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Agumbe, in Shivamogga, Karnataka is known to bring to mind
a) Rajkumar's Agumbeya Prema Sanjaya song if you grew up in the 90s Karnataka
b) That it's also called the Cherapunji of South India - the Agumbe rainforests receive high annual rainfall
Agumbe is as classic Malnad as you can get!
MalenaDu defined by its idyllic culture, especially food and scintillating views is because of its Males i.e., hills.
The Agumbe Circuit Trek conducted by Incredible Karnataka with permission from the Forest department was promising, exciting and challenging, simultaneously and right from the start.
Given the trek is only open 3 months in a year added to the exotic quotient.
The 19 km circuit trek starts in Malandur and proceeds towards Narasimha Parvata passing by: rainforests, grasslands, the snout of Barkana falls where the Seetha River plunges from a height of about 850 feet, being among the top 10 waterfalls by height and named after the shy Barka mouse-deer, the peak(multiple peaks), Narasimha Parvata being the highest point in Agumbe at a height of 3700 feet above sea level!
That's one eighth the Mount Everest for perspective!
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More perspectives:
Being a circuit trek it starts at Malandur and the climb down is via the Kigga route.
Circuit treks have different start and finish points - much like Life itself!
For one, there is no going back :)
One may stay back, but that's being left behind.
And then course completion is the objective, and much like Life, the journey is beautiful, what we see and experience are the essence of the trek. The finish point hardly excites :)
The group was fun, the realisation growing along the trek and after, rather than even a few minutes before the trek started.
Except for a group of 5-6 ppl within the group of 25, people knew each other better as we climbed, alerting each other about leeches apart from slippery points, lending a helping hand and equally seeking one when needed!
Life is probably like that - we meet people along the way and sometimes connect during the journey and regardless of being connected beyond, those moments of fraternity, camaraderie and overcoming and enjoying as a group stay with one - Man is indeed a social animal.
Mountains cannot be conquered by man, let's not fool ourselves. But they can be climbed and enjoyably so in good company and with much needed guidance!
Kumar or Incredible Karnataka was the guide, but the local guides Devendra and Manjunath were like the guardian angels of the group - from carrying the backpack of one of the members of the group to sharing their stories apart from helping us with a locally made balm that kept leeches away and helping people with climbing up and down where needed!
Just a nudge, just a word of encouragement, just holding someone's hand so they can overcome and surmount a challenge themselves is an underrated leadership skill perhaps!
Bimba and I had trekked up to Tiger's Nest in Bhutan by ourselves a few years ago - about 10,000 feet above sea level. And I kept recalling how 1+1>2. The power of company helping every person do more than they would otherwise alone - this is no Zen moment here, but something trekkers will definitely agree as obvious.
Back to Narasimha Parvata - the break at Barkana falls did help. We had lunch at a place that had a small spring - free mineral water in the most natural and eco friendly containers - one's cupped palms!
Just before we reached The Peak (yes, there were quite a few peaks before the final one) it rained a bit - somewhat between a moist breeze and a spray.
And it did seem like a reward: much like Life itself, expecting the unexpected is not only about challenges and problems but also about pleasant surprises! About the optimism being the reward itself!
The group rested for a bit at the Narasimha Parvata peak.
Our group held up the Indian flag while another group held up the Karnataka flag.
The climb down to Kigga, felt psychologically easier initially.
But towards the end, being closer to 18-19 kms, one wasn't sure if it was their knees or heels feeling the fatigue or was it also the fatigue of the mind game.
Takeaway:
Hiking through rainforests, look out for the leeches!
Trekking is fun though life lessons though life lessons it teaches!
Our mind perhaps has the power to Zoom out or Zoom in much like camera lenses - just being aware that a problem or pain can feel bigger than it actually is sometimes helps. Atleast until the actual pain and muscle fatigue that sets in usually the morning after a Trek!
But then, every trek, every hike,
Call it whatever name you like,
Spirit of adventure - it strikes
For there may be a few yikes,
But adventures give us kicks,
With welcome tips and tricks,
Not every game has scripts,
Like in life, it's slips vs grips.
-Seizonsha
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