I had no idea where we were heading as my sister had booked it for me as usual and i had not tried to gather any info on it!!We were to leave that night and the same morning is when i realized that i have not packed my bags nor do i have the things ready for the trek!! :DI had no proper shoes or a sleeping mat then!! After a lil busy college schedule i was warned that i have hardly got any time left then! I then immediately rushed to pick my sister and did some shopping till the max time available.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Aramane gudda trek on Jan 8th and 9th was an first big event to start the new year 2011 which was organized by Bangalore ASCENDers (BASC). Event organizer Ambareesh, sent out a mail just 15 days prior highlighting 3 past tragedies that happened in and around Aramane Gudda.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Monday, December 20, 2010
The konkan coast is famous for its beautiful beaches, landscapes and lush green forests. Planned to trek from Gokarna to Honnavara. Worked on the trail along with Mudassar and finally prepared the route map. Sent the invitations to the Bangalore ASCENDers group. Huuuhhhh.. the registrations were flooded like Tsunami. Finally confirmed 23 participants and booked to and fro bus journey tickets.
Monday, November 29, 2010
This was my first trek with Bangalore ASCENDers (BASC) and definitely the most adventurous trek I've ever had. The experience was just great as it was full of challenges and uncertainties. The way we overcame all these challenges with the great teamwork made it a successful trek.
As a first timer , few words on BASC:
I just loved the care taken by everyone while disposing the garbage. No one threw plastic covers or any garbage and on top of that, they made sure that others dint throw! Hats off guys!!
The way we did the trek was great, Sudhir leading the group, Shreedhar as sweeper making sure that everyone is in front of him and bunch of experienced trekkers in between motivating others.
Food! Having a sip of hot lemon tea or hot noodles really pumps up our spirit. Thanks to Sudhir, Shreedar and Saroja for your cooking efforts :)
Opportunity to make friends: Most of the people dint know each other. And the trek really helped in uniting us and form a good team and make new friends :)
This is how we finished trek and reached our destination :
DAY 1:
* We reached Sakleshpur Bus station at 4.30.Had an early morning breakfast @ 530, bought vegetables,packedfood and then we took the bus towards Kaghinare @ 7.30
* Reached HongaDahaLLa (last stop ) .After talking to the localites, we decided we'll start the trek from that place. There's a clear path from that place to Yedakumeri. Once we started, everyone felt its not fun to walk on a road. So came back and took a Jeep to Kaghinaare!!
* After finishing the breakfast near a school building, we started walking towards Kaghinare Ruins. Panoramic view from the ruins was beautiful. One must be a great nature lover to build a watch tower there :-)
* From the ruins, we started walking into the WILD :) Jumanji Started! We knew the direction but there was no trail. Series of Grasslands,mountains,valleys,streams was on our way to destination. The forest was very thick . Rotten leaves/twigs, loose mud, leeeches , thorny plants , Elephant footprints: these things dint let our spirits down :) Finding a way to the railway track was all in our minds!
* We kept on walking and somewhere ,in all of our minds, we had a thought of being lost in the wild. But we alwaays knew we are heading into the right direction. @ around 3.30 , we saw the Dam built across the Kempuhole and after crossing couple of peaks,We could see the Track, down the mountains.
* Sun was signing off and it was getting darker really fast. The track was getting closer but we didnt have the time to make it when the day light is on. Camping on grasslands/forest was highly risky and we dint have water. After a quick round of brainstorming, we decided to move on! All of our torches were on and we had to cross forest and green land twice, before we almost reached the track!
* There comes another challenge! around 20 to 25 feet of vertical drop was in between us and the track! It was dark and 830 in the night . But Sudhir gave us the confidence and showed that we can descend it down ! We had support till first 5 feet. After that we had to jump or slide down to reach the ground.All of us held our nerves and overcame the challenge! Huh! It was scary!
* It was easy once we reached the track. We got water and saw couple of railway workers. After waiting for the Bangalore-Mangalore train to pass, we had the last 4kms walk for the day and reached Yedakumeri station at 12.30 in the night !:) Thanks again for people who cooked the food. Especially Saroja - You are awesome! The energy and the enthusiasm is inspirational! :) It was around 2 am when we were done for the day and to have good night sleep :)
Day 2:
* New day! New beginning and new challenges were ahead of us ! Sipping Hot Lemon Tea with the cool breeze made a great start for the day :)
* We walked back along the tunnels and bridges . The valleys beneath the bridges/the roaring stream/narrow pathway is challenging.
