Duggalbitta Trip

On the 6^th of March 2012, a group of eighteen 11^th grade students (CBSE and IBDP) accompanied by the Principal, Capt. Bajaj and Ms. Rubina made their way to Delhi from Hyderabad by flight followed by a bus journey to Camp Panther, a part of Snow Leopard Adventures, near Rishikesh. A rather long and tiring journey that was made fun by Bollywood songs, games such as Pictionary and rapid fire singing.

The second day of the camp included a small warm-up trek to a nearby Garhwali village where all the students were able to witness the culture and lifestyle of the villagers, the flora and the fauna. The trek ended with all of us crossing a flowing stream. Post lunch, we were introduced to the rafting techniques and various rapids (grades 1-3) after which we began our raft, which ended at Shivpuri. For people who were rafting for the first time, this experience was extraordinary.

The third day was a bus journey to Duggalbitta (7677 ft) from Camp Panther via Devprayag and Rudraprayag, where we were to stay for 3 nights. The campsite was a 15-minute climb from Duggalbitta. The trek was short however exciting to wade through 3 inches of snow.

The trek on the fourth day began at Sari village, from where we were to hike up to the Deoria Tal, a beautiful lake. Post lunch at the lake, we all hiked back down to Sari to return to the campsite.

The trek on the fifth day was the most strenuous one. It involved trekking up the Chandrashilla Mountain to the peak at 14000 ft. Due to bad weather, the group couldn’t make it to the peak and had to end their uphill trek at the Tungnath temple at 12000 ft. The feeling of accomplishment was overwhelming to most of students. Post lunch, we began to trek downhill in melting snow, which was very slippery and few of them had some falls. A bruised behind and wet shoes made a weird combination while trekking down the mountain.

Day six was a bus drive back to Camp Panther from Duggalbitta. Dinner was followed by reflections as it was the last night of the adventure camp.

Day seven ended the trip with all of us returning back to Hyderabad from Delhi.

They weren’t ready to leave behind their friends at the camp yet however they were excited about being back with their families and the warmth of the houses.

On the whole, the trip was a different experience and a great privilege for students to travel with their own principal and have time to bond.

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Madhurya Reddy and Anagha Prasan (IBDP XI)