Kumara ParvathaMy first real trek. It is the highest peak in the state of Karnataka. The length of the trek is 25 kms from base to the peak, to an altitude of 5000 feet. The pilgrim town of Kukke Subramanya is located in the majestic and graceful presence of this mountain.
Birth of an ideaWe were a group of three guys – Kamal, Amit(Bhale) and myself, The Three Musketeers if you will, who one fine drunken evening decided that we should climb the mountain to get some real world action, away from the city.
I had just returned from one-year stay in Toronto, Canada where I had been exposed to Portaging (a French-Canadian variant of camping + hiking with a canoe on one’s head and using the boat when one comes across a lake) by two of my very good friends – Dane and Wayne (Poncho) with Dane’s dog – Diesel, too accompanying us. The memories of that trip and my burning desire to check out the natural beauties of my motherland got me enthused enough to get into the action on this one.
Bhale, always game for outdoors, was keen on going to the bush.
Kamal just figured that two days ways from a club or a bar could not be so bad and then he could always compensate for that by doing a little overtime at all the watering holes of Bangalore.
Thus, the plan was formed…
QualificationsKamal and I were totally out of shape for such a trip and Bhale, well, had more than blood flowing through his veins. A fair amount of Brandy could be salvaged from his body at the easiest of attempts and the same went for Kamal and Beer. But we decided to give it a shot anyhow. Kamal and Amit had some prior trekking experience and I was the only rookie.
The journey commencesWith those qualifications, we started off. After a couple of intense sessions on equipment planning and procurement, we left Bangalore for Kukke Subramanya on October 22, 2004. After an enthusiasm filled (and a back-breaking) overnight bus journey, we arrived in the pilgrim town. It was quite a sight. It was a small quaint town with traditionally dressed folks around, with plenty of evidences of being a religious centre and in the shadow of the big rock.
We checked into a hotel, to get freshened up, that was owned by a guy with the squeakiest of voices I have ever heard. Struggling hard to keep straight faces, we went to our room and prepared for the climb. A small photo session and then it was ‘Rock N Roll’.
The first dayIt was a bright and sunny day and things looked good. We walked to the town centre, had the heartiest of breakfasts and started off towards the mountain on a high note, talking crap all the way.
An interesting thing at that point was that none of the townsfolk cared to give us, city boys loaded with all the equipment, another thought. One would think that those semi-rural people around us would be watching us wide-eyed and mumbling but they were not at all interested. I guess that was due to the fact that by then they had gotten used to see all these young fools come all the way to climb a big lump of rock, a steep rock!!
Close encounters of the cow kindNow on our way to the start of the climb, we come across a cow, an agitated cow at that. She sort of got excited at seeing us and started to jump around. Her sudden and unpredictable movements did make me a bit uncomfortable but I thought what the heck, its just a cow.
Amit crossed the cow; the cow eyed him fearfully and then saw Kamal and I…… the darn animal just bolted and jumped a good 10 feet in air and started running towards Amit. Amit saw the cow galloping towards him and got onto a full steam in a jiffy. All this while he was carrying a friggin’ 20kg backpack!! Kamal and I just fell down laughing. Amit, after running a good bit decided to fight back and stopped to face the animal; the cow confused at the sight of a weird bipod, jumped off the road, straight into barbed wires at the edge of a field, got up all fine and walked off feeling relived and happy. The next half hour was spent with Kamal and me laughing our asses off and Amit catching his breath and cursing.
The incident behind us, we got to the base of the mountain. The climb began.
All three of us at this point were on stuffed tummies and were carrying 20 kg backpacks. At this stage, the climb was easily a steep 45degree incline. No wind on that side of the mountain and it was quite warm there.
Abort!!After climbing a mere three hundred feet and ending up wheezing and sweating like crazies, we aborted, ABORTED!! There was no way we could continue. The heat was unbearable, with no breeze and high humidity and our stuffed stomachs too were of no help.
After a brief debate, we head back towards the town quite dejected and discouraged. As they say, “What goes up must come down” but boy, was the “down” was much more hurting then.
