WOW Antargange Trek

“It had nothing to do with gear or footwear or the backpacking fads or philosophies of any particular era or even with getting from point A to point B. 

It had to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles with no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental. It seemed to me that it had always felt like this to be a human in the wild, and as long as the wild existed it would always feel this way.” C.S.

Antargange, the Ganges from the deep - It all started with twelve beautiful passionate women coming together in the wee hours of the morning, seeking one such phenomenal experience. By seven in the morning our cab had begun to brim with explorers. Thus began the journey to what now remains as a montage of fond memories, only to be reminisced with a smile. 

Before I proceed any further, I must introduce myself – I was a virgin trekker and this was my first time. I was slightly nervous as to how this whole episode with people I’ve practically never met before was going to turn out. But thanks to our organizers, Ritu and Monisha, who put us to ease by familiarizing us with BTC’s way of introducing ourselves to the crowd – Dumb charad-ing your name! And Boy, did we have fun with that! And Time sure flies when you are having fun - within an hour or so, after some yum breakfast on the way, we were at the valley getting prepared and all set to conquer the caves.

The journey began with a long flight of stairs warming us up for the ordeal to come. We were halted midway by a beautiful temple and its pristine waters. After refreshing ourselves a little and replenishing our water supplies, we endured on, wasting no time. An indefinite path paved with nothing but rocks and boulders greeted us, we were also accompanied by gently fragrant wild flowers and a few cactus plants along the way.  Before long, we met a local who offered to help us with the hike and off we trotted on – the lucky thirteen.

The sun was kind and the breeze rejuvenating as we meandered through the steep terrain and the challenging crevices of the wilderness. We cut through caves and roved upon ground which had not seen sunlight in years and even encountered a fort with no king, no ministers, and no walls even. I felt like I was on an episode of Man vs Wild - but instead of crunching on the deadly animals – we were blessed, let me say that again, very blessed to have the food we had – Our lunch comprised of lip smacking finger licking homemade rotis and paneer masala and lemon rice. Overall, it was an exhilarating experience. After much trekking, we reached the breathtaking peak and clicked enough pompous pictures to show all our other lazy friends back home what undaunted wonder-women we were. 

An adventure can only be as exciting as the people. And I was fortunate to be acquainted with wonderful people who made the journey more fun than what it could have been otherwise. 

The Beautiful yet tough - Ritu,  

Akela (Leader of the pack in mowgli remember?) like - Monisha, 

The gentle new strong mum – Mausumi, 

The ever bubbly (aka Our provider when we’re hungry) – Shalini,

The even more bubbly one with the infamous cap – Anjali,

The badass daughter-momma duo (aka Patient photographers)– Chandana and Veena,

The most adventurous of the lot – Shobha,

The quiet notorious one – Namrata,

The athletic doctor – Chaya and

My first friend at BTC, a young lady and a lovely chef - Asha

WOW BTC has given me something I will never forget in a long long time. I hope more and more people join WOW to celebrate the joy of such a splendid experience with inspiring women.

Written By        : Priscilla Sam
Organized By    : Monisha & Ritu
Date of event    : 9th Jan, 2016
Members Count : 12
Place               : Antargange, Kolar
Pictures           : BTC FB Page