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2 Day, 45 km Solo Trek - Sangam - Muthathi - Sangam - 4, 5 Jan 2003

The Sangam - Muthathi route, along the left bank of the river Cauvery, is very popular among regular trekkers, and having heard about this route from many of my trekking partners, I couldn't wait to do it. There was no organized trek for the first weekend of 2003, so I decided to do it then. My plan was to ride up to Sangam, park the bike, and then trek to Muthathi and back.

In the early hours of 4th, I packed up, arming myself with a bread packet, windcheater, a searchlight, matches, map, and spare clothing. I started from Bangalore at 5.15AM. The route was to take the Kanakapura road, pass Kanakapura, which is 55 kilometres away, and then on to Sangam, roughly 45 kilometres away. The National Highway 209 takes you till Kanakapura, from where a diversion is taken for Sangam. NH209 proceeds further to Kollegal, Chamarajanagar to enter Tamilnadu. From Kanakapura, the road is narrow, and winds in and out of small villages. In the early morning, I shouldn't have sped so much, for at Kanakapura I wounded a puppy. The dog had crossed the road, and I never thought it would come back into the road immediately. It came, got hit on the leg, and went squealing. I couldn't do much, and did feel sorry, but had to proceed. Further on, the road enters mountainous terrain, and again, very unfortunately a squirrel darted out from the scrubs, onto the road, and before I realized, the tires crushed it. This was very unfortunate, and as I looked on, the squirrel breathed its last after a twitch. As agonizing as it was, I felt very bad, for such a think had never ever happened, except for one occasion when I hit a dog on National Highway 7 in the wee hours.

I reached Sangam at a few minutes past 7. After parking the bike and leaving it in the care of a shopkeeper there, the trek commenced. Muthathi is roughly 21 kilometres from Sangam, and there is no civilization in between, except for a fishing camp on the 9th kilometer from Sangam. The track is beaten, and for the first few kilometres skirts around a big coconut grove owned by the Khoday's group, and then past an Ashram for World Peace. Both of these are heavily electric fenced and trenched, to keep elephants away. This point is frequently used by the elephants, while the come down from the hills in the evening for water, or when going back into thicker jungle for the day. After the Ashram, the path goes along the riverbank, with the river in view at some points through the trees. A reasonable amount of water was flowing in the river, but the banks of the river were dry, and rocky. Near the Ashram, a full black dog joined me, and kept following me from then on.

The route is on the shoulder of the hills at some places, and at the foothills at many other places. Since the path is a jeep track, the walk was not very difficult, but as the sun climbed up, the trek became very hot. The dog couldn't keep pace, and it would run up to a shade, lie down till I pass on out of sight, then again join me, whining. I don't know why, but it kept following even after I tried to shoo him away. The bread was shared with him, and it was a simple breakfast. At the 9th kilometer, the Cauvery Fishing Camp is located. The place is called Galibore. This camp is owned by the Jungle Lodges and Resorts, associated with the Indian Government. I've read that the charge is around Rs. 1400 per person per night. If one has the money, I guess a quiet holiday could be spent here, what with the luxurious camps, food and necessities provided, and tents along the riverbank. This is a favorite place for die-hard fishers, for the great Mahseer fish could be hooked in the Cauvery. Catch and Release system is followed, to conserve the fish. Mahseer is a big, freshwater fish, and at times weighs 60 to 70 pounds. Passing Galibore, the path mostly is on the shoulder of the hills, with the hill on the right side, and the Cauvery on the left. I rested at many places on the riverbank, for it was hot, and I was getting hungry. 2 kilometers from Muthathi, the path ends, breaking left and right. The path from the right is the one coming from Sathnur to Muthathi, and the path on the left goes to Muthathi. At around 1.30pm, I reached Muthathi, with the dog trailing, both of us tired and weary.

Muthathi is a small tourist spot, and there were many families picnicking. They bring all the provision, cook up in the banks of Cauvery, and have food, fun and leave. And while leaving, they leave all the plastic and shit behind, to pollute the place. Muthathi was heavily polluted, and if proper action is not taken, the place will perish. Today, it almost appears as a garbage dump yard. As for me, and the dog, we reached up a shop, and I asked for some food. The woman there gave me a plate of rice and some channa sauce (kozhambu). The taste did not matter, and I consumed the food eagerly. I also packed up another plate for the dog to have somewhere else. Some bananas, a pack of biscuits and a bottle of soft drink were also packed up. After this, I started back for Sangam, at about 2.30pm. The plan was to trek back a few kilometers from Muthathi, and find a suitable place to lie down for the night, since trying to reach Sangam on the same day was beyond my capabilities. I had packed up some rice for the dog, but it vanished at Muthathi, looking for food from the picnickers. At around 4 kilometers from Muthathi, I found a good rocky place on the riverbank. There were big trees, and good shade. The path was running some 100 feet above this place. I lied down under the trees, and waited for the sun to disappear behind the opposite hill. There was not much water running on this side of the river. In the evening, I navigated through the rocky riverbed, to where there was running water, and had a good bath. The water was clear, and refreshing. The evening was very pleasant, and it is a very natural spot to be, as the sun was setting. In the middle of the riverbed, relaxing, with the hills high up on both sides, and the sun near setting, and not a single soul in view, this evening will be long cherished.

