I, Marc Schroeder, had been a financial advisor for the same amount of time that Aslam had been leading trekking expeditions when we met.     I was earning significant money, Aslam was battling to make ends meet, and battling to send his kids to a school where they can learn to read and write English.    I was extremely unhealthy, Aslam is one of the fittest men in the village.  I was the most unhappy I had ever been in my life, Aslam was the opposite. I hated my career in finance, Aslam has a passion for trekking that glows in the dark.   He had all the joy, the access to nature, the family.  Things that I desperately had been looking for as I plunged deeper and further into the rat race.   The last few years of my career I had been struggling with my life, I was obese, dealing with various addictions and was quickly becoming a recluse.  The only light in my soul would whisper to me in the darkness, ‘pack up, leave and go to India’.  I believe I was close to death when I finally followed these instincts and made my way over to India, not knowing what I would find there or what would become of me.

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Through a series of bizarre coincidences and after being ripped off heavily by some smooth tour operators I found myself in Naranag Village in May 2016. Meeting Aslam at the start of my greatest life adventure, one where I would finally understand the purpose of my life, one where I would finally find reason to celebrate my life.   We became close friends instantly, I knew this was a man I could trust and set up a partnership with.   Here is an exert from my travel journal about our union and when the idea of the Kashmir Trekking Company was born:

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"On arrival in the little town at the end of the line, population 300, the first thing I noticed was that it was cleaner than any other town I had passed through.  I noticed quickly that the village appeared absent of vagrants and beggars.  I came to know that the people of the village rely on nobody but themselves for survival.  They all work hard farming their lands and collecting firewood for the heavy winters, everyone looked lean and mean.  We were soon joined by Aslam, the tour leader and Aslam 2, the horseman.  Our 2 horses were mounted with supplies, tents and a gas tank for cooking. The one tour operator that had ripped me off, was milling around asserting his authority as the boss, he was barking off orders in English to Aslam so that I could hear.  I could tell by Aslam’s body language that he wasn’t appreciating being spoken to like that.  It was time to go, with the thrill of the great mountains swishing through me, we began to hike.  The village road ends and what begins is a trail that feeds straight into the greatest wilderness I have ever known.

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 The surrounds in the morning light were magical with sunlight pilfering through the forest, the constant rage of river and  an array of birds singing.    We came to a trail head that made its way up the steep side of a hill.  The beauty was so intense that I started to feel a little anxious about it, which bummed me out a little. As we rose and the views intensified so too did the nervous tension in my body.  Ignoring it I struck up conversation with Aslam about his life.   I was curious to know how much Poppa and Ramzan pay him for these expeditions.   To be honest, I was suspicious of my kashmir travel package arrangement, something had been telling me that the operators were scammers.    I knew I had been over charged yet there was little I could do.    So, I asked Aslam how much of the 180,000 rupees that I had paid over to the crooked tour operators he received.  He told me nothing.  I checked again.  Nothing was his reply.   There was much confusion, how could the man that makes it all possible earn nothing.  He told me that he was supposed to get 10,000 rupees per trek but he hadn't been paid for a while and he was still owed 60,000 rupees.  They bring him willing trekkers, like myself, who tip him.  The operators are also supposed to provide him with all his equipment too, yet it seemed he hadn’t been updated for some time.  I felt agitated that I had been so badly skinned  but was even more aggrieved for my friend Aslam who it appeared was being totally screwed over by the tour operators, for years. 

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We walked along in silence, progressing up the hillside.    Aslam would point out interesting flora, species of birds and monkey.   He helped me relax a little, yet that pang of nervousness was still with me, and I was still cross about us being ripped off.   We carried on in silence, except for my increasingly heavy panting as the air thinned.  Nervous tension building in my body.  Aslam was ahead of me, he was smiling and looking over my head to something behind, the smile revealed it was something special.  I reached him and turned around.  It was the most beautiful sight I had seen yet, the peaks running away to forever…. The nervous tension seemed to escalate, my body started to shake.  I slumped to the earth and sat staring, mesmerized with my elbows resting on my knees, my chin supported in my hands.   And tears started to run from my eyes down my cheeks.   They were, at first, tears of sadness for how badly I had let my life slide and how much life I had spent chasing down a dream that was never mine.   The next foray of tears were of gratitude for having finally made this trip, I could feel it was going to change my life forever.  Finally, great big tears of sheer exhilaration for I knew why I had been called to India and why I then I found myself in Naranag Village in North Kashmir, population 300.   I rose, the tears subsided along with the nervous tension I had been carrying.   I stretched my arms to the sky, opening my body up to an electric surge of pure joy that jolted me from toe to nose.  I felt truly alive and was rewarded with a fantastic bout of joyous laughter, Aslam too started to laugh. "

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In that moment the idea for the Kashmir Trekking company was born.   Founded and sealed with a handshake between Aslam and myself.  Incidentally, The Kashmir Trekking Company is also the name of my book which will be out soon.   So, why?  The idea makes so much sense to me.  How many people would love this experience but have no idea how to start putting it together?  How many people, like me, arrive in India and get ripped off  and then leave with a bad taste in their mouths?   When I was having tea with Aslam on that first day in his house and he told me his wishes were to be his own boss, to send his kids to school and to see the sea.  I had a lump in my throat not only because I felt sad for his situation but also because I knew I had the power to make his dreams come true.  He also has the power to make my dreams come true, as I am desperately in need of a good reason to return to Naranag Village, hopefully for the rest of the my life.  Our searches had finally brought us together, the possibility of achieving our goals had become a reality.

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My responsibility is to market the idea and to manage bookings as Aslam cannot read or write and has no access to email. This is why he hasn’t been able to market his own business, why he has been at the mercy of the crooked Delhi tour operators for so long, why he can’t send his kids to a good school.   Groups can be anything from 1 to 10 people, although Aslam assures me that between him and his 3 brothers they can host groups of up to 40.  My hope is to spend July, August and September in Naranag accompanying the various trekking parties and perhaps trying to teach a little English and a lot of drama at the village school in between treks. 

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Aslam is the trek leader and expert on the mountains, he is the most important aspect of this venture.  He has a team of excellent horsemen and cooks, who, besides knowing exactly what they are doing, are also incredible company.    Together we make up the Kashmir Trekking Company. Please contact us for more information on the incredible adventures in the Kashmir Himalayas that we can facilitate on info@thektc.com

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