This is a brief description of our adventurous journey into the Western Ghats.We started our trek from after getting permission from the forester.We were at the base at around 7:30am and took our first step into the gates which led us into our most traumatic trek. After a 5.5km trek in the Western Ghats, we reached the wonderland, the Arishinagundi Falls. Then we came back for a kilometer and took a deviation in the path which we thought would lead to our destination, Kodchadri, Followed by this was an eight hour long journey (up the hill). We really don’t know how many mountains we’ve crossed to reach Kodchadri, but it was the toughest path among all the trekking we’ve done so far. At around 3:00pm, we were almost exhausted of our energy and then we had the glimpse of Kodchadri. It was no sign of happiness because it seemed to be miles away and steeper. At around 4:30pm, we reached the top of the mountain that we were climbing and next to us was the mighty peak of Kodchadri. It was very sunny and hot and the mountain was again steep. We found a path which was down the hill and thought it would lead us somewhere to the base of Kodchadri and followed it. We were totally exhausted and all smiles were lost on our face. It was around 5:30pm and we still didn’t know that we were entering one of the thickest regions of Western Ghats and we were desperate to reach the top of it. Then it was the most frightful moment of our lives. We were walking along the path and suddenly I heard a sound and the very next second, stood a mighty Gaur (commonly known as Bison) 10feet in front of me. It attacked me and I jumped from the mountain and caught hold of a stump of a tree with my left hand. It then ran towards them (Pavan Y, Pavan Acharya and Vinod) and because they were together, it probably got scared and ran back. I climbed back with Pavan’s help and reached the path that we were walking. After walking in the same path for sometime, we realized that we were going away from our destination and by then, it was getting darker. We had no other option, but to move forward. We knew we were lost in the jungle. It was getting dark by that time.According to our plan, we had to spend that night in a lonely house at the top of Kodchadri and so we didn’t carry any food for that night.At around 5:45pm, it was much darker and our chances of survival were very less. We decided to stay there and cleared the dry leaves and twigs in that area. We only had a matchbox with us and no kerosene or any other fuel. With great difficulty, we lit few twigs and sat around it for rest of the night. We had no food, no water left with us. Many wild animals came near us but not close enough because of fire. For the next thirteen hours, we were sitting in around the fire and we were not sure of going back alive.We started to go back in the same route at 7:15am.At around 8:30am, we reached the place here Kodchadri was next to us but we were desperate to come back to Bangalore and came down the hill to the base in around 5hrs.We never reached Kodchadri, but were lost in the jungles of Western Ghats.It might sound fictious for some, but for us who were lost in the jungle, attacked by a beast, experienced all kinds of animals coming towards us at night, truth can’t be any lighter.For me, who stood 10ft in front of the mighty beast, it would definitely take time to recover from it and plan for our next trek to the ‘Western Ghats’.
Yours truly,
VINOD.R.M
Name : Vishwas.v
Age : 18
College: Dayananda Sagar
Course: Engineering (BT)
Name : Vinod.R.M.
Age : 19
College: Don Bosco
Course: Engineering (EC)
Name : Pavan Acharya
Age : 18
College: BMSCE
Course: Engineering (IT)
Name : Pavan.Y.
Age : 19
College: KSIT
Course: Engineering (Mech.)
