Packed my dinner, grabbed my bag with my hiking boots and headed out for a lonesome hike in 2010. In fact, it was my first time going there and what a way to do this during the first.
Upon reaching the first peak in the evening, I lay my bag down and took a breath of fresh air. Not many people were there on a Friday evening, which brings out the peace of mind. It definitely reminded me of my Yellowstone time and it felt so good to hike again.
Still remember the vivid images of a flock of birds swirling around the first peak. I also helped 3 friends to take a group photo together. Upon sun down, many have in fact asked me to be careful after knowing that I have decided to spend a night alone. An uncle warned me about tigers as well, which probably wasn’t a good advice as it kept me thinking about it the whole night.
As the day darkens, the beautiful lights of the cities nearby lit up and the whole sky was so orange that I couldn’t see stars. In fact, it was really cloudy that night as it was the rainy season. Took some long exposure and light painting shots. Good way to kill time up there.
Decided to tuck into my sleeping bag once I got tired. Few hours into my sleep, sounds of thunder came about. Being that high up alone back then didn’t seem like a good idea, nor was getting up and finding my way down after midnight. Hence, being stationery on the ground was probably the best idea then. It then started with drizzle and then becoming light rain. Opened up my umbrella to cover my face, but my pants and shirt were soaking wet – making it even less comfortable. But on the bright side, I believed the rain helped to deter the ants away from me.
The hours of not moving under the rain and thunder was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I admit, I cried in fear, as it was tough going through that alone. Reminds me how Kate was stranded in the ocean after Titanic sunk. When the rain stopped, the next problem were mosquitoes. That wasn’t fun at all and my lightcap was running out of solar battery, making me sleepless that night.
At 5 something in the morning, I could hear voices, fearing that it was some animal from the further peak. Fortunately after a bit, moving white lights can be seen to my left. As I keeping myself tucked in the sleeping bag, a group of students from TAR arrived at the peak, giving me some relief. The adventure ended there and then, when I was no longer alone in the dark. It got boring after that, but was definitely relief that I made out alive.
All these are still so vivid in my mind, probably because it felt like a life and death moment on top of Broga Hill.
Will I do it again? Perhaps, depending on……….. But I glad I did it and I believe I wasn’t the only crazy one to do a lonesome overnight hike. Any stories from the readers out there? I would love to hear yours.