“It’s not the destination so much
as the journey!”
We started on our way back along the route that leads to the
KukkeSubramanya temple. This is a 14km descend- the first 9 kms through vast
grasslands and the last 5 kms through thick forests. The “only man’s land” in
between these two stretches was called Bhattramane, where we had decided to
halt for lunch.
En route we stopped at a place sheltered with trees where
the wind would not blow away our breakfast. We had a good fill of bread cheese
milk and a custom-made special energy drink, which was prepared by mixing
glucose and milk in a jar, filled with some jam!
From here we started on our long journey towards Bhattramane.
We had to go around the Siddha Parvata and the SeshaParvatha in order to reach Bhattramane.
From the place where we were standing then, we could see the
ochre trail snaking in the greenery of the mountain slopes till Bhattramane.
The trail looked as if it went through level ground… It was only after we
started that we realized that it is a steep descent. The wind pushing us from
behind was making the descent more difficult. Four of us climbed the SeshaParvatha
peak to get our snaps clicked… But the wind was trying to blow us over the
edge. We had to sit down holding each other and also the grass around to stop ourselves
from getting a cost-free and equipment-free experience of skydiving!
From here then as we descended the mountain slopes the force
of the wind gradually dampened and the sun started burning our backs. The
entire stretch of about 5 kms till Kallu Mantapa is dusty, dry and devoid of any
shade. Kallu Mantapa is like an oasis in the vast dry desert along the route to
Subramanya from Kumara Parvata. We halted to refill our water bottles at the water
source here and change into sun protection gear.In the next hour we reached Bhattramane,
all exhausted, dirty and sweaty.
We had not washed ourselves properly since we left
Mangalore. Neither had we seen our own disheveled reflection nor had we found a
decent place to answer nature’s calls!We got all of that at Bhattramane! The
simple lunch of rasam, rice, idlis and butter milk felt so palatial and
sumptuous! After a long tiring journey you can only be grateful to the man who
built this house. The people at Bhattramanemust needto trek at least every week
to get food supplies from the town! Rejuvenated, we proceeded to cover the last
few kilometers through the forests to Subramanya after bidding farewell to the
folks from Bangalore.(They had planned to halt there for the night.)
The trek trail ends very close to the KukkeSubramanya
Temple. On successful completion of our trek, we entered a café and hogged on
food as if we had not eaten for days together! We felt a sense of
accomplishment. We were back after conquering the Kumara Parvata! We had looked
Mother Nature in face as she unleashed her fury. We had amazing memories to
share, to look back and smile upon, to cherish for a lifetime!
The aftermath of the trek was an inability to walk normally
for a couple of days after the trek! As our friend, Achalesh, rightly mentioned
in a mail post the trek:
“Do
you see any one limping, dragging their feet, walking like a robot in FC. Ah!
then that fella might be one of us, who trekked KP over the weekend. And a
seriously funny thing to do now is to climb or get down a stair, do you feel
that amazing feeling in your legs, if not try squatting. Awww!”
Date: 15th and 16th December, 2012.
Route: Mangalore-Madikeri-Somvarpet-Bedahalli-Kumar Parvat-Subramanya-Mangalore.
Requirements:
Warm clothes, Torch, Tents/sleeping bags, lots of food and water.
We, the Gypsies at KP
The 14km long winding trail towards Bhattramane
At Bhattramane
The trail through thick forests
to Subramanya
The Majestic peaks of Kumara Parvata
as seen from Kukke Subramanya temple.
(Photographs courtesy Charan Walke)
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