Monsoon treks…

There was one glorious summer-monsoon when we did many treks in the Sahyadris. I have not heard the term ‘trekking’ a lot here; more like backpacking. Well, we called it trekking in India and it was awesome. kookygoblin, srukrish, shivshanker, thefirstidiot, Pinch, Geetu – nearly everyone has been on some trek or the other with the rest of us. We scaled Kalsubai, the highest peak in Maharashtra (1646 metres) – that was one good trek although the way down was scary. We did a trek to Chanderi that was really long (kookygoblin, were you there ?) and arduous. We took forever to reach the top, it seemed, and to top it all, it started raining and we were soaked to the skin. With a backpack, jeans and an inefficient rain jacket, there was not much we could do to protect ourselves. Not to mention that the rain made the ground slippery and we had to be doubly careful about where we placed our next step. It was good that we were young and fearless (!) or else just taking a look at how high we were and the implications of taking a wrong step – horrifying. Rajmatchi was another fabulous trek – we stayed the night over in a hut and the family fed us hot bajra rotis and we warmed ourselves over the fire. Our soaking wet jeans dried like magic.. and they smelt toasty the next morning. Such generosity – it was touching.

Lunch breaks were the best. People would get foodstuffs made by their devoted Moms. They would bring idlis (they always stay fresh even in summer), dhoklas, sandwiches, methi theplas, biscuits, lemon rice and such goodies! My cousin B, an experienced trekker, used to carry a packet of rice (uncooked) and in some longer treks, a stove and dal as well! Well, that is the sign of a seasoned trekker. Lunch times were fun. People would make themselves comfortable and lay out the food. It always tasted amazing, no matter what it was! There would be a lot of snacks as well and we had to restrain ourselves from bingeing on them – the fried stuff creates gas in your system and makes you sick while climbing. On one trip, we had a load of great food with us and we took a break by a river. We were waiting for this boat to come, transport us to the other side and to then start the climb. R, my younger cousin, and I were so unwilling to go. We wanted to stay back, have lunch and then go back home – no more treks! If not for B’s insistence, we would have done just that…:-)

After I got here, Pinch and I went for a couple of backpacking trips with a group in Atlanta. Well, backpacking trips here are slightly different. What struck me as most different was the lunch break again. People would settle down in their respective corners, take their snacks out, eat and then pack up again. No sharing, no chatting – I suppose the keyword is *respectful distance*. I was a bit taken aback and falling back to an old habit, opened my bag of grapes and offered it around. People were awkward but some of them helped themselves. I guess, it is just a different style out here.

Should go for one of those Sahyadri treks again…