's march when you are fresh, it is desirable that you walk steadily for the first two hours and then rest for about fifteen minutes. Thereafter take a ten minute break every fifty minutes or so and don’t forget to carry some hot tea or coffee in your thermal flask.

More to come