IAF trekking expedition flagged off

Chandigarh, June 26 (UNI) A team of seven air force officers, headed by Wg Cdr K Dinesh, proceeded on a trekking expedition to Chamba, Bharmaur and Lahaul Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh from the Air Force Station here today.

The expedition was flagged off by Air Vice Marshal Naresh Verma, Senior Officer in-charge Administration, Western Air Command.

Aimed at spreading awareness about the Indian Air Force among the people in these upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh and encourage youngsters to join the IAF, the expedition team will be covering a total distance of about 200 kms and scaling a height of 16,535 feet, while crossing two passes namely, Kugti and Darati.

The team leader, Wg Cdr K Dinesh is a qualified mountaineer and has been a trekker since his college days. Sqn Ldr Bhavana Mehra is the planner, motivator and the main driving force of this group of trekkers.

Sqn Ldr A P Singh is posted at Srinagar and has joined this group. Flt Lt Shantanu Verma, Flt Lt CG Varghese and Fg Offr Manoj Rana are all young flying branch officers who keep frequenting this area while flying the air maintenance sorties to the forward bases and posts.

Expressing their feelings at the start of the trek, the team members said they were thrilled by the idea of traversing the beautiful valleys of Himachal, which they have had the opportunity to see only from the air. The team had carried out a conditioning camp at Kasauli on June 21-22.

This expedition has received encouragement form Fortis Hospital.

Apart from supporting the cause of spreading environmental issues, the hospital is playing the role of 'Partners in Health' of the team members. The hospital doctors have provided valuable advice to the team members and trained them in First Aid besides equipping them with latest resources to tackle any health related eventuality.

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