Greetings, we welcome you to the Time Machine. This trip will take you back to the 10th of January, 2012. I would like to take you on a bit of a history walk, where I shall show you the first "write-up" of mine that wasn't my homework.
I had trekked to a waterfalls in the forests of Northern Tamil Nadu, close to the border with Andhra Pradesh, with a group of around 25 people (I think). My dad persuaded me to write my experiences for the blog of the Chennai Trekking Club (the organisers of the trek). So fasten your seat belts, find a comfy spot to read and keep a palm full of popcorn ready, because it isn't that long.
Trek to Tada Falls
Story - M. Skandha Saradhi,8th Standard Screenplay - Masanamuthu Direction - Prem Editing - Shankar Stunts - Kishore Audience - The team
We started at 9:35 PM from Koyambedu. We ate at a small mess at Red Hills. We reached the camp site at about 0:40 AM. Prem and Masanamuthu had spread the tarpaulin sheet for us to sleep on. I slept at 1:10. Had a comfortable sleep, except for some mosquitoes buzzing around my ears and chilly breeze.
I woke at 5:30 in the morning while the organisers were preparing a fire to make tea. The fire didn’t last for long and we had to collect firewood to create another. After collecting huge piles of sticks, twigs and branches we could light only a part of it. We drank tea without sugar and got ready for the trek. Each trekker was provided a 5-star (which I love), groundnut bars, two oranges and a packet of electrolyte. I packed all these in my bag and prepared to depart to the parking lot in the car. We drove the car till the parking lot near (not so much) the falls.
From there, we started the trek by crossing a stream, climbing slopes and crossing another stream. We took a detour from the main path which led into the forest. We started climbing the mountain, which was tedious. Most of the trekkers (including me) sat and rested for a minute on the rocks at the side of the trail. The group going first waited then and there for the others to come. We ate our breakfast: Idlis (I loved it!) As we climbed higher and higher, the trail started to become steeper and difficult.
Soon, there was no trail and the organisers warned us to stick together or we would get lost. The route after was slightly difficult. As we dragged our shoes on, we reached the peak. It was a breathtaking view from there. We left our bags at a place and climbed down a little to reach a viewpoint. I was amazed when I looked at some trekkers having courage to stand at the tip fearlessly and posing for photographs. We climbed back up and took our bags and left.
The organisers told that the falls was behind two peaks, down a valley. We managed on to move on. This incident which I am describing now may sound humorous or painful to you (but it was damn painful for me!) At one place, there was a small rock slope. There was also a tree available for grip. I caught the tree at the slope, but suddenly I put all the weight on my hands. I fell on my back and slid down at exhilarating speed (felt like that) and stopped by putting my leg against a tree. Luckily it was just four feet of rock I slid on. I took my time to get up and reached the others in no time.
We started moving slowly and soon I could hear the sounds of people enjoying and a waterfall. It was further than I thought. I was happy after reaching the waterfall. I wore my swimsuit and got into the pool. It was cool and refreshing. I swam for about an hour and returned back. Soon we had our lunch which was made by mixing aval (rice flakes), sugar and water. We had pakoras and potato chips to eat with it. I finished my lunch and cleaned my plate at the stream. Some had a nap while others were talking and resting. We packed up and continued our journey down.
We climbed down in an ordinary route. We headed towards a dry stream and descended. There were some obstacles which were difficult. One of them was a steep slope in which we had to use a rope to get down. Soon we were heading down at a good pace and reached the next obstacle.
There was another obstacle: a twenty-foot drop at the edge of the mountain. It was thrilling as well as scary. I couldn’t imagine climbing it down. After that there was a slippery stretch of rocks, which I could pass through easily. Soon we climbed down to a stream.
We divided into two groups- towards the lower falls and to lot. I chose to go to the lot as I was too tired. Some people went before us and eight of us were left. We were literally lost. We could not find the others even when we shouted.
Then suddenly, a few other men (not from CTC) came and saw us. We asked them the way but unfortunately they didn’t know too. So we went together and followed the stream. It was difficult as the cold water was gushing through our pants. At one point, the water became four feet deep and we were totally drenched. Luckily we found the path back and reached the others. We reached the others and rounded up for the introductory session.
We introduced ourselves and knew about each other. I enjoyed the trek very much and looking forward to bunk a day or two from school for another trek.
A few pictures from the trek -
No, I was not looking forward to another trek. I wrote it for the sake of this write up and I was honestly terrified. I decided not to trek anymore. Although I did trek once during the January of 2020, which I did enjoy.
Thank you for travelling with us! We shall look forward to your company again on another Time Travel Journey.
Skandha
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