Some bonds can’t really be defined. Neither by time, nor by tags.
I first met Medini on Oct 16, 2020, when she came for my Wayanad trip. We connected instantly, and were quite inseparable on the trip. She surprised me. She came from the relatively unknown (to most) town of Hasan, she came solo, but she chattered away with everyone. Her happy to lucky nature made it easy for everyone to feel comfortable around her.
Over the months and years, Medini returned to do trips to Goa, Kashmir, Meghalaya, and Sikkim. Taking care of people came naturally to her, even more so because she is a doctor. Around me, she is fiercely protective and I am amused and secretly happy at how biased her love is.
I noticed her adventurous side when she walked side by side with me 8 kms in waist deep snow in the thick of winter to reach Aharbal falls. Again in Meghalaya, she easily went down cliffs to reach waterfalls. In July this year, when we did the “Moderate – Difficult” level Kashmir Great Lakes trek, every day she would be amongst the first three four to make it to camp.
In each trip as more and more people kept saying how comfortable she made them feel, how friendly she was, I could sense Medu was now ready to be a trip leader. She seemed shocked when I suggested it to her, just like each trip leader has been when I first proposed the idea. But when she did lead, she did it with elan. When a couple of trippers messaged me and told me they loved her and the trip, I felt so so happy to see the evolution in this girl. There was this feeling of pride and I couldn’t stop grinning.
Medini has now lead two trips for us, and though her medical professional duties keep her busy, every few months she will lead trips for On His Own Trip.
Do give her all your love, because however much you given it’ll still less than mine 😉
