After so many weeks of planning and thinking, all of which were drained out due to some problem or the other, finally the day came on which we took a firm decision that next week end we should go somewhere!!!!! Then came the problem of selecting the place!!! Thinking that since it is a rainy season, none of the places in Western Ghats are safe with respect to leaches, we wanted a comparatively safer one.so decided on the Green Route, a railway track trek from Sakaleshpur to Subramnya. This railway track has been abandoned due to the gauge conversion almost four years back. This route is famous for its rich, thick green forest through which this track moves and also a number of bridges at dizzy heights and a lot of long, dark, stinky tunnels. But none of us had the exact picture of the details like, the level of difficulty, the distance etc. So we hurriedly did a survey through the internet only to find too many confusing data.every site in which this route was mentioned, had different distance details.Finally we thought we will explore the truth ourselves!!

First we thought we will go by bike to Sakaleshpura on Saturday morning and then trek from Sakaleshpura to a place (hope u can call this a place!) called Yedakumeri and halt there. Then on Sunday retrace the path to Sakaleshpura and back to Bangalore by bike by Sunday night.but we never new how risky and difficult was this decision.So we started dreaming about the coming week ends trek.

After few inclusions and exclusions, we became a group of sevenme, Deepak, Sujith, Prashanth, G.S.Krishnamurthy(G.S.K.), Vikram, and Phani. But G.S.K. told that instead of going by bike, if you go by bus then you have two advantages1) you need not retrace the path on the second day and instead you can trek further upto Subramanya and have the Lords Darshan. And 2) you can spend more time with the nature rather spending more time on the bike..Brilliantwe thoughtso just the day before starting, i.e., on Thursday we booked our onward tickets to Sakaleshpura by the one and only K.S.R.T.Csuper deluxe.

Finally the D day came and we just thought we wont make any other arrangements except for the foodrest we will face as the situation demandskoolwhat a brave decision indeed.we bought some bakery stuffs like buns, bread, biscuits, chocolates and last but not the least, the famous MTR ready to eat chapathisalmost sufficient for all the 7 for 2 days and boarded the bus at 11 pm. On 4th july, Friday

After the bus left Hasan at around 3 am, it started raining which continued even after we reached Sakaleshpura.by 4 am. The bus dropped us at the bus stand into which we rushed to take shelter from the rain.without thinking that the next two days we should be trekking in the rain.!! Slowly every one finished their morning routines (no elaborationcensored!), had some cold idlis and cockroach filled tea!!! In the bus stand canteen called Surabhiwow what a name!!! Then just before leaving the bus stand, though warned by the websites, we thought we will try our luck and asked the Shetty in Shetty General Storeshow much distance is it from Sakaleshpura to Yedakumeri!! madnesshe said may around half a kilometer wow what an answer.being the local people, this is the way they misguide travelers.!!!!! At that time we found another team of eight people looked like from North India at the bus stand.so we were a bit jealous that we have to share our Mother Nature with some body else also.!!!!!!

So finally our expedition started at 6:15 am from the Sakaleshpura Railway Station.and it was still raining!!! The morning breakfast, the freshness and the initial josh everything added together and we all trekked in a good pace..!!!! We enjoyed a lot of beautiful trees, coffee estates, single houses in between those estates, birds, plants, flowers etc.every thing wet from top to bottom due to continuous downpour.as if the whole sky has been punctured.!!! But we all were prepared in the mind expecting such rainso it did not put any breaks for our enthu.Since the trek was on the railway track, it is obvious that we have to walk on the stones that are put to support the track.but we in our enthu, did not notice the amount of strain it will bring!!!

The first break for our enthu came in the form of a bridge.!!!! We knew we have to cross a lot of bridges and tunnels but never expected a bridge like that!!! Almost at a height of 200-300 mts, with small stream of water flowing under itif I say just this you may not feel the real fright of this.waitlet me explain.the bridge has just the track and the wooden reapers to hold the trackthats allno more support for the persons on itno side walls, and in order to keep your foot on the reaper, you have to look down and when you see the depth through 2 reapers, you feel giddinessit was real madness Crossing that bridge that too in rain!!! Somehow after we crossed that bridge, we took our first break to have some bun and chocolates.just to release the tension in our mindThen we prepared ourselves mentally to cross such bridgeswhich we knew we have to do at any cost!!!

