PEECHI CHIMMINI TREK
The group consisted 39 members including two guides, Thankappan and Kunjan. Thankappan is a native of near Athirapilly and Kunjan from near Peechi.
The assorted group from all parts of Kerala reached Jandamukku which was our base camp on the 26th evening. Jandamukku is so called as there is a Janda which is a stone marker about 3 feet in height used for demarcation purposes in the forests.The base camp was along one of the streams draining into the nearby Peechi reservoir. Dinner was transported from a nearby hotel. By the time dinner was over the campfire was blazing. Then the mandatory self introduction in which each of the participants spoke briefly about himself, interests etc. The youngest was Master Srinath from Thrissur, all of 11 years who was accompanying his
father and who was on his first trek. There were a couple of participants above 55 years of age who have been regulars. From the discussions it was apparent that word of the organization had spread more by way of mouth than any advertising. A person who had come on a trek this time would speak to a few others some of whom would join in on the next trek. Kodungallore topped the list as a home town amongst the trekkers, followed by Aluva and then Thrissur.
The reasons for having come on the trek ranged from
- for a whole lot of the seniors Mr’s Gopinathan, Varma, Haridas,Pramod,Rajeev,Shaji,Sivan, Sadashivan,Ashok etc it has become something like a habit. There is hardly a trek that they miss, which they have been doing consistently for very many years now. One could say “the call of the wild”.
- For some of the newcomers a trek is something exotic which could be talked about on return
- For some it is a relief from the same daily grind
- There were people with various hobbies- medicinal plants,photography,birdwatching,snakes to name a few for whom there was this added benefit from the trek. There were also HAM operators from amongst us who kept us in touch with the outside world.
- Most importantly a trek takes us into the lap of nature which is a very humbling experience. Our egos just crumble and we realize how small we really are when we look up into a star studded clear sky lying on the rocky slopes for a bed, or when we see a huge tree about 40-60 metres in height as also standing at a foothill of a mountain peak where time really seems to stand still. Our senses all five if not six slowly attune to the forests where it is not only sight but also the different sounds of the forest, the feel of the stiff breeze on your skin, the smell of the forest all of which contribute to the whole.
- Treks also help to build up a sense of teamwork which is very important for most professions. It also brought us into contact with an array of people from different backgrounds, different views, different tastes but with common love of the forests.
Office bearers Pramod and Haridas briefed us about what trekking actually means. The importance of silence in the jungle, too always keep in view ones partner both in front and behind, and most importantly not to litter the forest with plastic or any other non perishable waste. This has been the rule with SSK and their efforts have been much lauded by the concerned authorities in the Forest Department for this.
As also as is the norm a group leader was decided upon and it was Prashant for the duration of this trek. Prashant divided the group into 4 lots with a group leader in each- Rajeev, Harish, Sivan and Shaji were the four group leaders responsible towards individuals in their respective group.
The camp fire blazed late into the night with low key discussion on. It was cold and windy and very uncomfortable sleeping away from the warmth of the fire. Luckily for the animals in the forest around there was no singing session this time around. The cold was more than compensated for by the heavenly spectacle above. What we city dwellers hardly ever get to see, millions and millions of stars twinkling away in a clear sky above us as a roof. When constantly looking up into the dark sky we actually feel as if we are floating in space.
27th Dec 08- The morning of the 27th we were ready by 7 am but it was about 8:30 am by the time we started after breakfast. Separate lunch packets were distributed among all the trekkers. The trek on the first day was through the core area of the Peechi sanctuary. This part of the sanctuary has mostly evergreen trees. Teak,Sal,Ebony, Mahogany with plenty of undergrowth. We followed the “fire-line”through the forest. A fire line is a man made clearing of leaves and undergrowth to prevent spread in case of a forest fire.This is routinely done by the forest department on a yearly basis with the help of the natives of the forest.
The first day was tough going as it was almost all incline. Most of us ran out of our supply of drinking water as most of the rivulets on the way were rock dry. At regular intervals we could get to see the Peechi reservoir and its draining water bodies from rocking knolls. The pace of the trek was brisk and we made good ground the morning. There is no way we could estimate the number of kilometers covered and in the forest distance is better measured in time. There were no animal sited. Elephant dung and the trail of elephants were everywhere. And unlike the summer trek the temperature was more conducive to trekking. Most of us staggered in to “Vandierrukam” the planned spot for lunch. There was not enough water to even wash ones face there which forced us to go upstream hoping there would be water there. We had lunch there after which it was a tough steep uphill climb for about two hours. These were dense forests where the sunlight does not reach the forest floor. The going got tougher on the last stretch. We finally hit “Valiyemedu” at about 4 p.m. There was plenty of water there. The site was on a rocky overhang from where we could see the lights of the town of Vadakkanchery in the distance. Its only then that we realized how much of elevation we had reached. The rivulet had cold flowing water with a small water fall to the north. Camp was made on an elevation while most of us preferred to sleep down by the river bed due to the intensely cold wind above. Dry leaves, grass and fallen branches were collected for the fire. It cannot but be mentioned as to how tirelessly Rajeev, Harish& Unnikrishnan work to set camp about. Cooking for very many years is Varmaji’s field. In no time the vegetables are shred, water boiled, tea served with biscuits while the rice is kept to boil. In about 2 hours dinner is ready. Served steaming hot food never tastes as good as on a trek. There was not much discussion and most of us turned in early. The night was miserable for most due to the cold wind.
28th Dec 2008- We started out early after a meal of ‘upma’. We were heading south and today it was all descent. The pace was more leisurely as compared to yesterday. Water was more plentiful in the stretches today. As also there was more fauna, birds butterflies. There were three snakes sited and duly photographed, a Malabar pit vipers, a vine snake and a hump nosed pit viper. There was one area in which there were thousands of butterflies hovering around which made a beautiful picture. Bamboo and Chural was also more as compared to yesterday. We finally reached “Pookkolu” or camp for the night at about 2 p.m. The winds here were not as cold and it was a far more comfortable place for a camp as compared to yesterdays.
There was plenty of time for discussions around the camp fire. The topics ranging from ghosts and experience of different people, politics which comes as naturally to a Keralite as breathing, religion, human rights etc. There was good all round participation and hopefully the trend would continue. The mood was more relaxed and most trekkers had got to know each other better.
29th Dec 2008- Today was really relaxed. We were in no hurry at all. And it was past 9:30 a.m when we started out. The trek was along the river with no real ascents or descents. We passed teak and then rubber groves. We were at Palapilly where we ended our trek by about 11:30 a.m. A good number preferred to go up to the Chimmini reservoir while the others broke up to go back to their respective abodes.
Finally all the members were asked to air their views as to the trek, scope for improvement etc. Everyone was upbeat and was all praise for the organizers. The major suggestions were to avoid bringing plastics all together, cut down on food items and keep it simple, cut down on the duration of the trek. As also we would strive to put photos/ articles on a particular trek with the names of the trekkers on the website run by Gireesh who is an avid trekker. This article is also toward the same.
PRESERVE FORESTS
No trees were felled in the sending of this article.
JAI HIND
Jaideep
