Travel Log #16
Kumara Parvatha, The Pinnacle of Trekking in Karnataka
Location: Somwarpet, Kodagu District, Karnataka.
Altitude: 1748m
Surmounted on: 9th October Saturday 2021
Alrighty! The day that I was waiting for, as an avid trekker finally arrived and my dream trek, Kumara Parvatha was finally happening. I had begun the preparations long back in February, starting from surmounting Kudremukh, Tadiandamol, Kodachadri, Bandaje and trekking other various one day treks near Bengaluru. I considered I was fit enough to climb Kumara Parvatha. This is the toughest trek available in Karnataka and is highly not recommended for novices. To surmount the peak, there are more than a couple of trails. The one that goes through Bhattarmane is the toughest one and our group took this toughest path.
From Kukke, we started walking to the base point of the trek which is about a kilometre and a half. And then from Base point we need to ascend up to Bhattarmane which is about 4 kilometres away and it would give you glimpses of what you have signed up. This initial ascend is highly onerous, as you had to carry your tents, sleeping bags, rations, etc. and would sap your energy quickly. By the time we reached Bhattarmane, everyone were tired and gasping for breadth. Incidentally, the Forest Office also happens to be near Bhattarmane and tents had to be pitched here for the night stay. Kumara Parvatha is not a one day trek; may be for the pro trekkers. So, most of the groups would either halt at Bhattarmane or Forest Office and continue the ascend next day or surmount the peak and come back to stay at Bhattarmane, which is what we had planned.
So, after checking out Bhattarmane and reaching the forest office, we pitched our tents. We then began our assiduous ascent to the Kumara Parvatha Peak. It was the most tiring trail I had ever faced in all my ten treks so far. At couple of points, mostly towards the peak, I had thoughts of giving up. Thanks to the God of Rain, at his mercy, we had a pleasurable and safe ascend without any showers. The toughness of the Kumara Parvatha trek lies not in it's altitude but in it's slope. Sometimes, when you look up, you feel like you're in a nightmarish dream with the landscape falling over you. The only comforting aspects were the limited mountain streams, where you could refill refreshing drinking water and regain your energy, and forest canopy just before the final stretch, which was soothing with the scenery and raw natural fragrance it offered.
Surmounting the peak was one of it's kind feeling; I Did It! Funny thing to note here, I and a couple of buddies reached the peak, which we thought it was, and sat down to have our lunches. After finishing our lunch, we saw a couple of people coming down and when inquired, the peak was actually a minute away further. Lol! So, not to miss out the actual peak after ascending so high, we did check out the peak but only to find it covered all around with white cover, the fog. Hence, there was no point in staying longer there and so, we began our descend to Bhattarmane. Descent was evidently easier and we took no stops to catch our breadths. Only towards the end I did start feeling my leg pain and apart from that there was no hassles. The season being Monsoon, leeches were everywhere along the trail and as proven by my empirical experiments, by constantly applying Dettol over the legs every one hour, would definitely solve the problems of leeches.
Kumara Parvatha is the toughest trek available in Karnataka, provided you go through the Bhattarmane trail. Therefore, it is advisable you must go with a group or with your friends. And I promise you, it would be a lifetime experience. Mother Nature, at her best and swag!
I Overcame Kudremukh, Tadiandamol, Kodachadri,
I, I, I, ...
At Kukke, Kumara Parvatha Overwhelmed me!
Realized, I am Nobody in Front of Nature
Checkout MaddiE's Kumara Parvatha Gallery Here.
Checkout The MTR Episode on Kumara Parvatha Trek in MWM Channel
MaddiE's Kumara Parvatha Gallery
MaddiE's Note:
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