We had to cross a total of 3 bridges before we reached a place called Donigal, just 7kms away from Sakaleshpurawhere there is a non functioning railway station and few housesand there are people in some houses alsowhom we asked how long is it to Yedakumeri15.17.20 kmthese were the answers we get if you ask any locals thereno one knows it perfectlyany way whatever was the distance we were destined and determined to reach Yedakumeri at any cost!!! Here in this station there was a strange boardwhich stated Trekking in Western Ghats without permission is strictly prohibited and the non observers will be prosecuted I dont know who those non observers are?? Whether the one who trek without permission or the one who doesnt observe the board!!!!! Any way we did not have the permission so we thought since we have observed the board, its not for usand proceeded further..!!!!! At Donigal we all equipped ourselves with a stick each just for support

On the way, we found so many floraof different colors, leaves, flowers etcbut we also had some other life forms as our companions like crabs, snakes, mongooses, frogs (of different colors..), snails(with and without shells) etcthrough out the pathThrough out our way, we found many houses here and there very far from each other but amidst the realms of the Mother Nature.making us to feel jealous about the people living there.Every time, we found a house like that, we used to compare our lives in Bangalore with theirs..Also we found so many workers who work either for the railways or for some farmsand every one gave a different figure of the distance we needed to cover!!

By afternoon, around 12:00, we reached a bridge, at which the rain had stopped and we decided we will have our lunch of chapathis thereso every one ate the MTR chapathis with jam and sauce, had some refreshing water, and again started our march.at that time we found tow people who were in brown uniform and looked like some railway employees who told us that still we need to cover around 10 more km to reach Yedakumeri and they also told that its around 25 km from Yedakumeri to Subramanya(which we found was the only accurate info that we got that day!!) and the thought of having to travel 10 more kms to reach Yedakumeri, took out the enthu in us as we had traveled a lot till that time and we thought by any time now we would be reaching the place!! Any way we continued!! The rest of the trek was very exciting as we encountered more bridges and tunnelswe still have the dizzy bridges and the pitch dark tunnels in our mind especially the bridge number 21, 23, and 26 and the 13th tunnel.were too long and scaryThe tunnels .!! Uff they were completely pitch dark and u cant even make out your own parts of the bodyand it is full of bats and bats shit.so it is totally stinky.and as we walked in each tunnel, the bats used to make funny sounds and used to fly here and there as if they were asking us why we were disturbing their sleeps? But any way we had no other choice but to go through those tunnels!!!!!!

On the way we had the glimpse of the nature at its best.complete range of the Western Ghats Mountains covered in clouds!! Magnificent view of the brown muddy river called Kempu Nadiit was really gushing through the rocks like a mad horse jumping randomly in the narrow streets!!! Every one got a thought of Brown Water River Rafting!!! after seeing the force of the riverWe also saw so many water falls in the adjacent mountains but at a far off distance.

We walked, walked and walked.only to find the time is running and we are crossing only the bridges and tunnels one after the other but no sign of Yedakumeriand even it started raining more heavily.and due to clouds, it became a bit dark alsobridges became slipperyvery difficult to walkbut some how we managed to cross each bridge with difficultyOne of our team mate slipped a bit and fell on the bridge itself!!! Thank God, he did not fell off the bridge.!! That incident added more desperation in many of our team mates.At one place in the far off sight, we felt we were seeing an yellow board or a house like thing.so by gathering all our strength and courage we rushed to it only to find nothing.so we thought the mirages are not the property of only deserts but also of thick rainy forests!!

We were all exhausted, tired, with all our feet burning due to continuous walking on the gravelsand due to all these our pace had reduced drastically.but the time was ticking awaywe needed to reach Yedakumeri before it gets completely dark otherwise we would be in danger of crossing those bridges and tunnels in the darkwhich was unimaginable for us..!!! And adding fuel to fire, we were greeted by many leeches which started to enjoy our warm blood mercilessly Some how by around 5:45 or 6, Deepak who was ahead of all lifted his hand and yelled out we made it we made it You cant imagine the joy, ecstasy, happiness, in each of our face every one started yelling yeh! We made it We had crossed by this time, 30 bridges and 17 tunnels.!!

