Hey all! I am a little over halfway through the Himalayan Health program, and I’ve learned so much already. Last week, we finished up our anthropology course, Mountain and Medicine. In class, we learned about the environment, culture, and history of India and specifically Mussoorie. 

A couple weeks ago, we ventured out to Devalsari on a three-day trek in the wilderness. We arrived on Thursday and walked 6 miles down a mountain, through a village, and finally to our campsite. The next day, we hiked up to the highest point of one of the mountains, ate lunch, and made our way back down. Some of my favorite memories from the trek are our playing mafia together, entertaining the stray dogs (Bryan and Bear), hanging out in our tents, and the thought-provoking conversations on our hikes.

Another excursion we went on was a day trip to Rishikesh, a religiously significant city in Uttarakhand. The city is right on the River Ganges, which is considered a holy river. We got to dip our feet in the water, which was so refreshing since it was 105 degrees! Our group also got to observe and participate in Arti, a Hindu ceremony in which many deities are celebrated, which was a really cool experience.

This Monday marked our first full week of the Wilderness First Responder course. As a group, we’ve learned about countless injuries and illnesses, and the procedures for assessing a person’s health in areas where medical care is difficult to get to. On a typical day, we wake up and head to breakfast at 7:30AM. From there, we walk to the Hanifl Centre and have class until 3:30PM. During class, we rotate between lectures and running health-crisis scenarios. 

We have about 2 weeks left in our trip, and still so much more to see. In the next few days, we will be finishing up the WFR class and visiting Agra to see the Taj Mahal, and returning to Delhi. I am already dreading leaving, but I’m looking forward to the days to come!