If you love water streams, mountains around it, non-stop bird noises and clean air with beautiful sceneries of western ghat section, then the answer should be Sakaleshpur – Yedakumeri – Subramanya railway trek. One final day when Indian Railways decided that time had come to change Bangalore-Mangalore railway line from Meter gauge to broad gauge, a whole new kind of trek was born, exciting enough to tempt anyone who is interested in escaping himself out of busy normal life.
This trek was safe, as you won’t get lost until you go into imaginary track of you own. However final after nearly 8-10 years after completion of change of meter gauge into broad gauge, railways have started trains at night. Few goods train too is operating bringing a near end to one of the most exiting treks in western ghats.
Route:
Common Point: Hassan --> Sakaleshpur Donigal (If you have a drop)
My (mis)adventure:
It was in engineering when one of my friends called me that there was a trekking and we will go. Knowing nothing about trekking I took just a bed sheet hoping that we will sleep in some building. We started in the morning from Sakaleshpur and started walking towards Managlore, Sakaleshpur is the place where plain lands will end and Western Ghats will start. After a few kilometers I felt why the hell I came here just to walk on a railway track, and after that we came across a bridge. I was walking across Railway Bridge without steel plates in center for the first time, every step had to be put carefully and each of staring down. As we crossed that bridge, one of our senior smiled at me and said “This is the first one”
Then after some time, it was when the series of tunnels followed by bridges stared following, with non-stop water streams falling on either sides it was just what you expect in Western Ghats. Tunnels were as long as 300 meters, in some places it was completely dark, we were unable to see the other side. And every bridge had a stream below it.
Instance 1: It was on the highest bridge, we were crossing the bridge very slowly when someone did something and we were surrounded by bees, suddenly I thought my day had come, and started remembering everyone I knew for last time, suddenly someone shouted us to lie down. I just covered my face and got down till the bees went away.
Instance 2: We got up after the bees went off. We were standing in center of bridge and we saw a tata sumo coming from a tunnel. The tires were fitted with railway ones and we didn’t have any place to go. Finally it too stopped and we had to cross the long bridge thanking god for giving us another life.
Me standing after I managed to cross the bridge. It was more than 100 meters deep.
Instance 3: We reached Yedakumeri, the railway station was empty as trains were stopped, then we realized we had not brought anything for the night. Night was so cold we had to get up and sit in fire. My teeth were making so much of noise that my friend was saying we wont survive till morning.
Finally when sun did arise we packed everything and left towards Mangalore-Bangalore highway, we came across a big beautiful stream, where we had our breakfast and we finally reached highway alive.
The railway stretch is so beautiful that in entrance of many tunnels you have water falling from top, it is like going into a waterfall itself.
Difficulty Level: Medium, but now risky as trains have started functioning.
+s: No chances of missing out, beautiful and mind blowing landscapes, awesome water streams, must go for everyone if not by trek atleast by train.
-s: Trains have started again, so few minimal chances of trekking it again.
Dos: Take necessary details of train schedule, torch and water bottles. Take a map and printouts of travelogue available in internet.
Don’ts: Try stunts on the bridge, near streams, inside tunnels
Cheers,
Sharu
hey this is really an awesome trek :-)
ReplyDelete