These photographs were taken during H+K Mumbai’s team trek to Rajmachi Fort on one of the rugged hills of Sahydri Mountains, about 95 KM from Mumbai on Saturday, July 15, 2017.

Teams that work cohesively are more than just individuals working under a common roof; it takes understanding, support and inspiration from one another day-in and day-out. We, the team at Hill+Knowlton Strategies Mumbai, set out to scale the Rajmachi Fort near Mumbai to challenge ourselves to overcome individual limitations and work as a cohesive group, motivating one another to achieve one common goal.

The nearly 7-hour trek to the summit was nothing short of an achievement. It was a first for many of us; crossing rapid streams and waterfalls, wading through knee deep mud and withstanding incessant rain throughout the day was a test our endurance. Giving up was not an option—it took immense motivation from each one of us to make it to the top.

It wasn’t easy to say the least, but we surpassed it all and, along the way, we formed new bonds and strengthened existing ones. After splitting into teams led by different office managers, we became one single Hill+Knowlton Strategies team at the top of the fort. Coming down was a different challenge altogether, as walking along the dark and dense forest trail after sunset required us to rely on our intuition and abstract landmarks to estimate the remaining distance.

At the end of the day—perhaps a longer-than-expected one—we created memories as H+Kers that we will carry with us for years to come, no matter where we are. Now, every face in the office is associated with a memory from the arduous trek to Rajmachi Fort, which has changed the way we collaborate at work. We at H+K Mumbai are now more than colleagues. We are each others’ motivators.