Post lockdown monsoon wanderlust - Nagala

 

 

Introduction

With all the pent up energy from the previous weekends trek to BM betta still surging through me, I knew I had to do something the following week as well. It wouldn't matter if it was another one-dayer or the typical 2 day jaunt with the usual overnight bus journeys and one night spent camping in the forest.

So I decided to enquire with some of my old trek buddies if they were ready to do a two day thing. A few conversations over two days, and a plan was baked and ready by Wednesday evening. It was going to be 7 of us. The plan was more or less the same, i.e for easy treks. Get into the eastern stream at Nagala, show the newbies the sights, the pools, waterfalls and all, spend ample time at those places and then call it a night with warm soup by the stream. The next day cook some happy breakfast, indulge in some sliding, diving, frolicking around in the pool, get a fish pedicure, and do some underwater exploration. Check out the other pools nearby, and exit early in the evening. At least, that was the plan!

Day 0

It was Friday evening, and I was all packed and ready for the trek. I was ecstatic as this was to be the first full blown 2 day trek after months of lockdown. I left for the Majestic bus stand in Bangalore all exuberant and cheerful, listening to my favourite mashup tracks on Youtube. I had booked the 11 PM sleeper bus to Tirupathi. 

I arrived at the bus stand quite early and had lots of time to kill. So I made a few calls to some of my trek buddies and we talked about the good old days of trekking. Not the days before Covid-19. But the older days, where everyone trekked almost every weekend, and no one was married or had other commitments to attend to. Those were the days!

Continuously blabbering on the phone, I was totally oblivious to the time and before I knew it, it was already time to board my bus. I got to the terminal, reached the bus and read out my PNR number to the conductor. I climbed into the bus and stopped at the third stair. I gazed into the eyes of the person who I was going to hand over my life to for the next 6 hours. He looked straight ahead with a blank stare on his face, and didn't as much as give a slight tilt towards my side when he (must have) noticed me staring.

Did I really have to connect with him on that level? I didn't have to, as I later saw what a smooth driver he was. Not once did I feel threatened or get woken up during the entire journey, and I can confidently declare that it was one of the smoothest bus rides I've ever taken to a trek.

                                        

 

 

 

 

 Day 1

I arrived at Tirupathi early Saturday morning. The rest of gang was to get in from Hyderabad. And it was only then, that I got to know that they'd be joining me directly at Nagala instead of the main Tirupati bus stand. But as it often happens on treks, plans got changed at the last minute and they landed up at Puttur, a town not very far from our main destination. And again, as fate would have it, they ended up getting on the very bus that I was on. So with pleasantries and introductions completed, myself and Anil got around to discussing the itinerary for the day. And that's how the rest of the bus ride to Nagala went.

Once at Nagala, we got around to purchasing vegetables and chicken for the Biryani that was to be cooked by the stream at night, along with some processed stuff for Sunday afternoons lunch. The weather was quite salubrious owing to a week of continuous rain, as told to me by one of my contacts at the town. One could easily make out it that it had been raining as the soil was damp, and there were lots of puddles all over the place. It was also exceptionally cool and breezy that day. It is usually hot and humid in Nagala for most part of the year.

 

After purchasing the requisite foodstuff, we moved towards the bus stand to hire an auto to take us to the dam, the start point of the trek. The scenery on the way is definitely something you do not want to miss out on. Although the SS Puram road is in a pathetic condition right now, it's an absolute pleasure and joy to cruise on otherwise. You'll be mesmerized with stunning views of the majestic peaks in the distance, while breathing in the fresh forest air that lingers en route the main village. After an extremely bumpy ride in the auto, we arrived at the breakfast point on the road with all our joints intact.

Fresh piping hot Idlis, dosas and Puris welcomed us into the miniature eatery, as vehicles whizzed past us on the road below, blowing the rising steam from our plates into our faces. The red hot chutney, or "kaaram" as it is called, burned my senses as usual and stirred up poignant memories of my earliest days at Nagala. How so many generations of people I've trekked with have now gone ahead with their own lives, leaving me to trek here with the ever floating population, that is the trekking community in India.

I took care not to overeat unlike previous treks where I'd always end up taking a dump somewhere on the trail before the trek could even start. The energizing essence of the Kaaram and other chutneys can turn even the most disciplined eaters into gluttons who will overeat and bloat themselves out. If it were for anything, I'd come here every weekend just to have Idlis with the different varieties of chutneys they have to offer, especially the fiery red Kaaram.

