For 50 students from Sri Channakeshava Swamy Secondary School, this was their first time outdoors in this way, coming on a trek. 

The idea didn’t come from us. It came as a message from Prajwal, who volunteers with the Shishukunj institutions.

Shishukunj works with a mixed group of students. Seventy per cent of their students are fee-paying. The remaining thirty per cent study through sponsorships. Alongside this, the institution supports several rural schools across the country. Sri Channakeshava Swamy Secondary School in Mysore is one of them.

When the school spoke about taking their students on a trek, there was no confusion about the purpose. This wasn’t planned as a break or an outing. It was meant as exposure.

Indiahikes came on board without hesitation. The school wasn’t charging the children. So we decided we wouldn’t either.

Once that was clear, this stopped being just about a trek.— It was the first of many things.

First Trek. First Outing. First Big Adventure.

For almost every child on that bus, this was their first trek. You could tell without being told.

They were dancing. The bus never really quietened down. Manasa laughed while recalling it. For them, a trek just meant climbing a hill and coming back. 

A few of the children had walked uphill before, usually during pilgrimages with their families. But this was new. A proper trek. Trek leaders. Instructions. Walking as a group.

Manasa said something that stuck. Every child she spoke to wanted to come back. Some even said they wouldn’t mind climbing the same hill again. That’s not something you hear often.

The joy was visible from the start. The gratitude came in, and in small moments.

“They were thankful in a very pure way,” she said.

And somewhere there, the day shifted.

A Trek Which was More Than Reaching the Top

The day started early. Breakfast at school at 8:30 am. Then a short drive to the base of Kunti Betta.

This wasn’t about racing to the top. Or ticking off a summit. It was about what climbing a hill does to you.

“We asked them how it feels when they climb,” Manasa said. “They just said, ‘Happy.’ That was enough.” From there, the conversation went where it needed to — confidence, finishing something hard, trying things you’ve never done before.

Only after that did the team talk about zero waste.

The kids had biscuits packed. But once the volunteer understood why the idea mattered, he paused. Then suggested something on his own — give the biscuits out only after the trek. The message had landed.

And then something unexpected happened.

The kids took it seriously. Too seriously. It turned into a contest — who could pick up the most waste.

By the time they got down, they’d collected 9.7 kilos of trash. From one hill.

For the kids, that number hit hard.

For the adults, it was a reminder — this is what learning looks like when it’s lived, not taught.

Why Experiences Like These Matter

For the Indiahikes team, the experience reaffirmed something we’ve always believed — taking children outdoors isn’t optional. It’s essential.

For a long time, trekking in India wasn’t something everyone could imagine themselves doing. Smaller, local treks were overlooked and undervalued. Slowly, steadily, we are working to change that reality.

When we design experiential learning programmes, nothing is left to chance. The trek choice, facilitation, and outcomes are carefully planned in consultation with the group and their objectives. Our role is to complement those goals — using our experience to create a space where transformation can happen naturally.

Because certain values — responsibility, awareness, confidence — are best learnt through doing. Through adventure. Through first-hand experience.

And for organisations looking to invest in initiatives like these as part of their corporate social responsibility, we’re open to designing programmes that align with their objectives.

Sometimes, all it takes is one hill — and a first step — to change how someone sees the world.