A Trek in Charmadi Ghats

One Saturday early morning, we woke up to an idea of trekking in Charmadi, the priced possession of the Western Ghats. Our plan was to climb up to the nearest peak. We reached the base of the hill, and hereon had to walk up to start our trek. The trek begins on a seasonal dirt track meant for jeeps, which had become unusable due to the heavy monsoons during our visit. The driver instinct in me only forced me wish that, some day, we could do this route on a vehicle.

Charmadi Ghats

Curvy Roads of Charmadi Ghats

 Twenty minutes into the trek, we realized our jackets which meant to protect us from rain, were not of much use, as the chances of rainfall at that time were meager, and it only made us uncomfortable wearing one. We removed our weather gears and walked further, through tall green trees, bird songs and millipedes crossing our way.  After a while of nature trek, we reached a small human habitation, with few houses and even fewer people. The home was situated amidst tall green trees and we were welcomed by the owner of the house, an old man and his wife. While we walked in, a group of young boys just walked out, to start their trek. The elderly person very kindly offered us water so we could quench our thirst .Water never tasted this good, by the way!

Lucky Home

The Happy Family and the Little one 

 While we shared our interests to visit a certain peak and requested for a guide, we were told to join the group of boys who had just left, as they were already being guided by a person, who fairly knew the terrain. He then showed us directions to the trek route and also cautioned us about rain any moment in the woods, which could continue for days. We also inquired about the movement of elephants there and the reply assured their presence deep inside the forests and that there were no immediate signs of threat of any kind from them. The atmosphere there was cool and humid.  It was greenery all around. We wished to remain there all through the day, even before starting the trek! We rested for sometime and put our feet down to start the trek. We also had to catch up with the guide along. We temporarily bade good bye to the lovely family and moved on with a lot of vigor and excitement.

Initial Trek Route

Grazing Cattle

Trek Company

Tall Green Trees

Rock on Edge

Trekking along the directed route, we walked past a cattle group who were busy grazing and looked equally excited as us! Not quite far away, we spotted the group of boys and picked up pace, so we wouldn’t miss the route. The vegetation was quite dense as we walked along, at a few places. Very soon, we were at a high altitude and looking down, we had a beautiful view of the curvy roads of Charmadi, which disappeared often due to the moving clouds. After a few clicks, we went further and reached a lone rock standing at the edge, in the background of the charming Charmadi, though not sure of the name it carries. The view from here was fascinating and hard to miss. As we moved further, we were accompanied by two cute puppies having anklets around their necks. Wagging their tails and sniffing us, they refused to let go, until their owner forced them his way. A boy from the group got lucky while he spotted a snake, though it was too late for the rest of us.

Slippery Path

Germinating Seeds

Underside of The Purple Leaf

We were stuck at a junction as nobody was sure about the route from here, and since the person serving as our guide was not very well versed with the terrain, neither did he, nor us wanted to risk it, going too far and inside. As we had come a long way, we rested for sometime and started our trek back to the starting point. We reached the house and thanked the family for their support. We made friends with a little cute girl and enjoyed conversing with her. The family exchanged a few words with us and told us about how their timely guests, the elephants, entered their fields and created havoc after drinking the locally prepared liquor! With all smiles, they told us to come back again. We were touched by their kind gesture and just as we were leaving, the girl’s mother brought us a plate of freshly cooked ‘Anabe’ (Kannada word for mushroom) fried with onions and turmeric. Mushrooms thrive here during monsoons and are widely available. The art of picking the edible ones though, is attributed only to the experiences hands.  We enjoyed it to the last bit and bade the final good bye. We had to walk back to our vehicle and while driving back, had a few clicks of the beautiful Charmadi. A lot more waits to be explored during our next visit to the Charmadi.

Charmadi surely has an inherent quality to it that makes it so magical and enchanting.