The descent was to begin at 2 pm. The size of the team had
contracted. From 20 or 25 maybe, we were down to 10. Sharanya dared all odds to
be a part of the descending team (one woman alongside 9 men). But what’s the
big deal. On first count of Krishna’s signal to descend, Sharanya had
proceeded. I was sure that the descent was going to be a little ‘Ahm Uhm Mmm’
of an affair. Did I tell you that I have always been afraid of heights? Well,
if I haven’t then its fine. The trek helped me overcome the fear.
Rains had not left us. We hadn’t left the rains either. Some
preferred to get wet while I preferred to wear the new jacket. But during the descent,
I did away with the jacket too. Sharanya had left us nine men far behind. As
Ravi called out to her – Nari Shakti; it literally seemed like she was possessed
by an enviable energy. I slipped many a times, others too slipped. But none of
us fell or suffered injuries. If I had to single out Sharanya; she rose to the occasion
by descending faster than all of us.
Did we take breaks during the descent too? Yes we did! During
this breaks, we broke into sudden laughter. We struck some interesting
conversations. Even though we were trekking down through the same route,
everything seemed new.
Krishna and Ravi kept narrating us stories from their other
treks. All of their stories were indicating at one truth – Treks are an
experience to be enjoyed repeatedly.
The sudden onset of rains had turned the mountains into a
magical object of affection. As we continued to descend, I kept looking back at
the 1200 ft magnanimous reality. I had tamed it. Wow, I had tamed it just like
others had.
We surely missed our fellow trekkers. But we enjoyed the
company of the handful few. During the journey back to the village, Sharanya
shared an interesting desire, which resonated with my interests too. She remarked,
“All these paths lead us somewhere or the other. It would have been so amazing
to have explored each of them!”
Once we were back at the village, we left no chance to treat
ourselves to freshly served snacks of Vada Pav, Pakodas and of course tiny cups
of tea. None of the mobile phones were spared to click hefty selfie of the
mighty us. We had lived the moment. We had trekked. I had trekked.
As I write this piece today, let me tell you, the trek hadn’t
left me for four days in a row. I was in pain. Every aching muscle reminded me
of the fact that I had scaled well on my first trek. The pain subsided only by
Thursday evening. Once it subsided, I made peace with myself. I patted my own
back. I reminded myself of having conquered the fear of heights. Before I could
complete writing this experience, I am already browsing through the list of
upcoming treks.
Thank you Dark Green Adventures for gifting this experience.
A big thank you to the new friends, I met. We might not keep in touch
regularly. Our conversations might keep thinning out. But the possibility of
bumping into each other will always stay alive.
So, till we TREK AGAIN, I wish to conclude by saying – Every
step we take together is a movement. Every step we take alone adds strength to
that movement.
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