Trek to the Nandi hills

Nandi hills does not need any introduction its Bangalore own hill station. But hardly any might know that there is a trekking trial to the hills and only handful of them might have trekked this trial.

Among the selected 8 participants, only 5 turned up at the Bangalore railway station. We boarded Bangalore Chikballapura passenger train that departs at 8.40Am. There was another big group from BASC that was going to trek Bramagiri hills adjacent to Nandi hills. As we were approaching the Nandi station we could see both the Nandi and the Bramagiri hills at our left. It was a beautiful Saturday with a clear bluish sky. Finally we all alighted at Nandi station at about 10.30 Am. We the Nandi hills team hired an auto to Sultanpet, the trek starting point which is around 8kms from the station. The auto ride was good passing through small villages, watching people doing their every day chores. Took the drivers cell number and sent him asking him to be back at the same place by 3.30. The trek started with the customary introduction of participants.
 
The trial is a stone stairway used during the king’s regime and most of the trial is intact even now. The trail is shady with huge trees planted along and also has small mantapas at frequent intervals to rest. We started to ascend slowly discussing about trekking, photography and taking snaps of the trail and the birds. The stretch has good number of birds too. As we gained altitude we could see the surrounding peaks and the development (read real-estate) activities happening at the base of those hills was quite disappointing. Never the less we continued to ascend at leisure pace. The cool breeze blowing through my hair made me feel free like a bird. The sky was colorful blending with the surrounding landscapes. Finally after one and half hour we reached the back fort entrance, continued further to find a cave temple, the place was very cool with fresh air. Another couple of steps and we reached one of the Nandi hills attraction Tipu’s summer palace, here onwards we will be seen as tourists.

Bramagiri

team to arrive, finally got a call from them saying couple of them are way too behind while descending and they would not be able to catch the train in time. Anyways we boarded an empty coach of the train and said good bye to the deserted station. On the way calculated and settled the expenses of the trek. After few power naps we could see our train lugging into Bangalore railway station around 6Pm.

Information to the visitors:

Distance: Nandi hills is around 65 kms from Bangalore. How to reach:By own transport: Take Bangalore-Hydreabad highway, after Devanahalli bypass turn left at Nandi cross, drive straight till dead-end Karahalli cross, turn left and proceed further and then take the first right, you will end up at Nandi hills. There is ample parking space, cars are let till the Mayura hotel and charged Rs 80/car; bikes have to be parked at the main fort entrance.
By train: Take a Chikballapur passenger 8:40Am train, get down at Nandi station, hire a auto to Nandi hills. Return train is at 4:00Pm. Auto charge is around 100/head each way.What to see: Many tourist attractions as mentioned above. Recommended for trekking, macro & bird photography or just a relaxed outing.
Best time to visit:
Any time, winters will be a bit chilly. Early mornings and late evenings are foggy and chilly.Food: At hotel Mayura managed by KSTDC here the food available is lot better than the other KSTDC hotels. A ice-cream and coffee parlor is just beside this hotel. Also at the fort entrance (bustand) there are couple of small eateries.Accommodation: Hotel Mayura managed by KSTDC has 3 double rooms. Rooms have to be booked in advance. Click to Book.
Also the horticulture department of Karnataka has couple of guest houses (currently under renovation) for reservation contact. Things to remember: The main fort gate/s are closed at 6Pm (people who have reservations at hotel/guest-house are allowed inside till 8Pm) and reopens at 6Am so plan your travel as per above timings. Trekking solo or in a small group is unsafe. Do not litter and keep the place clean.
Cost: We spent around 200/head for a days trek.

Written by: Mudassar
Event organized by: Mudassar
Image Gallery: Mudassar

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Kodachadri Trek , Hidlumane Falls and Arishinagundi falls

 Kodachadri Trek , Hidlumane  Falls and Arishinagundi falls

The Sahyadris – Its majestic quintessence

Conquering a decent stretch of the Sahyadris is one of the things in my to-do list for this year. And I decided to make it happen despite the odds. I had returned home three days before the trek, after several weeks of on-site work. I was drained out and dead. I pushed myself to prepare for the Friday night. I sighed in relief when I made it to the pickup point. A cute and enthu couple gave me company as we waited for the others to gather. Soon many eager trekkers joined us one after the other.



The mini bus was filled with a motley set of 21 passionate trekkers. With an intro session on the move we bade goodbye to the hustle and bustle of the Bengaluru roads. We quietly chit-chatted and mingled amongst ourselves while some slipped into deep slumber, cautiously, saving their energies for the trek ahead.

Day 1 – Towards that much awaited twilight and the shimmering skies
A bright, misty morning filled with dew awaited us. We woke up to the winding roads with the view of the Sahyadris. Yes, the mighty Western Ghats would be another apt way of referring to it. As we yawned and stretched a peahen and a few flycatchers greeted us Morning!!Morning!!. We were famished and were looking forward to reach Nittur to nourish our souls. But, before that we had a surprise!!! We stopped on our way for breakfast in Nagara and paid a visit to an 18th century old ‘Shivappanaika fort’.





It was a quick, five-minute hike to the top and it offered a spectacular 360-degree view of the surrounding villages in the ghats. A scattered set of traditional houses amongst the plantations of Supari, Paddy, Coconut and Jowar was covered by a tightly clung chain of clouds resembling a giant puff of smoke from a cigar.



