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Laura Berry

@_l.berry

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Woman on the move.

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😙 by @_l.berry

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7 months ago

It’s hard to digest some of the things I saw and experienced while backpacking through India. If I had to describe it in one word… a paradox. By no means was it an easy country to travel alone as a Western woman and it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. That being said it was also one of the most rewarding, eye-opening, and beautiful experiences of my life. taken in India by @_l.berry

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3 months ago

Well, as it turns out, Indian men aren’t used to seeing a solo woman marching up a mountain in her Lululemon tracksuit carrying her own load.

This was one of the most challenging and emotional experiences of my life.

Back in January, I was researching the hardest trek I could find in India to altitude train for my 100-miler in October. That’s how I ended up on the Auden’s Col expedition: a 15-day traverse through the Garhwal Himalayas involving glacier crossings, high-altitude passes, and some of the toughest terrain I’ve ever encountered. Unlike a trek where a path is paved for you, an expedition involves a lot of bush whacking and ice axing to carve your way through.

After a few medical checks and some very generous descriptions of my mountaineering experience (which was nonexistent), I got the green light. Five months later I was on a crowded bus full of Indian mountaineers with no backing out.

I fell. A lot. Some of those falls really rattled me. Huge thanks to @himalayan_ansh and @hill_dweller_055 who saved my life more than once.

From marathons to Ironmans, mountain running, and now mountaineering, I’ve always chased bigger challenges. This was a completely new skill set and it scared the living shit out of me.

The mountains don’t care how tough you think you are. There are no helicopters waiting to rescue you in these remote places. Your team isn’t just your company for 15 days, they’re your lifeline.

I was colder than I’ve ever been, dehydrated most of the time, running a fever before a 12-hour summit push, severely sunburned, exhausted, and surviving mainly on rice and lentils. I cried when nobody was looking. More than once.

I climbed mudslides and rock faces, crossed raging rivers, dodged avalanches, and crawled through waist-deep snow toward a summit. I was uncomfortable 100% of the time.

All I wanted was a fucking cheeseburger.

But I made it. taken in Uttarakhand, Himalayas by @_l.berry

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4 months ago

Unfortunately, I took a hard DNF at UTMB California last night. After 12 hours of suffering, coughing blood, unable to keep food and water down, I had to make a call for my health and safety.

The 100 miler hasn’t seen the last of me, I’ll be back out there this spring for my second attempt. ❤️ taken in Big Bear Lake, California by @_l.berry

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6 days ago

A quick 3.5 weeks of training post India, and against my own beliefs, I pulled together another IRONMAN. taken in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada by @_l.berry

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2 months ago

Sounds of India taken in India by @_l.berry

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3 months ago

🌞 taken in Jaipur Pink City Of India by @_l.berry

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4 months ago

A wrap on my time in Nepal <3 May cockroaches never crawl on me in my sleep again 😘 by @_l.berry

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5 months ago

I eat altitude gain for breakfast, and dal bhat (plus 5 mars bars) for lunch. taken in Mount Everest by @_l.berry

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5 months ago

Just gasping for oxygen in the background, no worries. taken in Mount Everest, Himalayas by @_l.berry

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5 months ago

What do you mean they don’t play ping pong at the ping pong show? taken in Thailand by @_l.berry

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5 months ago

I think I’m gonna crawl? by @_l.berry

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6 months ago