* After walking some distance, we got the jeep trail which leads us to the highway.We were walking through the heart of lush green Forests.Serene nature gave us the spirit to move ahead :) We were walking in the land of "Jugaari cross"!
* There were elephant dung everywhere and fresh footsteps. We caught a resting Black cobra. He was silent and was in no mood to bother us :)
* We stopped at a stream ,which joins Kempuhole, and prepared food,had a bath and walked towards the highway.
* Kempuhole was ferocious and was eager to take everything on its way with it . Rocks were slippery .It wasn’t deep though. After initial round of investigation, we thought it was impossible to cross the river and started walking towards dam . But we couldn’t find it and also we could not find another easy path to the highway. Result: We came back to the same spot again!
* By that time another group of trekkers were crossing the river with the help of a rope and they did it successfully. They came back for us and helped us in crossing . ah! finally we had crossed all hurdles and reached highway.Bliss :) :) We walked around 5 kms before we got a jeep and reached Subramanya.
2 days were just great, full of extreme experiences and fun in the pure nature, far away from the civilization . I'm looking forward to participate in many more treks. Thanks to BASC for organizing this. You guys rock :)
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Written by: Chethan
Event organized by: Sudhir
Image Gallery:
Chethan, Shreedhar, Jinu John
Sunday, November 28, 2010
I had no clue what is in waiting for me when I joined the Bangalore ASCENDers (BASC) team at the esteem mall bus stop when
Having nothing much to do on a weekend, I insisted that Arun joined me for the trek. He did, happily. The other reason why I chose to go with BASC is Satish. This man is made of Red bull, Gatorade and laughing gas. His sense of humor will keep you alive and active. A good leader who can lead his pack to the destination with nothing but a fun-filled journey. There is a lot to learn from him as he carries a deep character and maturity . We started as decided and t ook the road to Skandagiri betta. Azhar in his Hero Honda Hunk proved why a 150 CC bike is always better than a 125 CC one. A few Royal Enfields joined us with its signature sound. I really want to own a royal Enfield, a Thunder B
When we stopped at the T-junction where the road leads to Nandi Hills, for all to re-group and go together, the cops came with their so called authority and abused us that the youth is making Nandi hills a wretched place. True, may be a few... not all.
3 bikers showed us an interesting fireworks by pressing the center stand against the road while the bikes were on the move. That created sparkles on the road. At night, it was even more fascinating. Now I knew why the policemen were mad at us. After parking the vehicles at a safe place near the base and while waiting for others to join, I took a power nap on leaning against a temple pillar.
Carry a torch, a litre of water, wear a good Jerkin, travel lite and go with friends. My personal opinion is
It was dark and Ice cold, but it was filled with energetic people who braved to push the mountain beneath their feet. Hurrah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We made it!
Wait the best is yet to come...
Our antakshari at the chilly mountain moved the nature Gods and ordered the sky to throw a silver lining on the horizon. All rushed to the sunrise point to get the best view of Sun that was ready to come out of its blanket of clouds. There started the inexplicable display of mother nature's soap opera.
Blue, magenta, orange, Sky blue
1. Its really awesome
2. There is no equal or matching vocabulary
3. The impa ct was too huge, you went numb!
Think again, how many times you've used the word "Awesome"? On all those instances, you've failed to explain things as it is. Awesome!!!
Thank you Satish ( BASC ) for arranging such a wonderful trek. I caught up with a lot of friends that have been appreciating and criticizing my photography through face book and Orkut. It was nice meeting all.
Trust me BASC changes your life for good! It did for me!
Let me know your comments. Good and constructive, it makes me write more! 
Visit our Group @ CLICK HERE
Join Bangalore ASCENDers @ CLICK HERE
Written by: Yadhunandhan (Courtesy: http://yadhunandhan-iamwhatiam.blogspot.com/)
Event organized by: Satish
Image Gallery:
Chaitu, Mohammad Rafi, Naveen, Jags, Ravichandran, Anand, Ameet Pai
Monday, November 22, 2010
Ah(!) or an Aaaahhh!!
One couldn't really mark the difference between the two exclamations after ending the EB2OG trek. At any given time, one emotion paved way to the other. The first one being ultimate satisfaction and the other being pain.
