one more trek..one more piece of heaven.....

Why is it so that I get restless when I stay away from forests just for few weeks? I've started to wonder now...What is so special about trekking which makes me feel so happy when i m doing it and terribly depressed when I m not in action? I have no clue...

It wasn't the same from childhood..i started trekking only after I was in high school..I didn't find it very interesting for the first time to be truthful,I thought it was too tough for me.but still, there was this strange attraction whenever I saw these mountains and ghats.I still donot know what kind of attraction it is, but there is something in these mountains which calls me whenever I get a chance to look at them..I would like to quote the famous mountaineer george mallory here.He lived during early part of 20th century,He tried to climb Mount Everest more than 20 times unsuccessfully.somebody asked him why he tried so many times to climb that mountain.His answer was simple,'beacuse it's there' . I m sure if there are any trekkers reading this they will understand it perfectly.By the way mallory died midway on his  expedition to climb Everest in 1924.

Well this blog was supposed to be about trekking to Amedikkel, a mountain in the western ghats,but today I am remenescing about my own reasons for going to these places let me talk about them first,the adventure at Amedikkel will come later.

I am a medical student and I am a reasonable guy.I know that going to forests is dangerous.

I know many deadly diseases spread by bugs which are only seen in the jungle.I know that there are poisonous snakes crawling around and I know the effects of their venomous bite.I know that I am succeptible to many more life threatening situations there.So it looks very unreasonable of me to go there right?

Here are few reasons which I think make me go to these places:

The Western ghats are amazing places believe me! once you climb on top of these mountains you get to see how beautiful the planet earth is...I have seen some views wich I m sure I wont see again.Its like you stand at gateway of heaven.The blue sky,green forests,sea of clouds and the red sun..Its like a painting by the god himself.I have felt the presence of a universal force or a supreme power at those places,especially during sunrise and sunset. I cant explain it using words,you better see it to believe it! I would say that sun is the greatest god I have ever seen..;)

When you see it there you feel like laughing and you feel like crying and you talk all nonsense stuff! It happened the same way with all the different people who came with me to these places.These are the views which are not to be missed in life..

Its said that during times of distress and exertion we find our best friends.It has been very true in my case.I have made very valuable friends during these journeys.The sweltering heat,burning sun makes way for lasting friendships! while climbing together you tend to see strength and weaknesses of your partners.so you know them very well at the end!

And one more important thing is to know about the value of your own life.You tend to get angry that you failed in an exam or that your parents dont listen to you or that you feel you are very useless person and your life is a waste.I also get this feeling many times.But one thing I realised during all these trekkings is human life is sacred.You better not call it a waste!

You realise your heart is pumping blood like a big generator machine!your body is sweating like anything!your muscles are working overtime!All to preserve the special gift called life...The bland Idli which makes you nauseate becomes the most delicious food when you eat it during trekking when you are really hungry.you notice that you got scratchwounds in your arm

but it doesnt matter because your mind is the ultimate controller.If you want to climb a mountain really believe me you can climb it ! Half the climbing is over when you decide firmly!

thats what I have found out I dont know whether others will agree or not.

And then there is photography which is one of my favourite hobby which makes me go and see new places..

There may be a genetic predisposition in my case which makes me succeptible to the charm of western ghats ;).My grandfather spent most of his life time travelling through ghats.He was managing cardamom estates there.While I was a small kid I used to listen to him telling stories about his adventures in the forests and all..It had a profound effect on my thinking I suppose..

There are still more reasons which I want to tell but I m afraid time's running out..some other time I will tell more about this..So thats it for today dear reader :)