I regularly engage myself in various different physical pursuits: Badminton, Lawn Tennis, Swimming, meditation, mat exercises, trekking, outdoor walks, etc. I had a fair share of trips to localities surrounded by a water body but I mostly connect well with meadows, mountains, forests, and valley-based treks. So when I heard of this opportunity to experience hill station and also engage in adventure sport, I jumped at the opportunity and eagerly awaited it. I started packing my trekking gear 2 weeks before the trip. If the image of me, with 2 backpacks slung over my shoulders, one in front of me and the other at the back, with a shoe bag, hung through a carabiner, doesn’t show my enthusiasm, then I don’t know what does.
My participation in this trip could be considered as an activity because physical exertion was at the frontier of its agenda. After, two years of being in quarantine it was my first time getting out of the house for a trip, that too a physically assertive one. I could barely catch up with my friends on the 7km trek, however, my past experience kicked in and about 1 hour into the trek I started forming a mid-pace walking rhythm that didn’t exhaust me to the extreme. I the activity that left me panting was the caving. A specialty about exploring a volcanic cave is that there are no smooth terrains. About 80% of the time you are either crawling under low-line rock formations or climbing huge chunks of rock from crevices that are completely dark. All the caving, rappelling, rock climbing, trekking, zip lining, and walking left me sore after the trip.
The LO’s that were catered to on this trip were Lo1, 2,4, and 5. The first one was fulfilled when I experienced this trek after 2 years of break. I had a rudimentary knowledge of long-duration treks and equipment such as trekking shoes, and backpacks that helped me ease into the process of conducting activities like the 11 km trek and rock climbing. However, all of it was put to the test. In the beginning, I struggled with coping with my pace and was huffing and puffing every time I exerted myself beyond my walking capacity. However, my patience came in handy because eventually, I figured out how to sustain myself in the 12km trek and caving activity.
On the other hand, LO2 was catered when I learned how to tie my trek shoes properly. I vividly recalled, how badly I was struggling to put on my trek shoes. In the midst of my desperate attempts, one of the trek instructors offered help and made me understand each knot and pull. Moreover, I even learned how to use unexplored parts of my body that I wasn’t accustomed to using. There was a time when the instructors never instructed us how to climb in the caving process and we were left to figure that out ourselves. There I learned the skill of mapping, which is a mental imaging strategy where you imagine yourself climbing before actually doing it.
LO4- Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience.
Moreover, I even sprained my ankle after the first day of trekking. You would expect, that I sprained it during one of the treks/ caving/ adventure sport, which would have made it more logical. However, it happened after we finished our day, on a plane surface. I totally felt that this was going to hamper my trip but I kept going. The instructors helped me to stretch and getting the ankle muscle moving. Also, I tried moving past the pain and commit to the trek. Which resulted in me participating in each and every activity, even after the injury.
LO5-Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively.
Additionally, there were 8 of us living in a tent with very minimal space to keep the luggage. We cooperated throughout the duration of the trip. From, preventing to make a mess in the tent, since we had to do everything on our mattresses; from, eating, sleeping, changing, to playing on them. Similarly, during the trek there were times when we had to use all four limbs to climb up, crawl down, and pull up ourselves. Here, my friends became a huge help whenever I couldn’t perform independently.
In conclusion, I loved being back in nature. Every day, either it was the lovely mountains or the silence in nature made me look forward to every succeeding activity. I learned a lot about myself and my physical resilience. Bunking with friends, snacking late at night, helping each other with activities, or catching the sunrise in the morning, every bit of this trip was worth the effort.
