Nature's Call!

The raindrops touch my soul and set me free, the mountains are calling me! A walk in the clouds is all I crave for. I jus wanna grab a piece of that cloud…to comfort me whenever I need ! 

The vast ocean engulfs me…I want to drown my emptiness and fill my soul 

with all things good! The soul of the earth calls out to me and nudges me…to connect with her! Each time she invites me, I hide behind excuses… of work, responsibilities, money…when all I wanna do is reach out my arms and embrace her with my heart and soul! When im with her, I feel complete… like there’s nowhere else id rather be! 

The breathtaking beauty stumps me… an experience like never before. 

The more I see it, the more I wanna experience it. My soul craves for a bit of her… like my life is meaningless without her. The sand reminds me of the soft, warm hug that he would engulf me in, dissolving every frown instantly. The cloud-covered peaks call out my name. 

The white skies – an invitation to fly away from all things worldly. The sunset – a reminder of a day well spent; the sunrise: another blessing, a brand new day!The fresh green grass: soothes my soul and refreshes me with a new energy to get through the day. The endless night sky… filled with a million bright stars… shine through my being and light my spirit. She infuses life in my lifeless soul and make it dance with unending joy. Mother Earth – you’ve given me more than what I deserve. Time to answer nature’s call! (no, not that one silly! ;)

Chandari… ready or not, here I come ! :) 

Trek to Chanderi Fort - Sat 4th July:with Trek Mates India

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http://trekmates.blogspot.com/2010/06/tmi-trek-to-chanderi-on-4th-of-july.html

a walk in the clouds, thats all im asking for !

Even though its been quite a while now since i have trekked, all the memories attached to my previous adventures are as vivid as ever! i still remember the time when i scaled the peaks of the sausage mountains at khandala, walking through the clouds at 5.30 am...taking in the picturesque green lawns...with various shades of green. And even though I had a camera * with no role in it *
i clicked the pic wanting to capture it forever. and when i realized that i did not have any pics to jog my memory about that trek, i knew that the scene i saw that day would be etched in my mind forever !  ;)

and the time when we went on the waterfall trek, the rains washed away every bit of tension/ worry from my body. and the mahabaleshwar trek *albeit a casual walk with family, which turned out to be quite an experience*    was a walk in the clouds *literally* ;)

it feels like its been ages since i reconnected with mother nature, but the experience would never leave me. for the rest of my life. And now i set out to capture many such moments and weave them in my list of memories forever. So that each time i need some comforting, all i need to do is pull out these memories and cling to them with all my heart ! 

lush green fields, pure blue skies, fresh wateralls and an exhilarating experience *that ive been craving for* here i come! ;)

Trek Tales - Conquering Chanderi With my Trek Mates! :)

Ok, I know im a little late... I wanted to get to my blog right after my trek! But trekking after 4 years, that too with bare minimum physical activity.... took a toll on me! :P 

Anyway... better  late than never! TrekTales, here I come! ;)

Chanderi : 4th July

Ahh... preparing for the trek: I overacted like i was travelling to some village with no idea when i was gonna be back! lol :P 

I loaded my backpack with almost all things to the to-do list provided: including 2 litres of water, lunch, windcheater blah blah blah... which left me with sore shoulders before the trek even started. he he he! So...we land up at the trek site; elated and thrilled to see a beautiful, enormous mountain hidden behind thick clouds awaiting our ascent! 

PS: i did not check the endurance or difficulty level of the trek before setting out to conquer Chanderi. What was the nature of the trek? of course, dramatic life that mine is: it was a medium to difficult level trek. 

And since i hadnt trekked in ages... that seemed ok for me. Started a mini trek searching for a secluded place to answer nature's call :P Next up: crossing a dam... damn, this wasnt difficult at all!  As the trek began... we got a clear view of the giant we were gonna climb! As we walked uphill, i was already panting! *i definitely wasnt thanking the 70 kilos i had on me...not forgetting my baggage which felt like another 30 kgs*

My ordeal had begun... no sooner than i walked a small distance, i was convinced i could not go through it! :P Then came the easy part....trekking through a waterfall! wow! Pure bliss! Also it made the climb easier and a whole lotta fun! Kept refreshing myself with the crystal clear aqua that mother nature offered. Then we had to proceed on to the rocks.... the climb was for about 4 hours and i thought I would die, if it wasn't for Manoj or Niraj...truly Trek Mates! ;) 

 

Amidst catches, sprains and a whole lotta relispray...not to forget insect bites, pricks, slipping and falling into the slush... banging against huge rocks, coming sliding down using my ass as a cushion, getting mighty scared of heights as we neared the peak, i managed to make it to the top in one piece! 

 

It didnt matter that I was last... I achieved what I set out to do...and my reward was waiting for me! A breathtaking view! I finally felt what it was like to be in heaven:)

The descent was easier... refreshing and relaxing as we came down via the waterfalls. I was dead tired..but it was all worth it! And again... I was helped by Abhishek & Sachin! :) 

Chanderi was pure bliss. And that's where the trekking bug had bitten me! 2 weeks later, I was back for more! 

Stay tuned for the next trek tale! Wohooooo! :)

Trek Tales - Waterfall Rappelling with my Trek Mates! :)

Waterfall Rappelling @ Vihigaon - 17th July:

And then came 17th July...the day I had been waiting for! When i would rappel down 120 feet waterfall...relying only on a few ropes to save my life! :) 

As much as I had been excited about this day... I managed to fill in the drama! Went for a party the previous night and landed up at Vihi with an upset tummy! :( the journey was terrible, felt lousy all the way, couldnt care less about the introductions I heard... managed to lighten my backpack this time, only to realize that we were travelling by bus and that I could afford to stuff my bag! :P Aaah! 

But once we reached Kasara...the excitement creeped in again! We dumped our bags, started our photo session, before we were dragged away for our training session on handling the ropes! :) After we were assigned our turns, we decided to relax under the dam..and boy did we relax! ;)

As my turn approached, I got increasingly nervous and I kept thinking "what was wrong with me? why do I wanna kill myself? Are you mad... those ropes cant be managed!" :) 

Well, I was here...AND I had to do it! So, I said a lil prayer and went for it. Luckily my friend was there with me, and although his turn was after mine... he was put ahead of me! * OMG! getting nervous once again* 

My turn arrived: harness - check.    helmet - check.   gloves-check.  nervousness - check!

 As i started walking down the waterfall with utmost care, I kept thinking that i wasnt doing it right! Until I looked up and saw my trainer! He was beaming and gave me the thumbs up!  ;)  My confidence shot up... it was like a sudden injection of enthusiasm. that was the last time i saw him on that cliff, before we plummeted into the steep part of the waterfall... where if you look up, you get the flowing water in your eyes, and if you look down, fear is staring right back at ya! ;) and yet, I was so cool, composed n calm! I descended the waterfall in one piece, against my own belief! 

And then took one long glance at the monstrous waterfall, thinking to myself "WHOA! I came down THIS huge thing!?!?"  

The rest of the day was *predictably* spent in the water! ;) I also managed to catch a quick nap, since the sick feeling was back! But the day was a beautiful one, etched in my memory forever! :) 

This Sunday - 29th August, I will face the adrenaline surge again...battling the rapids at the Kundalika river, Kolad. Water rafting, Kayaking & River Crossing...whoa baby! Im Lovin It ;) 

Bring it on Mother Nature :*