The new planPlan B. We relax, head towards a spot from where we could commence on a rail-trek. Now that’s on the flat ground so we were agreed about that option. After a pensive meal, we decided that climbing that mountain was a mission that was to be accomplished now that we had come all the way with so much preparations and enthusiasm.
It was decided that we would take it easy that day and mentally prepare ourselves for the next day for a another attempt.
The WaitWe got ourselves a hotel (Anugraha Lodge) near the start point of the trek itself; got ourselves some Dosas and slept a bit. In the evening, we got out to check out the “city” and get our bus tickets postponed for the next day. Fortunately for us, there was something going on in the town that evening. A small procession of people was moving from shop to shop with a guy dressed up as a lion, dancing with much vigor to the traditional drum beats. It was quite a sight. The shopkeepers were donating as per their devotion and the procession was headed towards a temple that incidentally had the best backdrop of the mountain.
After the procession ended, we entered the temple. The ancient architecture was impressive. We took our places at one of the uncountable points in the courtyard. While sitting there and chatting, we observed how that temple would have been the centre of social activities in the old times. Even then, there was a lot of hustle and bustle of the local townsfolk.
A bit of a deviation here is in order here.
Till just a few years back, Kumara Parvatha had an active ancient Shiva temple at the top. It was much revered and people from far-flung areas used to climb up the mountain for a pilgrimage. Somehow the temple died down and there is no more pilgrimage now. When we reached the top, the remains of that ancient temple were haunting.
Coming back to the context, we left the temple, reached the hotel and had our much-needed sleep lying on the welcoming flat surface of the beds.
The second dayStartThe second day started off on a high, though cautious, note. We lightened our packs by taking some of the stuff out. E.g. the pressure cooker, some of the clothes, the tent and most of the food material.
We rechecked our water supplies and hydrating salts’ stocks, dressed for the hot day - I gave up my cargos and took on a pair shorts.
We had a light breakfast, no stuffing, and started on our way determined.
I was quite excited about the whole leech thing since I had never come across such creatures before this trek. The idea of them attaching themselves onto my body and then feasting on my life-juice was morbidly exciting in a way. We were all equipped with lime and salt for those reptiles!! Bhale and Kamal were enjoying my reactions to the whole concept of leeches.
We had agreed to take short breaks whenever we felt like breaking down but at the same time had decided to cover significant distances in good time-frames.
The climb: What’s it all aboutThe climb is composed of two distinct terrains, each taking 50% of the total distance.
The first half is a totally forested area, with dense foliage, little sunlight, numerous small water streams (drinkable water), leeches, and uneven footholds but with the advantage of not having the hot sun beating down on you.
The second half of the climb is without any tree cover at all!! The hot sun beats down hard, the humidity is high and there is absolutely no wind to help cool off. The advantage – no leeches!! But if one does not really care about the leeches, the second half of the climb can be really brutal.
One important advantage of the second half of the climb is the awesome views it offers. The sprawling mountain range of Western Ghats, lush green forest cover on the mountains, blue skies and the clear view of the peaks above can take one’s mind off the pains of the climb.
The only intermediate stop point of this trek is offered by a small hamlet of huts belonging to one Mr. Girigaddhe Bhat and his family. He is a native of that region whose services have been employed by the Forest Dept of Govt. of India. He lives just before a forest dept. checkpoint. He lives there with a few of his family members and some cattle, in a couple of huts. A fresh water stream runs nearby his place offering the trekkers a chance to replenish their water supplies and cool off the blistered and sore feet. He most graciously offers lunch to the trekkers at a nominal cost. At request, he can also provide meal packs for the same nominal costs.
The “Tropical” climbOur climb through the forests was quite eventful, as expected. Determined to do it this time, we carried on enthusiastically taking occasional breaks, making some noise and observing and commenting upon the vegetation around.
