The eve of a long weekend is always restless. Itchy feet of
a travel freak nature-lover is an acute condition and I’m a fortunate victim!
 |
| On the trail. Pic Courtesy : Saptarshi |
The plan was to trek the Tadiandamol Peak, the highest peak
in Coorg, also known as the Scotland of India. Now, I wouldn’t go into the
technicalities and righteousness of such comparisons. But Coorg is green with
rolling hills, small and big waterfalls, rocky terrains and a sweet temptation to be
out in the open.
The onset of the trip was full of drama. Just the day before the trip, we got to know it might get cancelled because of
some stuff that had come up at work. It was upsetting. The day went by in dilemma, finding half-hearted
alternatives and browsing the cancellation process. It was about 7'o clock in
the evening when suddenly the trip was back on again! And within an hour or so,
me and my peers walked out of the office, hurrying back to our places to pack for the drive that very night.
 |
| View from the 'HillStay Cottage' |
The overnight drive to Coorg was bumpy, sleepless. But the
next morning when we arrived at our AirBnB – HillStay Cottage, the Sun just
peeped out from behind the hills, breaking the day with smiles and freshness.
Our host was very cordial and brought us hot coffee, made from the fresh coffee
beans. This area had coffee plants growing all around it – short stubby trees
with big leaves and bunch of beans hanging low.
After filling our tummies with Rice Dosa, Chutney, Coconut Idly, we were set for the day. Whilst two in our group decided to take rest for a bit, two of us
went out for a stroll.
 |
| Pic Courtesy : Saptarshi |
The road from our cottage took a steep uphill on one side.
We both found ourselves breathing heavily as we climbed up. ‘Ooh! Tomorrow’s trek is going to be
interesting!’. As we continued, there was a bushy path to the left, lined
all along with coffee plants, ferns, wild flowers, copper beach trees and other
greens and reds that I don’t know the names of. We walked inside the canopy and
found a small waterfall hidden in the hilly crest. One of the caretakers from
the cottage said, this was the ‘Chelavara waterfalls’.
 |
| Chelavara waterfalls. Pic Courtesy : Indrajit |
We sat there for a
while, looking at some little white fish like creatures that formed bubbles in
the pool of water and a few spiders which swam efficiently in the fall water. We
continued our walk through unknown lanes dotted with pretty cottages here and
there. We went to the Nalknad palace (the last refuge of the King of Coorg,
built in 1700s) and then continued pottering around. There was one point, when
we appeared to have lost our way and found ourselves walking across a valley
surrounded all around by hills and stretches of farm land. It was beautiful. We
could just imagine the sunrise from this place would be picture perfect. After
being ‘lost in the woods’ the whole morning, we finally found our way back
to the cottage for the much-needed lunch.
 |
| Lost in a valley. Pic Courtesy : Indrajit |
Post-lunch, we drove to Madikeri and did some touristy
sightseeing there. We went to the very popular Abby Falls, Raja’s tomb, did
some snooping around the local spice market and handloom & boutique
shops and finally ended the hopping tour with a view of the sunset at Raja
Seat. By the time we went back to our cottage, it was pitch dark. The sky was
clear and studded with stars, big and bright. Such a relief to the eyes which were otherwise used to the concrete jungle in the cities. The day ended with a little
bit of star gazing, a yummy dinner and rolls of laughter.
 |
| Raja's tomb. Pic Courtesy : Rana |
Next day was the trek day! I am not sure when I dozed off in
the night, but it was 5:30 in the morning my alarm buzzed, and it felt like I
had just gone to bed. After a quick shower, I went outside, all geared up for
the climb. The Sun wasn’t up yet, just a pinkish glow tinted the sky. I
stretched my legs, examined a few flowers in the garden and finally took
position to watch the sun rise. The two in our group who were asleep the day
before when we had gone out for a stroll were sleeping this morning as well
whilst the other two of us savoured the sunrise moment.
 |
| Sunrise or Sunset...forgot which one this was!! |
After a negligible delay, we finally set off. We were meant
to get a drop off at the WestWinds Cottage to start the walk but our driver was
hesitant looking at the road condition. So, we added some extra miles to our
trek and started from just after our cottage. The walk up to the gate of the
national park was quite steep in places. So, we were in for a surprise when we
realised that the trail hadn’t started yet we were already panting. We got our tickets at the gate (which is meant to mark the real start
of the trail) and the path from here seemed easy.
 |
| Coffee plants along the way. |
With the rolling hills on both sides, we walked along, sometimes through a canopy, sometimes through a wide
valley. With each turn, we ended up debating which one in front was our peak of
the day! We got to a point where we found all the trees and bushes on either
side of the path were burnt down and there was a small hilly mound in front
which was completely black with burns. We were not sure why this had been done.
But it was not only a terrible eye sore but also very sad. From this
point onwards, the path started getting steeper and rockier again. We crossed
the valley and went inside a thick foresty bit with big steps entangled between
tree roots and boulders.
 |
| Just before getting stuck for a while. |
The path started getting interesting from here. We
came out of the ‘forest’ (Its funny how the locals called this bit forest) and
there waited a steep gravelly path in front. We started climbing up and soon
were down on all fours trying to get a grip on the loose soil and pebbles. At one point,
we were completely stuck. We couldn’t go up or down, too scared we were going
to slip bad. I was sat there, flat on my bottom, trying to get support with my hands
and couldn’t get a footing for what seemed like forever. We almost decided to give
up. Gradually, I scraped across the path to the other side of the rocks and
suddenly things seem to change. I was able to stand up, found my grip and
stability and saw a few people taking a different route to get to the top. Gradually,
we got back our confidence and finally, all four of us crossed over to this
other route.
 |
| We found the way! |
You are stuck with a problem and you keep hammering it one
way. And then you change your approach, ever so slightly and the problem just
cracks open…easy peasy lemon squeezy! Every trek teaches you so much!
There was no stopping after this. What we thought was the
peak was a deception (as we had read before) and the moment we crossed the
gravely hurdle, the actual peak revealed itself. The climb from here to the top
was a little rough in places and demanded full attention. The wind picked up
too. It was the most amazing feeling to stand on the top, your face in the wind
and the endless hilly folds in front. Beautiful.
 |
| View from the top again |
We celebrated our summit, munching snickers and peanut
chikkis. After soaking in the views from the hill top for a while, we slowly started our descent along the same way. It was about 3o
clock in the afternoon when we finished our walk and I was back in the cottage
with blisters on my feet. (Never wear stupid short socks with trek shoes like I
did!) A hot and delicious meal of chicken biriyani, chicken curry, veggies,
salad and fruit awaited us when we got back to our base! You couldn't ask for a better finish to the trek!
The trip came to an end as we started our drive back that evening.
It was a short and sweet weekend gateway and as for the trek, every hill and
mountain is dear to me. What specifically stood out in the Tadiandamol trek was our initial
setbacks. I felt I grew a little wiser, humbled by Mother Nature, as always.
Can never get enough of the greens! š
No comments:
Post a Comment