[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by ampere

Very nice going there Addy!
Initially I had a different idea about Jennu Kallu Gudda.
(About the view point near Yellapur).

Just realized there are two separate places.

Thank you Ampere. Apparently there is one more Jenu Kallu gudda somewhere near Charmadi ghat. Not sure though.

Originally Posted by Fauji

Addy,

Good going and it is really refreshing to see the pristine landscape of Malnad which you have captured nicely. Looking forward to your ascent to the summit and the veiws from there.

Thanks Fauji, The pictures look green and fresh because it had rained the previous night. The pictures from the next day however, are dry but the views are beautiful nonetheless.

[ukderebail]

The video and picture reveals that the trekk must have been adventure par excellence. I am waiting for rest of the travelogue Addy, i hope you all more interesting story to narrate. The terrain seems to ideal for snakes to breed, did you have any encounter ?

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by ukderebail

The video and picture reveals that the trekk must have been adventure par excellence. I am waiting for rest of the travelogue Addy, i hope you all more interesting story to narrate. The terrain seems to ideal for snakes to breed, did you have any encounter ?

Thanks ukderebail, it was quite an adventure actually. The region is infested with lots of snakes especially vipers. If you check out most blogs on Ombattu Gudda, you will find lots of snake pictures in them. Fortunately or unfortunately, we did not find even a single snake on our whole trek.

[addyhemmige]

The first group left while we were still getting up from our sleep. Then the third group took a break while we moved on. Again it was an irritating job to take off our shoes, cross the river and again wear them. Although the river was flowing calmly, there was a very strong under current which could have thrown us off balance. But, somehow we managed to cross it safely and move ahead.

All this while the trail was relatively flat and there was no significant gain in altitude. Now came the tough part. The actual climb was to start from here. The trail which was visible clearly till now would not be the same from here onwards. Soon after we left the river we entered a bamboo thicket with plenty of elephant dung. It was getting pretty hot and the midday sun was sapping the energy out of us. Although we were walking in the shade, the humidity made us tired. Breaks were more frequent now. It did not help that we were gaining altitude slowly.

In the bamboo thicket.





Coming out of the bamboo thicket, the trail led us back next to the Addahole River. The trail on the map showed that we were supposed to keep going parallel to the river and divert at a point where another huge stream joins it.

Along the river





If you observe closely, you can see temporary sheds erected by forest produce gatherers.


Apparently, contractors take a contract with the forest department to collect forest produce from the reserve forests by paying a royalty to them. These contractors in turn hire other people to collect the produce. These people stay for months together and collect the produce. Although there was no one at the place when we went, I must say that these people have excellent knowledge about the forest and can easily identify their locations even in the densest of forests. I say this from personal experience with such a person when I went on another trek in March this year.

We moved ahead from this site and found a confluence of a big stream and the river. Now, we were confused. Was this the stream shown in the map?? No idea. We stopped and looked for trails around the place, but could not find any. Now, what do we do? We thought of going a bit ahead and checking. We then remembered that we were among the first people to have trekked to this place this season and the trail would have been overgrown. We went a little bit ahead and found something which looked like a trail. A little more probing and we found a good path. We were still not sure if this was the right path, but it was a start and we would have to find out whether it was right. The first group too was not to be seen anywhere. So, we headed out on that path.

The path then started to climb and the gradient increased as we went along. It was tiring to say the least. So, we needed to stop every now and then.

Then, it happened. As suddenly as we found the path, it disappeared. Every place looked the same. We had no idea where we were. The time was around 2.30 in the afternoon. We pressed ahead along the heading shown in the compass and the GPS cutting down bushes to make our way. For half an hour we were just going in the general direction of the peak without any path in front of us. We were checking our maps often to see if we could identify any landmark in it. At one point we identified that the actual trail (on the map) climbed up a small hill (which was along the river) and got down ahead. I checked my GPS for elevation and coordinates and supposedly we were just below this small hill. There was no way of confirming this as we can just guess the location on the map. While checking coordinates even a ‘minute’ will mean a difference of 100-200 meters (or maybe even more). So, we decide to take chance and climb that hill.

So we stumbled and moved through the bushes and thorns and reached the top of the hill and Surprise Surprise!!! We found the path. And what’s more we found the third group just ahead of us. They had found the right path and had gone ahead of us.

This was the path we found. Notice the dense vegetation around it. We had to cut through it to get to this place.


From the other group, one of them had fallen down and had sprained his ankle. He was struggling to walk and had to take help from one of his friends. Due to this, they had decided to stop their trek at the next available camping spot and return back the next day. We moved a bit ahead and found a flat rocky place by the river. The other group had already started setting up camp. The time was 3 pm and we too had to find a suitable camping place before it got too dark. We then said our goodbyes and left them behind. The path continued for a while and then we started climbing again. This time the path took us further away from the river.

Taking rest


A huge tree in the middle of the forest.





Continued....

[airguitar]

For someone who aspires to do all this, this is the closest I can get. Well done, Addy!

Elephants - my worst nightmare. The closest we got on a trek was during the K.Gudi forest trail trek ( it was a guided one ) - the typical cracking of twigs and branches and booming noises as it brushes against dry tree trunks, sigh. Were lucky to just spot the back of the elephant vanishing into the bushes..

Rating goes 5.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by airguitar

For someone who aspires to do all this, this is the closest I can get. Well done, Addy!

