A
bird making use of the thermal currents was majestically gliding in the
crystal blue sky. We watched in awe and silence at this wonder of nature
that surpassed the efforts of humans viz. the modern aeroplanes. Sometimes
the bird would hover in the air effortlessly at a particular place for
some time and then resume its flight. Poor Vijay had a tough time trying
to watch the flying beauty with the binoculars we had. Afternoon lunch
was had under the shade of a tree and consisted of tomato chutney (which
we were destined to eat regularly throughout our trip at the various hotels
were we had our dinner) puriees, lemon rice and other assorted stuff skillfully
cooked by the members of chillercoffee club.
Just a couple of kilometers later, we crossed
the confluence of three rivers Cauvery, Kanike, and Sujyothi rivers., two
of which are visible and the last one being invisible (akin to ganga jamuna
saraswati). Nearby lies an old temple that has braved the ravages of time
bearing testimony to the resilience of the Indian civilization (which has
weathered many storms, seen empires being built and destroyed). We were
told that it's about 2000 years old with the last restoration having been
carried out some 200 years ago. It lent the whole place an aura of rustic
charm, tranquility and a halo of divinity .The temple was originally dedicated
to Lord Shiva with the shivling installed by some rishi (got to be Agasthya
he was the major rishi in south India) whose name eludes me, Vishnu and
Lord Subramaniam too occupied a place here. After praying (for a safe and
interesting trek) and paying our obeisance, we moved back to Madikere to
have a look at Abbe falls. Abbe falls is a privately owned property and
you need to pay a small entry fee. After reaching the place, we took the
tickets and ambled across the narrow lane surrounded by dense coffee plants.
Water was gushing through, cascading its way across the terrain and splashing
onto boulders.
A bridge supported by cables similar to Howrah
Bridge (but smaller) served as the platform from which one could behold
the Abbi Falls. After a couple of snapshots,
with
the Sun about to go down the horizon we got into the Tempo traveller and
winded our way through to Raja's seat. Here the royal monarch used to come,
and sit, for viewing the setting Sun.
However we were late and the sun had already
cast its last rays. So in the twilight we settled ourselves on the Lawns
of Raja's seat and were introduced to the photographic skills of PAV Prasad
and Divyesh Shah.
Finally we reached the hotel and retired for
the day preparing us for the arduous trek that lay ahead.
Alighting from the four wheeler, the load of fruits,
chocolates Bread, butter and jam was distributed equitably. This was to
serve as our ration for the up and downhill journey along with two bottles
of water per person. We began the climb at 9:30 am .The trek had begun. 
We
walked on a (6'wide) track (which later on narrowed down to a one-person
1' wide track) and came across a gradual ascent--a hint of things to come.
The road was lined by tall trees that jutted
across the skyline, permitting sunlight to filter through as minute rays
illuminating our path. Birds were sounding their multihued calls chirping,
tweeting. It was music to the ears. After negotiating the ascent we came
across two small streams in a wooded area. After this a steep climb for
about 50 meters tested our physical fitness and we encountered a point
of bifurcation. We took the Left road as advised by a group of fellow trekkers
who were in a hurry and overtook us with their local guide. Another stream
with water gurgling through the rocks greeted us.
As we made our way through the tall trees, all
of a sudden, a cool breeze started blowing and a flurry of dried leaves
started descending (in a fashion reminiscent of wicker tapes being thrown
in a jam packed stadium) as if to welcome and encourage us to explore the
hidden treasures of nature.
Next
we came across the base of a mountain peak to our right and another one,
slightly obscured to the left. A minor confusion arose as to which one
was Tadiyanmol. However it was resolves as per the instructions of some
trekkers we had crossed path with (Mr. RaviShankar from the
wild along with his group of 24 who had originally helped us in deciding
out trek route), while they were returning down (after their overnight
halt at the peak). We were on the lookout for a large rock with some names
scrawled across it that served as the landmark. Besides this we had been
to told to keep a watch for a buffalo skull that had been strategically
placed across another rock (at a distance of around 50-100 mtrs from the
first) this was to be followed by a stone wall (Taking a left turn at the
first rock led us to a cool fresh bubbling brook which happens to be the
last point before the final ascent where you can fill up your bottles).
