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In love with the heights
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Climbing a hill is more than just fun and entertainment. It also teaches camaraderie and teamwork, says M. ALLIRAJAN
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INDOMITABLE SPIRIT: Members of the team during the trek.
Passion for adventure. That's what drives this group of youngsters. For them, adventure sports are more than mere timepass. Yuvarani. L, an engineering student, dubs it the "most wonderful thing" to have happened in her life.
"Adventure sports is unheard of in our area. And so, convincing my parents about its benefits was not easy. It took me nearly five months before I was able to go for my first expedition," she says.
Yuvarani was part of a 16-member student team that participated in `Survivor 04', an expedition to Thirumurthi hills and Lampton Peak organised by the Mountaineering Adventure Sports Society (MASS) India.
Maiden trek
She vividly remembers her first trek to Thirumurthi hills, about 100 km south of Coimbatore. "I learnt basic climbing and rescue techniques for critical situations, river crossing and sequence climbing. I understood the importance of teamwork. In adventure sports, everyone needs to work together. The spirit of camaraderie that you build during such expeditions is something that you cannot easily develop otherwise," she says.
Says P. Arul Sekar, a final year engineering student of the Kumaraguru College of Technology: "In this expedition, confident persons helped out those who found the task difficult. In a way it taught us an important thing in life — caring for others."
The seven-hour trek to Lampton peak took them to the base of Melmudi Hills (1,570 feet above Mean Sea Level and about 11 km from the city). From there, they made the assault on the peak.
"This was the best time in the whole expedition because it involved a lot of teamwork.
Everyone's effort was crucial in helping the team achieve its target," says Arul, who won the `Best Survivor' award.
Mountaineering is fraught with danger. One minor fall and that's the end of all. The team members recollect an incident where a person slipped and almost fell.
"Ropes tied to a climber close by saved her life."This incident served as a reminder while negotiating treacherous tracks. Says L. Frederick, instructor of MASS India (98943-80167): "We had two noticeable danger points. In the first one, we had to stick to a big rock with a 300-feet vertical side. The climber crosses the danger point and on reaching a safe place passes the rope to another climber, who then is able to move carefully to a safe point. The loose rocks which are just a few inches thick made climbing all the more difficult,"
New relationships
Says S. Karthi, a participant and final year business management student: "People who were strangers in the first camp became best friends. There were many familiar faces. Besides firming up old relationships, there was also an opportunity to make new ones."
The expedition also had its share of fun — gazing at the night sky from the tent, campfire, singing, and chatting.
En route, they passed through waist-high ferns and blueberry bushes. The view of Coimbatore from that point presented a breathtaking sight, they say.
The team members turned ecstatic after reaching the summit. They celebrated the successful ascent and even organised a birthday party for Shourie, a team member. "Everyone worked together to help realise both individual and group goals," says Abudas H of MASS India.
The time spent in the hills made Arul bolder, courageous and independent. "It improved my interpersonal skills and decision-making and leadership qualities. The camp life brought out the latent talents in me."
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