The monsoon had just started and the Western ghats were inviting us with both arms wide open. It was too tempting to resist. The non-stop rain was just an icing. We wanted to make it big, so we decided to really make it big. Yes, the first trek of the monsoon season to the highest point in Karnataka. What can beat it? Mullayanagiri was the choice. For a change, only two of us were the members of the team; Anirudh and me. Chikamagalur was the point we had to reach which is around 5 hours from BLR. We made no reservations simply because there are a plenty of buses plying in this route and it was a short haul journey. We reached even before dawn. Waiting with a lot of patience for the sunrise was the only virtue. The trail head to the hill top was around 30 minute journey.
Engaging a rickshaw than waiting for the bus was a viable option. The land throughout was wet, indicating that "rain was here". We alighted near the trail start point. It was just the two of us, so we didn't take much time to start. A few snaps near the entry point and then we started our climb. I had no clue how long it would take to climb. Considering that Mullayanagiri is the highest peak in the state, I was under the assumption that we would take a long time to climb. The gradient was too steep; our thighs and calf muscles were sensing it. The visibility was down to less than 2 meters as we climbed. Slowly the mist started clearing out. The view of the valley below was a feast to the eyes. We stood still looking at the adobe of the nature. Suddenly we bumped into another team, only then we realized that we were second. We didn't like it. A small Nandi has been placed on the way and a make shift temple also has been built around it. The other team was resting here. It was a good opportunity for us to take the lead. Anirudh and myself looked at each other, we knew what our eyes spoke; we decided to move ahead. As the mist was still not clearing, it was difficult for us to gauge the height of the peak and how far we are from the top. After a while I spotted one more Nandi in an open flat ground. A few steps later I experienced a chill in my body. The temperature dropped suddenly. I was feeling very cold. My jacket wasn't helping me much. A little more surprise was in store. Once we reached the top, we were literally pushed by the wind. We were finding it difficult to stay put. The wind speed was very high which wasn't easy for us to manage. But, the feeling of the wind gushing through would make you forget everything else. We couldn't hear out each other; sign language helped us communicate. We could easily lean on the wind, there was no question of losing grip and falling off, even the weight of the rucksacks didn't pull us down. Rain coats were out as the wind carried moisture which was as good as rain. A lot of snaps later, we headed to the actual hill top. We found a house and a temple and some cattle as well, poor ones were struggling to withstand the winds might. Oh by the way, we were on top in less than 2 hours as we hardly had anything to climb. It was a cakewalk.
A good one hour later we decided to descend. Our initial plan was to head to Bababudangiri. We enquired the localite. Instead of guiding us through the trail he guided us to the road head. We realized it only after we started our descent. There is a road which leads close to the hill top. We descended on that road and continued further. A distance of 8 kms later we reached the road which leads you to Bababudangiri. We decided to walk down. The walk was very different. The rain was playing around with us. By the time I take the rain coat out and wear it, it would stop raining. When I remove it, it would start again. However we were wet completely.
Since we didn't take the trail to Bababudangiri, we decided to walk down the road. The pleasant weather didn't tire us, the rains kept us busy. As we walked the stretch, we found more beautiful view points en-route and took a good lot of snaps. Navigating in the pot holed roads was difficult to us while we were walking, imagine the plight of the people driving the vehicles. A bus heading to Bababudangiri was approaching, we decided to hop in. We reached in less than 30 minutes. We barely could see anything as the mist had engulfed the entire place looking as though nothing existed. We thought we will get onto the Kemmangundi trail from here. Even cops weren't of much help. Surprisingly none of them could guide us. We decided to get back by the same bus. It dropped us near Kalhatti falls where we spent the night in the Forest guest house.
Day 2 morning, we climbed up the kalhatti falls to reach the top, it took us quiet a while. We had a bus to catch to kemmangundi from the Kalhatti junction which is around 4 kms away from the falls. We had to abort the climb. Both of us were unhappy, but we had to make it to the junction on time to catch the bus which we couldn't afford to miss. We reached kemmangundi just before noon. The locals guided us the way to Hebbe falls. We decided to walk to that place. They vaguely gave us the direction which we followed. The grasslands were looking so fresh. It felt as though they were just born. The dew on the grass added to the freshness. We spotted the Z point. Without a second thought we climbed up which took just 5 minutes. The wind speed was enormous; it was blowing us away. I had never experienced such high speed winds in my lifetime till date. Standing firm was indeed a challenge. Quickly we took our cameras out and started our photo shoot. Each of us leaning freely on the wind. I didn't want to come down, but then we had the task of reaching the Hebbe falls.
A jeep track from this Z point takes you to the falls. We walked down. We realized the worth of the walk only after seeing the water fall. It was a sight which would drop your jaws down. The water falls from a height of more than 70 meters. The water roars as it falls on the ground. The moisture in the air near the waterfall was enough to drench us. Taking pictures was a challenging task as the moist was depositing on the lens in seconds. Getting into the water wasn't a good idea. After satisfying us with the fascinating scene we decided to head back. Once we reached the entry point to Hebbe falls(last point for vehicles) we realized that we would not make it to kemmangundi if we walk. One of the many jeep driver's agreed to take us back. Luckily we just managed to catch the bus as we were dot on time.
Though nothing went as we planned, we bumped into many surprises which were mesmerizing. This trek cum trip would be remembered for long for the rain, for the wind, for the beauty of the Western Ghats. I thank all these for making this outing a memorable one.