Some clicks and snaps for the cameras—a few up-in-the-air and capture-me-if-you-can jiffs from the peppy ladies and we juggled our way through the exit and drove ahead to the breakfast point.
The breakfast was simple and yummy. We gulped down hot idlys and vadas with lip-smacking chutney and sambar. The breakfast point had tender-coconut vendors and stalls selling topis made from quilted-supari leaves fashionably tied at both its ends. We hopped into the bus with happy bellies and reached Markutka in no time. We unloaded our backpacks and tucked in our packed lunch and were all set to go. It was past 9 in the morning on a sunny day. We followed the jeep trail that unwound itself into lush green cover and fresh-water creeks. The chirruping of the birds, the dancing butterflies and the line of trees with its tops touching the skies; it was the beginning of our trek to KODACHADRI!!!!



The trail was filled with Acacia trees; the bark of this tree is used for making paper. As we chatted and warmed up to each other a plethora of butterflies greeted us; yellow orange tip, crimson tip, swallow tail and common castors—were some among the many which I could identify. After some distance of trek we reached a tuck shop in a village that served butter milk and boiled corn. This was a perfect brunch on a sunny day. This was also the starting point to our trek down to Hidlumane falls. The peak looked closer and more beautiful from this spot. It was a post-card shot with silhouettes of green standing tall and still. I couldn’t take my eyes of it. It was an absolute treat to the eye.

We began our trek to the falls and it was a downward, forest trail with mushy soil. A few miles down the path, we could hear a gushing sound and we knew that we had reached the falls. Many of us bathed under the force of the falls. It was a gleeful moment for many, as we played around in the splashing of the water. Around 2 in the noon we gathered for lunch and moved ahead on the hike to the sunset point. The trail to the peak was clear-cut and was uphill. The sun was at its peak, blinding us at every step. We continued to hike and take short breaks. The magnificent view of the Sahyadris looked larger than life. It was an entire range filled with a canopy of dense forest. As I ascended towards the peak, each step made me wonder what could lie beneath that canopy—may be, wildlife at its exotic best???, horn bills??, flycatchers?? And much more??. I secretly wished for a free fall into the underlying valley..”It could have been another place that I could have been, or could have seen”. Before I hallucinate more I thought I should get back to the trek. As we hiked and trekked we all made new friends and got comfortable with one another. Venu a fellow trekker injured his leg and was groaning in pain. He was escorted and taken care of by Lakshmi throughout the hike.   Only towards the end of that day could I realize this simple but magnanimous gesture of hers. Simultaneously, it also made me realize the human potential these activities can unleash.

 

 
We had almost reached the peak. The plan was to reach a temple top with a food joint and from there hike up a few more meters to witness the dusk.

Kodachadri as we all know is famous for its setting sun and dawn.

After reaching the temple top we took a good hour’s break. We snacked and rested. Venu, tired and in pain offered to stay back at the food joint. He offered to keep an eye on our backpacks. We quickly gathered ourselves for the last stretch of the day and rushed uphill. The climb was short and we were just in time to witness the shades of golden yellow turn into a concoction of orange, pink, purple and grey. It was a perfect dusk in the quietude of the backwaters from the Arabian Sea. The valley slowly fell asleep as the colors in the sky disappeared giving rise to a galaxy of stars.





We decided to have some dinner at the joint and spend the night in the front yard of the Inspection Bungalow. While we waited for the food to arrive, the owner of the joint possessed some traits worth mentioning. He seemed to cast a magical spell on Venu’s leg.

Ayurveda/Acupressure/Blah—strange oils, violent attitude towards the patient etc…but, it seemed to have done some trick. Although I found him primitive and strange, Venu’s condition had improved a bit. However, he was unable to trek the next day and had to stay back.

The dinner was atrociously spicy, but, it didn’t matter to us. It was food nevertheless and that’s all we needed. We soon reached the IB premises and spread out the tarpaulin and fell right asleep.




Day 2 – A day of leeches and loathing, A trail through the woods
 
We woke up at 5 in the morning to see the sun rise. We had to pack up and hike. It was pitch-dark and I couldn’t take my eyes off the sky. I stared at its brilliance for a while. It was star studded and crystal clear. I could see the Milky Way and the planets shining bright. “Someday I shall make enough money to own a telescope”.



There was hot, lemon tea being made by Jinu and Ravi. I missed out on it while the others gave it a 5/5 for its exotica. We reached the sunrise point just in time and bowed at its glory.






We moved downhill as we had a long day ahead. After a few hours of descent we reached Santosh hotel for breakfast. Post breakfast we began on our trail through the deep forest. We had to reach Arshinagundi falls which was a few hours away.



The trail was uneven and led into deep forest. It was infested with leeches!!!!!!! I have a strong aversion towards them and to top it all, I had coin-sized blisters on both my feet. The leeches bit right in to them and I clambered in pain. They annoyed the hell out of me. I slowed down at several points and asked myself “ why are you putting yourself through this torture? ” . I wanted to scream and flee. I kept bugging the sweepers—Ravi, Suresh and Karthik by slowing down to clean up and shoe away the leeches. I had no choice but to trek.



We soon reached the falls and they were roaring in full force. Some of us took a dip while the others managed to make space for some fire. We made Maggie and soup and shared the other eatables.

We had to hike back the same way that we had descended and I was terrified by the leech trail again. I absolutely loath them, the very sight of it disgusts me. I quickly moved ahead. This part of the hike was the most difficult one. The ascent was steep and long with loose soil and mulch. After a good hike we reached a leveled surface and we continued to walk. The path was filled with bracket fungi emerging from the sides of the damp wood. We walked ahead for nearly 5 kms on a flat trail in the direction of the exit.
We were in the Mookambika wildlife sanctuary area. We passed through the markings in the form of mile stones reading MPCA-Medicinal Plants Conservation Area. The smell in the air suddenly turned fragrant and we were surrounded by many varieties of trees conserved by the forest department. It was 4:30 in the evening and we could see the exit gate ahead of us. It marked the end of a two-day trek.


