Trek
“Sir, we proceed to that point and then turn north towards that and then finally take the other path and reach back here.” The guide was making it sound like we were gonna take a stroll around Sion circle(ok if the others feel left out, then its Majestic circle(now KG) for the bangaloreans, inner circle of Connaught Place for the delhiites, Secretariat circle for the hyderabadis, Katipara junction for the chennaites). Coming to the point, the only difference was that this circle happened to be about 12-14kms long.
We were at the starting point of the base camp to undertake a trekking expedition. Nothing very difficult or great about it. But the only thing is we did not have the luxury of time on our side. Coz, we were supposed to time the trip and ensure that we will be able to herd about a 100 odd persons thro this entire route again in a fortnight.
Well, my friends and me, are organizing a youth leadership program this month. It's a closed door program only for the youth of our community ' particularly residing in south India. So about 100 of them are gonna participate coming from Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad etc. We are having other sessions to help them develop soft skills. This trekking trip is to make them tough and also to sensitize them to be eco-friendly and also to be adventurous.
We started the climb at about 8.00 am with the sun just about shining across our faces. We did not take anything with us except for water. The guide's name was "Kaattu Raja" literally meaning "forest king" in Tamil. We met him for the first time at the village nearby. We were not too sure if we had the right person to guide us thro the forest, but then the name was a small consolation, hoping that he live up to his name and not grope around for the direction when we were inside the forest.
The initial path was quite gentle and we did not have much difficulty in marching ahead. The path was made friendly by the constant movement of wood cutters of the area. After crossing over the first hillock, we had to change direction to reach the second one which was still higher and we had to reach the highest point of that range. It was not at a great altitude nor did we have to do any tough climbing. But having companions nearing the age of 50 made me a bit apprehensive. But heck no, they were fit and fine and made me eat my thoughts raw. I then kept thinking will I be able to trek or be adventurous when I be of their age. Will my body give up or will I be able to do such activities? Well I remembered that Youth post and resolved never to entertain such thoughts again. Give your best shot at life and you will be given back in equal measure.
And mind you, our guide was dressed in Veshti (a plain white lungi) and shirt. No footwear. He was true to this name. Giving us constant bits of advice and talking about life in the villages and the cities. Man, howsoever literate you are ' you can be humbled even by such people. The detachment with which they view life and their simplicity and honesty are some of the characteristics missing with the urban folks like you and me.
We were steadily climbing towards the top. We had to cross dry streams and rivulets as also small and large boulders enroute. When we reached the topmost point, a beautiful sight was awaiting us. We could see the green valley ahead. And a sense of achievement engulfed us. Howsoever small or rather short the peak it maybe ' but still, going all the way till the top gives one a feeling of achievement and satisfaction. But like I told before, we did not have time to soak in the beautiful sights. We have to make an early descent and reach our base so that we get a fairly accurately timed trip. I also tasted the water at one point during the trek. The water was flowing down in a trickle. And it made a small pool below it. I went ahead and took water from the fall. The guide asked my friend to take the water from the pool. He said it was perfect for consumption. So my friend quenched his thirst soon. And then the guide completed his sentence that bisons and other animals also drink from this pool only. Me and my other friend had a hearty laugh. But this water tasted so nice ' we don't have anything like it in cities. Also it possesses natural flavors since it passes thro forests and lots of roots and herbs come in contact with it.
I too removed my shoes for a better part of the trek. Believe me ' it was not that tough and by the way, you get your legs accu-pressured without going to any doc. The descent was tougher than the ascent. It's more difficult to balance your body while descending than while ascending. And moreover we took a tough short cut route do climb down strewn with slippery boulders. So it made the task all the more tough for us. But we were enjoying every moment of it. Back to base in two hours flat. Well we made up our minds to bring those unsuspecting souls for a nice lil adventure to this place only.
And made a resolve ourselves too ' to come to such places often, atleast once a month. So our next trek is already planned ' a trek to climb all the way to Kodaikanal from the otherside of the hills ' a good 14 kms of it. Boy, am I looking forward to it? Yes, definitely. Yahoo..
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http://in.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rajesh_vora/album?.dir=/c8b6scd&.src=ph&.tok=ph9GERFBlqoMFdmG