We hurriedly rushed to the station shouting for some human response.only to find one more group of nine people from Mysore.they told us that there is none other than their group, ours and the one from north IndiaNo one else was there to help usso the whole railway station is ours.!! We saw that the Mysore group and the north India group had settled themselves in one of the abandoned old house in that stationso we also settled as quickly as possible in a so called house.the house which has only the main doorall other doors including the window doors had been broken

Prashanth found a broom stick from somewhere and cleaned the floor and made a place to put our entire luggage which had become heavy for us though small in size because of rain and tirednessthen slowly we replaced all our wet clothing with somewhat dry ones (Though packed in separate plastic covers, everything had become wet and cold). I was bit by a leech and my socks was completely red and wet.I just threw it there itself.Lit some candles.Then we found that there were a few wooden logs in the house where we stayedso tried to chop some wood to make a camp fire!! But in vain nothing was burning in that damp and wet conditionsand we were never prepared for such a night.!!! Thanks to the Mysore people that they gave us some kerosene with which we could burn at least some old cloth and paper that we found and could make a fire for some timeso that the room gets warmthand once all the small pieces of wood was over, we thought lets have some thing to eat and then sleepwe all ate buns, dates, mangoes and went to sleep.guess on what!! On our own towels.!!!!!! We had nothing to protect us from that damp and wet floorjust spread our towels and slept on that.!! Though every one initially slept for some time due to the tirednessevery one started to shivering due to the coldness to worsen the effect it started to rain again that too with heavy winds so hurriedly searched and found some empty cement bags and binding wires with which we covered the windows thoroughly and a carton box which we kept as a protective layer between us and the wet wallsBut some how me and Deepak did not get the sleepso we thought we had some more kerosene left and some how we will light the camp fire againat 11:30 pm.!!

Lo!!! The idea worked, I could peal off the outer skin of the big logs which Deepak used in a very stingy manner to generate the fireand slowly it started to get warmer.slowly one by one came and got themselves warmedbut me and Deepak continued till we finished all the kerosene and the wood skinthen we again went to sleep and u know what the time it would be!!!! 2:30 am!!! We never realized the time passage in that rainy cold night in front of the fire.!! Then we forced ourselves into the realms of the Sleep Goddess!! Morning we got ready by 6:00 am, by wearing the same wet clothes of the previous day.!!! (Just thought why to wet the dry clothes, which we need during our back journey to Bangalore)

Now we got the company of eight more people from north India who were as unaware as we were about the remaining route and its distancebut we were a level above them in terms of spiritsthe previous days trek had drained out their energy completely We helped them in the tunnels with our torches as they had none!! Also they were a bit frightened due to unsure information we had about our journey from railway track to the road. Usually people go for trek from Sakaleshpura or Donigal to Yedakumeri and from there they reach the High way and return back to their place. Even we would have done this if we could find Joseph in Yedakumeri.he is a railway employee (Im not sure whether he is the station master or not) who usually stays there at Yedakumeri and helps the trekkers through the jungles to reach road from Yedakumeribut (un?)fortunately he was not there when we wentso we decided to test our luck by continuing on the track.

Now the situation was still more difficultentire path was wet and slippery due to continuous overnight rains So as for as possible we tried the bypasses for the bridges which are less dangerous but more beautiful.you can see a lot of beautiful waterfalls if you take the bypasses instead of bridges.Thus the second days trek was more beautiful and more natural because of less human movements for trekking.but we were still accompanied by leeches which we didnt care muchwe thought at least for some time let us generously donate our blood! Even we were greeted by a loud shout from an elephant very near bybut unfortunately we couldnt see it

We kept on moving, covering bridges after bridges and tunnels after tunnelsenjoying the Glory and Fury of Mother Nature.but all the time our ears were active to hear any vehicular movements soundsmany times we could hear bus or lorrys sounds and when we tried to trace the road, we used to end up seeing it at the far end of the river.!! After some time, we found a local hero (or God for us at that moment) you can saywhom we asked about our hopes of getting the roadhe said we may have to trek around a distance of 8 to 10 kms morewe will find a side path which will lead us to the road. But due to our previous experiences with the locals telling us the wrong distances, we thought we cant just bank on this guys informationso we asked him how more tunnels we have to cross? After a few counts in his mind, he said we have to cross some 8 tunnels and after the 8th tunnel which is very big, we have to take a right turn in the side path into the jungle which will lead us to the roadAh..! A sigh of relief in every ones facewe thanked him and started counting the tunnelseagerly waiting for the 8th one

