At 63, Vadodara woman defies arthritis to conquer Himalayas!

VADODARA: Four years ago, she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and doctors advised her to never trek in her life. Defying the medicos, Gangotri Soneji, a Barodian, didn't just trek but conquered the Himalayas. And that too at the age of 63!
"I am so ecstatic," Soneji, who was the only woman from Gujarat in the team of 11, told TOI.
"Trekking through the Himalayas, marching on some dangerous routes and watching the world from the peak of mountains were an unforgettable experience. Especially, when I had challenged myself to go on the expedition against medical advice. The expedition started as a challenge but soon turned into an exciting journey," she recalled.

They undertook the Trans Himalayan expedition under the guidance of Padma Bhushan Bachendri Pal who was the first Indian woman to reach Mt Everest summit. "There were some treacherous climbs and bad weather conditions but I was never going to let the body pain play spoilsport and stop me from attaining my goal. Bachendri and I have trekked together in the past so we know each other well," she said.
They walked about 20km every day and passed through the mountain ranges in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim and ended the expedition at Kargil. "We covered 2,170km on foot in 140 days and reached the peak of 18,000 feet twice during the trek. In some mountain passes, there were no water streams between 6,000 and 8,000 feet due to deforestation, concrete construction and scarce rains," Soneji revealed.

When asked about her most memorable moments, Gangotri Soneji said, "The exciting moments were walking through the mountains amid lush green cover on both sides. But we experienced tense moments too when one of our team members slipped at Lamkhaga pass and suffered injuries." Soneji along with the entire team met President Droupadi Murmu as well as Union sports minister Anurag Thakur after the expedition.

A national swimmer in her school days, Soneji took to rock climbing at the age of 18 and fell in love with it. She went for numerous treks and did nearly 15 expeditions in the Himalayas before taking a break as she had to shift to the US after her marriage. Soneji returned to Vadodara in the 1990s and began pursuing her passion again.