The bus driver was happy to have us back and I quickly changed while the others took a dip in the nearby stream.
The last bit of our adventure ended on a soothing note. We paid a visit to the Mookambika temple in Kollur. It was an archaic structure with a deepa sthambha at its main entrance. The walls and the doors of the temple were carved in silver and bronze, each having a story of its own. The sight of the sthambha was biblical. It contained 1000 dias which are lit on a daily basis with contributions by devotees. I shamelessly gobbled a few ladoos from the offering counter and took an aimless stroll around the shrine.
With the last drop of energies being saved for a good night’s sleep we boarded the bus after grabbing a quick dinner. To my surprise this wasn’t the end of the day. We managed to turn the bus into a dance floor with rocking Kannada beats. The bus had a hilarious set of lights to complement our energies. YES, They were disco lights!!!! With in no time I could see everyone on floor swinging in fervor. The floor simply rocked till midnight and then we had to finally call it a day. We mulled over the panorama of the Sahyadris and surrendered to sleep.
What a glorious weekend it was!!!!

Writeup by:  Aishwarya

Another write up by Chandru : http://chandropanishad.blogspot.in/2012/10/kodachadri-trek-last-trekking-as.html

Another write up by Raveendra: http://mullukallupustakamatthunataka.blogspot.in/2012/11/the-trek-to-hills-of-kutaja-flowers.html

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Kodachadri trekking information:

Altitude - 1343 metres

Places to see around: Sarvajna peetha, Iron Pillar, Ganesha Guha, Hidlumane Falls, Arasinagundi falls, Nagara fort, Kollur Mookambika Temple, Sunset and sunrise from kodachadri peak.

Direction to kodachadri : Bangalore-72Kms-Tumkur-75Kms-Tiptur-25Kms-Arsikere-65Kms-Tarikere-44Kms-Shimoga-70Kms-Hosanagara-15Kms-Nagara-24Kms-kodachadri( via Nittur)
Trek Guide: Guide not required as there is a proper trail till the peak. Arishanagundi may need a guide if you are not sure of the directions and terrain.

Food: Food can be arranged at the hotel before the peak. Also santosh hotel at Valur on the way to kodachadri can serve food. Also you can pack your parcels  from Nittur.

Best season: October to January

Accomodation: Can book the PWD guest house near the peak, or pitch a tent and camp.

Trek permission: No trek permission required for kodachadri peak but Arishinagundi may require as it falls in the Mookambika wildlife sanctuary.

Trek Routes:

All the trek routes end near the temple premises and PWD guest house before the peak.
There are 3 routes usually used,

Route 1: The jeep track which is 15Kms long. There are plenty of jeeps available in Nittur and surrounding villages which can take you through the mud tracks. In monsoons it will be fun and tough to go in a jeep.Negotiate for a better price.

Route 2: Via Hidlumane falls. From Nittur towards Kolur side continue on road for may be 1 or 2kms reach a small bus stop called Marakutka. The Jeep track starting from here Continues till Hildumane house.
There are some different jeep tracks in between going here and there. As a landmark you will see a primary school in between after some time. Take the right track from the primary school. If having doubts asks village houses which comes in between. Hildumane house can serve Butter milk, and refreshed start hilking from there to the Falls.
Also jeeps can take you till the Hidlumane house. In monsoons if Hidlumane falls is overflowing it may be difficult to walk in the slippery rocks and dense jungle trail to peak.Don't confuse with 2-3 small falls, go up little and you will find a vertical falls, thats Hidlumane fals. From there take the right side trail going up. Little steep climbs and we are in the grasslands. look behind and clear day you can see the backwaters.
Continue through the trail in the grass lands which will lead you to the Jeep track. Continue in jeep track for 2-3kms till you reach temple and then to peak.

Route 3: From Karakkatte.
From nittur travel another 6 kms to karakatte.There's a proper jeep track of 5 to 6kms till Santosh hotel, Valur and fromm there needs to take the trail going till te peak. From santosh hotel after food may be 4-5 Kms climb will take you to the temple before peak.

Arishinagundi:
From santosh hotel needs to take a forest trail deviation downhill to reach Arishinagundi falls. Advise not to take this route with out proper route information and guide.This forest route can be bit dangerous in monsoons with lot of leaches and overflowing streams.
Also there's a proper Jeep track route for some extend and a marked trail from the Kollur side. The Jeep track starts from Kollur Mookambika wild Life Gate.
Take permission before venturing to visit Arishinagundi falls.

References:
 Kodachadri – On Cloud Nine! K/4
Kodachadri Trek/2
Kodachadri/1Kodachadri/1

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Event organized by: Raveendra
Image Gallery:  Ashok , Krutika , Jinu , Navneet , Suresh
Visit our Group @ CLICK HERE

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Kodaikanal Cycling - Nov 2012

Start of yet another cycling Trip after a long gap, I organised for BASC friends with help from Rajesh. Even after organising many treks & cycling events, still I feel the same excitation of my first event. After two cycling trips to Munnar last year, thought of doing cycling to famous Kodaikanal was there from many days,. Finally fixed the event on Nov 1 as we got long weekend, and thought Neelam cyclone will make cycling easy and memorable. Rajesh suggested to take two vehicles as many cyclists were waiting for a cycling event. So after hard work, planning we both did, and finally the day has come to kick start the event. As neelam bought heavy rain in bangalore, it made things difficult. Participants were late in reaching common pick-up point and tieing cycles on top of TT under heavy rain was a challenge. All these delayed our plan by 2hrs, and finally we left Bangalore by 11:45PM!

