Even before the Sun

Even before the sun’s first rays reached my window pane, I was up and geared to go on an Adventure. I had waited for such a long time for this day to come. Coming from a conservative background I couldn’t go trekking or hiking or on adventure sports but I yearned for it with all my heart. It was through one of my friends I came across Team Parikrama. They organize treks in the most fun and exploratory way. The best part was… they have separate treks consisting of only female members. This motivated me to join them. It was a trek to Nijgalbetta. I boarded the team bus at 6 AM. It was already 8 30AM to reach the base. After the breakfast, the real adventure began!!! Following the clues given I observed my surroundings and was taken aback with the way I had been living, without observing anything around. Working for an MNC I was just caught up with the result-oriented approach (in this case… DESTINATION- HILL TOP). The program was that laid out forced me to soak in my surroundings and observe and learn from the activities. It was on the way that I came across how beautiful railway tracks look with the sunrays falling and clouds covering it on and off. The path was challenging. I started with the gravel and found that I had to pass through huge boulders and also old fashioned stairs making me wonder about how in olden days people resided in these forts and used horses to carry them to the top. With the sun rays getting stronger I had to stop and take a break till I made it to one huge boulder which was the last obstacle between my destination and me. It took a lot of convincing from the team members and other trekkers for me to muster up the courage and brave this boulder and I SUCCEEDED!!! That moment I felt exhilarated and somewhere it impacted my psychology…. Try and try till you brave your odds. On top the view was breathtaking. It was worth every obstacle I overcame. The team had arranged for a series of activities to do on top… I flew a kite for the first time. Being in Bangalore City (Concrete Jungle) my father never really let me fly the kites. But the feeling of flying the kite was really surreal. Another round of activities kept us engaged and before anyone of us could realize it was time to trek down. Filled with joy of meeting new people and getting closer to them through the activities that were conducted We trekked with singing, laughing and chattering non stop till we reached the base. After gulping water like never before and we savored the last morsel of authentic South Indian Food on Plantain leaf. With our stomachs full, we boarded the bus to come back to Bangalore. It was evening when I reached and was exhausted physically but mentally I was super excited. I dwindled into the best sleep in a very long time. The memories that I made on this trek was truly something that I would cherish for a very long period of time.