The hike to the waterfall: a photo story

•

My legs refused to step forward. I was drenched in sweat from head to the toe although my body was shivering with cold. My heavy breaths were only making things worse as I lay on the trail through the forest advancing to the waterfall we’d decided to hike to.

I had reached Vashishtha at 1 in the afternoon after travelling continuously for two days straight from Indore. Alyssa was already there, as excited as ever. We’d planned to meet in Vashishtha on the fifth day of the month of July. I needed a shower, food, lots of it, and a nap. Alyssa guided me to the room she was staying in, I had strict orders to prepare myself for the hike to the waterfall in the next 30 minutes. I took 40 minutes, that included a 15 minute nap only to irritate her, which worked profoundly.

I stepped out to find her making friends with the dogs just outside the homestay we were staying in, she made friends everywhere she went, especially dogs. Only dogs.

The hike to the fall was a climb of 4000 metres from where we stayed. It was a fairly steep climb through the forest with trees that touched the sky. I followed Alyssa’s trail, she was onto a good brisk walk and I on the other hand, taking it slow, photographing everything I came across. The most beautiful being Alyssa.

After three quarter of an hour I felt my body giving up to the climb. I needed water that I had none and rest that I couldn’t afford. Alyssa kept walking like a machine, her energy made me feel exhausted even more. I sat in the soil sulking, drops of sweat running through my body. I had difficulty in breathing. I sat there for 5 minutes which felt like 5 seconds and also 5 hours as Alyssa waited for me to get up a 50 metres away. She didn’t speak anything, until after the five minutes I lay dead there. “Come on, enough of this”, her voice echoed, “Get yourself up now!”. I ignored her call like cats ignore mine. She walked down towards me, picked me up and ordered me to keep walking. This time, ahead of her. She let me walk at my pace, slower than she ever would. I felt confident by her presence right behind me.

Half an hour later, we were there. She had brought me there. The waterfall was the most beautiful I’d ever seen. The tiny drops of water hit my face, and I felt exultant similar to when Alyssa run her fingers through my hair.