An Ascent to Solitude

Hello,

It’s been long since I blogged. So here is a double whammy- A two post blog on our trek to Kumara Parvata and trip to Mangalore.

We were well into our holidays (17 days to be precise) and boredom was already setting in; and so we decided to spend some time in doing what has been a tried and tested method of getting it all behind us, we decided to go on a trek. Where better, than to venture into the virgin forests that seem to cloak the Ghats like a green carpet when seen from afar?

We went into overdrive as we entered the planning mode, looking through various blogs, poring over maps, the usual hullabaloo. Tickets were booked, the stay organised, and we were ready to head out.

We left Namma Bengalooru on Saturday night. S woke himself up at 4:30am the next morning and woke us up at 5 am to share his enthusiasm of tunnels with us. It was pitch dark outside and so, no matter what, we weren’t able to say when we entered a tunnel. After a lot of grumbling we reasoned that we might as well stay awake till we reached Subrahmanya Road. We reached there at 6:15am. We rented a jeep to take us to Kukke. S having the honour of sitting in the front never stopped talking about what he felt was the ride of his life.

We were dropped in front of the Subrahmanya temple and after having a light breakfast packed, and praying for a safe return we started off our trek. It was surprising that it hadn’t rained much and that it seemed improbable that we would have any of the torrential rain that the Ghats are so well known for. The backdrop provided by the mountains to the temple spurred us on. We had to walk about a kilometre to reach the base of the mountain. There was a huge signboard giving us information about the “pit-stops” that we could take.

This trek threw us right in the middle of a lush canopy from the beginning itself. The climb was steep right from the start. We trudged along the well beaten but narrow trail wary of snakes that so famously inhabit this area. We were armed with salt and tobacco to battle the leeches that clung to us with every step that we took. We took about an hour and a half to reach Girigadde which was about 3 km from the base. We met a lot of people along the way who were on their way back after having reached the peak the previous day. We rested for a while and then made our way to “Bhattara Mane “ , a house in the middle of nowhere that is a godsend to the people who look to undertake this trek. We needed another hour and a half to make our way there. K and Sh were too tired to carry on and decided to stay back.

R, S and I broke our fast (R and S on packed idlies and I, purely on some delicious, freshly peeled jackfruit) and continued our trek. We had to pay an entry fee of Rs 115 per head at the forest department. Everyone had told us that we would need at least 4 hours to reach the peak. We started from the forest department at 11:30am and set off at a brisk pace. The trek began to become tougher as we got higher. We saw elephant tracks all along the way which sort of quickened our pulse. Most of the path was narrow and along a cliff-like trail. As we trekked the view all around left us speechless. We reached “ Hale Mantapa “ in 2 hours when the weather gods decided it was time to give us what I was expectant of; it began pouring. I was filled with glee and looking around, all we could see was a thick white blanket. Visibility was less than 10ft. That’s when I realised that nothingness itself was a sight to behold. We were running short of time and we didn’t want to risk trekking in the dark as we weren’t prepared for it. We decided that we would trek till 2:30 pm and then head back. As we began our climb from the “Hale Mantapa” the Gods had another treat in store for us. The clouds cleared as fast as it began to rain and the Sun was shining right on us. The colours around us filled us with ecstasy, where the sun shone it was light golden green and in area with rainclouds looming there was dark grey-green look. The gradation of colour was just beautiful.

The trek to the peak is very rocky and is nearly vertical. A lot of care is needed while making this climb because it is really easy to slip in this climb. Sadly for us, time wasn’t on our side and we weren’t able to conquer the peak. Nevertheless it was very satisfying, but there will always be pangs of “If only…” As we rested near the top, I needed a refresher and opened a curd packet and made buttermilk by adding water (and salt and some Glucon-D) much to the amusement of R and S.

We made our way back to “Bhattara Mane” by 6. We had dinner and indulged in more jackfruit. After a nice long game of rummy with our hosts, we went to bed. We woke early the next morning and left for Kukke, the descent took us two and a half hours. Once we were back to base a sense joy enveloped us all. We then we went about executing the remaining part of our plan in visiting the temple and subsequently going to Mangalore.

More on that in the next post.

Till then, Happy Trekking