“THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST DAY OF MY LIFE!” — An Encounter with a SNOW STORM!

Background-

(Inspired by a TRUE EVENT)

I had written the write-up “WITNESS” (at the bottom of this page) just 24 hours after staring death in its face! Yes, you read that right!

I know it sounds dramatic, but it is the truth. I believe that me still being alive today is a miracle and is definitely due to the grace of God, the blessings of an Enlightened Saint and the blessings of my Parents and Grandparents.

“THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST DAY OF MY LIFE” is a thought that is not easy to digest and, trust me, it would change you completely when it strikes you! 🙂

Myself alongwith 52 other people were caught in a heavy spin-drift snow storm(grade 2) at a height of approximately 12,000 feet in the Indian Himalayas.
All of us faced and survived something that is now etched in each of our minds for the rest of our lives! 🙂

Being a nature lover and an adventurous person, I have been into the world of Mountain Climbing and Forest Trekking since the year 2001. I am in love with the mountains and pursue the sport of mountain trekking very passionately. I have trekked and climbed to much higher places then 12,000 feet during my other expeditions (Highest being 18,500 feet in the Mount Everest region)  and never faced a snow storm in all these years. But when the time came, on that fateful day, we were at such a place where a snowstorm struck after 23 years!!……What are the odds!!!?

…..Destiny eh?! 🙂

I would not be describing the whole incident in detail in this post (maybe some other day in another post! 🙂 ) but to give you an idea::–
We were caught in the storm for almost an hour, wind chill factor had gone too high,  howling winds and snow blowing from all sides, our bodies covered in snow, most people screaming and crying like I had never seen before, nothing visible more then a few feet away, palms and feet became totally numb and senseless, no place to run or take shelter and the condition had worsened so much that it was the first time in my life that a thought sunk into my heart that “THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST DAY OF MY LIFE!
And, honestly & humbly, I have to say that I am not someone who falls into the category of faint-hearted or someone who panics easily! My family, friends and the many things that I have done and faced in my life is a testament to that! 🙂 Hence, you can imagine the graveness of the conditions that we faced that day which led me to believe that “I MIGHT DIE TODAY”!

I witnessed a lot of things that day which shook me to the core. I experienced horrors, strength, courage and miracles! Most importantly, I realized how fragile and small we humans are against nature and how irrelevant we are in the larger scheme of things! 🙂

The write-up is given below and I hope that you can connect to it.
Please do let me know your thoughts by emailing me at vishrut.parekh@gmail.com.
I would be obliged. Thanks 🙂

May peace be unto you.
-Vishrut

WITNESS

I witnessed the human spirit triumph.
I witnessed the will to live overpower the darkness of death.
Stranded in the middle of nowhere, on a cold white mountain, I witnessed the glitter of hope surpass the fear of death.
When nothing around was visible except the twirling of a snow storm, I witnessed the mental “vision of future” motivate to see the next small step ahead and go for it with faith and courage.
When the existing path disappeared in a thick layer of snow, I witnessed the will to survive carve out a new path.
When the limbs were numb and senseless, I witnessed the craving for life empower the body to move.
When the line between life & death was thin, I witnessed a pinch of hope inching itself towards life.
When the body was ready to give up, I witnessed the mind fight back commanding the body to act on its will.
When the past started flashing by making the mind weak, I witnessed the desire to see a “tomorrow” make the mind strong again.
When the tears were starting to freeze in the bone chilling cold, I witnessed some people wipe it away while taking in a deep breath and a small courageous step ahead.
When there was chaos all around, I witnessed some people find their peace.
When everyone was falling on their knees, I witnessed some people find their balance.
I witnessed the sound of a beating heart become louder then the swooshing sound of nature’s fury.
I witnessed the false sense of pride of a few people melt away into the true meaning of humbleness.
I witnessed the masks fall away and the true nature of people jump out in the open.
I witnessed the materialistic people turn into bare bodies.
I witnessed the almighty and family being remembered more then ever.
I witnessed how tiny and powerless we are in the larger scheme of things.
I witnessed mother nature help us discover the enormous strength she has bestowed upon us.
I witnessed our ability to tap into that strength.
I witnessed A POINT OF NO RETURN turn into THE TURNING POINT OF LIFE!
Peace.
-Vishrut