Still climbing.............
While we were still taking in the breathtaking views, our guide gently reminded that we still had a long way to go.
Suddenly we heard an alarm call from a Sambar deer just a few meters ahead. We were all excited and thought we could sight it.
Me: Dude, it is a sambar call!!
Friend: Yes, dude. It must have seen some carnivore
Me: This is too exciting!!!
Guide:
Don't have high expectations, saar. The sambar has seen us and is giving alarm calls. Let us wait here for a couple of minutes and see if we can spot any movement.
The Sambar had seen carnivore, not one but three, US!!!!
before we saw it and had bounded off. Meanwhile, we were having a conversation with the guide. We asked him about the surrounding peaks, different routes, seasons etc. He would answer all the questions patiently. We also asked him about the wildlife in the area.
He said “ Saar, illi Kadave, kaadu handi, mullu handi, karadi, kaadu bekku, aane matthu huli idave” (Sir, there are Sambar deer, wild boars, porcupines, bears, wild cats, elephants & tiger in these forests).
We were like, “What?? Tiger?? Don’t joke Chennappa, you must be talking about a Leopard”. He said “No Saar, it is a tiger and I have seen it once. I have never seen a leopard in this area”. Still not convinced, we carried on.
Nearing the base of the 'Stove' - The 3 stones
View of the route we took
It was a pretty exhausting climb with numerous breaks in between. We had to run under each and every (large) rock to escape the sun. Halfway up the slope, there was big rock which was had a sloping position and had good space beneath to camp. We stopped here for around 10 mins. Taking a break in the shade is just heavenly in the hot weather. This was the only place where we could stay in case it rained. The guide then reminded us of the need to get a move on and we started off.
Around 30 mins in the hot sun made us take a break again. This time we were at the entrance of the Shola forest patch and I suggested that we have our lunch here. The time was 1 pm and we remembered the advice of Mrs. Gokhale that we were to have lunch as early as possible. So, we had our lunch and again took a big break.
This is the place where we had lunch. We had to walk next to the bag in the pic to find the trail ahead
The small patch on the hill used to hold water during/after the rainy season. According to Chennappa, it was the best place to view wildlife of the area.
These little red bugs were everywhere
We took a small nap after lunch. After around 30 mins, we all woke up and started. The trail from here is through the shola forest. The trail is narrow and riddled with rocks of all sizes. Sometimes it was slippery due to the leaf litter on the forest floor. While walking on the trail, we suddenly found the scat of some animal. I asked our guide which animal’s scat it was. He said it was the Tiger’s scat. I was pleasantly surprised. My friend too confirmed it to be tiger scat (he had been to the Tiger Census at Bandipur this January and was trained in identifying Tiger scat).
I was also surprised at the type of terrain where we found the scat. AFAIK, the tiger does not like closed spaces. But, this place was covered by rocks and the trail itself was very very narrow.
Climbing alongside the tortoise and the stove
The terrain inside the shola
Tiger scat
The place where the Tiger scat was found
Happy sighting the scat (who else would be?), we moved on and came out of the shola and into the open. But the rocky terrain continued and it was more treacherous than ever. One slip or wrong footing and you are somewhere down the cliff. Slowly but surely, we kept on moving until finally at 3 pm we reached the base of the ‘Tortoise’. We were so happy, but we were still under the blazing sun.
Out from the shola now. We can see Ettina Bhuja peak
View of Ettina Bhuja again. Btw, Ettina Bhuja is also a popular trekking trail.
View down below
View of the tortoise from the side
We, had finally reached. The time was 3 pm. We only had to climb the Tortoise to get to the peak. The guide took us further east to our camping spot. It was an open space in between two huge rocks and covered by shrubs & trees on all the sides. This was an ideal spot for camping since the place would shield us from the heavy winds during the night.
Continued......