The great Kumara...

Myself and a couple of friends had planned a trek to Yaana and visit places around Sirsi. Tickets were booked and all plans set, but on friday morning my friends expressed their unavailability. So had to cancel the bus tickets and I joined another group to do the Kumara Parvata trek. An amazing experience it was!

Location:
Located in the border of Kodagu and Dakshin Kannada district, Kumara Parvata peak stands tall at around about 5900ft tall, and is the second tallest peak in Karnataka. (The tallest peak is Mulyangiri). This peak is one of the most beautiful peaks in the whole of Western Ghats. And the trek to this place is usually two days with different start and end points. The peak stands almost in the middle of this trek. You can either start from "Bidalli" from "Somvarpet" (Coorg) side (in Kodagu district) or from "Subramanya" (South Kanara – in Dakshin Kannada district) side.




The trek is a total of 27 kms (approx). From Somvarpet side to the peak is approximately 13 kms and the trek from the peak to Kukke Subramanya is around 14 kms. The entire trek route is surrounded by green hills, and you can rarely take your eyes of the greenery and the thick forest trees. It is not a popular tourist spot and hence it is still in its pure form, without any pollution or artificial flavor added to it. This is also one of the challenging treks in Karnataka (both in terms of distance and some steepness). Many people prefer to start the trek from the Kukke Subramanya side and I am not sure if that makes it easy. But we guys started from Somvarpet side.

How to Reach:
There are KSRTC buses from Bangalore to Kukke Subramanya and Somvarpet. The closest railway station is Hassan. Somvarpet is around 5 hours by road from Bangalore and is close to Kushal Nagar (in Coorg). If you reach Somvarpet, you need to take a local transport (hire a jeep?) and reach Bidalli and start the trek from there. Somvarpet to Bidalli takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

Date: 13th and 14th May 2006

Our Experience:
Unlike most of my previous treks, this time I went with a totally new set of people. We (Kamesh, John Sir, Devaki, Vikram, Gopal, Shama, Bhargav, Sushila and myself) were 9 of us. Before I get to the details, here is a quick intro of the people:

Brief Intro of the trekkers:
Kamesh – He (in his late 20’s?) runs this organization called ‘Mars Adventure’ and is a national-level rock climber (and coach). He is into many adventure activities and organizes some over the weekends for others to participate.
John Sir – He must be around 55 yrs old but the kind of energy he has is just amazing for his age. He is now running a trust which does strength and endurance trainings.
Devaki – She is John Sir’s better-half, and is working in a software firm in Bangalore. She is also energetic for her age, but at times she would rather prefer to be sitting and relaxing!
Vikram – He must be in his early 20’s and is the son of John and Devaki. Not surprisingly, he is into all kind of adventure stuff.
Gopal – He is an avid trekker, and has his own group of people. This time, like me, his friends had to drop out and he joined for this one.
Sushila – She is from Goa and was on a vacation in Bangalore(!!!). She is a social worker and this was her first trek!
Bhargav – He had just completed 8th standard and unlike other kids who spend summer vacation at home in front of computer monitors, he wanted to go for a trek.
Shama – She had just completed 10th and was awaiting her results. Like Bhargav, this was her first trek.

It was the first trek for Bhargav, Shama and Sushila and given that it was one of the challenging treks they were attempting, they were all curious to find out about what a trek is.

Travel to Somvarpet/Bidalli:
We left in a Qualis on Friday night around 10:30 PM. 9 people (+ driver) in a quails is a tough ask. With the trek bags occupying some space inside the quails (as it didn’t have the provision to tie them all up on top of the quails), we barely managed to squeeze in.

Shama and Bhargav were excited and their excitement didn’t let them go to sleep. Bhargav had been dreaming for this moment for 2-3 days. Gopal, me and Vikram promptly fell asleep after a day long work.

The planned route was through Kushal Nagar but with some construction going on and the driver’s limited information on these route, we were kind of lost and were searching for the roads around 3:30 AM. Finally after a 45 minute aimless roaming around, we managed to get back on track. At around 5 AM, the vehicle was running out of gas and we stopped at a gas station (18 kms from Somvarpet) only to realize that he wouldn’t open the pumps before 6 AM. We took our sleeping bags and mats out didn’t hesitate to sleep under the skies in the gas station. That one hour of sleep was blissful despite the mosquitoes.

