The Climb to Hemkund Sahib

I started the climb to Hemkund Sahib thinking only about reaching the top.

But the path had other plans. It slowed me down. Every step reminded me of my breath, my legs and the height of the mountains around me. People moved at different speeds, but everyone carried the same quiet determination.

When I reached near the lake, the cold hit me first. Then the silence. Hemkund Sahib did not feel like a place built for noise. It felt like a place where effort becomes prayer.

I sat for a while and looked at the water. The journey had tired me, but it had also emptied something heavy inside me. I came down quieter than I had gone up.