For the Young Explorers’ Society, June 25 was a much looked forward to day. Not only was it a holiday, but also the day that their third expedition kicked off, with this one going a step further with a campfire to be held at Horton Plains. This time we planned to scale ‘Kirigalpotha’.
We were scheduled to meet at 2 a.m., on Friday morning. After some last minute delays, at last we set off. The first few hours mostly consisted of nothing but sleeping.
We then started singing songs and teasing the
teachers. At around
6.30 a.m., we were well into the hill country.
We decided to stop by the
roadside and have
sandwiches and drinks. After spending half an hour there we then proceeded. By now everyone had taken their cameras and phones and was taking snaps of the scenery.
By 8.30 a.m., we reached our starting point, the Ohiya town. After
breakfast, all of us changed into more comfortable
clothing, as it was very chilly. We planned to climb a mountain similar to Kirigalpotha in terms of
difficulty. To reach its foot we had to trek along the railway track for about one or two kilometres.
The first part of the climb was relatively easy, but as we climbed higher it became more exhausting. Due to the high winds there, many trees were uprooted and strewn around like dead
soldiers in a battlefield. Some of our paths were blocked and we had to find alternate routes.
We continued in this way until we came to a huge tree which completely blocked our path leaving us with no other option but to turn back. We returned to where we started and decided to walk all the way to Horton Plains.
We walked a total of six kilometres and then to our luck we managed to hire a three-wheeler to take
everyone to the destination.
Unfortunately, our sir, my friend and I were about 1 ½ kilometres ahead of the rest which meant that we had to endure the
gruelling 15 km walk. Luck was on our side though, as we were able to see herds of antelopes and other kinds of wildlife. By now we were practically freezing as the temperature was very low.
We ran to our bus, changed our filthy clothes and started to devour our meal.
After relaxing for some time we moved to set up the camp. We managed to carry the tent and some of the provisions before the mist shrouded us. At the same time it started to rain cats and dogs. We returned to the bus in low spirits. Our sir was able to get a
spacious room for all of us. One by one everyone fell asleep. By 6 a.m., everyone was awake and eating
biscuits.
Sir selected a set of
students to do the cooking and the rest were given orders to clean up.
As there was no time to climb Kirigalpotha, it was decided to go to Baker’s Fall and World’s End. Our teacher divided us into four groups and we were given a sack each to collect all
litter on our way. We
started our trek around noon and reached Baker’s Fall without any incident.
We then hurried to Worlds’ End, because the mist was setting in. We spent some time there and proceeded to our base. Our guide helped us in collecting all the litter. By the time we reached the bus, a delicious lunch was ready and we tucked in to the meal.
By 6 p.m. we were ready to leave. We took a
different road which was a mistake. We had to get down at many sharp bends and help to push the bus. We got caught to a perahera which cost us a few hours.
Just past Ginigathhena a tyre
punctured and we did not have the equipment to fix it. Luckily we stopped close to a police check point and the
officers were kind enough to help us stop a vehicle to borrow the necessary tools.
Finally by 3 a.m. on Sunday morning we made it home. It was an
unforgettable trip though it did not go as planned.
Naveedh Samad,
Kid Reporter G - 01
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