Morning breakfast and start of trek:
By around 8 AM, we reached Bidalli. There were lots to carry in terms of tent, sleeping bags, enough amount of food to last the full trek (which included oranges, apples, onions, carrots, cucumbers, rice, aval, biscuits, some spices, etc.), water, etc. The first-time trekkers were given minimal baggage and the rest shared the load. After a quick breakfast made of bread and jam, we started the trek at 9 AM. We made sure that we had our water bottles filled as there aren’t too many water streams on the trek route.



Start of trek
Entering the forests: Sunny, tasking and the Leeches:
The first 1 hour was trek through a road under construction. It was more like a jeep trail and the heavy bags on our back made the steep trail look even steeper. It wasn’t long before we started having views of the amazing and never-ending landscapes. The initial part of this stretch witnessed quite a few local people in their fields. The sun was starting to pinch and we were just hoping the trek wouldn’t be so scorching once inside the forest areas and amidst trees. Almost at the end of the roads, there is a water outlet to refill our bottles.



On the jeep trails
As we were about to enter the forest trail, we had to pass through the forest security post and had to pay an entry fee. After that, we passed through a “hanging” bridge below which the water stream was still. After we passed this, myself and Kamesh exchanged bags. I was hoping that his bag wouldn’t be that heavy. But it was more of an illusion but still that bag was a bit comfortable on the shoulders (again, an illusion or the feeling that I need to justify the exchange!).

People were getting exhausted pretty fast, though surrounded by trees, as the climb was steep and it was a bit humid too. The trail had a good number of leeches. For many, this was the first experience with leeches. Instead of walking, people were more concerned about a leech on one of their shoes and while they try to remove it, another couple more would stick to the other shoe. Though people were scared as to what the leeches would do, Kamesh didn’t want any one to help any one else so that they face the challenge head-on. With some initial jumping and shouting, people learnt how to get rid of the leeches or how not-to-be-bothered about leeches.

A quick break and the steep rocks:
Around 11:15 AM, we took a break for around 15 minutes. Oranges and some biscuit packets helped re-energize. The place we breaked, had a good number of leeches, and people were trying to remove their shoes and socks to make sure there aren’t leeches inside the shoes. We continued the trek and this time people started going at their own pace and the group was split into many sub-groups.

We got the first glimpse of the entire stretch of greenery and untouched forest cover around noon. A quick break and we were on the way and it was around 12:45, the trail came to an end and we had a huge and moderately steep rock in front of us. As I was ahead of the rest of the people, I started climbing up and reached the top of it and started taking pictures of the rest of the people climbing up. Though steep, didn’t require ay wall/rock climbing skills.



Left: First glimpse of greenery, Right: The steep rock climb
The climb did exhaust the first timers and we breaked around 1 PM and had some cucumbers and water. Kamesh kept telling us that we still have a long way to go and we have to make it fast so that we reach the peak well before sun-set. All the quick-food items were getting exhausted pretty fast and we didn’t have the time to break somewhere and have a full-cooked meal. The plan was to reach the peak and cook.

Without wasting any further time, we started heading up north and faced (1:30 PM) another set of huge rocks but this wasn’t as steep as the previous one. This patch of rock was covered by very dense forest trees. Since the entire stretch of rock was a bit too long, we parked in between to catch up on our breath. A group photo was due at this spot.

Around 2:15 PM, we realized that we were close to the peak. Kamesh had pushed us so that we would reach well on time. Because of the height, the air was thinner and climbing got more difficult. We took a quick break so that the tired souls could rest. At this place, there were these little insects (looked like a hybrid of mosquito and fly) which would bite you if you are wet (sweat) and idle at some place. The really tired ones didn’t bother about the insects and the others managed to keep moving around the place and use their caps/towels to brush aside the insects.



A view enroute the peak
Reaching the peak:
The peak was probably 15 minutes away and the nearest source of water was around 15 minutes trek down (in a slightly different route, which is the route to the Mantapa and is also the route to Kukke Subramanya). Gopal and Kamesh filled up the bottles while the others were resting.

Around 2:45 PM, we were at the peak. We put the bags down and went across in different directions to have a glimpse of what surrounded us – the endless number of hills, patches of clouds, breezy winds, greenery, greenery and more greenery! We were the only group at the peak and that added to the experience!



The peak
Cooking, pitching the tent, etc:
The peak had lots of small rocks (very similar to the ‘discuss’ used in athletics), arranged in some order! And a Shiva lingam (a mini temple it was – a photo frame of Shiva, a bell, a lamp etc.,) was also found. Me and Gopal spent sometime taking lots of snaps of the vastness around us. Soon, we were all back to work. Gopal, Me, Vikram and John sir pitched the tent; Kamesh was getting the fire up for cooking burning some dry and dead wood; Sushila and Devaki started cutting vegetables and were preparing to cook; Shama and Bhargav helped everyone with their part.