Day1: Palani → Kodaikanal → 55km

Day2: Kodaikanal Lake → Coaker’s Walk → Pillars Rock → Guna Caves (25km)

Day3: Kodaikanal → Manavannur → Berijam Road → Kodaikanal (70km)

Day4: Kodaikanal → Ghatt Road (Theni→Dindigul Highway) (55km)

I must thank Rajesh for supporting me in all ways to make this event successful and memorable one. Also thank all participants Ajitha, Amit, Anusha, Datta, Druva, Giridhar, Girish, Guruprakash, Krutika, Nagaraj, Naveen, Nitin, Rajesh, Sarvesh, Vinay and Viswanath.

Event Organiser: Ambareesh Karanth

Write-up: Ambareesh Karanth, Ajitha Madan

Photo-links:

Ambareesh Karanth:

https://picasaweb.google.com/113308819271452146340/KodaikanalCycling4Days#5807720504078265458

Rudra Aradya:

https://plus.google.com/photos/103102340303200642351/albums/5807359067437700289?authkey=COLtqqbR5Y7ASQ

Vinay MP:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4899708333795.190874.1330515932&type=1

From Krutika:

Photos link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.501814889842672.119148.100000424976769&type=1

From Nagaraj N:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=113799530429804777366&target=ALBUM&id=5808662372081368689&authkey=Gv1sRgCL34ue-QpImYtQE&feat=email

Visit our Group @ CLICK HERE

Join Bangalore ASCENDers @ CLICK HERE

Event organized by: Ambareesh Karanth

Written by: Ambareesh Karanth

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Lepakshi and Veerapuram one day outing

Lepakshi is a small village, it is a famous place and a treasure trove for people interested in heritage, ancient architecture, pilgrimage, handicrafts, photography and much more. Lepakshi is very important historically and archaeologically. There are three shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Virabhadra. The famous Veerabhadra temple, dedicated to Veerabhadra is located here. Built by the brothers Viranna and Virupanna, the temple is a notable example of the Vijayanagar architectural style. It is famous for its sculptures, which were created by the artisans of Vijayanagara empire. A huge Nandi bull made out of a single granite stone is one of the attractions in Lepakshi. The place is renowned for being one of the best repository of mural paintings (see below) of the Vijayanagar Kings. Many old Kannada inscriptions dating back centuries can be seen on its walls. Legend has it that the Naga of the Nagalinga was carved out of a single stone by sculptors while they waited for their mother to prepare lunch.

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Shivagange Trek

Almost 5 months in Bangalore and every weekend my feet would itch to go somewhere far. I had heard a lot about Bangalore ASCENDers but never got a chance to travel with them so far. The constant gush of mails from them about upcoming events make me long to go on a trek with this enthusiastic group very soon.

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Night Trek to Nijagal Betta

Even though I love to write my experience in Kannada this time I am writing it in English, since I organized this trek and some Non-Kannadigas were part of it.

About Nijagal Betta:“Nijagal Betta” which is situated in Bangalore -Tumkur Highway(NH-4) near to Dabaspet. Foot steps are there so it is very easy to climb. We Can reach the peak in 1 to 1½  hours.

Ruins have their own charm and historical importance and Nijagal Betta is one of those which is a proof of ruined Kingdom. It is with full of ruined caves, forts and temples.

A mid-seventeenth century fort, build by Chikkadevaraya Wadiyar, adorns this hillock. Here in Nijagal Betta, it’s believed that a war was fought between Hyder Ali and Peshwa Madhav Rao.

In Durgastamaana (kannada novel by T.R.Subbarao famous as ತ.ರ.ಸು) there is a mention about Nijgal fort like how strong the fort was and how Chitradurga Paalegaara Madakari Nayaka who supported Hyder Ali acquired Nijgal Fort

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Night Trek, camping at "Kaurava Kunda" and "Jaramadagu Falls" KK/1-15th Sep2012

That was a" Gusty Windy Night Trek" (Saturday-sunday, 15th sep Posting this after a long time ) . after a few drop outs and last minute registrations finally 23 ASCENDers made it to the trek. A simple Trek turned out be an "ad-hoc" Adventure. we left the concrete jungle at 8.00 PM on saturday which was supposed to be at 5.30PM Thanks to "Bangalore City Traffic."  We started to trek from a village called  "Manchenbele" started moving towards "Kaurava halli" in the dark night lit with stars around us. there came a Question from one of the participant called " Varun" - Vinay last event was a Moon light trek to "Chennagiri", y cant we see any moon this time ?? so my obvious answer was " Dude that was moon light trek and this is a "No Moon" trek. there were Giggles among the participants and " pallavi" was trying to spot some "Ghosts" in the TAMARIND TREES" . "Pallavi even Ghosts are scared of you" Lolz.

The "trek" route was into the Farm fields, lakes, villages, and highways. Dogs greeted us as we entered Villages. Thank god no one Mistook our Group for "Dandupalya Gang" as the Dog barks wakened the villagers from their deep sleep. Thanks to our Doctru who Communicated to the villagers about our trek.