Elephants - my worst nightmare. The closest we got on a trek was during the K.Gudi forest trail trek ( it was a guided one ) - the typical cracking of twigs and branches and booming noises as it brushes against dry tree trunks, sigh. Were lucky to just spot the back of the elephant vanishing into the bushes..

Rating goes 5.

Thanks a lot AG. You should try to do a trek sometime. It is a totally different world altogether.

BR Hills is known for its huge population of elephants. Encountering elephants on foot and living to tell that tale is one hell of an adventure. Elephants are the scariest part of any trek. Usually, they move away if they hear/smell us coming. And yes, it might depend on your luck too

[Raghunath Singh]

@addyhemmige: Great start. I really like your blogs and trek details. Your narration is simple yet intriguing. Looking forward to more photos and reading the remaining part of your trek. My rating is 5, well that's the maximum I could rate ;-)

[figo_united]

Excellent trekkalogue addy! 5 stars for sure!
Very good narration, with a lot of detail to be used! I guess we can use your thread in sync with the gps and the maps!

This has been on my to-do list for a long time now, hopefully will make it soon. But before that, will have to take a tutorial on using a gps!
Looking forward to the rest of the TL, I'm sure there are some twists to come!

Originally Posted by mohang_j

Every year weekend of 25th dec we go for the trek in one of the forests in karnataka.

Thats like the customary boxing day test match played every year

[370Z]

Superb narration Aditya. Looking forward to complete log. By the way, I have a question. Here in this pic of Kabbinale river http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...log-og-39-.jpg, did you cross the river and go straight into that trail visible right behind blue striped T-shirt?

[C300]

Excellent log Addy. Loved the narration and photos
It reminded me of my adventurous trek to Kumar Parvata way back in 2003. Didn’t know about the anti-leech solution back then it was a mess with leeches and blood everywhere. The trek through the dense and lush forest is the experience of a lifetime.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by Raghunath Singh

@addyhemmige: Great start. I really like your blogs and trek details. Your narration is simple yet intriguing. Looking forward to more photos and reading the remaining part of your trek. My rating is 5, well that's the maximum I could rate ;-)

Thanks Raghunath. This is a very big compliment

Originally Posted by figo_united

Excellent trekkalogue addy! 5 stars for sure!
Very good narration, with a lot of detail to be used! I guess we can use your thread in sync with the gps and the maps!

This has been on my to-do list for a long time now, hopefully will make it soon. But before that, will have to take a tutorial on using a gps!
Looking forward to the rest of the TL, I'm sure there are some twists to come!



Thats like the customary boxing day test match played every year

Thanks a lot figo_united. I hope I have put in whatever is relevant to future trekkers too.

Using a GPS is very simple. It looks complicated at the start, but once you get the hang of it, it is pretty simple. Btw, did you get a GPS?

Originally Posted by 370Z

Superb narration Aditya. Looking forward to complete log. By the way, I have a question. Here in this pic of Kabbinale river http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...log-og-39-.jpg, did you cross the river and go straight into that trail visible right behind blue striped T-shirt?

Thanks a lot 370Z. Will complete the log soon enough. Yes, we went straight into the trail visible in the pic. That was the only available/visible trail at that point. Immediately after that, we entered a bamboo grove.

Originally Posted by C300

Excellent log Addy. Loved the narration and photos
It reminded me of my adventurous trek to Kumar Parvata way back in 2003. Didn’t know about the anti-leech solution back then it was a mess with leeches and blood everywhere. The trek through the dense and lush forest is the experience of a lifetime.

Thanks a lot C300. It is definitely an experience trekking through lush forests. Kumara Parvata is a good trek. But, sadly it has been over exploited and now reduced to a picnic trail. On any given weekend, you will find more than 100 people on the mountain (including Bhattara Mane)


@all, thank you for your ratings

[subs]

Helo Guru

I have been checking for any more updates every day now, please continue the narration. You have left us in the middle of the forest!

Subs

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by subs

Helo Guru

I have been checking for any more updates every day now, please continue the narration. You have left us in the middle of the forest!

Subs

Sorry for the delay guys. All the pics are in office. Since it was a holiday yesterday and today, I was not able to update it. Will do it tomorrow

It is certainly not my intention to leave you guys in the middle of the forest

[C300]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Kumara Parvata is a good trek. But, sadly it has been over exploited and now reduced to a picnic trail. On any given weekend, you will find more than 100 people on the mountain (including Bhattara Mane)

..thats sad. I remember we did the trek over weekend and there was hardly anyone apart from local villagers. Cant imagine the damage these picnic crowds will cause to the local environment.

[370Z]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Thanks a lot 370Z. Will complete the log soon enough. Yes, we went straight into the trail visible in the pic. That was the only available/visible trail at that point. Immediately after that, we entered a bamboo grove.

Thanks for the info. I presume you took Adda HoLe and Devara HaLLa route as per SoI map? We tried to take this route when we went in April, but had to return because of billions of leeches (no "clean space" for camping) and indications of heavy rains.

Originally Posted by C300

..thats sad. I remember we did the trek over weekend and there was hardly anyone apart from local villagers. Cant imagine the damage these picnic crowds will cause to the local environment.

Yes. I hope OG remains pristine. Elephants and venoums pit vipers are enough to scare away "picnic crowd"