Trek to Rayakottai

As soon as I read the mail..about the trek...I was so excited ! It was the much longer break I needed amidst the studies..the stressful life!

Then..I got a mail about itinerary! My joy knew no bound !Preparations went on normally.

I loaded my bag with 3 -1 liter water bottles,then junk and lunch!

I couldn’t sleep the entire night on 23rd!

Trust me…my close friends were worried!i get way too excited

Then I closed my eyes for some time..like may be 2-3 hours..it was already 5 am ! the alarm rang! I got ready!

I sat in the cab and suddenly mind started wondering about..

What did I seek from this trek?

Where am I heading towards?

Usually, when I sit in cab or bus..all I think of is medical mnemonics! What would I do if I find a patient who is running at the speed of light? Ha ha..

So the meeting time was 6:45am at the majestic railway station entrance! I reached there on time! Then I met Dinesh..organizer! There were a few boys..who I  dint talk to at that point of time..

I met a lot of people from previous BTC treks..it was nice to see faces that I had already seen!

Then we got into the train and started talking about general things!

Then others joined!at Byappanahalli station!

The train started at around 7:55-8:00 am.

Then instead of playing this traditional trip game dham sharads...we started having introduction session and started singing songs..there were many singers,cooks, dancers!

This was real time! we had loads of fun..it was an enthusiastic gang!

Then we arrived at Rayakottai station

All set,with full determination and full tummy…we started walking….

So now we went back to the station crossed the railway track and started walking to the base of the hill!

Then, we stopped at certain point and had a formal introduction session! Here is when actually something exciting happened..we clapped our hands against thighs in a fashion of WE WILL.. WE WILL.. ROCK U!

I was very excited.. I have always dreamed of getting lost in the woods!

Then at around 10:30.. we started ….

Talking about the hill and its history,

Rayakottai fort is one of the ancient fortresses in the Krishnagiri district. The fort is situated within the town of Rayakottai which is one of the ancient fortress in the Krishnagiri district!

The place seemed nice..typical village environment..too hot yet breezy!

Initially it was very easy..the foot of the hill was awesome…there we're bushes with beautiful flowers shining so bright in the glimpse of sun! there were a few villagers and kids who were washing their clothes close to the homes!

Now after covering 2 Kms ..we took around 2-3 breaks..and did lots of photography sessions!

For me trekking was more like sprinting…:P

While climbing up..i was sort of conserved with photography..but while descending down..I was a big photo maniac… lol!

When we took the second break..we were resting on a rock..

I was decently trying to cool myself down…because..I literally felt like I had tachycardia a bar higher than it should be! :P  ha ha! So that’s when this interesting thing happened . The rock was brownish . a brown grasshopper jumped from far left to other end of the rock so perfectly camouflaged that I couldn’t locate it until it jumped again.

We reached the peak at around 12:30 pm.

This was an epic moment for me. This was the first time I ever went to a fort trek and it was awesome .

It felt like the wind was blowing just to welcome me….to probably celebrate my reaching the peak.

After that we had couple of photo shoots! Awesome it was J not to miss GO PRO TAKE A PHOTO😊

We then decided to have lunch and start descending down by 2!

The plan was to be able to catch the train that departs to Bengaluru at – 4pm

So we sat down and had played ping ping game...we danced ..sang..talked!

My parents kept calling every now and then to check about my whereabouts!

Like the hush in those mountains, the silence swelled with the intake of my breath into a presence of vast benevolence of which ..I was a part! It just felt like something great had happened to me!

After exploring…the rest of the place we started descending down at around 2:30!

This time it was fun and easy…but I kept falling a lot of times. all because of the topsy-turvy slopes!

Every time I put my leg ahead…I literally wanted to go back to the peak!

So we reached the station at around 3:30 pm. We had this feedback session!

I was literally speechless for a second!

Every single person on board was awesome….so caring and they never got me bored.

The train was late by almost 20-25mins. We all got in. Some only got seats, but we had lots of fun..Chit chatting, Antakshyari, eating biscuits etc…

So we boarded the train and reached Bengaluru at around 7 pm

At the end of this trek, I have discovered a new version of me. I learnt fear not anything.

Life detachment, pursue because it interests you, no fundamental questions.

Self dissolved into supreme, no questions, no answers, its just bliss.

It was a very huge Kannada crowd this time...so it was nice! To connect with people

Thanks to the organizers for making the trek so interesting  and exciting!

Written By      : Aaditi Lakshman

Organized By   : Dinesh Yadav & Amol Saindane

Date of event  : 24th June 2017

Place              : Rayakottai Fort

Pictures          : BTC FB Page