Drinking nature is an unquenchable thirst. - Berri Clove
The two-day trek to Nagalapuram on 25th and 26th of September 2010 turned out to be just what it was meant to be - forgetting every single thing that you have been doing routinely and immersing oneself in the splendors of the sights, sounds and smell of forests, hills and streams. For a first timer like me, (for the record, i believe except some 6 or 7 people, the remaining entire group were trekking virgins) the entire experience was one that can be described with strong positive adjectives, but however strong they may be, it still doesn't seem enough for me.
The high points of the trek were :-
*The sheer pleasure of trekking amongst trees, shrubs, hills and streams without a single heavy thought or worry on your mind.
* Freely socializing with the organizers and fellow trekkers, asking and sharing the most personal details that one would ordinarily share after many days of acquaintance.
* Getting into cold water after sweating and experiencing tiny fish nibbling away at your feet and body, and swimming so close to you with a look of arrogance on their faces that can be read as "catch me if you can, buster".
* Hollering and making loud, wild noises along the way, and nagging and annoying the life out of your fellow trekkers.
* Catching fish and barbequeing them, along with chicken, mushrooms and potatoes and devouring them in the blink of an eye.
* Crossing the dead-end pool and coming across a unspoilt, pristine, never-seen-before-by-any-
* Relaxing at first pool before the final stretch back home.
If there were highs, of course there need to be certain lows too, which caused a spot of bother to the orgs. There was a instances where some of them did not readily offer to help in general affairs like cooking, cleaning, etc and needed to be coaxed into it and a general lack of enthusiasm. For instance most of them had to be literally begged to get up and sing and dance during the over-night camp after dinner (plus ther were no bon-fire, which disappointed me a lot).
The organizers did a great job of leading us all, Bala (or as i call him, Bala Obama) being the lean, mean, tough cookie, doing all the decision making and being very, very impressive, while Chezian being an amazing group manager, always patient and polite, whatever the situation maybe. The other CTC veterans Herbert and Jaiganesh also did a great job in making sure the entire group on track and offering guidance to those who asked for it.
The entire experience was one, big memorable trip for me, like it was one long day rather than two days. I can now officially say im "addicted" to trekking and this is definitely an addiction my father wont have a problem with. ;)
To wrap it up, i'd like to narrate a small anecdote. After dinner at the camp site when all were settling down to sleep, i wen up to Bala and asked him "What do you like the most about these trek?" To which he replied, "Unna madhiri loosunga friend aagonu dhan" (Because i get to befriend crack-pots like you)!! Hahaha. Truly, trekking does provide us with opportunities to know and befriend some really diverse, warm and great people. :D
All Hail the trekking experience!! :)
In friendship,
Mohammed "Muscle-Man" Waseem
0 comments:
Post a Comment