“Sir, your breakfast is ready”,
Screamed Chotu, the caretaker of Dzuko valley guest house. Me and my friends rushed in hurry, only to find Maggi noodles in a bowl. Vegetables and grocery were scarce in the valley, as they had to be carried on foot from the base of the mountain. There was no lunch available at the guest house, only breakfast and dinner. So we filled our tummies with yummy Maggi, and prepared for the downhill trek to return to our homes. Just before we started the downhill trek, Chotu told us about a short side trek promising a beautiful view. It was supposed to take only 3 hours to cover that trek and then we can happily start the downhill trek.
So with new excitement we began our side trek, and we did reach the spectacular location, clicked amazing pictures. By the time we reached guesthouse, it was already noon. It took around 5 hours for us to complete the side trek. We were delayed by 2 hours. But the amazing atmosphere and beautiful views kept us mesmerized. We packed our bags, filled all our water bottles and were ready to start the downhill trek, saying goodbye to Dzuko. There was no lunch, but the beauty of Dzuko filled us with energy. We knew we had to complete the downhill trek in 5 hours, so that we can catch the return train. So we started as soon as we can, and began trekking. Little did we know what was ahead for us.
I was walking ahead of the group and occasionally looking back to enjoy the views. I could see the guest house we left, covered in clouds far far away, like a tiny dot. Then I looked at my watch and it was already 3 PM noon. Turns out, the morning side trek took a toll on us, and our speed had slowed down.
The previous day, we were told by the guide that there were two ways to trek down from Dzuko. One was a long trek but easier one. Other was shorter, but with steep descent. Looking at the clock, these words by the guide echoed in our ears. We thought if we can take the more steeper route, we would save on time and catch our train. We were little skeptical as we were unfamiliar with the new route. But due to time constraints we chose to try it anyway. Plus it made us feel like explorers, as we were going in the new route unguided.
The new route was well laid with big steps, and covered in dense forest. We could hear sounds of birds chirping and streams running. We spotted few people using the route to trek upwards, mostly local people. We would take turns in testing the steps one by one with a stick and lead the way. Half way in the route, sun started to set down. We knew we were late by 2 hours, but we thought we can make it. We started to trek rigorously, but also started to think of Plan-B incase we miss the train. We thought, we would book the same homestay that we booked before the uphill trek incase we missed the train.
After another hour, our group started to get tired. No lunch, meant that our energy levels were down. And no sun, meant the fear of jungle could not instill hope into us. We realized we cannot make it before the train departure. So we started to call the homestay to book our night stay. Surprise, Surprise ! The phone signals were out. No matter how many phones and networks we tried, all were in vain. When few people in our group were trying hard to establish contact with the homestay, other few were losing their hope. They were very tired and were trekking very slowly. I reached out to my bag to give them some water, and Voila !, the bottle is empty. I asked others, and all of their bottles were also empty. So, we didn’t had lunch, and we don’t have water as well. It wasn’t just another trip anymore, our survival instincts started to kick in. As the sun was set, there were no one climbing uphill in that route, so we could not even get help. It was clear to us that if we don’t make it to the bottom of the hill before dark, we would be stranded in the forest.
So, we started helping each other, and rigorously trekked downwards. After almost an hour, we found a stream of running water. In olden days, stream water was pure. But now we were skeptical if we should drink it. Also due to tourist movement, there was plastic waste around the stream. But we had no choice. So we took the risk, and quenched our thirst. Some of us used handkerchiefs to filter the water and filled our bottles. At least, now we had water and our energy levels were little high. The hope that we can reach the base increased, but only for a brief moment.
After one more hour, one of our friend started crying. She could not move, her legs were sore, she wasn’t prepared for the unplanned route. It was much harder than we expected. We were absolutely certain that we had to reach the base before dark. So we took turns and carried her from the side, giving her support to walk. Everyone was so tired that they were walking just seeing the steps and not observing anything around. The only thought was to climb down the steps one at a time. I was making promises to myself that if I survive the trek, I would change my habits and become more disciplined, more healthy. I did not care about my surroundings anymore, it was already dark, and I just jumped down the steps. Even our phone batteries were limited, as we did not have any charging stations back at the valley guest house. So only few of us could turn on flash lights, and other walked in the dim light.
The sounds of birds and streams disappeared, and crickets started making their mating sounds. The group’s speed decreased further, as we had to carry each other and walk slowly. Feet were sore due to continuously climbing down the steps. After some time, few of us started to think and came up with a plan. The plan was to split up. Few strong members would go ahead looking for help. And other strong members would stay with the tired ones and help them climb down. I was among the tired ones. It was a tough decision to split up, but it ultimately paid off. After an hour or so, the forward group spotted a motor road along side the trek, and luckily a local jeep was passing by. They stopped it and screamed to us to reach there as soon as possible. We boarded the two of our most tired members into the jeep, along with one of the stronger ones to support them. We were told by the locals that the base was just 1 hour away. This helped raise our hope, and the rest of our group started walking down faster. It was already dark, but we did not care about our surroundings anymore. We were slipping, falling on the steps, but we picked ourselves up to survive. After almost an hour of the most tiresome walk of my life, we reached the base. The group that reached ahead, already made reservations in the homestay, so we were sorted for stay.
Everything looked sorted, but nature had one last surprise waiting for us. The guest house was 10 Kms away from the base of the trek, and we were hoping to find some transportation. But as it was already dark, there was no transportation available. Only a small shop with snacks and water was present at the base of the trek. We bought all the snacks we could, and filled our tummies with food and water. We were so tired that we just sat on the road waiting for some miracle to happen. But there were few in our group who still had hope, they walked towards the road, and started asking for lifts to random trucks. Nobody was stopping, even if somebody stopped, the size of the group was more than ten, so we could not all get the lift at same time. If we split, then the other half of the group had no energy to even ask for lifts. We waited and waited for more than an hour, reflecting on what happened from morning, and how we forced ourselves to come down the hill. Finally, a kind bus driver gave us all lift to the guest house. Our hosts were kind enough to prepare dinner for us, and we slipped into our beds rubbing pain balms all over our bodies.
The next morning when I woke up, I had a sense of achievement. I was proud of myself that I survived. It might be an easy trek for many people, but for us, many factors like no lunch, extra side trek, unplanned route made it very hard. Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience that I cannot forget my whole life. It exposed my vulnerabilities, triggered my survival instincts. Most importantly it taught me how helping each other makes humans survive through worst of the situations. If we did not help and push each other, we would have been stranded all night in the forest. It was a team effort, a real team effort triggered in a genuine survival situation. I am glad that I experienced such a situation with closest of my friends, making memories that will stay forever.
Man VS Wild 🤣🤣🤣🤣