Mullayanagiri Treknic- Karnataka - 1st & 2nd August 2015

"You can reach the clouds take yoursteps on the Mountain Peak-".

The journey started Friday night 31 Jul from Majestic at around 11:20 pm. We were all 12 in this group – Kamlesh, Naresh, Anshul, Swajit, Pushkar, Shilpa, Kumar, Poornima, Abhishek and our very own organizer and couple Mr & Mrs Channa. Well Mrs Channa name is Poornima. J .We gathered at Shantala silk and nobody got introduced.JI knew Shilpa and Channa from my past treks and rest were all new. As soon as the Tempo Traveller arrived, everybody hopped in to take their best seat as all us wanted to sleep from hectic Friday. Its different story as tempo traveler don't allow you to sleep specially, if you are in that squeezed in 12 seater and above that you are on Bangalore Roads.. where every potholes are welcomed by uncautioned Speed Breaker and your ride is a Joy Ride. Believe me things don't change even after you enter NH 48. And it's worth enjoying before any trek. Midnight around 1 am I could not find my co-seater Shilpa. I was about to raise alarm but saw her sitting on the doorstep. Yes the monster ride was too much for her to handle. J.

Day 1- Saturday – 1 Aug

Around 4:00 am the TT stopped and there was this chilling silence around and nothing visible as I peeped outside the window. Amidst this Channa said that the Home Stay is around 1.5 km and whoever wants to trek can trek to the place. I just didn't want to go in the TT so I decided to walk. We were 7 of us and one torch that luckily Abhishek could use it. The other members left in TT.The 1.5 km was all muddy road and with no lights around it was again adventure at 4 am. With all half broken sleep I started walking behind others relying on senses and the mobile torch. This warm up trek was also the best start of the day. We reached some 4:45 to this homestay and it was a small bungalow and looked well maintained. As I walked into the room I was just relieved to see a good and clean beds and restroom. This was "Wildernest". Wild or not yes it was indeed "Nest".

My fellow roommates who came in TT were already sleeping. I too tried but warmuptrek worked well to put me awake and I just rolled on for few minutes.As I saw sunrise I went out to take a look. As I opened the door there was these adorable dogs on the door step. There was calmness and a kind of stillness surrounding you. The cool breeze and to add above all the freshness that you feel was no wonder a therapy. My lungs would have got shock thinking how to take this pure oxygen. We hardly get air and that we breathe all day is chemicals and smokes in city and this was the treat.

This homestay was very simple house and mostly with wooden roof and the red color tiles as roof enhanced the ambience. The place has a small garden and a statue of Mother Mary in an artificial rock cave. As I raised my head to look to the sky I could see the Mountain behind. I almost was roaming around 30 minutes. I could have stayed longer but it started drizzling, so got inside and got ready to see a beautiful day.

Everybody reached the breakfast table by 8 am and it was here we all got introduced. The breakfast was amazing wheat puris and aloo bhaji and coconut chutney with amazing coffee.

The plan for the day nobody knew except organizer but it started around 9:00 am something to trek to reach this waterfall called "Kallathi Falls". Well before we left we all posed and clickedpictures. The only warning was look out for "Leeches". The route to Kalhatti water fall was muddy and slippery trek through these acres of Coffee Estate. The coffee tree with fruits and it was huge trees that just covered the whole sky with its canopy.

Well it had been raining in this part and that made walking up to the hill a little tedious as this was a narrow trek. With hardly 20-30 people in this whole forest area who are estate worker, it was good to be away from deafening crowd and terrible bosses. We were guided by the caretaker of Wildernest. My experience with leeches had started and it was fun when there was leech on someone's feet everybody would rush to remove it. We reached around 11 am to this fall and the speed of water fall was empowering. The next 60 minutes we just stood under the fall bearing the water force.

The water flow would hit so badly but it was just awesome experience. We walked back to reach around 12:45 pm to Wildernest. The lunch was again the best. After the lunch the next destination we left for was Kemmanagundi- Z-Point in our Tempo traveler. This is a hill station and mostly tourist flock here for the rose garden and hill top view and to feel the clouds. The horticulture department plays a vital role here to maintain the garden.

We actually trekked to the Kemmanagundi trail almost 2 km and it started raining. This path was more of leeches and we all had our experience with bad roads, muddy pools of water and heavy rains. The best things were fogs and the clouds. We returned back and went to the rose garden at the hill top. From here the view was channelizing. Chill winds with rain shower was breath taking feeling. After a few lot of photo session we left to this temple of Kallathagiri Temple (Veerabhadreshwara Temple).

This is just a small temple. The water from Kallathi fall actually overflows this deities. Of courseit's not well maintained. Somewhere around 8 we returned to our homestay and had amazing barbeque dinner. The hospitality of this place actually made me think it was like home. The dinner continued till 9:30 -10 with our chats and just having fun around the barbeque. Hope it was a bon fire and whole night could pass by as the day went. But tired legs and next day trek to Mullayanagri made us off to bed by 10:00 pm.

Day 2 – 2 Aug – Sunday.

We left home stay at around 8:30 am as we had to reach Mullayanagri .Mullayanagri is the highest peak in Karnataka, with 1,930 meters (6,330 feet) . While I write this I still don't believe I have been this height. It would be always unbelievable. We started trekking and this was not so easy trek as it was raining and the trail was kind of only one feet at a time and with nothing to hold around. As you ascend up the clouds surround you .You just can't see anything to a certain distance. Climbing up was not easy to reach Mullayangri and the trek becomes slippery. But worth to have a walk in cloud and just believe that the earth beneath you and the sky above is not complete without these huge peaks and mountains. The view from the top is playing hide and seek and once you reach ontop you would realize that there is no trek back .The clouds cover up in a seconds almost making it invisible. One can visualize being on the sky. Each second the view changes. Clouds shades the peak and rains sprinkle the glitters of water and its all silver around you. Then suddenly you see this green lush carpet and then you have to believe it that you are somewhere that is still on earth. There are two caves on the way and at the top of the hill there is temple as well. The peak is always foggy and any poncho or rain cheater will be ineffective. You just can't escape being drenched here. And instead of protecting submit yourself as these things are out of world experience. We walked down the steps and proper road. Walking down the hill was heart break as who wants to leave a place where you get positive vibration but then yes there is always next destination.

Our next trek was to this Shrine Datta Peetha/Babudangiri a pilgrimage place for both Hindus and Muslims. The shrine is underground. The hill is in to folds will many hills and it make you feel as if there is a waves happening in the sea. The green lush vegetation spreads to the whole hill adding a serene view to hill. From here we could see the cloud floating and the shadow being casted on the earth.

Our next destination was on our way to Bangalore at Beluru Temple-Chennakeshava temple. You step inside this temple and you feel as if you have walked into an ancient era of Hoysala Architecture. This temple has a huge open courtyard and is all made of stone carved into beautiful sculpture. The whole temple walls with its carving speaks volumes of stories. One could see the finesse of these carvings as they just don't end. The carvings depict all war animals' horses and mostly elephants.

My two day trek ended at Belur Temple and while returning back to Bangalore we as usual played Dumbshard's and had our feedback session.

The 12 people on this trek made this trek more wonderful. Thanks to you all for those laughs, pictures (Channa & Anshul) , poems & The raincoat Man (Abhishek) , singing (poornima), the new navigator ( Naresh), to encourage, that peak is just stone throw away (Kamalesh), Screams even in absence of Leeches (Shilpa), the secret chocolate collector (Pushkar), the silent teaser (Poornima) , and Swajit (discovered the leech gear) and Kumar ( the silent trekker) and me (J) . Happy Trekking.