After loosing the trails a couple of times we finally made it to the camping place. the Camp Fire started tio Roar in the heavy winds at 3 A.M, the intro session happend amidst the chilling winds and warming camp fire which went on till 4.30A.M with some fun and entertainment. Then We people decided to sleep and started Erecting the tents, the wind was Robust and turbulent, it was a herculean task in Erecting the tent. the wind was soo turbulent one could feel the lift of his body from the ground. it was an amazing feeling. One amongst the 5 tents erected Flew off at 5AM and it was Our "Doctor Harish's " My sleep of 15min ( One hand holding the Tent grill tightly and with one leg lifted supporting the tent) ended here when i heard screams from every one " Tent Haroithu, Tent Haroithu" uffffffffffff............. Then we began folding the tent, in the process the wind almost lifted Varun and mighty Asst Professor Mr.Bagurrrrrrrrr...
Soon we finished our breakfast and started decending down, A small elephant Tata Magic was waiting for us which ferried 24 of us to the Destinations where we parked our vehicles, people sat on Roof mud gaurd and hanged on railings, One could imagine a  "Fevicol" ad people sticking on to a lorry :P.

Once Again Thanks to our "Doctru Harish" Who helped us park our vehicles and also handling the Villagers, he is been soo kind to us ( though made it a bit late to the start point). 1000 Thanks to him for all the help. And last but not the least to the entire team of 22 U were simply gr8 miss you and hope to see you all in the future treks.

Write up from Chaitanya Adumisili

Hi Vinay,

Here goes brief description & feedback on our trip:

Had nice nice trek with group of 23 to "Kaurava Kunda". This trek was of less duration when compared to my previous night treks. However, has excellent time while treking & on top of hill with group. Navigating is pretty difficult as we dont know the exact route & as it is night time. Saw how the villagers are very attentive if unknown people are walking through their houses in groups. 4-5 villages came out of their houses with big polls as their security. Breezes are pretty high and tents didnt withstand for that velocity. Had fun with group around campfire. Wish such treks comes in our way & BASC organizes them :)

 

 

Write up from Madhu Bagur

Hello Bangalore Ascenders,

It was on a thursday when i came across a mail for a trek in a known area of Chikkaballapur, But had never ventured before into it ( as same as our Vinay

--  first timer in all places). made up my mind by seeing the topic of driving to the point. As BASC has always been a good companion for having a nice trek.

So came to the final moments where we were supposed to meet at CBI junction at 5.30 as told by Vinay, As i stay in kengeri road, I and Varun n Srini decided to

reach the same road a little further after Hebbal Flyover. We were there exactly at 5.40 pm. We never knew that we wud have to wait for nearly 2 hrs for all to come n leave.

But all happens for good as we had a McD in Esteem Mall, Ate n even packed for further Trek also...

Now Coming to the main part as the information of the previous trek was over flowing from Srini n Varun tht they had done with "Doctre" n one more famous person for me was "PRIYA". coz of her driving skills n her chubbyness.. people were crazily telling there exp's with all the people of the previous night trek to channagiri where they had very less light and was out of trek through the trek.. So i was actually waiting in complete horror as it was an amavasya night also. coz the night trek that i have gone r in pornomi night's.

Later came the team in 3 cars n two bike in one was this priya abt whom to be precise i was spell bounded by seeing her. so the question i asked her was r u " The Priya"... LOLZ.... n Arun was like "OMG yene nin bagge ellargu gothu".... IT was nearly 8 pm by the time we left hebbal towards the hills....  n then i all got introduced i am really sorry i dont remember much names.It was Chaitanya,Srini,Arun,Priya Ravi,Doctor, pramod,Varun,Rama, PAllavi n many more not to miss Garima...

it was at night 10.30 when we reached a village outside chikkaballapur.. from where the trek had to be started... was nearly a 6-7 kms of road trek thru the night.. hill was small n was around 1.5 kms in height took around 1.5 hrs to complete it...By the time we trekked it was almost 3 AM..

Than came the time of Pallavi after the camp fire was prepared by Ravi,Vinay,Varun n many others.... All of them were like stop it pallavi plz.... she is one of a brilliant person i thought i had ever met... has so much knowledge... n rag u like anything..... all had there turn one after the other came to mine was pretty much less intense than others... but when pallavi came it was like feast for all the waiting foxes.... question after question was put to her but she being a confi person gave back nicely to all n sang a beautiful song as well....

by 5 am all wanted to sleep so had put up there tents... by the time we also slept ravi got a call for doctor telling his tent was facing trouble as it was too windy out on top of the hill.... by the time me varun n raam reached the tent.. the tent got completely blown.. so i and raam tried to hold it n fold it... at that moment it was a life holding scene for me n raam as tht tent opened completely n dragged us like a parachute without any preparations.... "that was an end for all our ideas in folding the tent...." gave us chills like never before....

by 8AM all were up and ready to leave by now an ace was waiting for us down the road to drop us back to the vehicles whr we had parked...

So was a very brief about the experiences which i had... But had still more experiences n will look forward go with BASC whenever they plan one.... 

 

A WriteUp from Pallavi in kannada,

 

ರಾತ್ರಿ ಚಾರಣ - ಕೌರವ ಕೊಂಡ( Kowrava Konda ) – 15.9.2012

ನಾವೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಕೂಡಿ ಒಟ್ಟು 23 ಮಂದಿ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಅಸೆ೦ಡರ್ಸ್ ಇಂದ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಚಾರಣ ಕೌರವ ಕೊಂಡಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊರಟೆವು. ನಮ್ಮ ಚಾರಣದ ರೂವಾರಿ ವಿನಯ್ ಸಿ.ಬಿ.ಐ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಎಲ್ಲರು ಸಂಜೆ 5 30ಕ್ಕೆ ಬರಬೇಕೆಂದು ಇ- ಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸಿದ್ದ. ಅಂತೆಯೇ ನಾನು ರಾಮ್ ನಮ್ಮ ಟೆಂಟ್ ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ಲೀಪಿಂಗ್ ಬ್ಯಾಗ್ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಎತ್ತಾಕ್ಕೊಂಡು 5 45ರ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಸಿ.ಬಿ.ಐ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣವನ್ನು ತಲುಪುದ್ವಿ. ನಮ್ಮ ಮಹಾನಗರಿ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಟ್ರಾಫಿಕ್ ನ ದೆಸೆಯಿಂದಾಗಿ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಕಲೆತು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರನ್ನು ಬಿಡುವ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ರಾತ್ರಿ 7 45.

