KODCHADRI - 2

Before you read this, I ask you to read the first post as we did this trek because of our previous experience. This time however we knew the correct base camp.

At around 2pm on 18Th Jan, we decided to go on a trek to Kodchadri. Within 5 hrs. We did all the shopping and reached the city railway station at around 7:30 – 8:00 pm. luckily we got the tickets to Shimoga. The train was at 11:00 pm. So we went to ‘Pai’ near Anand Rao circle and our dinner.

After a sleepless night in the train, we reached Shimoga at 6’O clock in the morning. We caught a private bus to Sampigekatte which was a 4hr. journey and finally we reached Sampigekatte at 10:00am. We then hired a jeep till the base camp and started our trek. At first all of us were walking together but after a while, we halted to remove our full arm t-shirts which we wore during the train journey. God knows what was wrong with Acharya he never stopped. So virtually It was me and Nitin who did the trek together and Acharya did a solo! Lol

It was a very hot day. The temp was around 35’C and we started the trek without having our breakfast. We walked in that jeep way which we actually thought was the trekker’s path. Out of all the treks I’ve done so far, this was the easiest path but the toughest trek! This was the worst season to go for a trek in that path.

After trekking for two hours, we reached the grassland on the top which is the best thing about Kodchadri. This is the ‘Galipata’ spot. We were so delighted to see the grassland that we threw our bags and me n nitin had a photo session for half an hour! The wind speed was amazing. We thought we’d reached Kodchadri but it was still 2km. away. We met a biker who told us this. We were damn hungry, tired but started walking again. At around 3pm we reached Kodchadri.

We went to bhatt’s house and had our lunch. Then we relaxed for half an hour. At 5’O clock, we started our trek to the sunset point. We met a group of people from England who I guess came to attain salvation! Lol

The Sunset was superb and we thought of staying there but we’d left our bags at bhatt’s house, so had to come back. It was 6:30pm and was pitch dark. We collected few twigs to cook our dinner and some big ones for campfire and continued our night trek back to Kodchadri. One the way, I placed my foot in a place where landslide had occurred and fractured my leg. We reached there at around 7’O clock and cooked puliyogre and rice for dinner. For the first time in life, I helped someone in cooking. After dinner, we planned to put the campfire and sleep around it but it was very windy and our sleeping mats were flying. It was impossible to sleep there and we went to bhatt’s house and slept inside. Next day morning, we got up at 7’O clock, drank milk and started trekking down in the trekker’s path, not in the jeep way. For me, walking with a fractured leg was almost impossible but I’d no other option but to trek down. We started trekking down the mountain and again took the wrong route. We crossed two mountains and we reached an end point. All the dried up streams looked like paths and we gambled with it. Thankfully after walking continuously for hours, we reached a house in the forest. From there, we went to Hitlumane falls and met some locals. Nitin and Acharya played in the falls I’d to only watch as my leg took its toll. I couldn’t walk. The locals told us a different route and after resting for 1 hour, we started trekking in the path they told us. Again we took the wrong path and we were climbing the mountain which was inclined at almost 85 degrees. We couldn’t come back as it is not possible to trek down such a steep mountain, you can only climb up such mountains. We didn’t know what to do and we shouted and gave signals to the locals whom we couldn’t see but we knew they were somewhere close by. To our surprise, we got the signal from them and went in the direction of the voice and found them. They showed us the route and after a 7km. trek from there, we reached nittur at around 3’0 clock. My leg was paining like hell and I couldn’t walk. We went to a hotel and had our food. We took a bus to Shimoga and reached there by 9’O clock, had our dinner and took a bus to Bangalore. We reached here by 5’O clock in the morning.

This was our second trek to Kodchadri but we missed the way again. However this was far better than the first and I’m sure you will agree with me if you have read the first experience.
If we had not met those locals in the forest, I wouldn’t have written this story. Thanks to those tribals who saved us.

As I said in the beginning, among all the treks I’ve done so far, this was the easiest path but the toughest trek.



- Vishwas. V




Name: Vishwas. V
College: DSCE (BT)
Age: 19

Name: Nitin. G
College: BNMIT (EC)
Age: 19

Name: Pavan Acharya
College: BMSCE (IT)
Age: 18