Maakuta is a small place which is not known to many people and getting permission here is quite a task.Getting here in monsoon is just out of question due to the army of leeches found in these dense junglesThis trek was organized by Yhai.We were about 9 people in total,we set out in the rajahamsa bus to Virajpet our interim destination before heading towards maakuta.We reached Virajpet at 4:30 am .All of us were sleepy .Some of us freshened up by brushing our teeth and going to the loo.We had tea and coffee as well in the only shop that was opened right in front of the bus-stand.We were also joined by a trek gang who later left towards tadiyandamol.
We took permission from the range officer and had breakfast.We all then had to wait for sometime before a jeep was arranged to move towards Maakuta.It is about 30 kms from virajpet and soon we had a ride to the hell.The road here is pathetic and would shake up all the bones we had in our body.By the time we arrived at the destination we were all covered in dust totally.
We had a quick wash and soon set out for our destination on day 1 which was about 6 kms.It was about 10:30 am when we started the trek.We had a decent tree cover and but one could defintely feel the heat when we met sunshine in between.Soon we met some people who were repairing a small bridge ,who were greatful enough to offer us food .We thanked them and moved forward.We reached the APC at about 12 pm and soon started our cooking .The guides here were really helpful.After a quick lunch we headed towards the hanging bridge one side of which is in karnataka and the other side is situated in kerala.It was quite humid when we started at around 1:30 after our lunch.Soon we reached the hanging bridge.Most of the people decided to take a plunge and relax in the Barampole river which flows below the hanging bridge.I was damn sleepy since i hadnt had a good sleep since we had reached Virajpet at 4:30 am in the morning.Soon we headed to the kerala side which is very little forest cover and most of it is cashew plantations.We helped ourselves to be some delicious ripe cashew fruits.We then headed to a village nearby where we had tea and coffee.After relaxing our muscles due to the steep climb we had just had ,we decided to head back this time crossing the barampole river at another location and once again head back to the forest
The forest here is quite dense and one cant even dream of coming in these jungles in the moonsoon season since the forest floor will be covered by leeches .We soon reached our APC -our base camp for the day
Some of them including me decided to head for a stream since i was just feeling very uneasy due to the humidity and the heat.Soon our team decided to head downstream and i found a cozy spot for myself a little upstream.I spent about one hour in the stream and boy was it relaxing.These are the moments i cherish where one can be with nature and listen to its silence ,it was a truly a heaven and i thank god that i have born in a heaven called "Karnataka"
We headed back to the APC a small distance away from the stream and soon we had coffee.Then cooking for dinner started and it was sambhar and rice.I must really thank my co-trekker Priyanka since she was the one who prepared the sambhar and it was just awesome :).Total distance trekked on day 1 is 13 kms
Remember there is no current in this APC,so after dinner we decided to sleep since we had got up early on that day.We decided to sleep outside ,but before we slept our guide prem added once more that elephants had been here at the APC,and even leapords ,tigers have been spotted near the APC.With the water hole pretty near the APC it was just at the back of my mind when i slept.At around 3 am it became very cold and i decided to sleep inside the room in the APC,the guides let me in to sleep and soon i was snoring away peacefully.The next day we decided to head early since the peak was a long distance away .We started the trek at 8am and after a decent start of 2 kms ,was when the actual ascent starts.Soon we started the climb.I had made sure that i was fully loaded with water -2 lts since there is no water untill 3 kms downhill from the peak at that is atleast 4-5 hours away.This climb to the peak is one of the toughest i have ever had in my short trekking career.The ascent never stops ,we did take enough breaks and finally at 12:45 pm we hit the peak,there is nothing much on the peak except that there is a watch tower ,one can see the beautful ranges all around.And it was only much later that i came to know that the steep climb that we had climbed was 10kms!!!!!
I hadnt worn a cap and the sun was just blazing away ,i decided to protect my head with my towel,which i think was a good decision.While climbing downhill we saw many elephant excreta and soon we hit a water stream.The guides didnt allow us to stop here and have lunch since they were wary of the elephants around.So we headed a little further around 2kms .Then it was time to relax ,i washed by face and poured water to the boiling body of mine which needed some rest.I had mtr ready to eat and soon we headed to our destination which was a coffee estate nearby.We finally reached the coffee estate at around 3pm.Total distance trekked on day 2 -18kms
A couple who lived there who were generous enough to allow us to rest while our guides went to the nearby village to arrange for vehicles to reach virajpet.So i will remember this trek to be special since this trek has exceeded all my expectation in terms of personal satisfaction of climbing the peak successfully fully loaded with a bag of 4kg :)
