Age no bar: Mysuru women turn trailblazers on the mountains

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That age is only a state of mind has been amply demonstrated by two women from Mysuru, who have turned trailblazers in the Himalayan mountains.

While Dr. Usha Hegde, a professor in the department of oral pathology and microbiology at JSS Dental College in Mysuru, became the first civilian from Karnataka to scale Mount Everest at 52 years, Shamala Padmanabhan, a former journalism teacher and a retired corporate communications professional, was part of the all-women Trans Himalayan Expedition that traversed a staggering 4,841 km on foot through 35 high mountain passes from East to West of the Himalayas over a span of 140 days at an age of 64 years.

Shamala Padmanabhan | Photo Credit: arranged

With their distinctive feats in the sky-high mountains, Usha Hegde and Shamala Padmanabhan have set an example, especially for women, that they can dream big and reach the top of the world irrespective of their age.

A mother of two students of medicine and wife of an orthopaedic doctor, Usha Hegde balanced her duties as a professor in the dental college while preparing for the Himalayan challenge, hitting the gym regularly for strength training and climbing the Chamundi Hills with a load on her back and weight tied around her ankles.

Usha Hegde with the tricolour flag from the summit. | Photo Credit: Deepali Jain D _11926@Bengaluru

Eventually, her dream to scale Mount Everest was realized at 6.10 a.m. on May 19 this year when she stood atop its peak that soars to a height of 29,031 feet after days of arduous trek at sub-zero temperatures through treacherous regions of the Himalayan mountains, negotiating snow showers, crevasses and depleted oxygen levels.

Dr. Usha Hegde. | Photo Credit: arranged

Usha, 52 now, had been a fitness enthusiast, whose passion for participating in 5K and 10K Runs in Mysuru, saw her running half marathons and full marathons in different parts of the country. She next took to cycling and swimming to emerge as a triathlete and complete the gruelling Ironman Western Australia event in 2019. But, to scale the Mount Everest, Usha had to make herself “mountain-fit”.

The Trans Himalayan Expedition of 2022 passed through a total of 4,841 km over 140 days. | Photo Credit: arranged

Trans-Himalayan expedition

Meanwhile, Shamala Padmanabhan from Mysuru was among the 11 senior women, all aged above 50 years, who successfully trekked through the 4,841 km of the mountainous route crossing the high altitude passes in different parts of India and Nepal as part of the 140-day-long Fit@50+ Women’s Trans Himalayan Expedition.

The participants in the expedition comprised not only mothers but also grandmothers, points out Shamala. The youngest among them was 52 years and the oldest was 68 years. “Even though we were all senior women, we were mentally strong like any youngster and determined to complete the challenging expedition,” she said reminiscing their expedition two years ago in 2022 which concluded at Kargil War Memorial on July 24, incidentally on the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas, celebrated two days later on July 26.

Organized by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports under the Fit India Banner along with the Indian Army, the Fit@50 + Women’s Trans Himalayan expedition’s objective was to raise awareness about health and fitness among senior citizens and to set an example, especially for women that it is possible to stay fit and healthy and to dream big irrespective of the age.

After the expedition was flagged off co-incidentally on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022, in New Delhi, the participants began their “journey of human endurance” from the Pang Sau Pass on the India-Myanmar border, traversing through Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal and Sikkim before entering Nepal from its east and exiting from its West. After re-entering India, the trek continued through the Kumaon Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh before passing through Spiti Valley and Leh Ladakh and culminating at Dras sector of Kargil in Ladakh after 140 days on July 24, 2022, by paying their homage to the martyrs at the war memorial.

Mysuru’s Tiger Adventure Foundation organized an all-women trekking expedition to Baradasar Pass in Uttarakhand in 2018. | Photo Credit: arranged

The 11-member team

The eleven-member team comprising women in their 50s and 60s was led by the well-known mountaineer Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to scale Mount Everest in the year 1984. The participants ranged from housewives, mothers and grandmothers to retired corporate professionals, retired locomotive driver and working women too.

Shamala Padmanabhan (left) posing with mountaineer Bachendri Pal (right) during the Trans Himalayan Expedition of 2022. | Photo Credit: arranged

The participants in the expedition traversed through 35 high mountain passes including the tough Lamkhaga Pass situated at a height of 17,700 feet, Parang La Pass at an astounding 18,300 feet, the Bhabha Pass at 16,000 feet and Thorang La Pass at 17,800 feet.

Over 50 guest trekkers including three from outside India joined the expedition for a short duration of 7-10 days at different locations. Among them was a 75-year-old woman who successfully crossed the Lamkhaga Pass, she said.

The team had to overcome extreme weather conditions, treacherous climbs, and constrained resources during the journey that turned out to be the ultimate endurance test for the women in their 50s and 60s. Some of the routes in Eastern and Western Nepal were extremely remote and many times the team trekked for days on end between an altitude of 10,000-14,000 ft. While the longest day trekked was 13.5 hours at an altitude above 10,000 ft, the longest distance covered in a day at a high altitude of 12,000 ft was 29 km, according to the note.

Shamala said the trekkers encountered several unique experiences during the expedition that included a stay at a graveyard, a chicken farm, abandoned buildings and old school verandas.

The aim of this expedition was also to highlight the need to remain fit and show that age is no barrier to living a healthy lifestyle. “50 or 60 years of age doesn’t mean dreams should be over,” said Shamala.