Rourkela: Scaling Mt Rudugaira has given her the confidence to accomplish her next target – the summit of Everest, says 22-year-old Ranjita Behera.
Ranjita , the only participant from this city of a 15-member mountaineers’ team, was selected by the state sports and youth affairs department to take part in Rudugaira (18,500 ft) expedition also known as Rudragaira trekking.
Following the adventurous trip which was accomplished October 4, she has returned home with loads of experience and a goal to scale the world’s highest peak by 2018. Ranjita has even started preparation to realise the dream.
“I need lots of funds to climb the 8828 mt peak but I am optimistic about it. Rudugaira experience would stand me in good stead,” a confident Ranjit said.
As part of her preparations, she would move to Gurgaon for a para-gliding competition this month and visit Gulmarg in the Valley in January, it was learnt.
Before making an attempt for Everest, she likes to acquire all expertise required for the challenge, she added.
The daughter of Raghunath Behera, an RSP employee of Sector-19, Ranjita had a leaning towards adventure sports since her childhood. As an NCC cadet she got success in many mountaineering competitions in her college days and has been an expert in self-defence training.
Speaking about her awe-inspiring expedition, Ranjita said 125 mountaineers were shortlisted for the final round. Finally, she along with 14 others made it to the final team selected by the department.
“The team had to face vicious squall and snow storms on its way. Every moment was challenging for us as breathing was becoming gradually difficult with heavy luggage on our back. But our confidence grew after arriving at the base camp at a height of 4,000 feet,” Ranjita said, narrating her thrilling experience.
Before the Rudragaira trekking, she had climbed the 12,000-feet Sandakaphu peak on West Bengal-Nepal border in December, 2015 and practiced rock climbing at Panchalingeswar in Balasore district in February, 2016. Her final training was at Dayara in Jamunotri in Uttarakhand.
Despite the poor economic condition of her family, Ranjita aspires to practice hard and bring more laurels for the state. PNN
