Someplace within the Himalayas, Tracy Pawelski, stands close to the highest of the world. PHOTO / TRACY PAWELSKI
As an journey traveler and long-distance strolling fanatic, Tracy Pawelski needs you to know she is rather like you, with maybe a barely overactive sense of journey.
“I’m not an elite athlete,” she mentioned. “I’m not on the market breaking world information. The adventures I take are attainable.”
Pawelski, who’s the senior communications counsel at promoting company PPO&S in Harrisburg, lately launched her second journey journey guide, “One Lady within the Himalayas,” a take a look at her 2015 journey on Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit. Her first guide, “One Lady’s Camino,” describes a 500-mile trek throughout Spain known as el Camino de Santiago, which she took together with her daughter, Juliet.
“Right here’s the message: Don’t suppose you possibly can’t do one thing earlier than you truly give it a attempt,” she mentioned. “Too many ladies cross an audacious thought off the checklist earlier than ever attempting it out. The subtitle of my guide is ‘Not each thought is a good suggestion, however you don’t know till you attempt.’ You could discover that you just overshot your capacity, even your braveness, however not less than you’ll know. And I believe you’ll have an incredible story to inform about it, whether or not you resolve to jot down a guide about it or not.”
Pawelski mentioned her new guide, the Himalayas and the enterprise classes she discovered alongside the way in which with Ladies in Management. Solutions have been edited for size and readability.
What led you to journey journey?
Curiosity in regards to the world. Artwork, tradition, folks, historical past and delightful locations led me to turn out to be a traveler within the first place and later an journey traveler. I’ve been touring the globe since I used to be 20, and earlier than that, I used to be an armchair traveler and was drawn to books about faraway locations. I examine India, East Africa and the golden age of exploration.
I like cities which might be nice locations identical to everyone else, however in lots of these off-the-beaten-path locations, you get an actual sense of a spot and its historical past as a substitute of what a vacationer may expertise. My husband and I like to get out and discover, and you may’t try this from the within of a tour bus window.
What drew you to the Himalayas?
When my daughter, Juliet, and I walked el Camino, we met many like-minded people from all around the world. Persons are on the identical path, sharing the identical modest lodging. They’re sharing the identical break from a busy, distracted world. This sort of expertise tends to make for deep and quick friendships. One pal from the Camino was an Irishman named Chuck who was truly coaching by strolling for a return journey to Nepal. When Chuck invited me to affix that trek to the Annapurna Circuit and stroll within the shadows of the world’s highest mountains, how might I say no? The attract of journey was irresistible.
Describe the journey you took.
You start by flying to Kathmandu. This was 2015, which was the identical 12 months as a devastating earthquake that hit Nepal. Within the Kathmandu Valley, an estimated 5,000 folks died. That was in April, and we had been moving into October. We weren’t positive what we had been going to seek out. We knew the Everest area had been hit exhausting.
Once we acquired there, there was a boycott on the border between India and Nepal, impacting all of the important items that Nepalese folks depend on. A fuel scarcity makes shifting round actually troublesome. Navigating all of this stuff, we began strolling in a spot known as Besisahar, which is [at] about 3,500 toes, and you start strolling and climbing previous rice terraces which might be cascading their manner down the hillside.
You begin within the subtropics. After you get out of the rice terraces and plush inexperienced areas, we’re following a giant river known as the Marsyangdi River. We might cross on suspension bridges. A few of them had been a little bit sturdier than others. You stroll out of the lowlands into Buddhist nation. There are free-standing prayer wheels. Our information coached us to stroll alongside the left aspect and use our proper hand to spin the prayer wheels. You stroll from there to an altitude of 9,000 toes into apple nation. In the meantime, we’re staying in tea homes alongside the way in which.
I can’t inform you what number of instances I needed to ask myself, “OK, Tracy, now what are you going to do?” By this time, I used to be feeling fairly good. I’ve acquired this. I do know what to anticipate. We had been three and a half days into the climb when my Irish pal had some well being points that triggered him to show again. I continued on. I tailored my plans.
In “One Lady within the Himalayas,” the story is absolutely about how you can attain deep and keep on when issues don’t prove the way you’ve deliberate. There’s definitely a basic enterprise lesson, in truth a life lesson, to that. How do you adapt your plans? How do you pivot and discover the braveness to maintain going within the course you need to go when issues don’t prove the way you’ve deliberate? You don’t need to aspire to strolling within the Himalayas to narrate to the way you deal with issues when the sudden arises.
What enterprise classes have you ever discovered by way of your journey experiences?
In the event you wait till you suppose you’re prepared, it’s possible you’ll by no means act. In the event you wait to chase that promotion or that new job, the chance could evaporate. You must think about your self and never let worry paralyze you.
I speak about how on this journey a collection of unlucky occasions modified my plans. I needed to make choices in a sizzling minute and fairly actually in skinny air.
Success will not be ultimate. Failure will not be deadly. It’s the braveness to proceed that counts. In the event you take sufficient adventures, you attempt sufficient new issues, you’re sure to face a sliding scale of success. Generally your expertise will exceed expectations. Different instances it is going to fall brief. In the event you’re striving for perfection, you’ll by no means go wherever.
I discovered that it’s OK to make errors. Persevering with alongside that theme, for those who’re afraid of constructing errors, you’ll by no means do something. I would like girls specifically to comprehend it’s OK to step out of your consolation zone, attempt one thing new and take a threat on your self, nonetheless that will look. Like I say within the books, it’s by no means a mistake to take a threat on your self.
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