8 Days Backpacking : Part 3 – STUCK AND STRANDED

For part one: click here, for part two: click here.

After waking up and following the usual routine of packing up the tents and eating breakfast, we set out on the next leg of the journey feeling very jovial. The weather had cooled off and the breeze was refreshing after the previous two days in the stifling heat. The trek was the worst so far in terms of shrubs, the greenery was explosive and blocked most paths; yet we battled through and trekked for a good five hours.

By mid afternoon we hit the final hurdle of the day. We had made it to the T point in the valley, a point where our gorge merged into a larger one. A slow moving, wide river swept through the new gorge, blocking us from the next night’s campsite. Putting our packs high on our shoulders, we pushed our way through the river. The water flowed slowly and hardly broke waist-height, it was perfect crossing conditions and one we would later reminisce.

That night we set up camp, and I utilized the water to wash some of the dirt out my hair. The dust was abundant and turned the clear rainwater into translucent murk. As I headed back to the tent and darkness started surrounding the camp, the first patters of rain began to fall. That first night it was heavy. The rain kept going for hours.

As morning broke, the rain slumped off but the tide had turned. The river was now a danger. We spent that day trekking our local surroundings, it was too dangerous to go far and so we submitted to another night in the camp. Our food sources were still comfortable, but the realization was hitting that it may some point run out.

That following night the rain was silenced, we thought we had hit luck. The guide took it upon himself to test the river. Attached to a rope and supported by ten teenagers, he submerged into the water. The first step was promising- the second, not so. The water barreled into him and pushed him downstream, he yelled for us to let go but not before I had received rope burns. Utilizing his quick reactions, he grabbed a near by branch and pulled himself out of the water. We were not going to try that stunt again.

It was still morning and so we decided to try to create a new path that didn’t mean crossing the stream. And so that day’s hike became one of the most tantalizing walks of my life. We created a path that left rocks tumbling in our wake over 100 ft. high drops. But the views were gorgeous.

By six we settled for camp, having not made it that far but enough distance to feel a sense of achievement. We headed for bed that night hoping for a long silence, and luck persisted – no rain fell for a second night.

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Part 4 is up, click here

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