Solitude

The first day is not as grueling for Group 1. Correction. The first day is not as gruelling for Group 1 as the second day is going to be. How insensitive of me - making careless comments - like a Camp David day not being gruelling. Poor Captain's heart would have skipped a beat.

No Torches.
Let your eyes adjust to the night-light.
Use your torches only to signal obstacles, ditches, etc.
No speaking.
No talking.
No communication with the next person.
Observe the monkey in your head.
Silence him.
That is the goal.

Hop, skip and jump.
A step here, a quick jump there, loose gravel beneath my slipping feet. My feet not stopping to gain a foothold. Before one foot touches the ground and decides it is safe enough to trust, the other one is a step ahead. And so on.
Nightmare for the person following me. Perfect for me.
Hop, skip and jump.
At the head of my team now. Shadows of people and the leaves, the kirr-kittarr of the night.
Hop, skip and jump.
At the head of team one now.
Pankaj Shinde - STOP! WAIT FOR YOUR TEAM!
Pitter Patter. Plod Plod. Team 1 goes through. Wry smiles on each one's faces as they pass me. Big scowl on mine. Fuming.

DumbCharades - We are the T20 in this group in trekking. Blank Stares. Pitter Patter. Plod Plod.

Team 2 - COUNT! ONE. TWO. THREE. FOUR .... FIFTEEN.
Morisaheb - hallu chala.
Big scowl.
Up and Down. Loose gravel. One step after another.

Fresh cool night air. Deep crisp breaths. Going uphill. Wear the track suit. Branches and twigs in everyone's faces. Swish. Swish.

Plod. Plod. Pause. Plod. Pause. Plod. Plod. Pause.

This plod-pause-plod-pause routine of Team 2 leader is totally screwing with my hop, skip, and jump routine. Deep, crisp breaths. Hope dinner is good. Warm dinner. Maybe some chicken. And a warm sweet dish.

Microeconomics - The cost of one person getting lost versus the cost of one person denied his hop, skip and jump. A leader would take the latter any day. He/She needs to ensure everyone is safe. Deep, crisp, cool breaths. Maybe some nice steaming soup as well.

Orion. Three wickets, wicketkeeper, batsman, silly mid-off. The only constellation I recognize. Gray clouds. My leader and her Plod. Plod. Pause. Plod. Pause. Plod. Plod. Pause. No room to express my hop, skip, and jump.

Looser gravel, slipping feet.

TEAM 2 - HOLD HANDS!

Loose mud, leaves in faces. Swish. Swish. Pant. Pant. Slipping footholds.

Plod - There's where my right foot should go next - Pause. Plod - There's where my left foot should go next - Pause. Plod. Slip. Pause. Hold. There's where my right foot goes next - Pause. No slip for me. Plod. Plod. Quick downturn. There's where my left foot should go next. Slower. Deep Breaths. Cool, damp night air.

Plod. Pause. Plod. Slip. Pause.
Hop. Pause. Skip. Pause. Jump. Pause.
Plod. Plod. Slip. Plod.
Hop. Skip. Jump.
Plod. Plod. Slip. Plod. "WATCH OUT". Pause. Plod.
Plod. hop. Skip. Pause. Jump. Pause.
Plod. Hop. Pause. Plod. Slip. Pause. Hold. Skip. Plod. Jump. Plod. Pause.

You never realise the value of the plod-pause-plod routine until you are up against loose mud going uphill...