But this feeling was short lived, for the night was fast approaching, and my fears of a night alone here growing. I have spent nights in jungles before, but never alone. This is going to be my first night in the jungle alone. But I was as much thrilled, as I was frightened. I sat on a rock, for a long time, as the night set in, at around 6.30pm. Then, I collected up enough wood, for the night, and lit up a fire, under the trees and near the rocks. But, since I wasn't sure if elephants might come or might not come to that exact place where I'm camping, and if they came the place might not provide any shelter, I decided to get into a small cave like place between three big rocks. I lied down here, the rocks all around me, in an awkward position, with a small rock as pillow. ;-) Now the fear of snakes was big in my mind, and I kept switching on the torch and glancing around for any danger. I was lucky that I did this very often, for at around 8pm, as I switched on the torch, I just saw the tail of a snake vanishing under the rock I was resting my head on. Immediate reflex brought me out of the rocks. Staying in this cave any longer is now out of scope, so I started looking for a big tree to climb and stay. This thought also soon went away, as the thought of climbing up the tree and remaining there in an awkward position seemed very absurd. So, throwing up all worries, I decided to spend the night under the trees itself, with a fire. So, a fire was lit up, and I stayed awake all night. Every hour was counted, and I did keep switching on the torch to glance around to convince myself that the black figures looming all around me, after all, aren't animals staring at me. This night would be remembered for long, for all my survival instincts were kindled, and every small sound would bring me to full alert. Often, there would be a sound of some animal coming down the path, or treading on the dry twigs and leaves. I would immediately switch on the torch, or talk to myself loudly, or sing, to warn that I am present. I am of the opinion that wild animals will not attack a human being without any reason, or unless provoked or disturbed, or if caught by surprise. So the best thing to do would be not to surprise any animal. Throughout the night, I didn't see a single animal. As the night wore on, the wood I had collected for the fire had depleted, and I had to collect a few more dry wood with the torchlight. The torch was a searchlight, of Eveready make, with four batteries. It gave a very bright and focused beam, and I should mention here that it gave me good company, and was very useful. I couldn't but help thinking of soft beds, and chicken biryani back at Bangalore. By the wee hours of the next day, the batteries also weakened, and the light from the torch dimmed, so I was forced to use it minimally. At around 6AM, the light arrived slowly, and I immediately closed my eyes for some sleep, I slept for an hour or so, and when I woke up suddenly, it was 7AM, and very bright. What a night!

A very fresh bath was taken in the waters, and after changing clothes, packed up. The rice I had bought at Muthathi the previous day, for the dog, was stale by now, and leaving it to be consumed by the number of monkeys that had just arrived, I left the place hurriedly, for the monkeys were wild, and were not afraid of humans, and were already snarling at me very threateningly. Climbing up to the path, the day's trek began at around 8AM. The morning was very fresh, and lively. A large variety of bird life could be seen, at such an hour, and the possibility of encountering elephants was very real. I did a very slow walk, enjoying everything, as the birds sung and flew around, with a watchful eye for any animals. Soon, the sun was up, and it started becoming hotter. Unfortunately, I had only a packet of biscuits left, and a small can of bread spread. Somehow I had to manage with this stock, till Sangam. The trek was again slow, and harder than the previous day, for my legs were by now aching. The hills on the left side were very inviting, for they were high, and with open grasslands on the crest. I reached Galibore at around mid noon, and passing the camp, I decided to amuse myself and to put some life into the otherwise boring and tiring hot walk. I climbed up the hill slowly, for it was steep, and reached the crest, from where a great view of the opposite mountains, the Cauvery winding through the valleys could be had. The sight was amazing and breathtaking. The hill was full of razor sharp grass, and these kept biting into my soft trekking pants, and I had to pause every few steps to free up of the poking thorns. This exercise was still tiring, so, after descending, I found a good shady place on the river bank, and after having a lot of water, and a few biscuits, lied down. Here I slept for an hour or so, and by 3pm, started again. Sangam was 9km away, and I was aiming to reach Sangam by around 6pm, in an effort to catch up with the elephants that will cross the path during dusk, on their way towards Cauvery for water. With each passing kilometer, the legs were aching more and more, and the trek was slower and slower, resting at many places. A few kilometres before the Ashram, I heard human voices on the riverside, so decided to see what is going on. Here the path was farther away from the riverbank, and I had to maneuver thru bushes and scrub jungle to reach the river. All along, the path was strewn with elephant dung, and I had to negotiate and proceed very silently, and carefully. Reaching the riverside, I saw some men bathing a little distance away, so I decided to go up to them, and find out what they were doing there, in elephant country. Approaching them, I found that they were a bunch of Christian men from Bangalore, and were picnicking there, with permission. A little farther away, there was a wide expanse of grasslands, and shady trees. It was very real that elephants, for water, frequent this place. From here, I rejoined the trekking path, a little farther up from where I had left it sometime back. From here, the Ashram area starts. I was very tired by now, and my walk must've appeared very fatigued, for I was offered lifts by a jeep, and then a tractor. I, determined to do the whole distance by myself, refused them politely, even after being stressed, and continued trudging along wearily. The time was around 5pm, and the sun was not as hot as it was a few hours before. It was also time for the elephants to come, so utmost caution had to be taken. The elephants might've crossed recently, for I saw freshly broken branches and dung. Anyway, sadly no elephant was sighted, and at 5.30pm, reached Sangam. The bike was waiting there for me, and after having Coke to cool myself, started on the ride back to Bangalore. At Bangalore, after buying a supper of Parathas and Chicken curry, reached my room at around 8pm. After a sumptuous supper, I collapsed in the bed for a long and restful sleep. And that is the end of this piece of adventure.