Camp Bodhisatva at Rajgarh, Shimla, May, 2012.

Camp Bodhisatva at Rajgarh, Shimla, May, 2012.

Our trip to Rajgarh began on 19 May. We waved hearty goodbyes to our parents and climbed into our coaches for our night-long journey to Rajgarh. It was 9.30 pm and dark outside but we were extremely excited and the hours slipped. We hardly caught a few winks before we glimpsed a gorgeous sunrise through the glass panes of our buses. Our ascent had begun and each bend presented a pretty picture. Needless to say our sense of anticipation was also mounting, mixed though with a tinge of trepidation as we lifted from the valley.

At our destination, we walked up to our tents. These were exquisitely placed with mesmerising views. A winding path took us to our tents and we quickly freshened up for breakfast. After breakfast, we left for the river for Fox Flying and River Crossing, activities on our itinery. Our instructors introduced themselves and we did the same by turn.They then oriented us about the different equipments to be used in the course of the activities like ropes, helmets etc. For Fox Flying, we had to climb up the hill and then come down to the plains with the help of a rope. It was a lot of fun. We then proceeded to start River Crossing.

This was tougher as we had to tug ourselves to the other end of the river. But, it was an unusual and wonderful experience. After these activities, we returned to our tents and rested for a while. Soon a double-whitle beckoned us fpr lunch. Post-lunch, we left for an Obstacle Course. We had to climb up the commando net and then had to walk over a rope. Climbing up the commando net was a lot of fun, but walking on the ropes seemed a scary proposition! After we were finished with these activities we walked back to our tents for a snack. We were free in the evening for recreational activities.

At around 7:30 p.m. when it grew dark, we left for a night trek. We strung up our waist pouches and took charge of our torches and headed out. The night sky was inky but clear and the stars were amply embedded. The path was narrow but our torches held out firm and saw us through. Finally we halted at a vantage point and simply stood. We looked up and held our breaths, besotted and beholden. Such a spectacle of starlights none amongst us had ever seen! We could have slept under the stars.

Reluctantly we returned and after an early dinner, sank into our pillows.

The next morning we awoke at 5:30 am and quickly dressed and collected our rucksacks and cleared our tents before we assembled for breakfast. After breakfast, it was time for a trek.This time it was formidable-10 km long. Climbing uphill for 5 km in the scorching sun was tough. But as we trudged up and in time reached the top of Rajgarh. Lo and behold the view at the height was magnificent. We remained at the elevation taking in the views and then proceeded to descend in time to catch lunch. We ate and then enjoyed a welcome lie-back for a while. Post lunch we walked to the riverbed where we were ushered to a waterfall crossing rocky terrain. It was so thrilling! There too we sat back and enjoyed the sweep before us before we trecked back to our tents for a snack. In our break we played badminton. After that we rested for a while and then it was time for a bonfire! We needed no persuasion to match step around the bonfire even as we belted throaty numbers! Scrumptious dinner and we were back in our tents. The next morning, we were to go back to Delhi. We were woken up at 5 am and after tea and biscuits we commenced our journey back. By 10 am, we were served a hearty breakfast in our coaches.We had a lot of fun on our way. We stopped at 12:15 p.m. for lunch and then also briefly halted at Haveli, Karnal for a bit. Delhi was not very far now and all of us pining for a rewind of the 2 days that had son rapidly passed! We were already missing our Camp! We reached School at 7 p.m. and collected our rucksacks and eagerly waited for our parents. We will remember our trip for a long, long time.

Reported by Ms. Mehar Kaur, class 9C.