A Nomad With Compass

Hello Everyone, Welcome to another blog post. In this post we would be trekking to one of the most adventurous, exciting and popular treks in South India - The Brahmagiri. Its about 12 km (round trip) and is pretty exhausting, as the entire terrain is 45 degree .

Note : In this blog post, I have tried using present tense, might sound completely different, but I thought of giving it a go. Please do let me know by commenting, your valuable inputs.

Reaching Brahmagiri 

I am starting my trip from Bangalore, its approximately ~ 280 kms from here and will reach Brahmagiri overnight. I always prefer trekking in groups, So I have joined an activity from Thrillophilia . I would link all the active trekking groups at the bottom, once we are back from trekking.

Packing for the Trek

So comes the most difficult part as always, what all should we pack, how much should we pack, will that be enough etc. I would recommend to take a breathe now, and follow along. So as it's a monsoon season now here in India, there would be leeches everywhere during the trek and I don't want to loose litres of blood, thus I am taking

1. A good backpack - Should be large enough to carry two days of clothing. I prefer Wildcrafts backpacks, would link them below, in case you don't have any backpack.
2. Full Sleeves Clothes - Would Help avoiding leeches.
3. A water bottle - This is must, as dehydration happens very quickly as you move up the altitude.
4. Trekking or Army Boot shoes - Gives a good grip and helps prevent leeches too.
5. RainCoat - It rains heavily in brahmagiri during monsoon, would help a lot.
6. A Torch
7. Some Snacks & Chocolates
8. Salt or BackPain Sprays (Move, Volini or anyting) - Would help a lot in avoiding leeches.
9. Mobile Charger,  Ear Phones & Power bank

I guess this is it, I have packed my stuff and I am ready to hit the road. Remember, don't put too much and make your backpack heavy as it might happen you might have to carry it all along the trek.

Reached Brahmagiri

I have reached brahmagiri early morning around 6 AM, took some 4/5 coffees waiting for everyone to come. There you are!! now everyone has arrived, let us hit the trek. I am amazed by the lush greenery and waterfalls along the trek.  I thought for a moment, I can easily complete this trek, until guide informed "From here trek would start". I can see lots of leeches from the starting point itself,let us see how it goes.

One Hour into the Trek

So I have been trekking for an hour now, and as I figured out you just can't sit anywhere throughout the trek as there are leeches everywhere. Also, you can't take long breaks and stand at a place for long as leeches are ready to attack you. I am finding this salt pretty useful though, as when I see any leech trying to cling to my shoes or trousers, I am just putting salt onto them and they immediately go away. There were some small yet beautiful waterfalls along the path till now, which is actually making this trek a little bit less difficult. A small photo session and I am again on way to reach the top

Finally at the top

After grilling & tiring journey of around 150 minutes, guys we have reached the top. The view is just mesmerising, vast landscape, lush greenery all over, mist and cool breeze. I guess all the effort to reach at the top is fulfilled after seeing this nature beauty. Also I realised, once you enter bright sunlight, leeches are gone like a wind.

Journey to the base 

After enjoying the scenery, a little photo session and small lunch we are again ready to trek back to the base. Downward journey seems little less tiring and chances of leech attacks are also less, as you are moving at faster speed and along with gravity.

Surprise Visit to Irrupu Waterfall

On the way towards the base, there is this amazing, mesmerising and large waterfall. The scenes here have definitely forced me to respect the mother nature even more. I am spending some more time here before ending my trek.

Reached Base

So after tiring 4-5 hours of trek, we have reached base. And I really enjoyed this trek, hope you enjoyed too.

Some Precautions 

• This trek is mostly along the forest route, thus it might happen you may encounter some wild animals.
• Its always better to go with a guide or someone who knows the trek well, as there are some points where you might get confused where to go.
• Whatsoever you try, but during monsoon its difficult to get away with any leech bite. 
• If you see a leech over your body, don't panic. If you have salt do use it, leech will go away in seconds. Else, you can use some wooden stick to remove it.
• After the bite, just clean the area with soap water and don't apply any fancy creams or banded. Just cover that area with some normal paper and it will automatically be perfectly fine after sometime.
• Avoid touching plants and bushes, as they are the ones which are most vulnerable for leech attacks.

Hope you enjoy trekking with me, till then "Eat well, Peace out and enjoy the adventure"

Do follow my adventures at Instagram