Trekking ! Yeah Right !!

I am a novice to this very concept of having a "get away" weekend and will always remain one. What are we trying to get away from? Peaceful nights of sleep? Sumptuous food at home (or anywhere for guys like me!)? Entertainment in movies? Shopping? Are you kidding me! Well this is why I am perplexed at the very thought of walking around in the woods where creatures are hell bent at making your lives miserable and the sheer physical exhaustion of the entire episode....

Ok, now that I have your attention, let me try to put things in perspective. People are different.. Period! their mood swings are like a pendulum whose oscillatory motion can never be expressed as a simple equation. Nah ... not by any scientist. Well then, what is it that drives people crazy enough to leave behind all luxuries of technology and wander about in jungles? I guess "monotony" is what kills them. Yeah this is a fair assumption don't you think? Drrrrrrrring.... Wrong Answer! its just that during the very process of existence they just lose it.

It is at this point that someone told me... "you'll never know till you try it". Oh, ok... Being the Egotist that I am, I couldn't handle this... So I decided to go for a "Trek". Well I got my first chance to visit Kemmangundi water falls which is about 100Km from Chickmangloor, Karnataka. Voila, I was there and ready for my first treking experience. I was in a huge group (20 odd) and they had come prepared with stuff like antiseptics, bandages, salt? and other first-aid stuff. I just thought to myself "Are these guys goin for a war or somethin?" Well, I just kept my thoughts to myself cos these guys were serious trekking enthusiasts and I didn't want to mess around being a minority in the group.

So, it happened. We embarked on a trek which was supposed to be a 9Km trek one way. I just said to myself 1hr or so... thats ok.. Well it turned out in the end that it was a really bad assumption. The start was great.. We walked through the woods in a man-made trail. I already started to feel good about my decision. The view was great. Gives you a feeling that you are bonding with nature. The view was something like this.

All said and done, really I couldn't accept the passion these guys had for this ominous journey. Well I was already half way there so I couldn't back out. We reached a small stream where the water was just ankle deep and it was about 5m wide. the group halted and everyone was asked to apply antiseptics on their legs by the head of the group! Well he was the head cos he had been on more of such nutty adventures than anyone else. Well, being the engineer that I am, I immediately began interrogating him on the reasons for this pristinely unnecessary act. He simply said "Do you want the leeches to suck all your blood?" Man... Leeches... what sort of trip was this with slimy creatures sucking the life out of you? Well, I just did as I was told. Cool... no leeches when I had crossed..

Some of them had one or two sticking in their feet and they just put some salt on them and the leeches fell off... "Wow that explains the salt". I began thinking how you would feel if a sack of salt is poured on you...poor leeches they had my sympathy. The experienced person asked us to save our salt cos the best was yet to come... I was just reminded... " The battle of Helm's deep is over... The battle for Middle Earth is yet to begin" (from the Lord of the Rings). Wow...my trek was beginning to feel like an epic now..Just when we walked a few yards, the sheer contrast of some of the shrubs were really amazing... They had these cute little chilly like thingies...

After some time, we came to a hill which we had to climb. I was impressed with the view we had. It was almost like the clouds were a silky blanket for the entire hill...

Then the battle for middle earth began. An entire strech of marshy paths infested with leeches... We fought relentlessly with all the salt we had and Hoorah! we were victorious. Mankind was saved by the wrath of leeches. Well after all this we got a glimpse of our destination! Wow, it was worth a sight. Lightning flashes entered my head as if punishing me for not having done this earlier....

I believe the sheer feeling of fighting all odds makes trekking special. After we got back, I slept like a log and didn't budge an inch. I guess it was worth it! Now I understand why these guys lose all their sanity and embark on these trips. I guess they just want to end victorious and the reward is sheer beauty of nature! Well, I got my explanation but I really would rather watch National Geographic on a huge TV! Now, if anyone raves about their trekking experience, I can always say ..

"Been There... Done That..." Cheers.