KUMARAPARVATHA TREKKING

Any trip or trek is the outcome of someone getting bored in life, or someone being overcome by a sudden bout of enthusiasm to catch up with old friends or overcome by the spirit of adventure!!!

Looking back, in our case I think it was a combination of all the three. It all started with GTalk chatting with Ranga. It was nearly 9 months since we passed out of college, all of us hadn’t met together, and moreover we had had this plan of going to KumaraParvatha. When we were in college days we had been to KumaraParvatha with different people and this time we had different idea for this trek. I, Shyam and Ranga was as usual ready and it was 3^rd time for me and second time for Ranga and Shyam; the problem was in finding out if others were equally eager. So started a spate of phone calls to Honey, Ajay, Vikas, Ganesh, Santhosh, Chandra, Adren, Tanveer and Junaid. The results were very surprising and only few of them turned up.

I and Adren started from Bangalore on Friday, i.e., March 14th night at 10.45 PM. We had got seats in the last row of the bus, the journey was very smooth and by the time we reached Hassan was 3.10AM in the mid night and we stayed in my house and we left Hassan at 6, by that time the rest of the gang joined us, it was 6.15AM.

KumaraParvatha is at an altitude of 5100 feet, the route is around 15kms from Subramanya. There are two routes for reaching the peak (Pusphagiri), you can either start from Subramanya or from the other side, i.e., Somwarapet in Coorg. We chose the route from Somwarapet. Also, fortunately we had chosen the right time of the year for trekking, going in the month of March the weather is very sunny n you end up getting tired and also because of the scarity of water but the situation turned out differently because it was raining previous two days and it was not sunny and leeches was started!!

We started the trek at around 9.00AM.Initially, the journey isn’t very arduous, there are a lot of trees (almost resembles a forest!) for shade and the climate was very cool because it was rained yesterday. The whole area is protected by the forest department, so you have to take permission (Rs 110/- per person) from them (there is the official check post) for trekking. They also insisted not to take liquor or plastic along with us, which we weren’t anyway planning to.

As we go higher up and as the altitude increases, it starts cooling down and walking (or rather climbing) becomes easier, so we don’t get tired soon, n this coupled with the enthusiasm we have started with helps in covering long distances within a short span of time. Couple of hours climb along this small foot path, at times steep and covered with trees and shade on both sides, finally we started seeing the sunlight

After trekking for around 2 ½ hrs, the forests give way to steep land, this time without much shade. You are directly exposed to the sun's wrath as you trek!! We had taken plenty of water bottles, and much of food material. We had borrowed huge tents from Bangalore for staying on the top of the hill, so that was additional luggage with was carried by me ,Honey and Ajay and each bag was weighting nearly 15 Kgs.So many of us were really tired and we was sweating a lot like anything.

We encountered some leeches on the way, since the monsoon had already begun. Also, the yellow arrow markings really helped this time around, when a fearsome leech gang attacked us. There were lots of them, all over our shoes and jeans. We ran and ran for our lives. The weather was pleasant and kept us going. For most of the distance, especially when you doubt that you might have lost the way, there are yellow arrow marks showing us the direction to go. I was always in the front of the troop.

Soon after the "forest" n climbing upwards for a couple of kilometers, we reached the peak, i.e., Pusphagiri. The view from the peak is something of a climax after the long trek till the peak. But then, there was a sense of achievement when we reached there. After all, we had climbed one of the highest peaks in the Western Ghats!!!

There was a small temple kind of structure there. We took some snaps there, had a chat with the others mainly describing the beauty of the nature. Couple more snaps and 15 minutes later, then comes rain and it started raining heavily like anything and suddenly we opened our tents and by the time we opened we were so wetted in rain and all of us where shivering like anything and dresses were wet and we were feeling very hungry. After 15 min rain stopped and we came out of tents and started having the lunch.

