CAMP STORIES

CAMP STORIES MATHERAN memories First Post Covid 19 Trek

Being a student in this pandemic era is hard; attending online classes, completing assignments, giving exams- all virtually. I am Surabhi, student of 11th grade. I am rejuvenated by being in nature's presence, but due to the ongoing lockdown, I had become dull and irritated of staying indoors, studying and working, and absolutely missed being in the outdoors. That is when we stumbled upon the Backyard Trails to Garbett Point initiated by Trailblazers - The Outdoor School. I was excited. The last I could remember going to the hills was a year ago. So my family and I buckled up and immediately registered for this trail! The journey to Matheran was long, although beautiful, it being post-monsoon. After reaching the spot, we were introduced to our Trailblazer experts who indeed were very friendly and welcoming. I was previously paranoid about how all the participants are going to physically distance ourselves as we are in one group but the Trailblazers experts made sure all of us took utmost precautions. Both of the experts were very knowledgeable and experienced trekkers, with whom we all climbed the hill with ease. The group was lovely too. At the beginning of the trail, all of us were strangers but as we paced up-hill, conversing with each other, the acquaintance was one of a kind. Another adorable member of our group was a cute dog! He accompanied us from the start of the trail, all the way up to the top of the hill, and back down again! It seemed as if he was our local tour guide from Matheran. The trail gave me an amazing respite from the hum-drum of lockdown in the city and I thoroughly enjoyed being around green, merry trees and a variety of other species. Trailblazers experts educated us lucidly about the species we came across, be it butterflies, trees, shrubs, mosses, fungi or flowers. It was a treat to watch our surroundings and have such erudite persons to tell us more about what we saw. When we reached the Garbett Point, I felt a sense of calmness in me after appreciating the view from the top. After sitting by the cliff, enjoying the cool breeze, the group shared a lovely lunch together. The latter part of the afternoon was spent in a blowout where all of us in the group got to know each other more and we even sang! It was wondrous! Although tired and exhausted, we came back home with a fresh mind and fond memories to remember.

Surbhi is a vocalist, bharatnatyam dancer, amateur poet/writer, online feminism activist. She loves trekking, camping and cycling.