It was 9 by the time we got into the first pool and began playing in the water. The first-timers to Nagala couldn't contain their excitement, and started yelling and screaming their lungs out on spotting the waterfall at the end of the pool. We spent close to an hour there and then took the call to leave as more groups shuffled into the area and started crowding the pool. 

The initial trail to the first pool was overgrown with shrubs and was teeming with life in the form of mushrooms, flowers, reptiles and insects. We even saw a snake dart across a pool right in front of our eyes. Luckily, I captured part of it on my camera.

We left for the dead-end pool, and reached there in less than an hour. There was another group of 5 here who had the same plans for the night as us. We'd be seeing them again later in the evening at a common campsite. We all got into the water and swam over to the other side to feast our eyes on the majestic gorge and waterfall. We spent close to 3 hours at the dead end pool, jumping, swimming, and just lazing around in the pool, exactly the way one is supposed to relax and rejuvenate themselves on a weekend. After tiring out our bodies with all the fun and frolic, we dived into our lunch packets with gusto and then settled down to a nice long nap. There was no need of a "power nap" for once, unlike the rest of the 99% of treks I go on, as this was a relaxed foodie trek.

It was early evening by the time we decided to make a move for our campsite, the magic pool plateau. I was tricked into thinking it was sundown by the low hanging monsoon clouds, and started hurrying the group up to pack up and start moving for the campsite, when one of them reminded me that it was just 5 in the evening.

Oh you mischievous monsoon clouds! You tricked me again, didn't you?

 

 

By around 5.30 or so, we started packing up and moving from there, one by one, to regroup at the cave and then head for the sliding pool as a single unit. 

We arrived at the campsite exceptionally early and I was able to get two hours of rest before joining the others in the kitchen. But instead of food, I was welcomed by the sorry sight of everyone desperately trying to get the fire started. They were trying to get the wet logs to burn since the last 2 hours and had failed every single time. I immediately sent some of them to go get a bunch of dry logs which I caught sight of at the cave on the way up. We then got the fire started, made our meals and hit the sack at around 11 in the night. Still not too late for a trek. Funnily enough, it is sleeping early that is an issue on most treks. People either keep chatting all night to get themselves to sleep, or wake up extremely early next morning to relish and bask in the silence of dawn when everyone's still asleep.

The moon rose high up into the sky behind one of the many beautiful hill formations of Nagala and shone brightly into everyone's faces negating the need for flashlights. This was the best part of camping on the magic pool plateau and I knew it. There were intermittent clouds playing hide n' seek with the moon like they do with the sun during the day.

 

 

Day 2

The second day began with long yawns and droopy eyes as most of us hadn't slept well. I remember watching the others slant precariously on a steep slope when I had gone to fetch water some time after midnight. I was the only one in the group who found flat space to sleep, yet barely managed to get any sleep at all. It was the constant buzzing of insects and their antics that kept me up for most of the night. Then at some point - I have no idea when - my body just gave up fighting with them and crashed. But I woke up terribly drained as if I hadn't slept at all. 

With a different set of insects (along with the sun) now thwarting my second attempt to sleep, I decided enough was enough and got up for the day. I changed into my swimming trunks and descended to the magic pool which was on the other side of the plateau. 

Trek or no trek, an early morning swim always does the body wonders! 

A few steps above the pool, some folks from the group were seated on the rocks and engaged in soft early morning conversation. I greeted them as I got down, lowered myself into the water, and let the blissful cold envelop me as I swam. After moving around for a while, I stood still and let the pedicure fishes do their thing. The others were still seated on the rocks and engaged in conversation, while checking on me every now and then. After a while, they got up and went to the campsite. 

I waddled in the water for a few more minutes and then went to join them. I was disappointed with the news they had for me. After the previous night's stunts with the fire, and with most of the ingredients for the fresh food spoiled, none of them were in a mood to cook. And we now had to make do with whatever processed stuff we had. This was a total bummer as this was supposed to be a foodie trek with lots of fresh food involved. I didn't want to have any dry processed stuff right at the beginning of the day, and so just gulped down a few mouthfuls of glucose powder along with some water for an energetic start.

 

It was at that moment that another impromptu change was made to the plans. Here we go again! 

It was decided that one of the organizers and I would go back to the dead end pool as he wanted to experience the gorge one more time, while the rest of the gang would stay at the sliding pool to slide and play in the water. We decided to meet at a common point on the eastern stream at 1 in the afternoon, and then break for lunch at the first pool. Some in the group were trying to push for an early exit in the afternoon, but since I'd already booked my tickets for the night, we deferred our exit to the evening.

