Gaalikere (Lake of winds) Campsite | Budangiri – Trek Notes
Clicked in Jan 2004 / Budangiri Trek (*album)
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV
On the day 1 of our hike – At Atthigundi we parked ourselves at Hotel Bismilla, it took a while for the food to be ready and we waited patiently. I stuffed myself once the food arrived. Done with with our little time pass in this beautiful village we headed towards Bababudangiri. The uphill climb after a heavy meal took its toll on me and I huffed, puffed and cussed like mad.
It was a short cut (2 km) which went straight up the hill cutting across the road as we hiked. Bababudangiri temple was enchanting and I was sad that we were not allowed to take pictures inside the cave. Once outside the temple, my eyes fell on this kid Maoob with an interesting face and I loaded a new roll of film and started clicking. We then resumed our journey towards Gaalikere, where we were to camp for the night.
We reached Gaalikere (Lake of Winds) around 1630 hrs. We rested and then indulged in our favorite pass time, photography. Later, we got ready to set up camp. The camp site was identified and prepared. Fire wood were collected. A clean, flowing, water source was found nearby. By 1800 hrs the camp was set and we were ready with our cameras once more… this time it was for the sunset.
Everything was mind blowing and heavenly at Gaalikere.
As the sun was setting I realized that the film I had loaded at Bababudangiri was not done right and all the shots I had taken of Maoob, a magical tree and the sunset were never recorded. I was sad and felt real stupid. I loaded it again and went around shooting despite the fading light. I paid the price for not counter-checking the camera before losing myself to the scene.
The sun had set, we washed up and started the fire. Vivek tried some night photography on his tripod. We could see the lights of the villages and forest fires burning all through the night. The starlit sky was amazing. This place was truly an ‘Out of the world ‘ experience for me. We hit the sack soon after our dinner.
We got up early to get a glimpse of the sunrise. We had to climb a hill to see it. It was more than just a good sunrise. I was really pleased that I woke up when I did. Later we guys had coffee and made breakfast.
And then, a surprise… local men folk (of two different families) with their battalion of children and women came to Gaalikere one by one. It was around 0730 hrs. They were locals living at Bababudangiri and this was their day out. The women had even got their regular household chores along. They started washing their clothes. Most of them had a bath and got dressed up all pretty. Also they were getting ready to cook their afternoon feast. One was a Hindu family and the other a Muslim. Hope the rest of the country can learn something about peace and harmony from these people.
After our photo shoots , we packed our stuff and rolled up the tent. We made sure, that we left no garbage behind. We try our best to practice Zero/Minimum Impact Camping when in the wild.
Once everything was packed and ready, we began the next leg of our trek… a two day hike to Kemmangundi.
<< Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV >>