Left: Food items, Right: Working with passion!
Finally around 4:00 PM or so the food was ready. We had made mixed vegetable rice and everyone filled themselves. Tired and exhausted, no one wanted to move out of their place and everyone lay flat (and many did have a power nap) on the ground enjoying the nice breeze and clear skies.



Left: Myself, seeing things in a diff. perspective, Right: After food nap
Preparation for the night:
Around 5 PM, Vikram, me and Kamesh went down to pick some dry woods so that we could have campfire in the night. Gopal, Shama and Bhargav went in to fill in the empty bottles and didn’t re-appear for a quite a while. Vikram and I had to go down to check if they were OK and didn’t lose their way. By this time (around 5:30 or so) the visibility had gone down because of the thick clouds around us.



Cloudy and invisible (5:45 PM)
6 PM it was and people were game for some tea. It was getting colder and the clouds left a lot of mist on our clothes, hair, and even on the eye-lids! The hot tea am sure help re-energize the spirits. We had the campfire going and were warming up for the night.

Lightning strikes:
The visibility was no more than a couple of meters and everyone was close to the campfire and seated. I was standing and looking at my camera trying to change some setting I suppose, when we heard a really loud thunder and something struck me on my right toe and I jumped a couple of feet back with my camera. I felt as if it was some huge bomb just blew up underneath my foot and I could imagine all the small discuss-like rocks at the peak blowing up all around the place. Took me a second or two to realize that the small rocks were still in place and it was a huge thunder. And those seated actually had the luck of seeing the lightning striking my foot and they were just a meter or two away. A bright red/white mixed lightning had just struck my foot and I was still lucky to be alive! Unfortunately, I couldn’t see the bright rays though it hit right below me.

The lightning and thunder scared the hell out of almost everyone. People started suggesting that we should not camp at the peak and that we should go down etc and also started investigating as to why the lightning struck me and not others (the reason people arrived at was that I was holding a metal object-camera). But after all the talk, we decided to stay back and we immediately went into the tent. With most of them scared to touch any metal objects (our vessels), me and Vikram cleaned up the vessels and got it closer to the tent.

Words building:
It soon started raining and there we were cozy inside the tent and playing words building (with place names). It wasn’t too late before people started coming up with names like “xxx” pura/halli/nagar etc., and justifying that this place exists some where in the world. Places starting with the letters Y, E, X was getting difficult to recollect! While this was going on, another group of guys (from Kerala I suppose) reached the peak fully wet and lots of leach bites. They started the campfire (which we had put off) and were cooking some noodles etc., while we came out of our tent to have dinner (the left over rice from day-cooking). It was around 8:30 PM. After dinner, we spent sometime around the campfire and soon we hit the bed (rather tent).

Sunrise and Moonset:
By 5:30 AM the light from the sun was barely beginning to show up though it was cloudy. The moon really hadn’t set by then. As always, I was out with my camera to photograph some really breathtaking views of the sun/clouds and the landscape around. Words definitely can’t capture the beauty of the place there and I am not sure if pictures can either for it was a really amazing morning. You got to be there to get a real feel for it, but for now, let your imagination go beyond boundaries while watching the photos. The valley between the mountains was completely filled with clouds and they were rising up just similar to the huge waves (those that are really ideal for surfing) in the beaches!! The bright orange rays from the sun barely managed to find its way out of the clouds-filled sky.

Moon setting, Sun rising and the Clouds gushing


People spent the next one hour going all around the peak to enjoy the natural beauty around, a quick morning tea for the tea-drinkers, a few had a chat with the two other groups (one from Kerala and one from Mangalore) who had camped (rather stayed) there in the night.

Start of day 2 trek:
We started packing the tent and that’s when we realized that there was a leach – big and gluttonous – still alive, but unable to move. I suppose, the whole night it was right between my head and John sir’s neck. Some leach bites on John sir’s neck and probably a bite on my head.



Before packing it up
River crossing activity:
By 8:30 AM we set out to hike our way down to Kukke Subramanya. Passed through a good steep climb down the rocks to reach a thin and narrow water stream (where we had filled our bottles the earlier day). We filled our water bottles, removed some leaches off our shoes/socks and put the bags at one place. We spent the next 2-3 hours doing some river-crossing with the ropes (though there was no river/stream). Kamesh had packed all the gear required (ropes, harness, etc.,) and it took us a while to get the rope tied across a 60 ft distance. After some effort to ensure safety and tension in the rope, we were set to cross that distance on the ropes. Devaki mam having done before gave us a quick demo but came down really tired. In turns one by one got to do it and for most of them the going was easy and the last few meters while coming back was a bit hard. Though hard and tough, almost everyone tried it the second time and even the third time. I had some burns and boils on the hands (just because me/Vikram/Gopal decided to individually time our performance and were literally racing against time). And not having done before, you really don’t get the nuances of the sport – what to do and what not to do – and it was a good leaning experience but I still managed to come out a couple of seconds early!!.