ವಿನಯ್ ಗೆ ಆದಷ್ಟು ಬೇಗ ತಲುಪಿ ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಮೇಲೆ ಬೋಂಡ, ಪುಳಿಯೋಗರೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಮಾಡ್ಬೇಕು ಅಂತೆಲ್ಲ ಆಸೆ ಇತ್ತು. ಯಾವಾಗ 25ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಮಂದಿ ಬರ್ತಾರೆ ಅನ್ತಾಯ್ತೋ ಸಮಾರಾಧನೆಗೆ ಅಡಿಗೆ ಮಾಡ್ದಂಗೆ ಆಗತ್ತೆ ಅಂತ ಸುಮ್ನಾಗ್ಬಿಟ್ಟ.

ದಾರಿಯ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ತಿನಿಸನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ನಮ್ಮ ಡಾಕುಟ್ರಪ್ಪ ಹರೀಶ್ ಅವರ ನೆಂಟರ ಮನೆ( ಮಂಚಿನ ಬೆಲೆ) ತಲುಪಿ ನಮ್ಮ ವಾಹನಗಳನ್ನು ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸುವ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ರಾತ್ರಿ 9 50.( ನಮ್ ಡಾಕುಟ್ರುಗೆ ಚಿಕ್ಕಬಳ್ಳಾಪುರದ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯಲ್ಲೂ ನೆಂಟರಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಸಹೃದಯಿಗಳು ಎಂದರೆ ಅತಿಶಯೋಕ್ತಿಯಾಗಲಾರದು). ನಂತರ ಬಾಸ್ಕ್ ನ ನಿಯಮದಂತೆ INDEMNITY BONDಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಂದ ಸಹಿ ಹಾಕಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು( ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನಂತಾರೆ ಅಂತ ಯಡ್ಯುರಪ್ಪ- ಶೋಭಕ್ಕನ ಮೇಲಾಣೆ ನಂಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ), ಅಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ಸೌದೆಯನ್ನು ಕ್ಯಾಂಪ್ ಫೈರಿಗೆ ಉರುವಲಾಗಿ ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸಲು ಎಲ್ಲರು ತಲಾಗೊಂದರಂತೆ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಹೊರಟೆವು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಮಗೆದುರಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಹಳ್ಳಿಗರು( ತೀರ್ಥ ಸೇವಿಗರು) ನಮಗೆ VTU ಪ್ರಶ್ನ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಿಂತಲೂ ಕಷ್ಟಕರವಾದ ನಾನಾ ತರಹದ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಒಡ್ಡಿ, ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಶಂಕಿತ ಉಗ್ರಗಾಮಿಗಳ ಪಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿಸಿಬಿಟ್ಟರು!!!!! :-(

ಆಗ ರಣಧೀರನಂತೆ ಬಂದ ಹರೀಶ್, ಅವರ ಗೌಡ್ರು ಸ್ಟೈಲ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದ್ ಆವಾಜ್ ಬಿಟ್ರು ಆ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯವರು ಉಸಿರೆತ್ತದೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಕಾಲ್ತೆಗೆದರು.

ಹಿಂದಿನ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜಕುಮಾರಿನ ಭೇಟಿ ಆಗೋಕೆ 7 ಸಮುದ್ರ, 7 ಬೆಟ್ಟ ದಾಟಿ ಹೋಗ್ತಿದ್ರಂತೆ. ನಾವು ಹೋದ್ವಿ ಗದ್ದೆ, ಕೆರೆ, ಬಯಲು, ಹೈ ವೇ ರೋಡು, ಕೌರವ ಹಳ್ಳಿ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ದಾಟ್ಕೊಂಡು( ರಾಜಕುಮಾರ ಸಿಗೊದಿರ್ಲಿ ನಂಗೆ ಕಾಣದಾದ್ರು ಬೇಡ್ವಾ) ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆ ಮಧ್ಯರಾತ್ರಿ ದೆವ್ವ ಕೂಗೋ ಹೊತ್ನಾಗೆ (ಹಿನ್ನಲೆ ಸಂಗೀತ - ತಂಗಾಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ತೇಲಿ ಬಂದೆ). ಹುಣಸೆ ಮರದ ಹತ್ರ ಇಣುಕಿ ಇಣುಕಿ ನೋಡುದ್ವಪ್ಪ ದೊಡ್ದವಿರ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಮರಿ ದೆವ್ವನಾದ್ರು ಕಾಣದ್ ಬೇಡ್ವ. ಬಲೇ ನಿರಾಸೆ ಆಯ್ತು ಅನ್ನಿ( ಎಷ್ಟು ದಿನ ಅಂತ ಕನ್ನಡೀಲಿ ಮುಖ ನೋಡ್ಕೊಳ್ಳೋದು!!!)

