Age never matters when one decides to pursue their passion and IPS officer Aparna Kumar of the 2002 batch proved the same. Crossing all the hurdles that came in her way, she went on to climb the seven summits and slid straight up to the Southern Pole, all within the span of a few years. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Kumar shared her experience so beautifully that it even left us awestruck!
The mountaineering course which Ms. Kumar undertook, before embarking upon the real thing, was extremely difficult as it was physically straining. But she did it wholeheartedly, never missed a class, and took it slowly but steadily. Where in a few days’ time half the young batch quit the classes and left, Ms. Kumar kept on training and didn’t lose hope. She finished her Advance Mountaineering Course at ABVIMAS, Manali in July 2014. Since then, there is no looking back for her.
The Seven Conquests
Of the seven continents in the entire world, Ms. Kumar has climbed the highest peak of all of them. This unique achievement has made her the first ever person in the esteemed bureaucracy of India, to accomplish such a great feat. These here are the detailed accounts of Ms. Kumar’s conquest, as also her own thoughts and recollections about the expeditions.
Africa – Mt. Kilimanjaro
She successfully climbed her first international peak in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on August 30, 2014. Describing her experience, she says “I had no idea how people climb internationally and what is the scene out there. Travelling all alone, taking huge bags of mountain gears, equipment and clothes, this was all new to me. I had over packed everything. I learnt a lot from the various people I met from different countries and made some amazing friends. This expedition developed an interest in me and boosted up my confidence level. Mt. Kilimanjaro was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life!”
After reaching the top of the peak and absorbing the breathtaking view, she unfurled the flag of India and U.P. Police, which was a proud moment for the nation.
Australia – Carstensz Pyramid
On 7th November 2014, she successfully climbed Carstensz Pyramid in the West Papuan province of Indonesia, the highest peak in Australia. It was an extremely challenging climb as it required high stamina and technical climbing skills owing to the vertical and jagged rocky climb.
“There was not a single woman on the expedition apart from me. There were all males, towering to a height of 6’4” and I felt like a tiny woman among them. It really opened my eyes to how you climb and work as a team to get to the top and make an expedition successful. Also, I was not used to the kind of food they ate, so I really had to try and develop the taste for that bland food.”
Being a woman, she had to take extra care of her health and hygiene. Basic issues like unexpected menstruation can be a challenge too. “It becomes quite tough for a woman if you get your period in the middle of an expedition. It just spoils everything. It gets tough physically, as well. One needs to be prepared and be extra careful. But thankfully, the men in the expedition were very cooperative and helpful and we accomplished the expedition together!” she told Indian Masterminds. Again she became the first IPS to ever scale the peak.
South America – Aconcagua
On January 14, 2015 she successfully summited Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak outside Asia which is situated in Argentina in South America. It was a fabulous experience, according to her. She climbed along with an Australian female and a male. Unfortunately, by the last camp, the male climber fell ill and suffered pulmonary edema, a condition where the lung sacs get filled with water and makes breathing difficult. He had to be rescued from the climb. But his thoughtfulness and consideration for his teammates is what touched Ms. Kumar’s heart.
“He was such a wonderful person that he waited for us, at the camp. It was a big risk for him, looking at his condition but he still waited for us for about 24 hours so we could go back together. It was extremely sweet of him and it also built a bond between us. I’m still in touch with them” she exclaimed.
Click here to read the first part of Ms. Aparna’s conquests:
Europe – Elbrus
Thereafter, on 4th August 2015, she climbed the highest peak in Europe, Mt. Elbrus. She went along with a huge team of 10 members, succeeded, and came back, thereby strengthening her resolution to scale the three remaining summits too.
Antarctica – Mount Vinson Massif
On 17th January 2016, she scaled Mt. Vinson Massif in Antarctica. She considers the expedition as a unique and incredible experience. It was a fairly expensive expedition but she really looked forward to the extreme cold and isolation. “I met a number of climbers from all parts of the world and learned a lot about how they take care of themselves and what kind of training they do. These things prepared me for my next expeditions. I learned a lot from everybody!” she told Indian Masterminds.
The Mightiest Peak of them All
Asia – Mount Everest
Now came the big one, Mt. Everest: the biggest dream of any mountaineer, whether a neophyte or highly trained, no matter in which part of the Globe he or she may be residing. Like every mountaineer, Mt. Everest was Ms. Kumar’s dream. After two unsuccessful attempts, she finally scaled the highest peak of the world on May 21, 2016. She considers it one of the most difficult expeditions of her life. “I had dysentery and could not eat anything apart from khichdi and bland food. It was weakening me and took my strength. I really had to push myself through.”
