Unravelling the beauty of Kudremukh
My journey to finding my daring self amongst the verdant mountains...
In Kannada, Kudremukha translates to horse face. This hill resembles the front of a horse. The peak of this mountain range is Chikmagalur. The mountain range extends to a larger area that hosts several activities like trekking and cycling. It is the second-highest peak in Karnataka. The best time to visit this place is at the end of the rainy season, August and September. Cycle, bike, and car are some modes of transport to reach this place.
Fun Facts about Kudremukh :
🔸 Three rivers, Tunga, Bhadra, and Nethravathi, originate here.
🔸 It has the largest population of lion-tailed macaques in the Western Ghats.
🔸 Kudremukh coal mines were once one of the largest coal mines in the world. It was closed in 2006 due to the adverse impact on flora and fauna of the region.
I got an opportunity to travel and explore Kudremukh through a bicycle expedition program called Adventurer during my second year of engineering at Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal. After a lot of pestering, I got permission from my parents and subsequently started my training.
We practiced during heavy monsoon at 5 am with hardly any visibility and light before our morning classes started. We climbed the slopes around Manipal, increasing the intensity each week. The braking techniques helped us to use the bicycle and cycle off-road effectively. We ensured that we were self-sufficient, even if we were travelling solo. We also attended professional workshops on conservation ecology, first-aid, CPR, snake bites, bird watching, fixing punctures and repairing bicycles. We used to take more extensive trips on Sundays, starting from 15km, then gradually increasing it to 30km, 50km, 100km (Agumbe Ghat in the Western Ghats), and then the final 240km Kudremukh trip. Gradually our strength, willpower, knowledge, and confidence increased after achieving the small wins of Sunday treks.
We battled thunderstorms, sunburn, thirst, hunger, leech bites, self-doubt, gruelling climbs, bad roads, and worse tea. But in the end, no force was strong enough to stop us. We were finally successful in our mission. This journey has had a significant impact on me and changed me completely as a person. I would recommend everyone to take up such a journey once in their lifetime. It is never too late!!
