Kumar Parvat - Nov 2005

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Kumar Parvat
19-20 November, 2005

The following conversation in the food-court was observed yesterday (Scene: team-gypsy & a few others are seated at the luncheon table):

H: Bete! How's your leg now?
V: (He)Ma! Those three cramp-tapes and iodex-spray ka pura bottle khali kar diya - no results :-(
B: STVO! Aaj mein library (level-1) se book le kar stairs se niche utraa ...
AruNaru looking at B with mixed feeling of envy & astonishment!!! And a thud from the background might suggest that someone fainted and fell from the chair ... though we are not alluding to the subject.

Well, that's the trek KP. A great trek in itself and equally tiresome.

Guys from Mangalore & Bangalore started almost simultaneously for Madikeri. After a brief hitch due to the KSRTC bus breakdown didn't hold the B'lore guys from reaching Madikeri well before time and have a cup of (unpaid) tea before the next bus to SomvarPet. All the usual downloads/uploads happened at SomvarPet (that cylindrical idli-like item was good ... I forgot the name). And we got the bus for PushpGiri @ 0730Hrs.
And here we are - at PushpGiri - all cheerful and merry folks (better known as gypsies)

Hum bhi hai Josh mein ... see the pic



Well, the trek started with some snaps from Baji/Nadeem/Kamakshi’s cam and all settled down with their usual rhythm by the time we reached our first land-mark (the well-known bridge).

Bridge on the river Kwai ... see the pic




The sunny day was promising a nice weather and the junta for whom this was not the their first KP summit was very enthu about it. Well, as usual, a few more snaps near the rice-fields and then a lil steep climb brought us to the forest-office.
We took a couple of rangers with us. And they said they wont spend the night on the peak and would rather like to return to the base. That was ok with us coz we knew the return route (towards Subramanya any way).

Some nice spots came in-between - the slant tree at the edge of the valley and that tree trunk spanning the stream of water were the main attractions.

-Ek-se-chadhkar-ek- ... see the pic


We opened til-laddu & dates near the stream in the shade and fortified ourselves eyeing for the late lunch.
Well, then started … seemingly like Bilbo:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet,
And whither then? I cannot say

- Bilbo in LOTR.

Well, the journey was looking pretty effervescent; least not tiresome till we reached the view-point.

Been there - seen that! ... see the pic


But then something seized the party - be it the heat of the sun over those igneous rocks or the steep slope and continuous climb or general fatigue - but each step become increasingly difficult. At that moment we found a very large and steep rock to scale. And I actually thought that it’s The end. Rather climax or say culmination point. But (unfortunately) there was still to come. Somehow we managed to reach a place from where the peak was visible and then we collapsed (here we does not mean all of us - a couple of guys were already wandering beyond the peak with the rangers). Finally reached the peak @ 1430Hrs.

Well, that wasn’t the end of day-one. After a luncheon and some slumber (which got elongated towards a peaceful slip for Vikalp & AruNaru), we had to search for the fire-wood (should be enough for preparing dinner + campfire + next Day breakfast) as well as fetch enough water. Once that done, making of the chulha and ignition procedure started (quite a task in itself). Well, that steaming maggi in plastic bowls tastes really well and there are some people who are in possession of a great capacity of having 8-10 bowls at a stretch (you only have to guess what happened with them the next morning ;-)) Baji is our official cook apart from being official photographer. We might have to starve in absence of that mighty personality! Unfortunately nobody thought of taking a photu during dinner. Shortly after dinner we started a round of introduction and then some poor souls settled down to their sleeping-bags and some guys settled down around the fire for a song or two. But as they say, resistance is futile; the day was tiring and we soon made for bed too. Under the bright moon and star-crowded sky, the scene was making us spellbound. Hardly we made much conversation after getting to the bed.

While on trek, we ought to get bed tea in the morning; that was my first thought when I woke up @ 0545Hrs. Narsimha et al were almost ready to start and I gave them some walnuts and cream-biscuits as a parting gift.


Good Morning Gypsies! ... see the pic


Me along with Vikrant were able to start the morning fire easily. And there came the tea-pot … full of golden tea with ginger aroma. Biscuits and britania cake were the chief candidates of breakfast. A belated CCC & FCC for Vikalp Uttam was performed with tea. Then came the veg & tomato soup. This was excellent. A leisurely download was the peak of the happiness in the morning. And that can be seen on the shiny faces afterwards.


All shiny after the downloads ;-) ... see the pic



Bumpkins! ... see the pic


A bump or two makes the back-ache more tolerable; ask Vikalp …

After a fresh refreshment of fresh oranges we packed the stuff and started the way back.

Pack up guys! ... see the pic




Return journey was pleasant and cheerful and all that sort of thing till the Bhat’s place. We got some nice views of cliffs and hills and meadows and what not; took some risky snaps too. And trotted off till we reached the forest office. There we (Vikrant & me) parted off with the rest of the guys and accelerated towards Subramanya in a hope that if we reach fast, I’ll get the bus to Bangalore on time to reach be mid-night. The journey now become difficult again and the land was too rock (almost topsy-turvy) and all covered with pebbles. These pebbles were a big hindrance while running fast - and our ankles & soles ached. My shoes got torn - but that was a minor loss - since it happened almost at the end of the journey. We reached the base at around 1530 and took a quick bath at the tap near that house (those who have done the trek will know which tap I’m talking about).
Unfortunately the bus to Bangalore was only after 2130 and I didn’t have an option but to linger around and wait. The rest of the team reached back by 1800 hrs. one masala-dhosa one poori-bhaji, one plain-dosa, one sapota-shake, a glass of sugarcane juice and a couple of teas … that’s all I could manage for the time being. And I guess that was rather culmination point of the trek!

Some info: There are two routes for KP - 1. from subramanya 2. from pushpagiri. The one from subramanya is very long and tiring. You can try that route only while climbing down.
You’ll get enough buses to reach madikeri as well as subramanya from Bangalore (last bus for madikeri is at 12 night - which will drop you at madikeri at 0700 (which might be a bit late.)

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