Nature is what I love. I always wanted to go to remote places and forests however I did not get an opportunity or I was scared to think about it. I thought it’s only good to see in the television. My Friend (Thanks Venkat) who is an Adventure Freak (slowly becoming one) told be something about Trekking about a month back (approx) and I was bit excited still doubted myself if I can do it or not. He then shared his experiences about 2 Treks that he had done and he literally boosted up my interest level. I had actually missed Treks couple of weeks ago due to stupid reasons finally; I decided I will make it - Come What May! I never knew I would be lost in the midst of the forest and survive like Bear Grylls as seen in Discovery Channel
Trekking Experience –
Day 1:
Truly, I do not know where to start. Thanks CTC. This is my first Trek in Life. We all started early morning at 3 AM (actually midnight) on Saturday after joining groups from various locations in Chennai. I had a sleepless night / day (I work in Night Shift hence I had no choice but to be awake) The Journey from Chennai to Nagala was about 3 hours. We had tea twice before reaching the parking spot in Nagala… (Tea Freaks: A Tea is better than Alcohol) When we reached, we were given our bread and butter (food for 2 days – Uff…. It seemed less however it was left out at the end of this great Trek). Food Items distributed - 1 Apple, 2 Oranges, Upma (Tasted Wonderful), Puliyodharai Rice, 5 Star Crunchy, Groundnut Bar, Glucose, Readymade Chapati, etc (Sorry If I have missed out anything). We started walking around 8 AM in the sunshine (the roads were good till then – that was the only mud road I ever saw).
Slowly, it was rocks that I was walking on.. Yes, we entered the mountain / forest. We walked and walked and walked and walked.. Do not remember how long. But it was close to noon….and took our first breakfast break near a pool. I am a Non Swimmer, so had to just walk in that pool this was really cooling down my body which sweated with heat after walking. We went on and on, kept walking on rocks and boulders for hours… Do not remember where I reached but was sure we had a long way to go. One of the greatest experience was trekking in heavy rain on Saturday afternoon… having the puliyodharai rice (we are almost 10 to 15 members covering ourselves under tarpaulin sheet. Amazing experience it was! Had no idea where the rest of the Trek Freaks were! Then we walked on and on.
Climbing up, climbing down, sliding, swimming across (with tube) – these were the scenes of this 2 day trek. Thanks to organizers who took care of everyone like a family and made sure everyone is safe from the beginning of the trek until the end. Dragged myself… with a little bite of crunchy, a little glucose and water all the way… reached the Picnic Pool… Wow! How God Created this place was a mystery to me! I was still wondering if I will make it for the second day since I was totally drained out in Day One. Could barely move my feet on Saturday Evening though we reached the place where we were going to stay for the night. Dinner for the first day was Maggi Noodles (Added fuel to the vehicle).
Night Stay:
After finishing dinner, I and my friend found a place to rest ourselves. An uneven rock (what to call?) was a place to sleep for that night... No idea what Time it was, I went to sleep covering myself with a thin bed sheet. Since I was awake for about 34 to 36 hours continuously, my head started aching. I had to take a pain killer before sleep. Unfortunately, I got up in few hours (no idea what time it was) and was shivering like hell! Pain in Shoulders. Pain in Legs. Could barely move my body or turn even sideways. Not sure if I had temperature. Was awake for few hours.. Heard weird sounds in pitch darkness.. I thought I will be a dead body Sunday morning and people around would need a stretcher to carry me back home (but actually I wasn’t!)
Day 2:
Finally, I got up on Sunday Morning with the same condition I had slept. Stretched myself a little and tried warming up my body, however was unable to take even smaller steps.. Tea was prepared by the team and it really tasted superb. I had tea in a bowl for the first time. It was kind of rest for few hours. Half of the group climbed up above the waterfalls and went far - for few hours. I was interested to join them; but was sure if I did, I would not have made it until the end of the trek. So I gave up that idea and stayed calm watching friends swimming in the pool. Awesome Biriyani was prepared (supposed to be Tomato Rice). Had a little of that and waited for our folks to return from the top. They returned and we had to start from the picnic pool since we were running short of time. We packed up our things and started from that place. All our bags were being ferried across while coming and returning. But this time we did not climb up; instead we had to swim and reach back to the place where we came from.
It was a great team effort and hats off to the organizers and experienced trekkers who helped us in all the possible ways. We were late and it became dark. It was another opportunity for me to do a Night Trek... Yes! It was an awe-inspiring experience for me. In darkness, with torchlight – could hardly see things since our path was boulders all the way. We were trekking in darkness for couple of hours. Then, it was a situation where we seemed to have lost our path. It was exciting yet awful moment for me and all of us. It was definitely hard to take decisions at that time. However I was hoping to reach home as soon as possible. But the last one hour of walk seemed to be really challenging for me. I was literally dragging myself even in the mud road where we started. I was hoping to reach a restaurant and eat as much as I can. We did find one at last. I was hoping that we will get introduced to each other; it did not happen since we were late returning back.
About Nagala –
Moments to be cherished… Well. These are the words which come to my mind when I think of the 2 Day Trek to Nagala East. A Wonderful experience which I can never forget in my life. A beautiful place everyone should see. The best part is that this place is near Chennai and I hardly knew about it. Nature is beautiful and peaceful away from traffic, noise, and crowd. City life sucks But no choice; fact – have to accept it; this is how the world is! Thanks Nagala!
About CTC –
Chennai Trekking Club – To me, this is a well organized club with friendly and caring organizers. Simply wonderful moments to be remember. CTC members are friendly and caring – It’s like a family! Thanks CTC Organizers & Members! The level of satisfaction is really great from this Trek!
Post Trek Experience–
I feel superb and strong – physically and mentally. These two days have given me more energy and mental strength. It’s a great feel! Hope all the first timers feel the same! Thanks CTC & Nagala!
About Me –
For those who want to keep in touch with me, here we go:
I am Vinayak, born May 21st 1982 in Chennai. Single My hometown is Bangalore and I speak Marathi at home, Completed B.Com in A.M. Jain College, and MBA from Madras University. Currently work as a Lead in TCS BPO – Chennai. My Contact Details – vinayak0521@gmail.com www.facebook.com/vinayak.s
Mobile: 9941910995
Thank You Friends!
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