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Fast Trek to Tadiandamol: August 5, 2017


I heard her chirping, softly she sang
Hiding in the meadows, some mischief on her mind
I follow her relentlessly, enthralled by her charm
I knew she was laughing, I heard her thunder
Round and Round with the wind she moves
Unchecked, tripping many timed. Look there she goes
Dancing on the tunes of the spring nearby
Everyone rejoicing in the theatrical play on the move
Creating symphonies using trees as a flute
Melodies that shall linger for a long time to go
And when she cries she looks all the more beautiful
The entire sky pours down trying to mourn her aching soul...
But when she smiles I see a seven-streaked line
With an orange rose on her moonlit cheeks across the sky
She is green, she is blue and every color in between
With great grace she wears each one of these
No!! She is not listening ... so don't try to tame her
And in her company, you'll find the place to be
Mother Nature she is called
Carefree maiden she seemed to me!


A group of 12 nature enthusiasts went chasing this beauty on 5th August to the highest mountain of Kodagu district, Tadiandamool. Famous for being the third highest peak in Karnataka, it is a house to Nalaknad (also known as Nalnad - meaning 4 villages).
We boarded a private mini-bus at Majestic around 10:30pm on 4th august and started our journey with dreamy eyes. And only when we are planning to sleep, two lads felt it was the perfect time to fool and rag people. Our happy go lucky organizers Kamal and Dinesh started the intro session and took our cases left and right making us feel like fresher’s from a college all over again. People from all walks of life were part of the journey. Yoga-guru, musician, dancers, data scientist, programmer, and lecturer BTC head we had it all.
Thereafter we were introduced to a game where our conscious mind was put to test. For every time we spoke fine, mine or used our right hand to drink liquids a task of doing 5 pushups was to be accomplished. The game had begun and a few fell victims at the tea break we took on the route. Hereafter we continued our journey accompanied by the moonlit sky.
We reached our homestay around 5 in the morning. The cool breeze made us shiver like leaves. After finding ground we headed towards our rooms and fell flat on our beds dozing into a quick nap. The birds chirping woke us up and made us aware of the beautiful hills we were surrounded by near our cottage. A sumptuous breakfast of idly and upma helped us energized. Hereafter we boarded our vehicle to reach the base of the hill and start our trek.
We had hardly taken some 10 steps and the clouds broke into a dance party. Our rain coats were out, like the army jawans we felt, we marched towards our peak. Carefully taking our steps on the muddy ground, trying not to spoil our fresh clothes we reached our first stream. Ashwin like the pro he was crossed the river stream in his floaters teasing the ones who tip towed in their shoes trying not to wet them in vain. Girls being adept posers started posing for the best Facebook stories to come around the corner. Poor guys gave in to their demand without much defence. With a few videos our social life was good to go!
After a cake walk for 3 kms we reached the barricade from where the real deal started. Our love for monsoon treks was put to test and we were already drenched in rain. With every step the downpour just went increasing, making it difficult to see. And for those with specs saw doordarshan channel instead of 1080 px! Disclaimer: Raincoats do little good when nature wants to play around.
Grasslands on both sides we were hypnotized by greenery. Small puddles of water marked our way housing the notorious leeches, waiting to attack! We found ourselves rescuing each other spraying volini to keep them away. We bleed in nature love!
We reached the base after a long 13 kms. The clouds had completely taken the sun into chains and there was no ray of sunshine to be seen. Humming and buzzing sounds of nearby insects filled the atmosphere. It seemed like the entire forest was enchanted by a magic spell. Fog was an add on to the mystic feel. We made a circle trying to escape the cold. We had a round of light snacks. Mathri with garlic pickle turned to be our energy booster.
We started our descend after a good chilling 35 mins. Thought of a mug of hot coffee increasing our pace! The way back was marked by small rivulets gushing in full speed to meet rivers. Rain took a break and a light drizzle marked our way back. Finally, we got a better picture of the nearby clustered hills gossiping about forgotten lore's only they may know!
For those of us who were wearing ponchos looked as if the dementors from Harry Potter were descending down! My calculation of an easy trek went completely off track. I found myself tripping quite a number of times on the slippery stoneṣ. Turning my grey jeans into a brown one.

 So Jill and group went up the hill
To fill their eyes with wonder
Group came down and had their ground
But Jill came tumbling after!

Happy to reach the base in one piece our monsoon mania came to an end. We changed into fresh clothes and headed with empty stomachs to the nearest biryani point in town.
The beast was out with the mere smell of aromas and the food started to finish with the speed of lightning. A drink of lime juice was enough to intoxicate us into sleep thereafter. We boarded our min bus and headed for city life. We reached Bangalore around 10:00 pm happily tired after a long day.
Another beautiful peak was conquered with an elevation of 1,748 m and a distance of 13 Kms. Truly monsoon treks have the capability to drench the soul with scenic beauty and lush greenery .A memory your mind will be wet with for a long time!
So be in the wild, trip on the misty air and don't forget to come back soon! 

Written By     : Shruti Gupta
Organized By : Dinesh Yadav & Kamal
Date of event : 5th August, 2017
Place              : Tadiandamol
Pictures          : BTC FB Page

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