She shares her experience of a 26-year-old strong climber who was so fast-paced that he reached different camps within two hours or so when it took Ms. Kumar about 5 hours to reach. He was so agile; everybody thought he would be the first person to reach the summit. But unfortunately, by the time he reached the last camp, he fell so ill that he had to be rescued from the place. He did not let his body acclimatize to the condition in a haste to reach quickly, which resulted in him getting piercing frostbites, whereas Ms. Kumar’s slow but steady pace helped her reach the summit, fit and fine! Hence, the saying ‘slow and steady wins the race’ is proved right.
According to her, climbing down Everest is the toughest part. All her energy was drained while climbing upwards. Also, the sight of dead bodies lying around on Everest made it a little depressing.
“You go into a state where you feel that nothing else is left. So keeping your focus is extremely important. I used to just look at my foot and count till a hundred and then keep my next step. There came a point when I kept another step at an interval of 5 minutes. The process becomes very dragging. Not everybody can climb Everest. You really need to stay positive and complete the task.”
With happy and proud tears in her eyes, she unfurled the national and UP police’s flag on the top. Her body suffered mildly while on the expedition, but according to her “the view on top was worth it!”
From Everest to Denali
North America – Denali, Alaska
Mt. Denali is even tougher than Mt. Everest. She had to do some major preparation and training to climb this one! She had to pull a sled weighing around 26 kgs and a backpack, weighing around 18 kgs. Everything from a sleeping bag to food to cooking utensils and team gear and equipment goes in the bag.
“In Alaska, there is this policy that you cannot litter the mountains so whatever trash you have, you have to carry it down to the base and deposit it there. They also give you a bucket and some plastic covers, in case you want to excrete them. You will have to pack the feces and dispose of them in the offices, down. The weight is huge and I had to really train myself to drag such a heavyweight to the top.”
She climbed Denali for the first time in 2017 and was able to reach till the last camp but unfortunately, the weather got so bad that she was stuck there for 8 days and even ran out of food. The weather wasn’t getting alright and therefore, they had to wind up and return back to the base camp. Again, in 2018 she went to climb the peak but this time she couldn’t even reach the 3rd camp. Because of the bad weather, she got stuck for 11 days again and had to give up and return. “It was so upsetting. I was not used to such disappointments on the mountains and back to back two unsuccessful attempts made me feel like the mountain was not ready to accept me” she says.
She climbed Mount Denali in Alaska of North America thereby completing her Seven Summits challenge, in 2019! “It takes around 24 to 26 days to climb the mountain but I did it in a record time of 10 days, thanks to the clear weather. I literally had tears of happiness in my eyes. God has his own way of giving you things.”
Sliding through the Southern Pole
2019 was a pleasant year for Ms. Kumar as she also went forward to ski across the Southern pole! “I had never skied before and in the pole, I skied for 100 km at a stretch. The ski was itself so heavy and we had to walk on it. They drop you at the 89-degree latitude and you need to travel to 1-degree latitude which is 112 km far. It was wonderful and I felt like I was walking on the moon. Only 6 of us were left as the rest 4 had to quit due to health issues and we were the only ones in the whole area. It was so quiet and isolated; you could hear the gushing winds so clearly! The sky was forming different formations and was changing colors every few minutes. I saw ten rainbows at a time and it was the most beautiful and fascinating thing I had ever seen” she exclaimed!
Ms. Kumar has achieved something that nobody ever has. She will soon complete and achieve the Explorers Grand Slam, which includes the Seven Summits and the Two Poles, with an expedition to North Pole which is delayed due to the ongoing Corona Virus Pandemic.
Financing the expeditions
It’s not unknown that such expeditions need a lot of monetary investment. Talking about how she managed the finances, Ms. Kumar told Indian Masterminds that initially she had to finance herself and she could afford it because climbing mountains like Mt. Kilimanjaro is not that expensive. Her expedition to Mt. Everest was financed solely by the Uttar Pradesh Government and they also partly financed her Antarctica expedition as well as the South Pole.
“My family and close friends also helped me with collecting money. I would put up with people that were known to me or my friends, thereby diluting some cost. The gear and equipment are also so expensive that I invested most of my salary into it. My husband also pools in so that helps a lot.”
Maybe no more insurmountable peaks exist on Earth for Ms. Aparna Kumar to conquer. But like it’s said in the climbers’ parlance, mountaineers never hang up their boots. The lure of the mountains always pulls them back. And who knows it better than her! In all likelihood, we should hear soon from her.
