Irpu Temple
Next morning we reached Gonikoppa, a small, quiet town. After some refreshment and hot breakfast, we started towards the Forest Office in Srimangalam. This is where we would get permissions to trek in the forest and a guide to accompany us. From Srimangalam, we hired a jeep to reach Irpu Waterfalls. This is the place from where our trek would start. There is a small temple before we can walk up to the waterfalls. After visiting the temple, we started our walk towards the waterfalls.
The waterfall is a breath taker. The water is crystal clear and very cold. It is a small waterfall with a lot of rocks and huge trees around it. Sitting on the rocks and listening to the sounds of the gushing waterfall was far more inviting than the traffic! Surrounded by lush green forest and the chirping birds in the woods, it was a real getaway from the city hustle bustle.
Irpu Waterfall
After a few photo shots and a little play in the waters, it was time to start walking towards our destination. I had no idea of how far we had to walk and for how long. The plan was to walk and reach the base camp first and from there start again to the Bramhagiri peak. So the trek was divided into 2 parts.
As we started walking I realized that it was not very easy to walk carrying a bag pack filled with clothes and food. The terrain was steep as we started covering the distance.
After a trek of around two hours, with a few pit stops to relax, we reached a small stream. All of us were happy to see the stream after a tiring trek. We ate the jolada rotti that we had carried, for lunch by the stream. Another round of relaxing, refreshing and we were back again following the rhythm of walking. As we were approaching the base camp, I started feeling very tired and lost. I almost felt that I can never reach up there. With lots of encouragement and help (I refused to carry my bag any further!) I could finally reach the place.
It felt like heaven when I saw a tattered wooden cot in one of the rooms (in the base camp we reached), and all that I knew I did was, sleep!
I still regret for having missed out on one of the many activities in a trek, that of collecting wood for fire and arranging some water to cook. It sure must have been fun. Next on schedule was to walk up to a small hillock near by to watch the sun set. It turned very cold once the sun set, and we headed back to the camp to start our cooking. After a round of hot soup, which came as a blessing to all; it was time to cook some rice. It got chillier through the night as we made arrangements to sleep.
The next morning we were to trek the Brahmagiri peak. We had some hurihittu and cup noodles that were carried for breakfast and started walking. There is a trail that can be followed which takes us to the foot of the peak. The trail is easy to walk with a very few ups and downs. However, climbing the peak was not very easy for first timers like me. By taking short breaks to look around us as we climbed up and up we were able to scale it. The view from the top was amazing; it was something which I had never seen before. Green mountains all around with a very few concrete structures scattered here and there.
Early morning dews....
Scenery as seen from the peak
Something different about this place is that it borders 2 states; on one side it is Karnataka and on the other side it is Kerala. Elephant activity is very prominent in this range of forest. Though we were unfortunate to spot any, we saw huge excreta of the animal along the whole trail we took. Here and there we saw the giant had crumpled grass and shrubs. It is hard to believe that such a giant animal can walk around small and narrow trails all along the valley.
This was definitely a different and a unique way to end the year and welcome the New Year 2007…….