At one point, a tree had fallen across the trail and we had to walk through a few bushes. That got me my first contact with my nemesis – leeches. As I was walking, I observed the smallest of what seemed like a black thread on the top edge of my white sock. Curious I bent down to have a closer look. It moved and vanished!! I peeled away the sock layer and was welcomed to a sight. A swarm of leeches had formed an anklet around my left calf, right at the top of my boot. I counted them and they were twelve!! Anticipating the same number, I looked at my right leg and found only one. Thirteen in all!! Not bad for a rookie.
“Leech!!” I shouted. The guys stopped and came back to have some fun. A brief lime and salt play with the leeches and I was free of them. It was not such a bad experience. They don’t hurt a bit, though the sight of those critters sticking to my flesh and sucking me dry was not so cool. Same feelings for the blood soaked socks - leeches secrete some chemical that delays the blood coagulation process so that they can feast easily and that continues to have its effect for a while even after they have been removed.
I decided to be more careful about brushing against the vegetation from then on.
Kamal had decided to wear sandals and that proved to be the right thing to do against the leeches. The fact is that in that kind of environment, leeches cannot be avoided. The most can one do is to detect them as soon as possible. Sandals offer that facility – of having a clear view of one’s feet at all times. He located two leeches, took them off and was ready in no time.
We carried on taking a few shots here and there and stopping occasionally.
About an hour and a half later we broke through the forest cover and emerged in the open. It was a welcome sight. Only after we had looked around did we realize that we had climbed quite a bit by then. The town of Kukke was a speck now and the sprawling Western Ghats beckoned us.
We carried on till we reached a point in the valley just before Girigadde Bhat’s place. We were surrounded by vast open space on all sides, with the mountain peaks towering ahead in the distance. It was a magnificent view. We took a few shots, dumped our gear on the ground and relaxed for a bit. I took of my shoes to do a complete check on the leech bites. The blood had coagulated by then and it was all fine. I found two dead and bloated leeches inside my shoes though; bloated with my blood. They “overate”, bloody buggers!!
Two guys went by us in the opposite direction. Later, we came to know that that was their twelfth or thirteenth trek for this peak and that particular one had been a “Night trek”. They had climbed the peak from the other starting point in the night and had reached Bhat’s place by morning. After relaxing, they were ending their trek that day itself. A night trek in that forest, amazing!! Some day…
After a while we resumed our trek and reached Bhat’s place. We dumped our gear, did the usual niceties, politely asked for lunch and went to the stream to relax.
By then, some more groups had converged on the dwelling. After some chatting, we decided that we might as well form a single group for the final climb. The more the merrier!! The total number of people was nine now.
It was also found out that with the exception of Kamal, myself and one more chap, all the others were a veteran of this trek. We were assured of not getting lost at least.
The lunch happened soon enough. I had rice and sambhar, inside a hut with only natural light, with hands and while sitting on a floor for the first time in my life. I did quite good, mostly because I was so hungry.
After some more time, all of us started on the second half of the climb.
We reached the forest dept. checkpoint. Our baggage was checked for liquor since it is prohibited in the area. Explosives, fire arms and charcoal etc too are prohibited. A nominal fee of Rs.20/- per head too was charged as an entry fee.
The “Sunny” climbAs soon as the climb began, I could feel that I had over-eaten and that the sun was indeed hot. In no time, I was sweating profusely and was feeling dehydrated. Time for extreme measures – I wetted a hand towel with water and kept it on my head in a way so as to cover my neck too. I then poured half a packet of my Oral Rehydration Salts in one of the water bottles and decided to keep sipping it. Kamal too developed some problems and was fatigued totally, vomiting/retching occasionally. We decided to go ahead anyways. The whole group split in three – three guys upfront, including bhale, four guys in the middle and two of us bringing the rear. The climb was steep and rocky. In no time, the first group vanished from our visual range. We two kept the middle group in view so that we would not get lost.
Mantapa and SheshparvathaAfter much effort all of us managed to reach a small resting place – “Mantapa”. It is a 7’x7’ raised platform with a broken roof. Evidences of previous use by trekkers were available in the form of a couple of discarded utensils. We regrouped there and rested briefly before continuing. The view was magnificent from here but everybody was focused to the challenge before us.
