"Sense of achievement".
So I don’t have to answer "why do I go trekking?”. It was just to re-live this sensation that KumaraParvata was overwhelmed. I did not believe it when I read about failed attempts by many bloggers. But those 2 days my courage was to put to test.
After an unsuccessful attempt to convince my friends for a Wayanad trip we decided on Kumaraparvta. Nervous beginning. Mangalorian dinner. New people. Butterflies in my stomach. Well when I reflect on it now could not have had a more perfect adventurous start to an uncharted territory.
Base Camp 'Kukke Subramanya'. We prepare for the climb. Found bathrooms dusty yet usable. The first part of the journey was through dense forest. Was a well trodden path winding through the forest with stretches of rocks or fallen trees. Sun rays floating through the trees. We were quick at the start. Climbing higher and higher as we negotiated the forest path. Stopping at intervals to fill our lungs with air. Tired and hungry we came out of the forest into the dry arid grass lands. With every hill or hillock we put behind us we were getting higher and higher. After 4 hrs we came upon a small habitation with mud huts. It was green and looked cool. We hurried the last few steps to reach our 1st pit stop.
Owned by a villager who lives down below at Kukke Subramanya. A hut with a big orchard. Used by trekkers. It’s the 2nd highest peak in Karnataka. After lunch we reach the forest department check post. Our initial plans of camping on top of KP were ruined as we were denied permission to camp. So our only hope was to camp here and start the climb next day early morning.
As evening set in, we set
up a small camp fire. Tents setup. We lay outside hardly anybody speaking at all. Had dinner. Later that evening we were visited by a Gayala. Its eyes shone in the darkness. There was a group of school village kids camping as well. We chased the beast into the forest. Didn’t have energy to worry about the biting cold nor the wild beasts. We slept.Day 3. We had over slept. We were late by more than an hour. Out of the 9 who traveled only 6 of us had the courage to take the next step. We had least idea what lay ahead of us. We had body aches. Muscles tight. The mountain weather was also playing on my mind. When I reflect back I could never have forgiven myself if I had succumbed that day. But it was not to be. It was my day. 6 people start the last phase of the journey to El Dorado.
It was twilight. We move with our torches on for sometime. The early winter morning mountain air felt so good. We almost jog for the next 1 hour. We coax each other. Some falling behind while others vanishing round the corner behind the hills. We reach the first stop. When I looked back I could now see the path right till Kukke Subramanya.
For the next 2 hrs we continue the climb up on the dark side of the parvata. The misty forest. The small river winding through the hills below. The artificial reservoir. The Golden sun rays. We saw it all. What we did not see was the peak. After about 3 hours when we started we all gathered below peak. Here we climbed
down through dense rocky forest path to reach a cliff . It was to be a steep climb. What Joy. Indescribeable.We had a light breakfast. I could not see the Arabian Sea as people had claimed. But who cares, I was on top of the world. And we danced to the tunes of "Kajra re ....".
Over the last 2 days we had trekked for about 10~12 hours. When I look back it still remains my toughest trek till date.
No comments:
Post a Comment