After scrapping innumerous weekend getaway plans finally we hit upon gold with 7 friends, Ram(me) urf Raamya, Chetan urf Chetya, Siddlingesh urf Siddya, Abhin urf Abhin !, Sandesh urf Sandy, Santosh urf Santya, Aditya alias Adya with a trip to Kodachadri, Shimoga. There was a sense of excitement and anxiousness amongst we friends. Chetya had messaged me just hours before we left to confirm whether the trip was still on or not, as we were still unsure of our plans :-(
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| Shivappa Naik's Fort, Nagara |
The vehicle came around 10:30pm on Friday night as planned and by the time we left Bangalore it was 12.am. There was much to say and hear amongst us, since many of us were seeing eachother after several months. And the main plan was yet to be decided. What to do in Kodachadri ? Till then no one had an idea where to stay or how to spend the weekend ahead as most of us were frustrated with the routine in Bangalore which life welcomed us with, we just wanted to getaway from the mundane lives we led.
After dinner at Hotel Highway at 1:30am, we continued our journey. The road ahead was a bumpy one, and most of us(Except Adya and Sandy) did not sleep the whole night, not realizing what surprise waited ahead of us the following day. The stop over at Shimoga ensured we were well fed atleast !! The visit to Shivappa Naik's Fort was noteworthy, as the landscapes it provided were beautiful. Kodachadri was to be the scenic beauty as it seemed from the net, and indeed it was. After we hired a local guide (Ramappa)we began our trail through the flat land which the hills had in offer. The trek which began was never expected to be this tough as we invaded the steep forest which had its own sense of beauty to offer. The trek to the Hidlumane falls was demanding as the road ahead got steeper than before. Hidlumane falls was a wonderful sight in the offing with its ice cold water and scenic beauty it presented. There were some minor slip ups by me and Santya at the falls, but they were luckily not fatal.
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| Hidlumane Falls |
The next stage of our trek was the steepest ever and dangerous at some points as we climbed the waterfalls parallely and any minor slip up would surely cause fatal injuries, we had to be vigilant and careful. As we reached a point from where we thought, our downward journey will begin than the climb to the next hill was calling us. All except me and Siddya went ahead of us as we struggled to get pass the hill. Gasps of breath and some more chocolates were needed to boost our energy levels. Meanwhile, as we climbed this treacherous hill. mesmerizing view of the Western Ghats was to be seen. Never to be forgotten those small breaks which helped everyone gather energy which would help stretch everyone's limits. Adya,Santya and Sandesh were amongst the first ones to reach the place where we had our lunch. We had hiked 9 kms in 3 and half hours accross 4 hills to which our guide Ramappa appreciated and also gave a compliment (just being boastful) that very few beginners complete by this time, and mind you not many of us had slept the prev. night so it was indeed a proud moment for all of us.
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| Sunset point |
The hike of 3-4 kms to Sarvajna peetha did not matter much as we were grilled to dust by the previous trek. The sunset view was a rare beauty which we failed to notice day in and day out, busy with the mechanical life we led, so this sunset was particularly special as we noticed very ordinary things in a different view. There was an inexplicable calmness that the sunset had to offer soothing the pain we bore in our legs since morning. The night out at Ramappa's house was a blast as we sat around the fire to warm ourselves from the chilling wind, remembering the good ol college days. It was a weekend which will be hard to forget anytime soon. Cheers to Kodachadri and Cheers to my friends !!
