Night Trek - Kunti Betta

What a night trek taught me?

Three of us made plans to do a night trek to Anthagange which included a cave exploration which sounded fun. We finally trekked some place else. This article is about a few thoughts on this event.

A Shared Purpose but not Same Beliefs

Firstly, why was I doing this? We all have different reasons to want to do this trek. I for one, had just stated off on a fitness regime and wanted to ‘test myself physically’ – a night trek seemed like a good way of doing this. My two fellow travelers had all together different reasons.  KC wanted to just have an outing while VN wanted to take time off to be with herself, to unwind and come back refreshed and rejuvenated. 

Purpose evokes emotions, creates action

Having decided to trek, we requested VN, the most experienced amongst us to find an appropriate trek operator and suggest a trek commensurate with our ability. Trust was a keen component here: choice of trek, level of difficulty, and right through the process, we relied on her completely to call out ‘difficulty’ as we discussed different trek possibilities. 

The fateful day arrived and just few hours before VN called to say that the trek was being re-scheduled to the next day (not enough participants) and would that be ok. We agreed in the moment, but as we thought it through, decided there were other opportunities to pursue before we gave up and accepted this. KC shared he could not do the next evening trek. He had other commitments. So it was ‘this evening or’…some later indefinite day?

We decided on being agile: three of us got on a call and agreed to quickly check all other organizers. Time was running out, yet we calmly went about, checking out on google, calling up the organizers and determining if we three could get a last-minute entry into a trek that evening itself.  

Finally, after many wasap messages and an hour later, we landed on a trek to Kunal Betta. We re-scheduled plans for pick up point and began to look forward to meeting up and the night ahead. 

The learnings and fun is in the journey not the destination

it was adventure then every step of the way. The packing of our bags for one:with things we put in and uncertainty with what would be needed balanced with concern that we should not be carrying too much on account of the weight. Unlike a road trip, relatively speaking, you have more flexibility (size of bag) to put things in. Here, everything we needed to carry had to have a utility, a decision about its usage. Choices to be made. After all, we had to haul our own weight plus the bag!

We meet for dinner, and then walked to the pick-up bus point. During the time we were waiting, we talked about the physical and the spiritual body! It was a fascinating conversation. The bus finally came across and picked us up, other travelers as well, and we headed off to the Ramanagara campsite, where we had an opportunity to use the washroom, have a cup of tea, before heading off to the Kunti Betta Basecamp. It was pitch dark getting off the bus, and we crossed the rail track to get to the other side: we got the first taste of using torchlights to steer our way. 

Twenty minutes later, we drove off again, this trip took almost two hours, and we dozed off, trying to get as much sleep as possible. It was about 3am by the time we got to the site. 

The map is not the territory 

No matter how much you prepare and anticipate for things, it was ‘learning in the moment’ all the time. We started the initial steep climb up a rock and then it opened to rocky boulders and trees with foliage which obscured the narrow path, overgrown mostly. I was prepared to feel the onslaught of tiredness soon, but thankfully, as time passed, even though I was tired, I was feeling quite confidant to press on without a pause. A few folks were chatting all the time, but soon, as the climb became more difficult, concentration was required, and the voices died down. The trek allows you no time to think of anything else: all focus is on the path ahead, one step ahead, finding the right foothold, then the next step to find the other. And then the next step. The torch light lit the obscured path ahead, and along the way, we had to climb up larger rocks, bend sideways across two rocks or inch our way up onto a boulder. All of this required attention in the moment. I was thankful for my trekking shoes: its grip and ankle guard. For the first hour or so, we three led in the front of the pack. And as we waited for others to catch up, we were able to catch our breath, drink water, and survey the starry skies above and the neon lights of the town below. It was breathtaking, so stunningly quiet and beautiful. I was reminded then: all the better things in life are almost free! Like this moment of taking in the view. 

There is fellowship in travel

There is connection in travel. Deep connections you make with yourself and with the other. There were new parts of me I got to know about myself, and which I enjoyed knowing. I also experienced the joy of co-travelers. VN, the most experienced in treks amongst us, continuously checking out on how KC and I were doing, often lending us a strong hand to propel ourselves upwards. There is no shame in taking help, none at all. After a while I was even more determined to search for even more resilience within. The trek was challenging, at times quite tough, but I was very confident I would see this through. The past few weeks I had been gyming, and knew I had the stamina. 

KC shared much later, “What I also felt during the trek was a sense of fear of wild animals which immediately dissipated looking at the fellow trekkers. The guides themselves, looked quite inexperienced and did not really give me the confidence that they would be able to handle eventualities (which thankfully did not occur). However, the presence of VN compensated for all of that. A key insight is the trust you have on your colleague to be able to carry things off in case of any eventuality”.

The final steps

I did say the journey is the most pleasurable to the destination, but seeing the hilltop a few 100 metres ahead, was very satisfying: it was good to make it to the top, to celebrate this success. This destination is but a milestone, and that is needed to celebrate one’s life. I guess what we call destinations are but ‘pitstops’ in our lives. They propel us forward to keep walking. 

At the Top

I will let the pictures share the view we saw, but the feelings I experienced were very satisfying. I was exhausted, I could feel new muscles I did not know I had, but despite the pleasant pain, I felt so happy, so very alive. The stars above, were so beautiful, the land below dotted with lights. The evening could have been colder and windier: we were lucky. Our jackets were suitably warm. We rested and waited for daybreak, to take pictures of the sunrise, of us in light, and to then descend and make our way back home.