The woods are lovely dark and deep...

Two roads diverged into the woods, both leading to a dense growth of trees. I didn't have the advantage that Robert Frost had as both the roads were tarred and both looked the same. Dusk was spreading, the time when birds and animals alike call it a day and go home. But we were feeling adventurous.

We decided by some random logic that the road leading to the right was the one we would take. And so we started walking. Initially the pace was leisurely as we admired the beauty around us. Tall trees lined both sides of the path, with green ferns covering up the ground. Dry, fallen leaves crunched under our feet and moss covered up fallen barks by the road side. It was a pretty place to hike through. But little did I realize that things were about to change very soon.

The road twisted and turned like a serpent so we could never make out more than 20 steps in front of us. Beyond every turn there was always another turn. The silence of the forest began to get oppressive. There were no birds, no crickets even.It was as if we were the only souls awake in that part of the woods. Every step that I took, I fearfully scanned both to my left and right to check if something was hiding behind those trees. I felt as though eyes were hiding behind the trees watching every step. 

Midway on our trek we stopped. We had been going for close to five minutes and we hadn't seen any sign that someone had gone ahead of us. All of us were wrecked with doubts. Was it because of the late hour that no one was there? Or was it because this was not a place meant for trekking? While we stood there discussing quietly amongst ourselves, a bird flew overhead. The swishing noise of the air as the bird's wings flapped was oddly loud. It was eerily silent again as the bird flew away. And it was getting darker by the minute.

One of the guys checked his mobile and found that he had range. So with the help of the mobile, the decision was made that we continue. If we had not reached anywhere after 10 minutes we would turn back we decided. With everyone agreeing to move forward, I muted the warning bells in my head and we started again. We walked in silence as if respecting the silence of the forest. I was too busy scanning the area to talk to anybody. Perhaps the others were also thinking along the same lines. Barely had we gone forward another 5 minutes  when we saw a clearing in the woods. The path we were walking on ended on top of a hill. Our smiles returned and our steps grew quicker. As the trees started clearing I realized that there was still some daylight left.

All of a sudden we heard the car approaching at high speed. We looked towards the direction the car was coming from. It zipped past us at top speed as we stood gaping. Our forest ended on a main road! The path we had walked through was just a service path for the rangers of the park. 

There was no other option but to turn back. Looking back , the woods didn't even seem remotely scary. It was just a small cluster of trees. Our spirits returned and with it our voices as well. We were a happy bunch walking back laughing at our misadventure.

There ends part one of this story. The trail that led to no where. But this trail is the one I would most remember. On to part 2.

We went back to the fork in the road and took the left path. It was darker and quieter. The trees on either side had spread their branches over the road and cut off all the light. Again we took the decision before starting off that we would trek online 10 minutes before turning back. Barely had we gone three minutes when light began to appear. The trees were thinning with each step we took. One last turn and suddenly we were out in a clearing. It was not where we wanted to be, but it was gorgeous. The sun was setting and the sky was a painted every color possible. The colors of the sky were reflected in the still waters of the lake in front of us. A couple of deers, a few geese completed the picture. I stood there for a long time mesmerized by the beauty of the sunset. 

Lost we were still, but what a reward for losing our way. I tried to capture the beauty of that lake through my camera but realized that there are somethings that nature doesn't share with us. She keeps them for herself.

We finally found our way back and headed back to our vehicle. I cant vouch for the others, but trailing at the back of the group I kept looking back over my shoulder not wanting to leave. I was happy being lost.