Superb video presentation by Siva
Very nice poem by 'English variamuthu' - Manoj
Excellent write up by Dr.Arun
Unveiling the Beauties of Tada
Looking through our energetic eyes,
Limiting only the blue skies,
We started following the jeep trail,
Clinging to the mountain’s tail.
Up we go around the hill,
Searching for the water till.
And there we found a stream,
That fulfilled our thirsty dream.
The trail that we followed was too dry,
which made us look like a chicken fry.
Strolling steady was our Captain,
Who cheered us all way around the mountain.
Crossing from ridge to ridge,
Feeling many a sedge.
Finally, we reached the Pool,
And the sense of food made us drool.
The Biriyani for dinner was so tasty,
That made our sleep get hasty.
Gathering twigs and logs and making fire,
Gave us warmth for a pleasant retire.
The morning I learnt to swim and dive,
And found myself still alive.
Many were found applying some cream,
To make sure that their faces gleam.
Now that there is a different route that we took,
Adventure and thrill had its hook.
There came a descend using a rope,
None can avoid it, not even the Pope.
Down we came all through the way,
And most in the team began to sway.
After dinner that we had to depart,
To go ahead with our lives, apart.
-manoj
TADA TREKKING EXPRIENCE -Write up by Dr. Arun, Edited by – Vinita Teresa
A peek into the mind of a first-time trekker as he trekked…
"Birthday party of CTC - Emperors team to TADA 18/19 Feb" The above was the title of the mail that I got. A thousand questions popped up in my mind. What is it? What am I going to do? What does the Emperors team mean? Will I be able to trek? No clues, No one to ask. ‘Let me apply and see later’, was my thought. Fortunately I was shortlisted for the same. I was totally confused
with the luggage that I should take - the backpack, the sleep roll, and the shoes etc.... that were mentioned in the preparatory mail.
Day 1Start of the event:-
I waited eagerly to board the bus on Sat (18/02) morning, still not sure how this trip is going to be. I met some of my fellow trekkers for the first time. After picking us up, the bus reached the final pickup point, where rest of the people, including the cute gals got in. We all signed a declaration. Everyone was new to each other. The start was dull, some were half asleep, half watching the movie and the rest probably the organizers, were chatting. We reached a roadside tea shop, where we had yummy dosas and vadas. Finally, we reached the TADA foot hills. We got down and were given a briefing about the trekking, me still wondering and a bit uncomfortable, thinking how am I going to do this?
We shared the common gear. We started marching towards the streams of the TADA. Gradually I got acquainted and felt a bit easy, lively and happy. I started to gel with the fellow guys, gals and of course with the organizers (Senthil, Vikram, Venkat, James, Alex and others). Soon the fellow trekkers half-jokingly started to refer to me as the ‘Doctor’ (though I hate it when I am on a holiday). We started climbing uphill. With the blazing sun, the sweat, and the thorny abrasions, I felt a bit uneasy as it was my first trek. But many other fellows were cool. Some started seeking my help. I was happy to help with my first aid. Soon I became popular among others. But the title nagged me. Thank god, there was another guy— Sandy (who was a dentist) to share my predicament. I started liking the trip, thanks to the entertaining organizer (Senthil) and macho man (Vikram) who were patiently waiting for the fresher’s to come along and the encouraging guys (Venkat, James, Alex) who did not mind giving a helping hand to the needy ones. My fellow guys and gals kept me busy with a lot questions related to my profession.
Half-way through the trek, I began to feel energetic, youthful and light. I felt thankful to my team members and organizers for giving me this wonderful opportunity. We stopped and had our lunch of rice flakes with sugar. Though it was a simple and practical meal, it seemed nutritious and delicious. After the lunch and a little rest, we started again in a slow pace.The descent towards our destination—a waterfall in the forest— was the toughest with too many thorns and post food drowsiness. With the encouragement of the organizers we finally reached the spot at 5 pm.We were a little disappointed to see that the water fall has dried up. But, the organizing team surprised us with our real destination whichwas a few meters down the stream.
Having met the two marathon guys from Nagala to Tada, we started to our camping place. It was scenic with soothing sunset, warm rocks, cool stream water and a small cute pond. Beyond this was a 40 ft down fall with another deep pond. All of us had fun having a dip somelearned swimming while the professionals had a 40 ft dive, while others like me were watching and bathing with the swimming tubes.The aroma of soupy noodles brought us back to the rocks. Thanks to Venkat the chef, and his assistants. We made a camp fire and had fun with the introduction of the Fresher’s and the Oldees. This was followed by an open discussion. Other members asked me a lot of questions regarding the medical field and the state of affairs of hospitals and I was glad to clear their doubts. Soon it became cold and we hungry wolves feasted on the mouth watering Biryani, made by Venkat and other guys and gals.
For the first time in my life, I had an unforgettable, delicious, and relaxed dinner with different people, close to nature. Having finished the dinner, all of us hunted for a good place to sleep. As I lay down, I saw something astonishing and stunning in the sky. It was the numerous bright stars that lit up the sky. It was a rare sight in the city and it made think and of course others too, "how we miss our mother nature, amidst our hectic schedules!’’ I listened to some girls trying to sing mallu and Tamil songs against
the background of the gurgling stream. However, I couldn’t sleep (not because of the songs) but because a fellow trekker beside me was vomiting throughout the night. Late in the night, unable to bear the biting cold, some of us started a camp fire for the second time and warmed ourselves around it.
Day 2In the morning, I decided to go on an optional 4 km uphill trek along with some of the fellow trekkers. We reached the highest point, much above the famous TADA falls, and after some daring photo sessions we came back to the camp to have our breakfast. I had a dip in the water then we had to choose between two trails to trek back to the base. We opted for the tougher, but shorter way not only because of the ‘adventure element’ but also because we wanted to complete the trek as soon as possible.
We started down along a dry stream-bed which was pleasant since we were shaded from the sun by a canopy of trees. For the next few hours we had real tough time with steep slopes and boulders. We even had to use the rope to come down. Surprisingly I did it well and was happy for it. Throughout the return journey, the experienced trekkers helped fresher’s like me. Without them I would not have made this successful trip. They even lent their shoulders to bear our weight. Soon we started seeing signs of pollution and this made me realize that we are nearing the base. I felt the Mother Nature was craving for help as she could not bear the stench, the polluted surroundings, the glass pieces, the smell of cigar smoke and alcohol, the drunken monks and the dirty streams.
What a striking contrast between the two ends: The civilized people of CTC in the top and the people lacking civic sense at the base. All of a sudden, some sounds of victory were heard. I realized that the CTC members who were ahead of us were welcoming the rest of us as we completed the trek successfully. "Oops I did it again", was the line that came to my mind at that moment.I was so happy, so confident, felt great as if I have achieved something unusual. After assembling at the base camp, we had a shortvote of thanks and the girls appreciated the guys for making them feel comfortable throughout the trek. We boarded our bus and started the return journey to Chennai. Soon I dosed off, sounds vanished but my mind and heart were still with the TADA trek. The bus stopped and I woke up to see myself again in busy,boring, dull Chennai.
Long live the birthday baby (CTC)!!!. Thanks to Mr. Peter, other organizers of the club, the EMPERORS TEAM organizers and my trek friends. Looking forward to trek more with the EMPEROR'S TEAM & CTC.
Dr. Arun
Forum link here - http://chennai-trekking-club.
Thanks
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