I, for one can vouch for both! However, the spasms that hit me on the first day was clearly overshadowed by the glee at the end of the trek, when the group reached the Gundya highway. It was evident that the final stretch took a lot out of everyone involved, more so, since the invitation to cleanse ourselves in Kukke Subramanya and have a good meal was too enticing.
I am sure that everyone had been looking forward to the 19th of November to start the exploratory expedition. Blogs had been read and memorized; Google Maps had been re-visited, items had been bought and checked.
The group met at Majestic at 10 PM and informal introduction were exchanged. First timers like myself, kind of bonded immediately given that the lost look on one's faces was met by another. Organizer Ambareesh was the single point of contact at that time and he definitely looked like he knew what he was doing. We loaded ourselves and our bags onto the bus and set off for Mudigere. An hour of idle chit-chat was enough to rock us all off to a brief nap. We were jolted out from it almost immediately when we crossed Bangalore. Given the road infrastructure and the chronic battling with pot-holes, it shouldn’t have been a surprise. A good night sleep would have done a world of good, though.
We landed at Mudigere at around 5:30 AM and scouted for the only public washroom which didn’t have electricity. There is something about the human mind, that doesn't complain much when it knows that the next two days is going to be impossible to find a man-made toilet!
Once we were done with our morning ablutions, we had breakfast in Mudigere Bus-stand Hotel. And then we started our journey at 6:30AM in an arranged mini-bus and landed at Bhyrapura temple by 7:30AM. The first hour was spent in getting ready in our trekking gear, photography and formal introductions. This is an old Temple and adjoining it there is a Pond/Kalyani to the left of it (have to go down a bit, using steps), in summer this is the last source of water. Ettina Bhuja (EB) can be seen from the Temple and a foot path follows behind the Temple towards the peak. Before leaving, a formal Intro was done, for some reason all members looked a bit embarrassed while doling out personal info!
Ambareesh and Abhiram in the meantime scouted the topography and discussed the (hopeful) marks. I trudged along just to get my own whereabouts and check my compass.
At about 8:30 AM approximately, we were ready to go. Ettina Bhuja looked majestic from where we started. It really stood out due to its unique shape and the cloud wavering around it gave it a smoky look. We started our first descent with some trepidation but as the trek began, some of us got quite vociferous and the excitement took over.
EB was worth the climb as all around it, one could take in nature's beauty and eccentricity at the same time. Eccentricity can sometimes be fortunate, as in this case Nature has taken into account every measure to keep this place as virgin as possible!
From the Ettina Bhuja peak, we can see Amedikal Gudda, Deepadakallu, Jenkal Betta, and Ombattu Gudda (OG). We could even see the Jeap track near OG, which was Day1’s camp site. As we could see, we have to cross a thick jungle between valley of EB and one more peak. After that we have to climb a few peaks to reach Jeep track.
After photo sessions by 11AM we started getting down from EB, its normal descend. But after that the Jungle was very thick and there was no path to reach next grassland. We took almost an hour to cross the jungle as it was thick and of loose mud. EB was now to back of us, and we could see the other face of it. We had lunch by 1PM and after taking brief nap, by 2:30PM started again. From here we have to climb a peak in grassland, which was the toughest part of the trek. Being an exploratory trek definitely meant that the trails were very difficult to find and that was the icing on the cake. There was one such when we weren't able to find the best path and that resulted in a virtual 80 degree climb using just bunches of wild grass for pulling ourselves up by nearly 3~4 feet. A 21 gun salute to those savannah grasses for holding our weights through the entire journey.
Abhiram and Rajesh were excellent compatriots for Ambareesh and I guess their company gave him a lot of confidence in this expedition. Between the three of them, they exchanged the roles of trek leaders and sweepers. Lakshmish and Suman volunteered on quite a few occasions to check out new paths and were successful as well.
It was at this juncture that the group had its first casualty in me. After negotiating a goat path, I had multiple sprain spasms which resulted in a blackout due to loss of salt. At this juncture, I must thank Priyanka (for electrol), Rajiv (trekking poles and accompanying), Laksh, Ravindran and Neelima (accompanying) and everyone else for offering to share my backpack. I hope, my stubbornness to carry my sack wasn’t misconstrued. I just felt it was unfair for anyone else to share another's burden while lifting their own.
After much travail, we landed at the first campsite on Jeap track near OG. I was the last to make it up there. Until that point Vasant, Neelima, Ravi and Laksh had already characterized for the fourth innings of the LORD OF THE RINGS: The Indian Version! Their taunts hung around until the very end.
