FEELINGS

I visited Nallamala forest on a school trip, in September last year. It was the most incredible and unforgettable journey ever. Having my friends there made the whole experience a whole lot better.

I loved how the instructor taught us how to pitch camp tents with only leaves and sticks. In this activity, we snapped some dried sticks from the trees and created a makeshift shelter by forming an inverted V-shape and covering it with leaves.

The next day, we had to cook food with very rudimentary elements without any technology, like a stove or a pan. We were given just flour and a limited number of vegetables. On a whole, we did fine, despite the end product being tasteless.

Apart from these survival activities, I really loved trekking and the bonfire nights. Sitting around the bonfire, we were given dares. We also had some pleasant experiences like immersing our feet in a cool water in a spring; that too after a rather tiring hike. It was really awesome. Reminiscing this trip always brings me joy. I look forward to another trip like this one.

by

Abhi Varshini Velpuru

Class IX

Written in December 2023