The subsequent trek too offered breath-taking views of the Western Ghats. By now, the sun had cooled down a bit and Kamal and I were doing relatively alright. We reached the second highest peak “Sheshparvatha” where everybody had stopped to rest a bit and wait for us.
This peak has a sheer rock face on one side which to many might seem scary, to some very picturesque but to me, seemed perfect for cliff-launched skydive.
After a brief session of photo-shoot, all of us resumed our climb to the highest peak.
Kumara ParvathaThe climb to Kumara Parvatha Peak actually begins with a small descent. It goes down into the forest again, this one not being as thick as the previous one but an easy one to get lost into since the trail is not easily visible there. Our veterans led the group through the forest to the base of the final climb. Even then we could see that this part of the trek could be quite a dangerous one since it was easy to lose one’s foothold here and twist one’s ankle.
The climb was over huge boulders. At one point, it is over a flat incline of a rock face, quite slippery due to algae, over which the tiniest of a stream of water flows. We crossed it safely and up ahead lay the peak. Within ten minutes, all of us were at the top of the peak, euphoric and joyful.
Off came the shoes and gear, some of us just plopped on the ground to rest and some of us roamed around to catch the view. I immediately took off my T-shirt to dry off my sweat although all the other folks were feeling quite cold and were getting on their jerkin. It was an exhilarating feeling.
The top of the peak is a small flat area offering a breath taking 360° view. It also has the ancient remains of the rock temple devoted to Lord Shiva. It still has the idols intact inside and some of the equipment that is used in their worship can be found around, indicating that once in a while some ceremony is still being performed there.
From one side of the peak, the sprawling Western Ghats range was visible till the horizon. Some of us sat on that side of the peak to take in the view even though it was windy and trifle chilly.
A bird was using the wind conditions very wisely to stay still, absolutely still, in air to look for its prey and move to a different location. It was quite a sight.
All of us bit into the food material that was packed around since everybody was hungry.
After a while of relaxing, it was time to think about the night time. Some of the vets were of the opinion that since none of us had any tents or other arrangements of shelter and making and sustaining a fire seemed a remote possibility, the best option was to go back down to Girigadde Bhatt’s place and spend the night there. Not everybody was enthused about going back down so soon but at the same time everybody realized the risks involved with spending the nigh on the peak. I was in the mood to spend the night on the peak itself since that was the adventure we were there for. Moreover, the dangers associated with covering such a challenging descent at the dusk and maybe in dark were not very comforting either.
After a brief discussion, it was agreed to start the descent. With heavy hearts and aching muscles, we bid adieu to the peak and started. It was almost dusk time and the sun was setting quickly. The sunset was looking beautiful. Some of us took some snaps and resumed the descent quickly.
The risks of loose footholds and twisted ankles came in full force as we re-entered the forest. Many of us lost balance at many times but luckily it was without any major injuries. The distant howls of the wolves could be heard by then.
We arrived at the Sheshparvatha soon enough. Seeing the approaching darkness, the debate about the wisdom behind continuing with the descent resumed. It was not an easy one and not without some emotions. In the end, three of us - Kamal, Bhale and myself, decided to stay back on that peak and spend the night on the peak itself.
We bid adieu to our fellow trekkers and after mutual assurances of meeting up back in Bangalore over a few pints to celebrate the trek, the three of us were left on the peak.
Thus begun our real adventure …
The night on SheshparvathaIt was around 7:30pm only and we could already see the stars. Fortunately for us, it was a bright moon that night. We discussed about the situation in which the other group would have been finding themselves in, climbing down a precarious descent in dark and wished them luck silently.
After a small snack and little bit of roaming around on the peak to check the scenery, we decided to get ourselves settled comfortably and safely. There was a formation of some rocks in a crescent shape that we decided would be our nigh-spot. It offered us the best protection on the peak while at the same time promising to break our backs by the sheer rockiness of the surface offered. We spread our sleeping pads and bags on the area side-by-side. I had a chemical light stick with me that I had brought back from Canada that could give us a fluorescent light for eight hours, which we decided to use through the night. We placed flashlights, knives and whistles within reach of our sleeping bags just in case...