As we crossed each tunnel, our hopes were getting brighter and in the mean time we finished our breakfast or lunch whatever you call.near a beautiful, small waterfall and proceeded in search of the eighth tunnel with full of energywhich was drained out of most of us when we crossed the 8th tunnel which was very small in contrast to that mans statement and we also found no side path to the right.!! We thought we have gone back to the square one! But what else can we do except keep moving gathering all the left over energy! At some places we found many side paths some times before the tunnels and sometimes after the tunnels but they led us no where except the thick jungleand a halt But at once we came across a sufficiently large tunnel which was measuring 463 mts and may be some 10th or 12th one after we met that guy When we crossed it, we found to our pleasure a side path indeedso I and Deepak asked every one to be there and we went to explore the possibilities of that path leading us to the road.By this time we had crossed a total of 35 tunnels and were about to cross 64th bridge!! We had covered a distance of 12.5 kms from Yedakumeri.So we bid farewell (with a sort of unexplainable feelings!) to the railway track which was our silent companion for the entire one and half day

As we explored the path, it took us down the hill and it seemed not end at allso just climbing a bit I shouted at my full voice to all those who were waiting above and asked them to come downDeepak continued in that path and I waited till every one cameit was funI was alone at that place, completely surrounded by thick jungle, just a path in the middle, complete silence except the sound of the heavy downpour on the treesafter some time, I started shouting for all the other people just to guide themand finally every one made to that point one by oneand I asked every one to proceed and me and Prashanth accompanied a bit tired G.S.K. There also we could see so many beautiful flowers and plants and snakes!! And we met Deepak who was waiting for us at some place down and when we were just taking a small break for refreshing ourselves, we found a man with dhoti and chappals approaching uswe asked him how far is the road from that place. We never expected an answer like that.! He said he has come for us! We were astonished.then he said one of our team member had stopped their jeep and requested them to take us to Subramanya and they had obliged. That guy said his name was Baby! And his companion who drove the jeep was Nagarajthey appeared like Gods at that time to usIt seems they had come to a temple in the jungle for a marriage! For whatever reason they had come, we were just overwhelmed by seeing the Jeep! The 8 northies decided to catch whatever bus they get and return to Bangalore then and thereso Nagaraj asked us to wait and he dropped those eight people to the nearest bus stopand finally we said bye to the great jungle and started off to Subramanya in the jeep on the Bangalore Subramanya Raodrecollecting our journey with the beauty and the beast, the jungle and the track.

At around 1:30 or 2:00 p.m., we came to Subramanya and booked 2 rooms at Kartikeya lodge and I and Prashanth immediately went and booked the tickets for our return journey to Bangalore. Every one freshened up themselves by brushing their teeth (which we had not done in the second day morning!) and a pleasant and refreshing cold water bath.Deepak and G.S.K. were bit by leeches at 2 / 3 places. By around 4:30 we left the lodge, bought new pair of slippers as our feet were not at all in a condition to wear the shoes againevery where boils and blisters due to wet socks and walking on the stones.We were in desperate need of some hot and fresh food We went to a hotel near by and hogged like madonce the God of Hungry was satisfied, the Lord Subramanya came to our mind!! We all went for the Lords Darshansaw the temple completelyThanked the Lord for making our trek successful, took the Lords Blessings and then sat and took rest for some time in the templeat 7:30, every evening food will be served to the devoteesso we also filled ourselves with the Lords Prasadam and came back to the lodge

We had the bus at 10:30 and we had lot of time left. We packed all our belongings properly. We left all our thrash which we had collected all along our journey like chocolate covers, empty plastic covers, jam and sauce bottles, all wet socks etc in the lodges dust bin!!!Prashanth, G.S.K and Sujith decided to have a napwhen me, Deepak, Vicky and Phani had a chatting session.! At around 10:00, every one got ready.went to the bus stand, dumped our luggage, then went to another hotel to have butter milkwah ! that was fantastic experience, of having a cold butter milk with chilly and pepper, in the cold night!! Every one went for a second round, and as we were about to finish it, the conductor came rushing in search of us telling its time up.! So we all boarded the bus and dropped ourselves on the seats.the last row seats of course chatted for some time, till our battery was on, then every one went to his own world of sleep with a thought of next days routine at Bangalore.