India & Pugdundee
...so there we are, twelve of us, plus our guides, scrabbling over rocks and other uneven terrain down a forested gorge somewhere in Madya Pradesh, India. We have already walked a couple of miles from where the vehicles disgorged us, leaving us with just our daypacks, trekking poles, and one another. We have been walking through gently-sloping, open glades of sal trees, and the undergrowth along the route has been gradually thickening.
Now we are in a narrowing, dark, rocky, steep place as we descend from the edge of the bluffs above toward the floor of the Denwa River valley. It is slow going. There is nothing straightforward about this hike. It is a matter of balancing on one rock or tree root while planning the next few steps, in hopes of a smooth transit. A wrenched knee or turned ankle out here would be no fun. The needle has long-since left the “easy” end of the scale.
And my heart is singing. This is the sort of place I love. I am in my element, as evidenced by the goofy grin on my face. The hundreds of feet down to the valley floor is the first part of our three-day trek through the core area of Satpura Tiger Reserve. Yes: a tiger reserve! Such places are central to India’s efforts to conserve their national symbol: the Bengal tiger. Imagine the wildlife and birdlife, plus reptiles and such are under the umbrella of this powerful keystone species. Being so close to all this is at the heart of why I signed up for this trip—my third with Iain Allen of Kenya, inventor of the 100-mile “Great Walk of Africa,” and another hardy trekking adventure in Japan. Almost no one gets into the backcountry of India like this, but our group does.
Before leaving home, I had the nerve to watch the 2022 documentary, “Tiger 24: The Making of a Man-Eater." It’s worth watching, but it turned my nerve to nervousness about being in tiger territory on foot. What was I thinking? These amazing, 500-pound creatures could be hiding within the length of one pounce. They are stealthy, and quiet, and hungry most of the time. On the walk, I am sustained by knowing that a) we are a large group, b) we stink, and c) we are noisy. Any wild animal worth its salt will know we are there from a mile away (even when we walk in a way that feels quiet to us). They will avoid us like the plague. I hope.
After we scramble, finally, to the floor of the river valley, the going gets easier. However, as with any remote adventure, we are mindful of the grace that allows our safe passage (not to mention the impressive support by an army of people working on our behalf to move and re-establish our camp each of three nights along the way).
We will walk about 10 miles a day. We have learned that “pugdundee”–as our logistics host’s company is named–is Hindi for “forest trail.” This fun word suits our world. This valley, with its high cliffs and beautiful forests, still offers plenty of uneven terrain, boulder-hopping, and water crossings. We see a harmless checkered keelback snake sunning itself on a rock. It is more frightened of us than we of it. White-backed vultures with their seven-foot wingspans float the thermals high overhead, cause for celebration since their numbers have risen from near-decimation since this place became a conservation reserve. There are lots of langur monkeys, but we see no tigers. Not even a leopard.
What a relief, each day, to see our camp coming into view beside the Denwa River: safari tents, complete with shower and latrine tents out back. Sturdy chairs are in place around the campfire. Cocktail hour arrives and the gin & tonics, whisky, and Kingfisher beers are welcome refreshment.
Is it okay, I wonder, to imagine we are “roughing it” when we encounter such pampering? I know I am getting very spoiled by what is better described as “glamping” (glamorous camping). You should see the meals... And what luxury, to discover a hot water bottle tucked under my covers when I turn in at night.
On the third day, we are challenged toward the end of our ten miles by beach sand. Covered by raging water in the monsoons, now it is a long, hot slog, shimmering and desert-like. It is nothing like the temperatures locals endure in the really hot season, but to this gringo, it sure seems awfully hot. It justifies the Snickers bar at lunch, anyhow—and the Kingfisher beer well ahead of cocktail hour when we pull into camp.
The opportunity to hike 30 miles across a tiger reserve in India is a gem of a memory now. Boots on the ground have given our group a real sense for the place, something unobtainable from the back of a motorized vehicle. Making our way across that terrain was a challenge, but a worthy one to me. As Manav Khanduja (founder of the eco-lodge company, Pugdundee Safaris) said in a magazine interview, “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes them meaningful.” That’s for sure.
Thanks to Karan at Pugdundee Safaris (www.pugdundeesafaris.com) and Iain Allen at Tropical Ice (www.tropical-ice.com) for top-notch logistics and guiding! For fun, go to Iain’s blog, which contains some spectacular videos of some of the tigers we saw: www.tropical-ice.com/journal/wild-india-blog-2024