Left: Steep climb down on the rocks, Right: River-crossing on the ropes
Cooking lunch:
Having decided to have the lunch at the same place, people split the work load amongst themselves (collecting woods, making fire, cutting vegetables, filling water, packing the equipments used for river-crossing, etc.

Sushila hurts her knee:
After an hour, around 1:15 PM we were set to leave the place. This point was the last source of water, so we filled all our bottles and we knew it was going to be tight as the weather was a bit sunny, the trails with less shade and we had a good 12-13 kms to trek before we reached a place with water.

After an hour of trek on the green and grassy hills which gave a very good view of the hills around, we saw this place, which I assume is Mantapa (where most trekkers camp). We took a very short break and had some apples. As soon as we started moving, Sushila felt a strong pain in her knee and was finding it difficult to walk. With some quick first-aid, we set out again. The other hills around with some dense forests and black clouds added to the scenic landscape.



The Mantapa


The different landscapes on the way back


Reaching bhattara-mane:
The next place we wanted to break was bhattara-mane. With Sushila having pains while walking, a part of the group went slow and the rest of them went ahead. Around 4 PM we reached bhattara-mane. The host there had a big vessel full of buttermilk and we guys managed to finish it all. We filled our bottles with water and couldn’t rest for a long time since we had a good distance to go. By 4:30 PM, we were on our way to Kukke Subramanya and our estimate was that it would take 2 hours to reach and with some forest trails on the way, we were expecting lighting to be an issue.



At Bhattara-Mane
The last frontier:
Since Sushila was suffering with pain, Kamesh carried her bag and we asked her to lead the group so that everyone would go together. Till around 6 PM, we managed to go together and after that the group got split into 3. With trees covered all around us, there was very little natural light and not many had torches. Devaki mam, John Sir, Bhargav and Vikram went ahead, while Gopal, me and Shama were managing our way with one torch. Kamesh and Sushila were coming behind us and we guys managed to carry Sushila’s bag as well. Gopal and me would wait at intermittent places just to make sure Kamesh and Sushila were coming behind. Managing the torch was a mess but after a while, we started feeling comfortable with the darkness just that our step ahead needed more caution.



Just stepping outside bhattara-mane



Left: Sun rays through the clouds, Right: The wilderness and dark trail
A good one and a half hour of trek in the wilderness and darkness (with so many fireflies glittering like the stars) we reached the Kukke Subramanya temple (7:40 PM). Sushila, though in pain managed to trek the entire distance. The trek was exhausting for most of them and everyone was filled with sweat and looked really tired.

Wrap-up at Kukke Subramanya:
We stopped by at a fruit shop and had a couple of fruit juices while having a break. By 8:15 PM, we left to the river (Kumara Dhara) near by and had a good bath in the water (which was barely flowing). It was almost 9:30 PM by the time we were set to leave for Bangalore.

While coming from Bangalore, me, gopal and Vikram had to squeeze into the back of the quails along with the 9-10 bags. This time, not wanting to take that uncomforting travel, we managed to put all the bags on top of the quails and tied them up. It took some time and effort as the Qualis didn’t have the top carrier. This also meant that we couldn’t close our windows at the back. We left at 10 PM towards Bangalore. Since some of us were hungry we had asked the driver to stop by for dinner.

Dinner on our way back:
Till 11:45 PM, the driver didn’t stop anywhere and out of desperation, we asked him to stop at a hotel which was on the road-side. Kamesh, me, Gopal and Sushila had a parota/idli dinner and while we were coming out we asked the driver if he had some stuff. To our surprise/shock, he said that there is a better restaurant 15 minutes away and that he will have it there!! Hmmm. It was getting really cold in the back and at our next stop, I managed to pull out a jacket and towel to wrap myself up from the bags that were tied to the top.

Finally, we guys reached Bangalore around 6 AM. After a quick exchange of email addresses and/or phone numbers we guys parted.

Kamesh had organized the trip very well and Kamesh/John Sir had got all the food items that were needed. So for the rest of us, it was no so much planning and that helped a lot. Though the qualis ride back and forth was a bit tiresome, the trek and the events over those two days was a very exciting experience.