Initially, our plan was to reach the peak by afternoon, halt there for the night and come back the next day. By 3.00PM, we realized that it will raining heavily in the peak. So our plan got disturbed and many of us where upset and we changed our plans and we thought to stay near Mantap. Next plan was to reach Mantap around 6’O clock in the evening;

And we started descending down; with once again passing the forest and it was raining a lot, we covered the whole distance in quick time. When the 'Mantap' was at sight.

We reached our next destination, the 'Mantap'. There was already another group of around 6 guys who were halting near the Mantap . From the Mantap, you get the first glimpse into the beauty of the Western Ghats, especially at 5.45PM in the evening, just at sunset, the scenery is breath taking!!! It was a small shelter made of rocks in the middle of grassland.

At 6:00PM, we had settled down into this place; kept our luggage, we took out our food reserves – Biscuits, Tropicana Juice and Chocolates - and finished it off during this time. There was also a small pool nearby where you could fill water, the pool as such didn’t look very clean n hygienic, but then the water was crystal clear and moreover you can’t choose when you don’t have a choice in the first place!!!

The 'Mantap' was a pretty small shelter and with the mist and the risk of a possible downpour, it was a bit uneasy. Soon, it was becoming dark and the mist became pretty thick accompanied by a small drizzle Our second plan was to go all the way and stay at the 'Mantap' to spend the night. Also, some people were really tired. So we decided to stay in the 'Mantap' for the night @ Mantap. By about 6.30PM it was becoming darker and it started raining and we started our effort to put up a camp fire was not successful. I had carried some petrol with me the camp fire did not come out all right, especially considering the mist and the heavy rain, so we decided to go to another place.

There were slippery rocks on the way. I slipped once and many of us was about to fall .Well the scary part was yet to come, with Addu getting really tired and finding it tough to get down because his right leg had got sprained. But, Ranga stayed with him and made sure that he was back to the base, before it was becoming dark.

Next stretch was a bit more strenuous. Return was swift and we made it to Bhattara Mane in less than an hour.

Finally, about 7.15 pm or so, we reached an open area which is better known as Girigadde. Here is the famous 'Bhattara Mane' (Bhatt's house) where people stop over generally for food n to take rest for some time. Just past Girigadde is the forest office. We requested the forest guard and he allowed to stay in the forest office. He had given a small room in which 7 of us adjusted in that room. We built a fireplace, lit the wood, n started to prepare Tomato Soup and Maggi N what fun we had!! Tomato Soup and Maggi tasted heavenly.

And God wasn’t it tough to sleep at night?? It was extremely cold. We slept underneath the sky shivering in the cold! We had decided against carrying too much of warm clothing coz trekking with luggage would be difficult, so a sweater and a muffler definitely didn’t suffice because all of our bags were wetted in the rain!! KP really has a contrasting weathers, mid-noon it is so hot n in the evening, the weather takes a different turn!!

The next morning, we started at around 7.50AM to the Subramanya. We dumped (cleared of many eatables that’s we gave our fruits and Cucumber to forest Guard) most of our luggage in that place, so that the trek could be made easier.

Guys started very happily. The view in the morning while walking through the valleys was extremely very beautiful. You could stand there rooted to the spot just watching the mountains for hours together. It looks as if the clouds are on a long walk touching the peaks of each mountain as they travel through the journey!!!

I had always assumed that climbing down a steep hill was much easier than climbing up the hill. I was proved wrong to a certain extent. While climbing down, there is intense pressure on your toes. And since the terrain is so steep, you cannot slow down. You keep your foot and then the momentum is so high that you will end up running instead of walking. Result is the toe nails get broken, the toes hurt badly. And yet, there is no way of slowing down. What an experience it was? By the time we reached Subramanya, we were nearly half-dead. My legs simply refused to walk further; I was feeling as if I needed at least 2 days of rest.

In about an hour and a half we were in the streets of Subramanya, limping around looking for a travel agency, to book the tickets. In the end, we got them comfortably though.

But then, one experience in life which would remain etched in memory forever!!!!!!

- SANJAY RUKMANGADA