Masks and poison ivy (Part 1)

This is a story for the ages. It was September 2021 and the valley had come to a standstill. Yes, the birds still sang, the tamarind trees continued to sway and the bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) (common monkeys) still stole, but the human beings (Homo sapiens) were nowhere to be seen… except a few sitting on some rocks on Cave Rock hill.

Another wave of COVID cases had arrived and all students and most staff were forced to quarantine at their respective cottages/houses. Our meals were delivered in ginormous carriers and we ate in the dorm instead of visiting our beloved dining hall. These were strange times but more so difficult for the ones who had to work extra hours and the ones down with illness.

Krishna house sits on the southern end of the hockey hills with Cave Rock hill– immediately East and Duranta hill– immediately south. We were, fortunately, given permission to go for frequent hikes during these few weeks along with our house parent and our housemates.

These short 2-3 hour hikes were phenomenal. Birdwatching, rock climbing and of course just enjoying the sunrise at 6:30 in the morning were things that made quarantine so much more enjoyable. The hills we trekked were hills we had already been to, but there were so many spots on the same hill that were totally new. Cave Rock, a large egg shaped cave that juts out of the hill– we had all been on top of the cave, but not far away was the “Bridge rock”-- a long, narrow rock connecting two boulders above a ten foot drop into thorns and hard stone; you would still go rolling down the hill. This thing was pulled straight out of Ninja Warrior!  This was a sector we had never explored before and all of us had great fun (and anxiety) while making our way across! Similarly there's another tall isolated rock whose side is very steep. Nevertheless, this one can be climbed easily with the “Spiderman Crawl” and its jagged protrusions and several crevices allow good grip. At the top of the rock there’s plenty of room to seat upto 17-18 people comfortably, making a lovely photograph!