– Kabir Gupta has been participating at the Himalayan Adventure Challenge for over three years along with his family and friends at this unique event held each year in Rishikesh. Here he recounts his experiences in the outdoors and what it means for him to come back each year:

The lush green valleys, snow covered peaks in the distant horizon, the thick mountain shrubs, the melodious sounds of chirping birds, the fragrance of blooming flowers, the meandering Ganges and the surrounding steep gorges, and this is just the beginning. It might seem that I am describing a picturesque post card, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I confess that this is the scene we woke up to, on the morning of HAC.
“What is HAC?,” you may ask. Let me put it this way – “Himalayan Adventure Challenge”, or HAC in short, is my favourite vacation of the year. It is an annual race in the foothills of the Himalayas, organised by Aquaterra Adventures, that will surely put your physical fitness, will power and wilderness skills to test. A race where you sign up as a team, HAC is a great opportunity to show your sportsmanship and meet fascinating people. If you are not a fan of hiking or rafting then use this as a chance to beat the city’s polluted air and constant noise pollution.

I have been coming to HAC for the past three years and am eleven years old. So far I have never seen any outdoor event that is so well organised and goes into the minutest of details. There are three different races with different levels and distances. So far I have been doing The Family Challenge for beginners and enjoyed every moment, except the part when I get really exhausted. Rafting is a wonderful opportunity to engage the upper half of your body and have an awesome adventurous experience in the Ganges against the mighty rapids. For me rafting is the best way to release my stress and have adrenaline rushing through my veins. The rafting gets harder and more advanced as you go from Family Challenge to Zealot. The family challenge has almost no Rapids, so if you feel nervous about toppling off the raft, I can assure you that won’t happen. After the race at night there is a huge party where they announce the winners. My team came first and I feel really proud about it. Even if I was tired in the race, post the results I felt invigorated!

Overall I feel that coming for HAC is the best decision that I make every year. And yes, one thing is for sure whether you won or lost, participating in this race itself means that you have “hacked it in the Himalayas.”