My friend Sharmistha said, “We know your challenges during your first trek. Tell us when you succeeded.” Always the last to complete a trek, I recall the first instance when I was promoted from last to second-last trekker. 😊 Circling back to my first blog – My First Trek – Haddina Kallu for those who missed it.

After my first trek, every month I went on a trek with different groups or with trek mates. It took me a year and about 10 treks both big and small, to achieve success. My most successful trek was at Muthurayana Betta, with Ravi – owner of The Wild Treks – Explore Nature.

In Oct 2021, I went with Ravi and his group to Muthurayana Betta. We assembled at The Odyssey Retreat and hopped into a couple of huge autorickshaws that transported 20 of us to the base of the mountain. After the preliminary introductions, we started our trek. The forest department has made it mandatory to hire a guide; we had a young boy as our guide. It was an enormous mountain with a variety of gradients. I took lots of breaks but kept up with the group. At one point, there was a huge boulder yet, the children ran up the slippery rock. Ravi, Raghu, and Sridhar aligned themselves along the sides of the boulder and guided us verbally on how to climb the rock. What a laugh we had when we reached the other side.

At another point, there was a huge difference between the two levels of the mountain. The guide and Sridhar were with me. The guide climbed the boulder like a true trekker, using one small protruding rock as a step. But I realized that I could not bounce my feet. When I kept one foot on the top, the other leg didn’t support it to bounce. I was embarrassed. Sridhar patiently encouraged me and offered alternatives. Finally, he made me place a leg on his thigh and use it as a step to climb the boulder; the guide pulled me up, and I rolled over. Relieved, I lay still for a few minutes. They were concerned whether I was okay and waited till I got back on my feet. That was a crucial point; the rest of the climb was manageable. I was the last to reach the top, with Raghu overseeing me.

I reached the top huffing and puffing, and saw everyone sitting in a shed. I sat on the floor and calmed down with water, chikki, and jeera soda. When I was ready, Ravi declared it was time to walk down and tempted us with lunch on reaching the resort. I gazed at the breathtaking panorama below. We clicked a few pictures and moved on.

The downward journey was better. The guide helped us navigate the path. People were ahead and behind me, and I could safely walk down alone without anyone’s help. At times when I’d find huge gaps, I’d sit down and slide my way through. Ramaa was ahead of me, I called out to her and we ended the journey together. At the end, we had to cross a small stream to enter the resort from behind. Walking to the resort was the longest stretch because I was exhausted. One couple was behind me and I was glad to complete the trek before them. Everyone graciously cheered me for that. 😊

We had a sumptuous lunch and returned home happily. The grueling trail, steep inclines, and every step had led to this – the exhilarating rush of accomplishment. 😊