Ombattu Gudda (OG) was now very clearly visible, may be just half an hour walk. Jeap Track will link between Saraswathi Estate and Lakhsmi Estate. As soon as we landed, Ambareesh and Priyanka brought out their cooking gear and lit the stove. It took a bit of time, but they finally were able to shield the stove from the gusts of wind. The first item to be dished out was hot soup; half a cup for each of the members. The warmth of the soup brought back some life and a bit of energy. Most of the members had bought along food packets. I had mis-interpreted instructions and had come in with just biscuits, cake and an apple - a beggarly meal. Hari was gracious enough to offer me a packet of MTR pongal, which was a big help. A thousand thanks to him for that!
We could not make camp fire, as we arrived here in dark, so searching woods was very difficult. Once we had our supper at 8 PM, the sentry duty was spread across 14 people. Karthik and myself were exempted. I strongly believe that that night's rest was one of the major reasons for my quick recovery. Rajesh's wild staff was our only means of defense and the sentries held on to it dearly. We had spotted enough and more bison dugouts and elephant dung along the way and that was enough to help us be on alert. We unpacked our sleeping bags/mats/ tent and went to bed. At the time we did, it was quite warm, but as the night progressed, mist covered our covers and a cold draft was in the air.
6:30 AM is an ungodly hour to wake up and a few of us struggled to snuggle out of our respective bedding. Weather was pleasant and sky was very clear. At 7:30 AM we started our journey towards OG. The path was precarious as ever. There was no dearth of loose mud, tricky rocks or ill-traveled ground. Every one of us had our share of nasty, embarrassing falls but none of us looked deterred. We were on top of OG (ninth peak) by 8AM. Now Deepadakallu and Jenkal Betta was opposite to us. From here its full descent till Adda Hole, i.e. we have to climb down nine hills (OG) to reach a stream called Adda Hole.
We trekked via forests, hills, streams, banks and ledges. All of them had a trick up their sleeves and doled them out generously. En route one such, some one spotted a baby snake and the excitement and fear was palpable! Being an animal enthusiast, I somehow made my way from the back of the line to right where the snake was. An inconclusive debate between Ravi and myself left the snake to decide for itself whether it was a viper or a constrictor.
During the whole trip we found gushing streams on both days, which was against our analysis, but boy was it welcome. We re-filled our water bottles whenever such an opportunity presented itself and drank to our heart's content. The pristine quality of water was over-whelming and a complete contrast to what we are used to from our city taps!
This whole region is Leech kingdom and they are abundant. We lost a lot of time trying to pry them out using salt, snuff powder, lemon and fingers but there was no real respite. Every time we checked our legs there were always a couple making their way up the shoe to a more comfortable spot up our limbs. They just wouldn’t bog down and after a while, I left them to take whatever they could. However, with 24 bite marks discovered later, I am still quite sure I was least affected. The others had a worse experience. It can be a problem when nature is your adversary. The terrain is a hotch-potch conundrum which primarily needs luck to unravel it. After a few hiccups, we finally found the path and religiously followed it in the hope of find the junction. When the front liners hit it, there were loud cheers all around and we immediately took a breather. We gathered our wits and our resolve and made a final check of our water and food supplies. It was at this point that my shoe which had been faithful to me over the last 6 years broke down and wilted. When I inspected it, the sight was pure torture. There was no sign of soles left and the punishment seemed a lot worse than it deserved. I had to donate it to the forest as my last homage and piously tied it to a tree as a warning sign for future trekkers. It was a peace offering.
The last 8kms from the Kabbinale river crossing until Gundya highway was the most arduous. It was evident on everyone's faces. We were begging for a sight of civilization but it didn’t relent for two hours. The leeches did give us faithful company though, all along the way. It seemed like the longest 2 hours of our lives and the darkness all around didn’t help a bit. Fortunately, there was a visible jeep track from the river to the highway and all we had to do was follow it. However, the woods still had one last boomerang to throw at us. About 3 kms into our walk, we found ourselves following a deviation which in no way resembled a jeep track. After a few minutes of deliberation we decided to back track until we found the elusive jeep trail. The sign we were looking for was the under-growth between the legendary jeep tires marks. A minute later we found it and realized the reason for having missed it. Where there was once a clear pathway, there lay debris of fallen tree. Ambareesh traversed the blockade and found the trail and we set off once again.
