Our school had organised a trip to Khandala last July. There were roughly 60 of us, and after an enjoyable train ride, which included singing, dancing, and generally making noise, we landed at our hotel in Khandala late in the evening. From the hotel lobby, we had a great view of the Duke’s Nose, which was a mountain, which was a famous mountain of Khandala, whose summit was in the shape of a nose. A few of my friends were fascinated by the mountain and decided to surreptitiously sneak out the next morning and make an attempt on this mountain.
Five of us set out at dawn, amidst a slight drizzle over the lush, green meadows, that straddled the landscape between our hotel and the mountain base. Finally, the ascent began. It was easy to start with, but as we climbed higher, we found that the slope was getting steeper, and the rain had made the mud slippery, adding to our insecurity. Nevertheless, we decided to push on, because having come thus far, turning back was not an option. Clutching at branches, we went up step by step, till we reached a clear piece of flat land. We decided to rest for a while to catch our breath and plan for our final assault on the summit. The drizzle was continuing, and we had to tread cautiously. Holding each other tightly, and taking short, but firm steps, we finally reached the summit without incident.
The view from the summit was breathtaking beyond belief. It was an out-of-this-world feeling. We felt as if we had reached the top of the world and we had the world at our feet. The green valleys surrounding the duke’s nose, accentuated by slight drizzle all around us presented us with a picture-postcard view of nature in its full bloom. We could also make out the contours of our hotel in the distance. All of us stood to attention and sang the national anthem. Finally, we decided to begin the descent.
On our way down, we quickly realized that this part of our journey is going to be tricky and dangerous. Descending a slippery slope while looking down from a mountain is much more challenging than ascending a slippery slope while looking up a mountain. However, we told ourselves that there is no other option if we want to reach the hotel alive. With hope in our hearts and fear in our eyes, we held each other tightly as we tread gingerly down the wet slope whilst the rain had considerably become heavier. Soon we were drenched to the skin, as was the ground below us. The next 20 minutes were the scariest of our lives. Finally, having reached the base of the mountain, we heaved a sigh of relief and melted into each other’s arms.
It was an unforgettable adventure. We could now call it an adventure because we made it to our hotel alive. I need not mention the reaction of our teacher, who naturally went ballistic when we enthusiastically blurted out our story. That evening, the setting sun behind the Duke’s Nose was
inviting us to have another go.
Shared by :Vivaan Moda
Age: 8 years,
DPS Mathura Road
