Aranya Doloi
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She’s only 11-years-old, but scaling new heights, literally. At this tender age, Alvira Tripathi, a Delhi-based mountaineer has become the second-youngest Asian girl to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak.
It took Alvira seven days to complete her Kilimanjaro expedition- five days to climb and two days to return. The enthusiast, who began climbing the peak at midnight said, “The terrain was difficult—it rained, then came hail and then it snowed for quite a few hours on our way up. After a certain point, it was all a mind game—it was about pure endurance as it took us 21 hours on the final day by the time we finished”. During the expedition, Alvira stuck to a strict schedule; she began her day with a light breakfast, after which she would trek for eight-nine hours or more to reach the next camp.
Not just that, for six weeks prior to her mission, Alvira went through extensive training, including a 60-minute run, skipping and other stamina building exercises. Additionally the enthusiast focused on her sleep cycle and adopted a healthy, nutritious diet. Speaking of her successful feat, Alvira said that standing at a height, even above the clouds felt like a dream. She was further quoted saying, “It was the final walk to the top of the mountain. It felt like I was on top of the world, and the view from the top was breathtaking. The glaciers were all around us and looked marvelous”.
Alvira started training in mountaineering with her father when she was only six years old. And at nine, the enthusiast climbed the Mt. Everest base camp with her father, who is not a professional mountaineer but has cultivated this hobby with something more than an amateur’s passion. And today, Alvira Tripathi is an inspiration for mountaineers, both young and old, all over the world.
