Venkatagiri Trek - Part II: 'CHEER UP! The worst is yet to come!'

It was a pleasant morning. The camp fire was dying down slowly and the sun raising up the horizon. With a very comfy sleeping bag I enjoyed a warm night's sleep with my pullover's hood doing its part in keeping the cold away. After a quick refreshment, we trooped to an amazing view, near the camp, of the peak we set out to conquer. After a quick photo session there, we started packing out things and were set to leave the comforts of our camp by about 8 am.

After a small confusion on the trial to be taken we hit the right path for the steep climb down. I should mention here, that thoughts of reaching the peak was aborted and everyone were set to enjoy the return. Slowly in batches we climbed down the steep trial back to the cross-streams and by 11 30 am we were all down, except for two. The first thing everyone did after coming

down was to jump into the pools around

and take a long dip. The small cascades of water nearby were too inviting to skip. It was a wonderful refreshment after the demanding climb down.

Meanwhile, the more senior members of the trek, curbed their instincts to set up the cook pots for some soothing tea and tasty soupy noodles. Thanks to them, all the hungry souls who emerged out of the pools had a wonderful and filling lunch. After enjoying ourselves till about 1 30 pm near the cross-streams we began our retreat. The two missing members came down through another trial while we were about to leave. It was decided that while some (which turned out to be half) of the others will stay back give those two company, the others will proceed with the villager in the lead.

The old villager led the lead pack at a flat dead pace, that was well kept up by the group. With breaks twice every three hours and one long break to make sure our fellow group of trekkers caught up with us at a major crossing, we still made it to our base camp without any delays as dusk set in at about 7 pm. Then began the long wait for the group that followed us. With little or no communication about them until about 9 pm, we were sure they were lost.

Two of the group that already reached decided we will need to head back and find them. They wanted a third and I volunteered. And so began the rescue mission.

Trekking in the night is so much different from that in the day. The obvious trial that we followed a day ago in broad sunlight was not so seemingly obvious in the darkness of the night. We had one off the trial detour which was enough to tell us that we could not do this without more help. We called up the remaining guys at the base camp and told them to get some villagers for help.

Meanwhile, as suggested by Nagin (who was one of the other 2 rescuers) we started laying markers to mark our trial. Soon, we hit the right trial and were on our way. We reached a point on the trial where none of us could predict the right path. So we decided we'll wait for more help at a known location than get lost ourselves. We waited for about 15 minutes at the dirty stream crossing. Help, in the form of 4 energetic villagers, soon arrived. They led us at a sure pace through the forest to our friends in another half hour. Finally the entire team of 50+ trekkers reached the base camp safely by midnight and back to Chennai in the morning. All along in my mind, I thought the T-shirt I wore that day said it all: 'CHEER UP! The worst is yet to come!'. Thus ended the trek that I enjoyed and learnt a lot.

New Year's Eve

It was 3:45 am in the morning. Masoom and me had missed our stop at Sulthan Bathery. We got down at a place called Kalpetta and the night still cold and unrelenting. Ambling across the road we seated ourselves at the bus stop to re-track our way back to Sulthan Bathery. After a 15 minute endurance wait we got into a bus that will take us to our destination in what we thought would be an hour's time. We were wrong. It took us only 30 minutes. Welcome to Kerala - God's own country!

We soon met up with Justin, who had found a room for us to crash in that unearthly hour. After reaching our dorm, we killed time chatting or sleeping (in my case) until about 7 am. A quick bath and a refreshing breakfast @Indian Coffee house, we were ready for the Chembra peak, the highest peak in Wayanad District. Passing through the winding, twisting and scenic lanes of Ambalavayal, Vaduvanchal, Meppady (where we quickly shopped some fruits and grub for the trek) towns in Justin's Swift, we reached the base camp of the peak by about 9 30 am.

The peak, 2100m above sea level, was nestled among the protected forests of Kerala. We had to obtain a pass of Rs. 500 (valid for a group not more than ten in number) for a trek to the peak. What was more surprising is that the forest officer demanded Rs 200 as deposit against the plastic bottles we were carrying uphill. We happily paid the deposit. It was really heartening to

know that atleast one state in India cares about its tourist spots and reserved forests (as we saw the trend continued throughout our trip). We also got a guide, one Mr. Mohan Raj, father of two girls, who led us up the trial.

We were allowed to drive another four plus kilometers before we pulled into a parking area and began the trek at about 10 am. Initially we hiked for about 2 km to reach the watch tower, after which the real trek began. The trek basically consisted of crossing 6 peaks and a lake before reaching the actual peak. Ten minutes into the climb, we were soon panting. The incline was as such, and the inclination further was relentless. Half way up the first of the peaks, we found a trickling stream of water that was cold and refreshing! Rejuvenated, we reached the first peak in good time and had a quick photo session.

We had a brief respite in the form of some flat terrain after the first peak. But that was just a teaser. The climb got steeper and tiring. Two more peaks past, we reached what was called the Hridayasagar lake (so named for its heart shaped bank). The lake lives up to its name and serves as a perennial source of drinking water for the wildlife existing in the forest. We also got to see the now prohibited camping area near the lake. Unfortunate that camping there was banned since a forest fire broke out few years ago, destroying some part of the forest and the wildlife.

Soon we were back up the trial in quest of the peak. We passed, what our guide knowledgeably guessed as elephant and leopard trials, but never came across the owners of the same. Maintaining a steady banter and pulling each other's legs we reached the peak at about 1 pm for some of the stunning views. It was peaceful and breath taking. We just couldn't stop clicking on our camera! And in about 15 minutes we were soon covered by mists on almost all sides. More reason to take out the camera! We were snapping away for sometime and lo! it was time to start the descent.

The climb down was surely faster but the incline was such that, we (at least I) felt our knees taking in a lot of pressure. So after a steady and slow one and half hour climb down we were back at the parking area. Justin with his 'mallu' bonding with Mr. Mohan Raj got us to enjoy a refreshing dip at a stream flowing near the base camp.

The water was super clean and super cold! After splashing around for sometime, we were off. We caught a quick bite on the way at Meppady.

Our next stop was at Ambalavayal to get some food packed for the night. By 7 pm, we met up with the owner of our to-be camping site for the night and by 7 30 pm we were at the place! Our campsite was to be a rocky area covered by a forest on one side and an upcoming resort (which the owner is yet to complete) on the other side. Masoom and myself quickly set about setting up the tent at the campsite. Justin meanwhile, helped the owner and the caretaker set up the bonfire. By eight we were all set!

The night was cool, the fire blazing and pitch darkness all around us. The tent set sturdy, just a few feet away from the fire with comfortable sleeping bags waiting for the occupants. It was a perfect new year's eve for the three of us! We settled around the fire chatting and munching, on and on, on and on. In between we did our best to keep the fire ablaze until midnight.There was enough firewood and oil to last two nights! Soon it was time for the countdown and out came the cake we bought on the way. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Welcome 2011!!