ನಾವು ದೊಣ್ಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹಿಡಿದು ದಂಡುಪಾಳ್ಯದವರ ತರ ದಂಡಿ ಮಾರ್ಚ್ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಂಡ್ ಎದುರಾದ ಚಿಕ್ಕ 3 ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳನ್ನ ದಾಟಿ ಹೋಗ್ತಿದ್ವಿ. ಒಂದೊಂದು ಹಳ್ಳಿಲೂ ನಾಯಿಗಳು ನಮಗೆ ಭವ್ಯ ಸ್ವಾಗತವನ್ನು ಕೊರ್ತಿದ್ವು. ಆ ಸದ್ದಿಗೆ ಎಚ್ಚರಗೊಂಡ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗರನ್ನು ನಮ್ ಡಾಕ್ಟ್ರು ಇಂಜೆಕ್ಷನ್ ಕೊಡ್ದಲೇನೆ ಸಾಂತ್ವಾನ ಮಾಡ್ತಿದ್ರು.

ಬೆಟ್ಟ ಹತ್ತಿರ್ಬೇಕಾದ್ರೆ ಹಿಂದೆ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಕಟ್ಟ ಕಡೆಯ ಯೋಧರಿಂದ ಸಣ್ಣದಾಗಿ ಕೇಳಿಸೋ ಜಾನಪದ ಗೀತೆ(ರಾಮ್ ಹಾಡ್ತಿದ್ದಿದ್ದು). ನಾನು ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಕೇಳೋಣ ಅಂತ ನನ್ನ ನಡಿಗೆಯನ್ನ ನಿಧಾನ ಮಾಡಿ, ಬೇಗ ಬೇಗ ಹತ್ತೇ ಅಂತ ವಿನಯ್ ಹತ್ರ ಬೈಸ್ಕೊಂಡೆ. ಸರಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಹತ್ತಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಅಂತಿಮ ಗುರಿ( ಫೈನಲ್ ಡೆಸ್ಟಿನಿ) ತಲುಪಿದಾಗ ಸಮಯ ಮುಂಜಾನೆ 3 ಗಂಟೆ.

ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಯಾಂಪ್ ಫೈರ್ ಹಾಕಿ ನಂತರ ಬಾಸ್ಕ್ ನಿಯಮದಂತೆ ಎಲ್ಲರ ಸ್ವ-ಪರಿಚಯ. ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗು ಒಂದೊಂದು ಟಾಸ್ಕ್ ಇರುತ್ತಿತ್ತು ಮತ್ತು ಅದನ್ನು ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಕಡ್ಡಾಯವಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಲೇಬೇಕೆಂದು ತಾಕೀತು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೆವು.

ಅತುತ್ತಮ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನ ನೀಡಿದವರ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಇಂತಿದೆ:

ಡಾ. ಹರೀಶ್ ಬಾಬು- ನಮ್ಮ ಬಾಸ್ಕ್ ನ ಕಂಬ( ಪಿಲ್ಲರ್) ಮುದ್ದಾಸರ್ ನಂತೆ ನಟಿಸಿದ್ದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ.

ಹಲ್ ಡಾಕ್ಟ್ರು ಪ್ರಿಯ - ಬೆಲ್ಲಿ ನೃತ್ಯ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸಿ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ರಂಜಿಸಿದ್ದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ.

ಕಲಿಯುಗ ಕರ್ಣ ರವೀಂದ್ರ(ಅಂಬರೀಶ್ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳು ನೊಂದ್ಕೊಬಾರ್ದು) - ಚಿಲ್ಲರೆ ಕಾಸು ಸಂಗ್ರಹಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅದನ್ನು ಬಾಸ್ಕ್ ನಿಧಿಗೆ ದಾನವಿತ್ತಿದ್ದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ.

ಉದಾರಿ ಮೋಹನ್ - ಹುಡುಗಿಯರಿಂದ ಹೇರ್ ಬ್ಯಾಂಡ್/ ಕ್ಲಿಪ್ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸಿ ನಂತರ ಹಿಂತಿರುಗಿಸಿದ್ದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ!!

ಯೋಗ ಪಟು ರಾಮ್ ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ವೇತ - ತಮ್ಮ ಸಂಗೀತ ಸುಧೆಯಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಹೃನ್ಮನ ತಣಿಸಿದ್ದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ.

(ನಾಳೆ ನನ್ನ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ ಹಬ್ಬ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿ ಬರ್ತಡೇ ಬಮ್ಸ್ ತಿಂದ ಜಿನು - ಇರಲಾರದೆ ಇರುವೆ ಬಿಟ್ಕೊಳ್ಳೋದು ಅಂದ್ರೆ ಇದೇನೇ)

ಆಮೇಲೆ ಸಾಹಸ ಮಾಡಿ ಟೆಂಟ್ ಹಾಕಿ ಮಲಗಿ ಹಾಡುತ್ತ ಇದ್ವಿ, ಎಲ್ರು ಟೆಂಟ್ ಹಾರ್ತಿದೆ ಅಂತ ಕೂಗಡೋಕೆ ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ರು, ರಭಸವಾಗಿ ಬೀಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಗಾಳಿಯೊಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಟೆಂಟ್ ಗಳು ತಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ವೃಥಾ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು( ಇದ್ರಲ್ಲಿ ಅತಿ ಶೀಗ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೋಲೊಪ್ಪಿಕೊಂಡದ್ದು ನಮ್ ಡಾಕ್ಟ್ರು ಟೆಂಟ್). ನಮ್ ಟೆಂಟ್ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನೊಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಇಬ್ರಿದ್ದ್ರು ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದ್ರೆ ಗಾಳಿ ನನ್ನ ಸಮೇತ ಟೆಂಟ್ ನ ಹಾರುವ ತಟ್ಟೆ( ಫ್ಲಯಿಂಗ್ ಸಾಸರ್) ಯಂತೆ ಎತ್ತ್ಕೊಂಡ್ ಹೋಗ್ತಿತ್ತೋ ಏನೋ!!!

