I was at a two-day athletic training session in the Coonoor hills. On the second day at 6:30 am, our coach instructed us to start with stretches followed by a long run around a hill. My running pace was slower compared to the other trained runners, so I ended up running alone with my 9-year-old nephew, while others were half a kilometer ahead of us.
As we neared Coonoor Military Hospital, my nephew and I encountered a herd of wild bisons running towards us. Seeing those majestic creatures gave me butterflies in my stomach, yet I couldn't look away. They appeared to have just wallowed in mud, looking aggressive and ready to attack at any moment. Slowly, we moved to the other side of the road and watched them. I had never imagined encountering such gigantic bisons, not even in my dreams. The herd was led by a king bison, twice the size of the others. An average bison weighs 900 kg; their horns were shiny and sharp enough to pierce a human body with a single shake of their heads. They can run at speeds of 50 km/h, so running and escaping from them was not an option. We stood stunned for a while, but then I managed to reach our coach over the phone. He guided us to take a route behind the herd leading to Wellington Lake.
Gathering our courage, we slowly started walking away from the herd. Once we were about 100 meters away, we picked up our pace and ran quickly to reach Wellington Lake. It turned out to be a memorable and exhilarating experience.
Encountering those bisons made me feel lucky. It reminded me of how insignificant humans can seem in the face of Mother Nature's power and how transient our journey on Earth is. It was a moment that made me realize I want to experience such awe again.