The wind was picking up its pace. In no time, it was howling and the clouds too started to pour in on the peak. It was quite a sight to see those clouds move fluidly in the moonlight.
Then our worst fear came true. It started to rain. We did not have the tent with us and with the howling wind and stinging rain, it seemed like a cold and a damp night was ahead of us. A long night…
We immediately wrapped our sleeping pads and bags around us to form some kind of an individual shelter for each. That saved us from being drenched but the situation looked quite tenuous. Fortunately, the rain stopped in five minutes. Not much harm done. Glad at our luck, we spread our bags and pads and lay back again. Later we realized that it was not “rain” in the conventional sense but just the water in the clouds that was slapping against the surfaces encountered. It must have been present in excess only in the initial batch of clouds because the rest of the night too was spent sleeping amidst the clouds and howling wind, but without any more water pouring down. The wind speed must have been around 40kmph. Despite all these hardships, we slept quite nicely with only our noses out of the sleeping bags and sometimes not even that.
At around 6am we woke up. Bleary-eyed, we looked around, could see only clouds; decided it was best to go back to sleep and wake up later when the clouds would have gone away.
We woke up again at around 8am. After lying around lazily for a bit, we picked ourselves up. It was a beautiful morning; a bit chilly and cloudy as hell. For this view, the night time seemed worth it all. I tried foolishly to light up a fire. Nothing combustible was dry enough and the wind would not allow even the smallest flame anywhere on the peak. A few futile attempts later, we packed ourselves into the saddle, bit into the remaining grub and began the descent.
Thus began the most difficult time, for me, of those three exciting days…
The journey back to the civilizationWithin a few minutes, we broke the cloud-cover. It was an amazing sight. Clouds just above our heads and the whole lush green valley in front of us, bathed in the daytime light.
Only Kamal had a camera with him and he did not waste even a single moment capturing all that beauty. His camera was on the last few volts of the battery though.
Further down our trail, when we looked back, the most majestic sight bid us farewell. The top of the rock face of Sheshparvatha was surreally covered by the mist and clouds and then the black stone wall plunged straight down bordered by green terrain of shrubs, algae and small trees on either side.
Unfortunately, the camera refused to work anymore without adequate power and we were left with that view only in our minds.
We continued on our descent. The weather did not pose any problems this time but I realized that climbing down in easy conditions was a lot harder for me than climbing up with relatively more gear and unfriendly climatic conditions.
We met a couple of groups on their way up. Most of them had heard about us from our friends as the “guys who are spending the night on the peak without a tent”. That was quite a reputation to carry then. Other than that the descent was quite uneventful.
After a few hours we reached the forest dept. check post. It was a welcome rest. We replenished our water supplies, soaked our tired feet in water, and refreshed ourselves. About half an hour later we decided to continue our descent without any stop-over at Girigadde Bhat’s house since we were refreshed enough.
The climb down through the forest proved to be most brutal for me. The heat got to me again and I began to sweat profusely. On top of that, my legs continuously threatened to buckle. I slowed down my pace considerably and Bhale and Kamal went further ahead. After a while, they were out of even my audible range.
The leech factor was no more existent for me. I just had to keep going and I did.
After a tough two hours (I think), I could see the flat land. Swearing hard, I dragged myself to the hotel with lead-heavy legs and a dehydrated body. Both the guys were already crashed
down. I joined them too. The mission accomplished, it took some time for it to sink in.
Back to BangaloreIt was late afternoon when we had reached the hotel so we had a couple of hours to kill before our departure to Bangalore. We used them to relax, pack up, stuff ourselves with some dosas and chat around.
We checked out of the hotel in the evening, boarded the bus towards Bangalore. After another back breaking journey, we reached Bangalore in the early hours of morning. It was good to come back to “home” but the memories of the expedition were etched in our memories forever.
