LEH: The All India Girls High Altitude Long Trek ‘Aparajita–Parang La 2026’, a flagship adventure activity of the National Cadet Corps (NCC), was flagged-in at Karzok, Ladakh, on Wednesday by DG NCC Lt Gen Virendra Vats and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Smt Dipti Mohil Chawla.
The expedition featured 20 NCC girl cadets selected from different parts of the country, who successfully traversed the challenging Parang La Pass at an altitude of 5,578 metres, connecting Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti Valley with the Changthang region of Ladakh.
The cadets covered approximately 250 kilometres over 30 days, negotiating demanding high-altitude terrain comprising glaciers, snowfields and river valleys. Accompanied by NCC officers, instructors, medical personnel and support staff, the team completed the expedition from Kibber in Himachal Pradesh to Karzok in Ladakh.
The trek was flagged off from New Delhi by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 18, marking the beginning of the challenging expedition designed to test the physical endurance and mental resilience of the participating cadets.
Addressing the gathering at Karzok, DG NCC Lt Gen Virendra Vats congratulated the cadets and accompanying staff on the successful completion of the trek. He said adventure activities of this nature play an important role in developing leadership qualities, self-confidence, teamwork and endurance among young people.
The expedition was organised to encourage greater participation of young women in adventure activities and provide them exposure to challenging high-altitude environments. It also sought to promote national integration by bringing together NCC cadets from diverse regions of the country and fostering a spirit of camaraderie and shared achievement.