Finally 2 kms later, we heard the alarmed bark of a pariah dog kept by the village folk and then some lit bulbs. To me, it was like Diwali! The relief at hitting the pit-riddled highway was amazing. It was 8:30PM in the night. We took a left and sighted a small roadside drive-in shop. We converged on to it like starving wolves and finished off 16 cups of tea, 14 packets of BOTI, 4 packets of Bingo chips, 1 packet of popcorn, 1 plate of double omelet, an idli plate among others!
It was 9 PM by then and we were too weary to make it to Gundya checkpost and bless the eatery owner's kind soul; she called us a jeep and a van to take us to Kukke Subramanya for Rs. 325 each. The drivers used their skills to maneuver past the beaten roads and brought us to Kukke in half an hour. We took a hasty bath in the filthy river, had a hearty dinner and paraded into the waiting KSRTC VOLVO bus, which left at 10:45PM. It had never seemed as comforting! We reached Bangalore at 5 AM on Monday morning.
As tough as the narration might sound, this had to be one of the most rewarding treks of my life and I am sure the feeling is mutual with my team mates. It took a day to recover but the sense of fulfillment and the terrific experience we had, ranks as high as the sky and beyond. And I heartily thank Bangalore ASCENDers (BASC) for arranging such a challenging trek.
Karnataka is certainly a boon for the avid trekker and I am sure we will all get together for our next adventure soon.
Note: * Need permission from Forest department as this is restricted area.
Note: * Need permission from Forest department as this is restricted area.
Join Bangalore ASCENDers @ CLICK HERE
Written by: Brighu and Ambareesh Event organized by: Ambareesh Karanth
Image Gallery: Muralidhar, Karthik H K, Ravindran, Harimanjesh
Its Almost more than a month now in Europe, and almost every weekend I had been to some or the other place for sight seeing. Also visited to some neighboring European countries too and found that almost all the countries looks more 
The Day:
Sunday; 27th Nov the day was set for this hike, which is of 11Kms in distance and includes some 30% of outskirts of city and 70% of Vienna woods. And obviously this is special for me in many ways, it’s my first hike outside India,and I’m the first Bangalore ASCENDers (BASC) member who is organizing an event outside India. Hopefully this new trend of hiking in Europe will followed by many soon. By the time I packed everything and left my room it was almost 11AM in the morning and outside weather was bit cold and cloudy [A typical European Winter]. The route which I choose was from Station "Ottakring - Ottakring" whic
The Hike:
As I started I had the map and name of each check points which needs to be crossed along the way; the initial start was in the city and as it was Sunday there were very few people on the road, unlike in India where for us weekends are meant to be on the roads. Experienced this cultural difference since I come out on weekends [LOL...hate to stay inside during weekends]. One more thing to notice is the weather as it was winter there was lot of coldness in the air. When I reached the 3rd checkpoint, started to notice the difference in the surroundings in term of buildings, roads and the way the city is built. Here it’s very calm and beautiful and each house is independent with lush fresh wine-yards and the terrain is hilly, which made me more relaxed and happy. All this time since from the start point was very much eager to see the Vienna Woods and now its almost very much near, as I cld sense the freshness of air, fragrance of wild and woods and also cold had increased now.
Nature Always Wins Over Man Made Wonders:
After almost one and half hour of hike reached Vienna woods entrance and was filled with joy after seeing it. Took some time to relax
After almost two hours spending in the Vienna woods, reached my next check point which enters the city again and I must say this part of city is also equally beautiful as other side from were I started into the woods. Finally after covering all the checkpoints, reached the entry point from where I started the trek,and was damn happy about my adventure :)
Summary:
1. This was my best weekend ever in Europe, and this place scores num 1 in my list.
2. I suggest everyone who visits Europe to explore the possibilities of hike/trek. Trust me you will not regret it.
3. The route which taken was U3-Ottakring --> Thaliastraße --> Gallitzinstraße --> Funkengerngasse --> Rolandweg --> Johann-Staud-Straße --> Pelzer Rennweg --> Andergasse --> Eselstiege --> Savojenstraße --> Sprengersteig --> Paulinensteig --> Wilhelminenstraße --> Kollburggasse --> Erdbrustgasse --> Ottakringer Straße --> Weinheimergasse --> U3-Ottakring
4. Total trek distance 11Kms
Join Bangalore ASCENDers @ CLICK HERE
Written by: Nagoo (Courtesy: http://nagoo-trek.blogspot.com/)
Event organized by: Nagoo
Image Gallery:
Nagoo
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