It was the American poet Joyce Kilmer, writing in the post-Industrial age who observed, “I think I shall never see/A poem as lovely as a tree.” Then again, Kilmer did not have to bother about the hundred notifications on her phone, as many hikers do in 2025. To change this scenario, Swadesi Treks is planning a new series of hikes starting in November that have one clear criterion — no phones.

“The world is shifting to the digital world in more ways than one. Even when people are out amidst nature, they are looking at it through their phone camera,” shares Sachin Singh, who has been organising treks since 2015. While he admits it is inevitable, Singh adds, “It poses different challenges for organisers. For instance, we have to go out of our way to get people involved in the hike that they are participating in.” This is where the idea for a ‘no-phone hike’ comes in.