A Trek to Kumara Parvata

It was one of those weekends which did not go waste with the universal excuse of rest and rejuvination. On the contrary it was  quite a challenging outing that tested  both my physical and mental strengths.

Yes it was my second trek to the three in one peaks to "Kumara Parvata" about 230kms from Bangalore, Karnataka, India. I should say it was my first of its kind trek where you keep conquering a peak with great effort and persistence only to find another one that requires probably a little more effort to reach it than the first one. In total there were 3 proper high points (peaks) apart from small ones enroute. "Kumara Parvata" is the name of the third and the highest peak which will take somewhere around 5-7 hrs of continuous effort to conquer it depending on your speed and stamina.



Trekkers at the start



We were a group of 9 people who said we don't want to go through the same routine resting phase this weekend too (as always) and lets got out and get some adrenaline rush into our bloods. So we all were like "Aaj kuch toofani karte hain" sorts of mood  (offcourse at the beginning of the trek).

Temple town at the dawn, The Subramanya

A mini bus was hired and we started at around 10 pm on the Friday night (22/02/2013) with a hope of reaching the foothills before sunrise. With passion in our hearts and luggage at our backs our journey started in the dark. A special mention about the mini bus driver is mandatory here because of whom our adventure was preponed even before reaching the foothills. That was one journey which taught me the dangerous effects of sleep debt. We tried all possible ways to keep him and our journey going. In the mean while, few of our enthusiasts had a good enough excuse to try their hand on mini bus driving too. I should say they were pretty good. At the end somehow fortunately we could reach the foothills town named Subramanya (temple town) at around 8 am safely. It was a beautiful little town. The early morning sun rays only added to its splendour which woke the photographer inside me almost instantaneously and ended up with few beautiful snaps.

After answering to nature's call and freshining up, we headed into a restaurant to fill our bellys to start our most awaited trek. It was around 9 am when we started our trek. With  our baggages at our backs, we were very excited to climb up the mountain at any cost. After walking through the city for distance, we reached the bottom of the mountain. We stopped there for few moments to click few snaps just before launching into the trek.

Our way through the jungles and rocky trials

It was more of a rocky climb without any pre-defined flat trials. Route was running through thick jungle cover amidst the chirping of birds and hushing of the tress. After about half an hour of climbing all of us were like steam locomotives with hussshh.....Pusshhhhh.... gasping for breath. With frequent intemittent breaks we could make it to the one and only food centre, should I call it. It tooks us around 4 hrs to get there for lunch. So with food in our plates, puzzling thoughts in our minds whether to go forward after lunch or not, we had a quite and fullfilling lunch I should say. Mind you, we were only half the way up now. It will take the same if not more effort to reach the summit, is what we understood from the local people's talk.

I sincerly admit that our group was a courageous bunch of enthusiasts , so braving the heat and body aches, all of us decided to start our journey towards the peak except one of our mates as he was down and out in dehydration. This journey was like three times tougher than the previous one. Steeper slopes, hotter winds and slippery rolling round stones. Braving all that we could reach the first Peak in 1hr. A sense of awe about the enormity of the nature filled me by the view from there. Not left with much time, we started our journey to the ultimate peak "Kumara Paravata". It took around another ~1hr to reach the second one. But this was the toughest period of the trek I should say. Many a times "Why should I move any further" thought flashed hard on my mind screen brightly. But something within me was even more strong enough to overlook that thought whenever it popped up and kept my desire and journey alive.



Me at "Sesh Parvata"



Finally when we reached the second peak (~ 600 m above MSL), all the pain and suffering I went through enroute vanished in the chill winds of the place. Few snaps ought to be clicked there. But one dissapointing fact was that this peak is "Shesh Parvata" and not "Kumara Parvata". The ultimate peak was standing tall on the other side of the valley which demands  atleast another1-2 hours of climb. It was already getting dark and we had to get back to our camp with very little time left. So the trek to "Kumara Parvata" had everything else except "Kumara Parvata" itself. We decided that lets come back exclusively to conquer this giant, "The Kumara Parvata".



Hurray I have done it !!



While on return, the next day, it was an equal fun when we all trickled down the hill cautiously. It took only half the time to get down as compared to climbing up. The return journey saw all of us to be more alive with songs and dance in the mini bus, creating new definitions for fun and excitement. Dance for songs like "Appadi Podu" and "Fevicol Se" requires special mention.

By around 5pm in the evening (sunday) I am already at home, warming my legs in the hot water and fiddling with TV remote. But my mind still in the clutches of the fun and excitment of the whole trek but somewhere a small dissappointment still prevails as I could not conquer the ultimate "Kumara Parvata".

Thanks to all my fellow companions who made this trek a very special one which will remain etched in my memory for a very long time.