ಟೆಂಟ್ ತೆಗೆದು ಬಿಸ್ಕೆಟ್ಟು ಅದು ಇದು ಹಾಲು ಮೂಳು ಅಂತ ತಿಂದು ಕೆಳಗಿಳಿದು ಬರೋಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಟಾಟಾ ಮ್ಯಾಜಿಕ್ ಎಂಬ ದೈತ್ಯ ವಾಹನ ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮ ವಾಹನಗಳನ್ನು ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಿದ್ದ ಜಾಗದವರೆಗೂ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಹೊತ್ತೊಯ್ಯಲು ಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಯಾರೋ ಚವ್ಕಾಸಿ ಮಾಡಿ 270ರೂ. ಗಳಿಗೆ ಕುದುರಿಸಿದ್ರು. ಡಾಕ್ರು ನೆಂಟ್ರು ಮನೆ ತಲುಪಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಪುದೀನ, ಬೀಟ್ ರೂಟ್( ಒಪ್ಪಿಗೆ ಪಡೆದು) ಕಿತ್ತುಕೊಂಡು ಹೊರಟಾಗ ಸುಮಾರು ೧೦ ಗಂಟೆ. ಮಹಾನಗರಿ ತಲುಪುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ 11 ಗಂಟೆ.

ನಮ್ ಕಡೆಯಿಂದ ವಿಶೇಷ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು:

ಡಾ. ಹರೀಶ್ ಬಾಬು - ಈ ಭಾರಿಯೂ ಉದಾರತೆಯಿಂದ ತಮ್ಮ ಕಾರನ್ನು ತಂದು ಎಲ್ರನ್ನು ಲಗ್ಗೇಜ್ ಆಟೋ ಥರ ತುಂಬ್ಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದು, ಅವರ ನೆಂಟರ ಮನೇಲಿ ಗಾಡಿಗಳನ್ನ ನಿಲ್ಸೋಕೆ ಜಾಗ ಕೊಡ್ಸಿದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ.

ವಿನಯ್ ಕುಮಾರ್ - ಚಾರಣದ ಹೊಣೆ ಹೊತ್ತದ್ದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ

 

A writeup from Vinuthna,

Hi Vinay,
This is my First night trek So I liked it a lot,
To find out a way to reach the hill in the night time is very difficult,We walked through many trials to sort a way,
Some how we reached to Top of the hill,here started our trouble,Extreme winds are blowing through us,
We enjoyed a lot with Camp Fire in that winds and the interaction the team members,
Bit scared about pallavi ragging,when it comes to my turn she asked a simple question to tell five Novels of Famous Novelist "Yandamuri Veerendrenath" :).
I was not able to stand as the wind is pushing me back,Setting up tents is one more challenge for us,
Hardly I slept for 20 mins and saw the Sunrise from the top of the hill,Its an beautiful experience for me,
Even though its a small hill the view of the villages,farms,flower garden below the hill are awesome,
Team members are also very friendly and had a good time with all of them,
Thanks to Vinay for organizing the Night trek.

 

Visit our Group @ Click here
Event organized by: Vinay
Image Galleries: Vinaykgs, Chaithanya, Varun.

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One day trek to Brahama Giri

Brahmagiri is a hill adjacent to Nandi hills near a place called Nandigrama. This was my second trek with BASC after the Ghati Subramanya night trek for beginners and I was all excited about it.

  We boarded 8.45Am train at majestic and reached Nandi railway station in about 2 hours. From there we travelled around 20 mins in an auto to reach the base of the hill. We got our lunch packed from a nearby restaurant and started the trek at 11.45 Am.

The climb was a mixture of open wide areas and narrow paths passing in between thorny shrubs. On the way up in between some of us thought of trying a shorter route, so we got split up and explored a new route, but we ended up reaching at almost the same time as the new route was relatively tougher with more narrower and thornier paths. After taking several breaks in between for photo shoots and snacks.. it was almost 2 when we reached the peak. The view from the top was awesome. We had our packed lunch there viewing the scenic beauty around.

 We started back by around 2.45.. The descend was very fast as we had to catch a train at 4.15 ( as we had spent lot of time clicking photos while climbing :) ) .  Luckily we all made to the base within 4.. the autos were waiting for us at the base to take us back to station. We reached just in time for the train.
Thanks to Mudassar who had reached the station ahead of us in a bike and had taken tickets, we were able to board the train :)  .. and were back at majestic by 6.15.

 It was great fun trekking and also got to make new friends.
Thanks BASC for organizing such treks for beginners like me. These 2 treks I went have surely made me more confident and prepared for tougher ones :)
Looking forward to many more treks with BASC.

Testimonials:- By Sunil Kumar,It was an Amazing first time experience for me to be a part of the trekking event with your group to Brahmagiri Betta  (opposite to Nandi Hills ). Unbelievable experience ,Hats off to  the Organizers & especially for the  patience MUDASSAR has, Its not a joke to maintain like minded people with a  little bit of difference in frequency. He makes every one feel at home. If some one says Trekking is expensive , try it once with Bangalore Ascenders  & you will not believe. This trekking was for Rs 100.00 including transport & lunch. forget the money nobody cares as much they do.I am eager to be a part of more events in your group & Wish you all the very best for your group. YOU GUYS ROCK !

Visit our Group @ CLICK HERE
Written by: Chandana Mahuli 
Event organized by: Mudassar 
Image Gallery:Miten,Preetham, Sunil Kumar, Mudassar

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