Once we came across the clues, we had an eerie
feeling observing only the skull of what once might have been a big buffalo.
By now the trekkers had separated into two groups, one going in the fast
lane and the other bringing the rear moving at a gentler pace.
After
crossing the wall the path became still more steep and we had to step gingerly,
on the narrow trail, supporting ourselves with tufts of grass that stubbornly
held onto the ground, much to our relief -since had it given way, climbing
would have been more difficult-. Next we encountered a small jungle with
dense undergrowth and we were aided in our climb by the various roots of
trees that had shot out from the terrain here and there. This also was
the most strenuous part of the advance and progress was labored, as the
ascent was in the form of (naturally formed) stairs with a height of about
one-foot. The only consolation being that we were sheltered from the heat
of the afternoon by the thick growth.
At last the first group successfully negotiated
the climb and reached the top of the peak -at about 1:15 p.m.- and was
enjoying the sense of achievement that comes after toiling hard. Soon the
rest of the members joined us .We had a hearty Lunch above the mountain
peak and were careful to collect all the litter that we had used up like
plastic bags, chocolate wrappers, banana peels etc. From the top, the view
of the valley was beautiful. We could make out the path we had trudged
to come so far, as also the numerous mountains that formed the complete
range (It is rumored that one can view the Arabian sea at a distance from
the top of the peak but since we were ignorant of this fact we did not
attempt to do so).
After some time we started back our return journey
on a joyous note. However a small drama was enacted as one of the participants
had fear of heights (Hypsiphobia) (and had not realized the intensity of
the trek when he signed up) .So he had a difficult time and sometimes had
to be cajoled, encouraged to get down, sit and make it. 
Thus
he too made a brave attempt and managed to reach the base camp after some
anxious moments. (The bubbling brook were some of us freshened up had a
nice lunch and drank some cool water) His joy on completing the trek successfully
was infectious.
As we were returning, and neared the same rock
with names scrawled across, a cluster of clouds started drifting and gradually
enveloping the mountaintop as if bidding us farewell. It would have added
to our joy had we camped overnight at the mountain top with the clouds
and morning dew for company to be awakened by the resplendent rays of the
rising Sun. May be, we thought, next time around wise from our experience
we would equip ourselves with camping gear.
We had begun our descent at about 2:45 in the
afternoon and managed to reach the base (Palace stop) at about 6:30 p.m.
much to the annoyance of our driver who had to wait patiently for almost
two hours (and could not understand the purpose of us spending all day
climbing up and down a mountain with no gains to show for it and getting
tired at the end of it).
Finally with twilight giving way to darkness
we settled in the comforts of the Tempo traveller and the vehicle wound
its way towards Virajpet .We reached Virajpet at about 8:30 p.m. and again
searched for a hotel. The night was spent there with muscles aching and
joints complaining. Sleep never appeared so sweet and refreshing.
-and
a brief fling at rock climbing (60+ degree incline <1'mud track, right
on the edge where a slight slip easily means end of all trekking activity
forever on hitting the rocky base below, height equivalent to an 8-10 storey
building) during which four of us viz. me, Vijay, Girish and Divyesh took
a circuitous and challenging path towards the origin of the falls (which
happens to be the start of the jungle and we could see another fall at
some distance ahead. It was here we saw some shit approx. diameter 20cm
our local expert on all sort of crap, Divyesh declared it to be an elephantine
crap and since we had not seen any other crap than HR crap for quite some
times an detailed analysis followed the conclusion drawn was the elephant
had passed a few days ago eat mostly a fibrous meal, which means it was
not constipated, since the shit was all straws), though we had to abort
our attempts (to scale new heights) midway through due to paucity of time-
(actually this is another one day trek)) ,we began our Journey back to
Bangalore.
