Bisle/ Gundia: When it pours in the rainforest...
This story is based on a real adventure in June 1997 on a trek to Bisle hanging bridge and nature camp built over Addahole stream (tributary of Kumaradhara/ Netravathi river) in Bisle Reserve Forest (Yesalur Range, Hassan District, Karnataka). This is located deep inside the evergreen forests of Western Ghats. (An edited version of this article ' When it pours in the rainforest... ' , was published in Bangalore Times, The Times of India, on 21 July 2001) Bisle hanging bridge over Addahole stream (Pic from Jun 1997). What began as a small drizzle turned into a torrential downpour within minutes. The bio mass rich ground sunk in a few inches, on being stepped upon every time. From the high canopy to the leaves on the under storey through which we were trekking, there was water pouring down everywhere. To reach back to our four-wheeler, we had to cross a swollen tributary of the virgin Kumaradhara over a narrow hanging bridge and climb the steep slopes of this deep va