A monumental challenge such as this, full of hidden dangers and fraught with hardship, is bound to attract those who seek to show their qualities (i.e. strength, daring, and photogenic looks).

Thus was assembled a Fellowship on a good Sunday morning, ready to embark on an epic voyage to seek this Shrine, a relic of the Pacific War. Eleven companions set off from the western tip of the great Reservoir. Three ladies there were, and seven men. And the leader, Allen, who is described by some as “a gangly creature (which) had an ill-favored look.” :)

The Trail
The fellowship set out on the perilous “MacRitchie Nature Trail”, which was filled with strange fleet-footed creatures scurrying up and down the cramped path. They seemed perpetually in a hurry, sweating profusely, faces frowning, and dangerously oblivious to their surroundings, forcing us to stay alert so we could keep out of their way. We were later to learn that they were known in the Common Tongue as “joggers”. A most troublesome breed!

The Secret Path and the Sign
After successfully navigating past the joggers, we made our way to the entrance to the Secret Path to the Shrine. To us, the entrance seemed no more than a mere part of the dense forest, no different from any other part. But Allen knew that the Secret Path laid before us - all we needed to do was to perform the ritual known as “bash” in order for the Path to reveal itself.

Strangely, a sign had been erected on our trail, not ten feet from where the Path entrance resided. Upon gazing at it, I suddenly felt nauseous and weak, and the strange feeling of no longer wanting to continue on. As I looked upon the faces of the rest of the Fellowship, I realized I was not alone in having these thoughts swirling in my head. Some sort of enchantment laid in the sign, and its words written in fiery red. The language was that of Mordor, which I will not utter here. In the Common tongue, it read:

“Reforestation in Progress. PLEASE KEEP OUT.”

The Four
But the Fellowship had come too far to be stopped by a mere enchantment! On Allen’s signal, we started breaking through the dense forest, willing ourselves past the imaginary barrier that the sign seemed to generate.

At that moment, a loud shrill filled the air with such ferocity and suddenness that all of us were frozen in our spots. Out from the opposite edge of the trail, from the darkness of the forest, appeared figures. As they approached, we could see there were four of them, clad in green. Their faces were indistinct, but they were filled with some kind of terrible power, such that we were drawn to them as if by command. Marcus muttered to me, his teeth chattering. “N...az...gul!”

“We knew you were coming. We have been waiting for you” the lead Wraith said, with malice dripping from her voice. “The Way is shut. It was meant for the Dead, and the Dead do not suffer the Living. Venture there and you will pay a hefty price, to the tune of two thousand dollars apiece!”

Two Grand? A price ten times worse than death?! For stepping into the forest?! Anger welled within me, and I rose to resist, but Marcus shot me a glance, with a clear message “Eh! Never Die Before is it??” And as the lead Wraith finished, the other Wraiths joined her in letting out a blood-chilling hiss that filled our hearts with dread. My heart wilted and my momentary courage was extinguished.

As the Wraiths, satisfied that their message had been heard, retreated into the forest, Allen rose up and said to the Fellowship “Don’t fret, for there is another way to the Shrine”.

Onward to the Shrine
We made our way to the Bridge of Khazad-dum, also known as the Treetop Walk, a long suspension bridge wide enough for one, spanning a great abyss that was strangely forested. I half expected to do battle with a fiery Balroc somewhere along the stretch. Instead, the Fellowship was introduced to trees of various guises - one that grew large fruits on its trunk, another which repelled mosquitoes, and still another whose fruit formed the main ingredient of the delicacy Cheng Tng.

After clearing a seemingly endless series of steps, we then went up the old abandoned watchtower of Amon Jelutong to survey the surroundings. Built on an old gathering place for soldiers, the tower stood hundreds of feet above the ground, and the view above of the Reservoir and Forest was breathtaking.

Refreshed and satisfied, we made our way past a field where white pebbles would occasionally drop from the sky at high speeds, seeming looking for obscure holes in the ground. We knew we were getting very close.

The Man-Eaters from the deep
Only the waters of the great Reservoir separated us from the Shrine now. But the path was once again blocked! Hundreds upon hundreds of Terrorc-pins emerged from the deep water. Clad in heavy deep armor, their faces painted with stripes of red, and their menacing jaws with the sharp beaks seemed ready to snap off limbs.

“We have been waiting for you here!” bellowed the Head Terrorc-pin. “It has been quite a while since we’ve eaten Man Flesh...”

We could outrun these dastardly creatures on land, but in the water we would have stood no chance. It seemed the forces of evil had stopped us. The Fellowship had failed!

Epilogue
Yet we were all alive and well, and a trip to the Adam Road Food Center quickly revived our spirits. One day, we will all get to see the Shrine. But for the moment, two thousand dollars and a citation from Mord... National Parks Board is a steep price to pay. The Way is shut...for now...