Nightmare at Sudhagad

My knees are sour. Toes are black and blue, and wont let me even touch them. Feet are snow-white and very rough. Hands and fingers are mercilessly scratched, cut, pierced and torn by thorns, so much so that I can't even drive a car or massage my head. Back has taken aback due to the amount of stress of driving as well as climbing; and carrying the camera bag all the time. In short, I am Fucked Up Beyond All Repair.

From starting the journey, till I completed my half descent, everything was fine, apart from some minor hiccups and frustrations. The plan was running as per schedule. And then couple of exotic birds which I spotted, lured me into the dense jungle. I hadn't carried my binocular, so I chased them for couple of minutes and then suddenly realised that I had lost my way, and that there was no way down from there. It was a dense jungle, and despite trying different things like getting down through a running waterfall, to climbing up again to find a route, to crawling under the thorny and strong twigs, to running astray for locating the way, to shouting out for help, and to abusing the clouds; I couldn't find my way for a full one hour. I was in such a location where
retreat was hardly possible since I had committed myself to the route quite some time ago, sun was setting and black thunder clouds were reducing whatever visibility that was left. More importantly, going by the density of the jungle and proliferation of strong intertwining of the shrubs, it was pretty clear no one ever came there and no one ever will. That was the thought that absolutely jolted me. I had to struggle even to find a place to put my next step, staying there was out of question. Finally through some intense and continuous pep-talk and frantic application of brute-force to force my way through the jungle, I could manage out. But the physical and more importantly mental scars of the nightmare are there to stay with me for sometime now. It was a horrendous experience and I still can't believe my luck that I never
stepped on a single venomous snake during the final half an hour ordeal while brute-forcing my way through the dense nets of shrubs without any chance of knowing what might be underneath or how deep the ground is below that net.

Sometime this week, I am going to write these events and the ghastly feelings down. There is a learning from this whole saga - think twice before venturing into the unknown.

EDIT: And now, a day after the trek, and after I wrote about it, I come to know that what I trekked was actually SARASGAD and not Sudhagad! What a revelation! जाना था सुधागड, पोहोच गये सारसगड, समझ गये ना?