Lingana

At 2.30 in the morning we got the wake up call. There was just enough time for tea and a smoke before we set out. Even nature doesn’t answer your call at that hour.

By 3.30, we were at the head of the gorge. As we started our descent, cautiously moving between the rocks that lay scattered along the path, stars shone down on us from between the cliffs of the gorge like precious jewels that you can see but can’t touch. These were not the stars that shine down on our cities. No, these stars were brighter, innumerous and beyond description, just like in the nursery rhyme.

The moon had set an hour ago. We climbed down between the dark rocky cliffs of the Boratyachi Nal with our torches held between our teeth while our hands groped the rocks for support.

And the stars shone down from between the cliffs. Diamonds in the sky.

We started to climb Lingana at 5, just as dawn was breaking. By 8 a.m. we were at the summit.

With an almost 2000 ft drop on 3 sides and another 1000 ft along the steep ridge that we had climbed along, the sight was stupendous. When our eyes can’t find things to focus upon, our knees fall weak. Conquering that fear is the thrill of climbing. That, and my fear of heights.

There were some 20 climbers in the group, some of them climbing for the first time. We waited our turn to abseil down the slopes but the going was slow, what with the fixing of the ropes and first timers taking their time. The sun now shone burning down on us, sapping every bit of energy we had. We wanted nothing but to be back on level ground, in the shade

The whole day passed and at 6 p.m., a few of us were still only a little more than halfway down. Exhausted by the sun and the heat. Cursing the lousy planning. Frustrated that all the excellent time we had made in the morning climb had been lost.

The sun was beginning to set as I, last of the participants, waited for my turn to abseil the last 400ft.

Sitting in our offices and our high rise apartments, we start to believe that man is the creator. The Burj Khalifa. The Taj Mahal. The Office Cubicle. But when you sit atop a rock on a cliff a thousand feet above the valley, and witness the setting sun, you realize the insignificance of all that we will ever create.

We can destroy nature and build comforting luxuries amidst its ruins. But where nature lies unmolested and untouched, you still see the grandeur of God’s creation.