Ranikhet: Free is the soul in the hills

‘Tis in human nature to be free
To become what we wish to be
See any sight we wish to see
Go places where we yearn to go
Learn anything we wish to know
Trudge desert sand or lands of snow
Scale any mountain, climb any tree,
Answer to this question is the key,
What does it mean to be free?’

Upon the first rise of the moon, I was struck for the first time by the might of the heavens. At once I could see the eternal mark of the great heroes, the silent arbiters of our fate, and the gentle tides of the grandiose ocean of the star above. My heart was moved by the sublime sight as did the currents of pale and beautiful light. Here, I felt as if I was in unity with this blazing night, as my mind ascended to the home of the stars and my soul shone as did the fires above. My eyes shall forever twinkle with the light of the starry night.

For the opportunity of making unforgettable memories of stargazing with my best friends, we were excited to participate in the night trekking activity. Even though most of my friends could not take part as they were suffering from fever, I still went for it to be able to tell my friends about the beautiful and bright stars. After the instructors guided us on how to tackle possible dangers which we might face during the activity, we began our journey into the dark and mysterious wilderness. As expected, we are not able to see our path and we fell to the ground many times. There were some wild animals too. There were brief moments when I thought about my cosy bed back at the campsite, but I kept going. I was already aware of plenty of constellations. I felt they wanted to tell me the stories behind their names. It was a wonderful experience to look at the sky in Ranikhet, which I could only see on the internet before. I will never be able to forget these memories of the stunning views that the trip with EdTerra gifted me.

I will carry with me and never forget.
The winds of change began to blow
The streams of growth began to flow
A gift only the hills bestow
The rolling slopes of destiny
Sweet existential agony
A wondrous journey ‘twas truly

Many things can be said of freedom. I myself have always felt free in the hills, having gone trekking, mostly in the Eastern Himalayas. Yet, this camp on the hills of the Ranikhet was an entirely new experience for me. From the enchanting and diverse flora to the serene beauty of the setting sun, every aspect of this journey has been not less than a journey in itself. The activities, some of which I had never tried before (such as rappelling and ziplining),  were incredibly enthralling and instilled me with the sense of courage and youthful enthusiasm, which I will carry with me and never forget.

We would all like to thank EdTerra for providing us with this amazing opportunity and this journey will be the one we will always remember and hold dearly in our hearts.

Team members: Ashutush Choudhury, Aryan Sholapure, Aryaman Gupta, Minwookim, Ryan K Savy, Seunghun Lee, Anika Handa, Harnoorpreet, and Kritika Saumya (Scottish High International School, Gurugram).