My experience of the trek to Horagina Betta

Excitement combined with anxiety immensely filled my heart. It was my first trek after all. Not to mention, that it was a night trek and that too with unknown people! Nevertheless, I eagerly looked forward to it.

The roads near majestic were blocked due to the Bangalore Karga because of which I had to take long route and hence I was the last person to arrive. It was 6:40 when I reached. We were asked to come at 6:15. This made me all the more nervous. I exchanged quick with a few people at the bus stop and was now familiar Lokith, Shrikanth and Pragati. The two bubbly-besties Pretty and Sipukashri came up and said hi and we were good to go! Soon we were off an a bus to Chikkabalpura at 6:45. I chatted casually and made friends with Vivek and Guhan. We reached Devanahalli at..... From here we boarded another bus which dropped us off near Nandi Hills. We munched on some snacks from a nearby bakery before starting off for the trek.At the base, we had an introduction session. We were a group of 18 of which 5 were girls. Majority of them were first timers like me. I was the youngest and was hence the recipient of much care and pamper! Lokith and Srikanth briefed us about the rules of BTC. The distance to be covered was a good 3-4 kms. They instructed us to stop when we got tired and not to stretch ourselves too much.

The hill looked gigantic and I remember thinking "how are we going to climb this massive rock?" We pulled out our torches and followed the lead of Lokith with Srikanth trailing towards the end. The slopes began to get slightly steeper and the surface kept alternating between rocky and grit. There were plenty of boulders, bushes, trees and dried shrubs along the way. We took several breaks on the way. While our fellow photographer Amit, took the job of painstakingly setting up his tripod and clicked plenty of pictures whenever he could. As we climbed further the terrain got more difficult and I probably would not have made it without the helping hand of Prasad anna. It was around 11.30 p.m when we eventually reached the peak (mission accomplished). 

I was almost at the state of complete exhaustion by then. But the breathtaking view from the top and the pure-cool breeze made every step worth it. We gathered firewood lying around and started a fire. Everyone took out their food and it was dinner time! Lokith boiled some water for noodles and soon delicious-steaming Maggi was making its rounds. I had brought two Alloo parathas which were over in literally ten seconds! It was a scene to behold! Soon everyone settled around cosily and it was time for Antakshari. The teams were unevenly divided with just 5 people in one side while the rest were in the opposite one! No one was willing to move from their spots where they had snugly settled. Nevertheless, we had a fun time singing. 

The wind grew stronger and colder as the city grew darker. Next, it was time to play "Mafia". Lokith explained the game, as some of us, including me, were unaware of it. It was a really interesting and entertaining game. One cannot feel the time pass time with this deeply engrossing  game! It was 4.30 am by the time the second round of this game was over. While Pragati, Srikanth, and some of us decided to nap for a while before starting the ascend, others stayed up and savoured tea which was being prepared by our chef Lokith. 

To doze under the vast open sky is truly a gratifying experience. I felt closer than ever to nature! It was 6.30 am when someone woke me up. The sun could be seen rising in the clear blue horizon which stretched infinitely .

The weather and the view were spectacular. We all went down to a beautiful spot, a little further down, where our photographer Amit clicked our group snaps against the marvelous view below. Bags were packed, the fire was put out and off we started our journey back down! The ascend was far easier than the descend and took much lesser time. We reached the base at around.... We freshened up from a tap nearby and went to a hotel for breakfast. All of us sat together and had a hearty breakfast while we gave our feedback and shared our experiences :)But now, it was time to bid farewell :( This was my first experience with BTC. When we came, we were strangers. When we left, we were a family! I made many wonderful memories in this journey which I am going to cherish for the rest of my life! I can't wait to go on my next trek! Thank you BTC :)

Written By	: Snehali Tagat
Organized By	: Lokith & Srikanth
Date of event	: 23rd Apr, 2016
Place	: Horagina Betta
Members	: 18
Pictures	: BTC FB Page