Just thinking about a Monsoon trek would bring joy to my soul every time I thought about it,But I was lucky that it was going beyond thoughts this time..The idea of trekking has captured my imagination for a long time now and was happy that I was going to make it to the trek this time..and speaking about monsoon, I have always seen Monsoon as a phenomenon(In popular usage, a phenomenon often refers to an extraordinary event) rather than just a season with more rainfall..Monsoon over the years has provided our people with more than just water and good harvests..it has provided the people with reasons to believe in rather more non-materialistic things in life like their dreams and hope and that it can change their lives one day.I pretty much started this trek with just such a belief and expecting this would be a mark to yet another start to many more of such wonderful and beautiful experiences to come..
Now, let me not drill more holes in your brains with more of such talk..Coming to the trekking scenario again, this was pretty much our first trek(Praneeth and Aravind/me) and which we were really looking forward to..and were ready with our packed trekking bags on DATE PLEASE PRANEETH
Breakfast Kargal
Trek started at Hadohalli
Deviated from the road after 2 kms trek where there was a sign board to the the Temple
Reached the peak Basavana Bayi / Temple
First Days camp Nakkalu ( I don't remember the name of the owner of the house)
Second day we left our luggage at Padubeedu and went to Belligundi Falls view point
Finished our trek at Kattina Karu where our bus was waiting for us
We started our trek at Hadohalli. The food packs and other essentials were shared amongst us. We took the road that the guide and the villagers suggested towards our first destination, Basavana Bayi peak. Every one of us was happy that we finally started the trek especially after the boring bus journey. After around a couple of kilometers on the road, we took a deviation into the forest where there was a sign board to the Temple. The landscape changed drastically. Tall trees, wet ground and constant rain. The slope was gradual but steady. The experienced ones raced away while the rest of us maintained a slow pace. We reached the Basavana Bayi peak after a couple of hours. There is a nice little temple near the peak.
We took a break and had a simple light lunch. After half an hour, we resumed our trek towards Nakkalu, our final destination of the day. We had to climb for one more hour through thick forest cover until we reached the plains. Then, the guide was confused about the route. Luckily, we met a couple of villagers who were kind enough to show us the way towards a certain village. After reaching the village, the locals helped us reach Nakkalu. It was probably around two and a half hour trek from Basavana Bayi Peak to Nakkalu. Our initial plan was to camp at a school nearby. However, an elderly person was very hospitable. He allowed all of us to camp at his house. Then, we changed into dry clothes and started or preparations for dinner. Mr. Babu and Mr. Lacchhii were the people in charge. A few others chipped in with small chores. Delicious Sambhar, Payasam and rice were ready in half an hour. We emptied all the vessels in no time thanks to the tiring trek. The lights were out at 9 30 after a small talk on SNORING.
The next day, Mr. Lacchhii gave a wake up call at 6. we were up and ready for breakfast at 7 after freshening up. Mr.Babu had tea ready and also shavige upma. We started the second day trek at around 7 30. We departed thanking the family for bearing with us and providing shelter. We set off on a decent pace as it was a plain and open ground. It was raining heavily with intermittent breaks. We had to trek till Belligundi Falls and then end our trek at Kattina Karu. We reached a village Padubeedu after an hour’s trek. Luckily, we met a very friendly villager who was also a local guide. We left our bags at his residence and proceeded towards the Falls. The path was through thick jungle and is rarely used. The trek was nice and the scenery was amazing. But to our disappointment, we could not even see a water drop from the view point.
Exhausted and sad, we went back to the villager’s house and had our lunch. Dry chappathis and groundnut powder was equivalent to the usual meals back home in Bangalore. After a few minutes, we set off to the last leg of the journey by foot. We had to reach our bus waiting for us at Kattina Karu. It was about an hour and a half’s trek. Few of us were exhausted. We reached a government school and changed into dry clothes. The bus journey started back to Bangalore. We headed towards Jog Falls hoping to catch a glimpse of the river at its best in monsoon season. But, we could not witness the view at Jog Falls too. We then headed towards Bangalore. Dinner was at a nice hotel in Shimoga. We reached Bangalore at 3 am.
For some of us, it was an exhausting trek. For others, it was almost like a walk in the park. But all of us shared the same happiness at witnessing the Sharavathi River Valley at its most fascinating best. The lovely scenery, friendly people and the ever present rain are the ones we can never forget bout this trek. Throughout the trek, it was raining continuously. I’m sure everyone of us would have a smile on their face when they recall this trek. We will never forget the blood sucking monsters. The LEECHES. Everyone of us donated blood to these little worm like creatures which bulge rapidly by sucking our blood.
