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The Sounds of the Forest

@ 1890m above sea level, we are being blasted by torrential downpour along with heavy gusts of wind as we try to devour our packed lunch after a moderately challenging 5 hour Trek to the Kudremukha peak. The surrounding views are fully shrouded in thick mist and there is an eerie silence except for the rustling of our raincoats in the bellowing rain and wind.
       When the rain died down eventually, I dropped my makeshift raincoat and reached to get my food packet. Within seconds, the wind again whipped up, splattering rain onto our faces. I was chilled to the bone in a matter of few seconds.
       Kuduremukha is a Mountain range and name of a peak located in Chikkamagaluru , in Karnataka. The name Kuduremukha literally means ‘horse-face’ (in the Kannada language) and refers to a particular picturesque view of a side of the mountain that resembles a horse’s face. It was also referred to as ‘Samseparvata’, historically since it was approached from Samse village. Kuduremukh is Karnataka’s 3rd highest peak after Mullayangiri and Baba Budangiri.
        5 hours before we started our ascent to conquer the third highest peak in Karnataka. This was a trek with a group known as Bangalore Adventurers. Going on a trek with like-minded yet unknown people was going to be a unique experience. With the South Western Monsoon having picked up, the downpour which had started ever since we entered the foothills hardly ever gave up. This was my first official monsoon trek, monsoon and life in these parts are interlinked with each other. There is an entrance fees of Rs. 450/- per head and no overnight camping is allowed. So the total trek distance is of 20 -22kms back and forth on a single day. 
         We were a group of 13, led by guide Arun who stays at a place called Mullodi near Samse. At 7.30 we left his humble abode and trudged along the hilly slopes ready to be bitten by the blood thirsty leeches. They were expectantly thriving and we made rapid progress as we strove to avoid being stuck at the same spot thus avoid giving the leeches’ sufficient time to be on friendly terms with our legs. The first stretch of the trek was the Wet Forest Floor where there was no hope of sunlight having a glimpse at all. After the first stretch we were really exposed to the downpour which came down on us like a battering ram. 
         As we reached a clearing, our guide beckoned us to come over swiftly and the early group was lucky enough to sight a bear. We also could watch the sambar deer and the Indian bison upon the great mountains far away from us, as we progressed further we could see couple of more herds on the move.
         It was a fascinating sight to watch them moving in a tight formation along the mountain passes. As we gained height we could make out the Kudremukha mountain range offers. The folded, layered fluorescent green mountains playing hide and seek with the floating clouds makes us tantalisingly high on the nature’s tremendous display of raw beauty. A few feet away, my fellow trek mates melt away into the hanging clouds with the leeches always on the lookout for its share of pie. Some of pictures uploaded here hardly do justice to the view actually described. Yet they say the photographs are like footprints. Presenting some of the breathtaking photos captured through my phone. 
Pure magic !!
This is where the Green Gods reside. 
The view of KUDREMUKHA ranges
Another one of the addictive pics which makes it a must go Monsoon treks.
Imagine closing your eyes and surrounded by this beauty. The silence !!
Path through the forest. !!
A very rare moment when the clouds decided to rest
The Sounds of the Forest brings a whole new dimension to this trek. The rustling of the wet forest floor, call of the sambar deer, the gushing of the streams in their full glory(we had to cross around 15-16 of them) and of course the belting rain and the howling wind makes this route a trekker’s delight. SO who’s joining me this monsoon 2017 !!! 


This post first appeared on The Junket Tales, please read the originial post: here

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The Sounds of the Forest

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