Trek to Nagalapuram (Nagala 9) with CTC - Dec 13/14, 2008

The night was filled with excitement, the expectation of the trek to start. I bet the alarm and woke up at 3:25 AM on Saturday morning. Already having packed, I quickly hopped on to my Elantra and raced to Tidel Park. Brief intros, more folks trickling in, we finally got to full quorum at Tidel by 4:20. Picking up a couple of folks on the way we headed to Koyambedu, and there all the 30 odd folks to start on this journey assembled. More intros, stuffing of our bags into the cars, and soon we were ready to proceed. Still dark and so beautiful a weather the Nagala Hills were luring us.

We stopped at our usual breakfast point quite early. Waiting for the breakfast to get ready we were getting to know the fellow trekkers. Around 6:30 we started our final leg to our base camp. The final stretch of the road had quite a bit of a surprise for us. Well the first of many to come :-). The recent rains made the mud roads very difficult to navigate and the trekkers turned to constructionists, mending the road so that the cars could move further. Finally we chose to park the car on the road a few hundred metres to our usual base camp. The trekkers from Hyderabad had also arrived.

Distributing food for the next two days, we all, 45 of us, buckled up and proceeded towards the dam. Avoiding the muddy paths, we finally hit the top of the dam, and behold, there was the huge lake formed by the dam! The water was as high as a two storey building. The trek had started. One of the many unknowns we had to conquer in order to complete Nagala 9!

Spidey sensed Ram and Peter then figured out the route to take. We planned to go over the small hill to the left and get back to the trail at the spot of the burning tree. Sickle in hand Ram and Peter tried to get us an opening through the bushes. And after a few dead ends we finally hit the trail to get to the burning tree. Well tree had stopped burning quite a while ago, but now it was half submerged in water. So we decided to go back and join the trail at a further point. Finally we hit the trail to the first pool of many Nagala treks and we had lost an hour or so. With the recent rains the pool was lot more gushing with water and the mini waterfall was really force full. We all got into the pool and the next 30 mins it was heaven! The non-swimmers were helped using a rope to get to the waterfall, and we all enjoyed the natural massage nature had to offer.

We started to our next destination, the small waterfall up the river bed. Here we had our lunch, filled our water bottles, as this was our last water point until the next day! From now on it was the breathtaking views of Nagala Hills which filled us as we made our way to the 600m summit. As we scaled, the chatter went on, the glucon-d mixed water vanished into our thirsty throats, the lead group explored the routes, the middle pack moved at constant pace, the sweepers made sure no one was left behind. Many snaps got clicked, many limbs got tired, trekkers’ camaraderie was displayed helping out fellow trekkers, and as we neared sun-down we were getting ever closer to our summit.

The morning detour made sure we had to trek in the night. Taking out our led torches we were scaling the slopes with caution. The lead group scouted the hills for easy routes to the top. After an hour or so of trekking in the dark, we reached our summit! Wow what a feeling. The endurance of 10 hours of trekking, the scrapes and bruises, the exhaustion, the tired muscles, all went out of focus. Calm filled us as the breeze took over our bodies and healed it. Savoring the gentle breeze, we moved onto our camping ground. The tent poles from Nagala 2 were still intact! We setup 3 tents and had dinner. Some dozed under the tents; some slept watching the beautiful sky, the full moon smiling at us, the stars gazing at us showing a universe we are oblivious to in our busy walks of life.

Our tired bones resting, it wasn’t an easy job waking up J. But as the day broke, we woke. By 6:45 AM we were again locked and ready for next 12 hours (or more(?)) of fun. With the morning sun lighting up the Nagala Hills it was time to enjoy the nature’s lighting effects from the various viewpoints on our way. Our first destination was the 300m waterfalls! Even the thought of it excites me. We started our descent and caught the river bed of this waterfall. We trekked along those slippery rocks, sometimes going up and trying to find a faster route. We were time conscious and wanted to get to the base camp by 5 PM as the Hyd folks had to catch a train back to Hyd.

More glucon-d was consumed, legs were getting tired, and hunger was setting in as we approached the waterfalls. Finally at 12 noon we reached our destination. We all jumped into the pool washed our muddy selves and had great fun under the small waterfall. This was on top of the magnificent 300m waterfall. After the fun in the water we weren’t prepared for the sight of our lives!!

Just a few metres form the pool there was the 300m waterfall! Sitting at the top of it, with a sheer vertical drop of 300m below you, the Nagala Hills and valleys all around you, it was unbelievable. Nature in all its glory let this place be formed over millions and millions of years. How pristine! How wonderful! The breeze filled your mind with beauty which will haunt you for ever! These immortal images etched our mind.

We had lunch here, and started on our descent. We indented to get down on the hill adjoining the right side of the dam. To get there we had to go past two hills! These were mostly new trails and the lead group was trying to find us trails we can follow. We encountered very slippery slopes, thorny bushes, small slips, some hurling rocks, and all through amazing team work. Helping each other we crossed the first hill and we were on the descent on the second. But time wasn’t on our side. It was getting dark, and last part of the trail was yet to be explored. The Hyd folks readjusted their plans to catch the later train. So began our second night trek.

Torches out, egging people on, helping those without torches, saving the final drops of water, we could see our base camp and the lake beside it. It was a final stretch, a final push, searching our insides for the hidden energies we never knew were inside us. Going through the bushes, almost pitch dark, we finally hit the exit to the dam!! Just then the moon showed its beautiful evening face out, blushing in red, peeking at the 45 crazy trekkers.

Some took a quick dip in the dam, some relaxed, some gazed at the beauty of the Nagala hills in the night, and some ogled the moon. But all knew the limits they pushed within themselves and had won.

After a leisurely walk back to the cars we headed back to civilization. We had some mouth watering food on the way in road side dhabbas, as our favorite Chennai Deluxe would not be open by the time we would have gotten back. We drove back the tired, exhausted but totally exalted bodies back to Chennai. The Hyd folks had started a bit earlier to catch the midnight train.

Saying goodbyes we parted at Koyambedu. The memorable Nagala 9 came to an end. It’s been 3 days since we completed the trek but the hangover has not passed. All you need to do is close your eyes and the beauty, the thrills, the serenity, the camaraderie, the fun, the amazing friendships, the sound of the gushing water, the silence of the Nagala valleys, the breeze of the summit, the light hearted banter, the high of being one with Nature, the inner knowledge of oneself, all come rushing back. Until the next trek, let the hangover remain.

PS: Pics courtesy Karthik Ramalingam, Bhaskar, Suresh Kumar and Suresh Kanna.