I mean, what was I going to do all alone at the Tirupathi bus stand for 6 whole hours anyway? Even If I decided to stay back, it would be a terrible waste of my time lounging around in the pools just to push for a late exit. Both groups promptly made it to the rendezvous point at 1. We then discussed how much time we'd like to kill at the pool before starting for our exit. Since they wanted to get out of the forest in the afternoon, and with me pining for a late evening exit, we decided to do a middle ground and exit at 4 in the evening. Keeping that in mind, we had our lunch at the first pool, and spent the appropriate amount of time at the rest of the pools on the way out, so as to get out by 4.

Being Sunday, there were a ton of trekkers at the first pool, with more groups entering and leaving as we were there. It was clear that the amount of trash on the boulders around the pool had significantly increased, and I made a mental note to come clean it up some time like I've done in the past. We arrived at the dam just as the clock struck 4, and there were intermittent low hanging clouds sprinkling water on us every now and then. The droplets were clearly visible on the vast area covered by dam water. But it never rained. We arrived at a local village house to eat the Bondas and Bajjis we had ordered the previous day. And boy did they taste heavenly after two days of trekking!

I tried to capture the stillness and tranquility of the backwaters as the droplets fell: 

We got into the auto at the dam, reached the village home where we'd ordered food, and sat down to some scrumptious bajjis and bondas with coffee. We spent close to 45 mins here gorging on the Bondas one after another, and they tasted absolutely divine after a trek. It was 6 by now and we decided to make a move for it, as the guys wanted to catch an early train departing from Puttur for Hyderabad.

At the Nagalapuram bus stand, we again got into a private auto who took us all the way to Puttur. I had never rode on the main Puttur-Satyavedu highway in an auto and this was the part of the trip that was most euphoric for me. The view of the wide highway, majestically flanked by mountains on both sides, which is usually covered by the bonnet of a car or the windows of a bus for the majority of times I've been here, was now open and unhindered. This stretch is a trekkers playground and definitely must be on the bucket list for all the diehard fans of trekking and exploration. It was absolutely mesmerizing and captivating to be surrounded by mountains on all sides, especially when the scenery is painted by the colours of dusk. 

We arrived at the train station just as the train blew its departing whistle, and I saw them off in total filmy style, without even as much as getting a chance to say goodbye. They had to make a wild dash for it from the auto, and the last of them boarded the train like how the heroes do in movies, running and jumping into it as it rolls out of the station. I sauntered back to the Puttur town area amidst all the noise and cacophony of the market area. Too much to take after two blissful days spent in the tranquility of nature. I plonked myself at the bus stand as I waited to hop into any bus going to Tirupathi. I got one in a few minutes and arrived at Tirupathi in an hour or so. 

At the Tirupathi bus stand, I was in for some major disappointment. The AC waiting lounge was no longer there, and I couldn't relive my memories of 10 years spent waiting there for the sleeper bus to Bangalore. I badly missed the Telugu movies with its uber loud speakers enveloping the entire lounge with the movie being played as the AC froze you over, completely blocking out all the cacophony of the bus stand, with the constant air horns of buses and yelling of conductors unable to penetrate inside.

I then remembered that I hadn't had my dinner yet, so I could somehow kill time doing that. I walked out of the bus stand, found a Chinese place by the main road and sat down to some very mediocre fare. I should have trusted my instincts and gone for the traditional food on the cart. But how much cart food could one possibly have? As trekkers well know, the craving is for something tangy and filling after a trek.

I finished it quickly, got back to the bus stand and boarded my bus back to Bengaluru. Not bad for a first trek to Nagala. After months of lockdown, it sure felt like a breath of fresh air!

 

Post lockdown monsoon wanderlust - BM betta

 

Introduction

The lockdown of 2021 thwarted everyone's summer trekking plans and kicked all our bucket list items onto next years calendar. I was feeling particularly glum as I couldn't relish the goodness of deep water pools in the scorching Andhra sun at my favourite destination in the Eastern Ghats, Nagala. But all was not lost! By the time the lockdown was lifted, the rains had moved inwards to the South and it had already been pouring for the past couple of weeks in the city. So I decided to make the most of it and do a short hike up one of the dozen hillocks bordering the city of Bengaluru.

 

Bananthimari betta

Welcome to Bananthimari betta, a multi-tiered hill located just 60 Kilometers from Bangalore in the Ramanagara cluster of hills. Bananthimari is actually comprised of two hills which can be accessed separately. It is interspersed with farms, rocky patches, and lush green valleys in between. It is 2000 ft in height, and yes, you can breathe in some clouds at the peak during the monsoons. We were amazed to find even a stream flowing through it somewhere during the ascent, but I suppose it is a seasonal one that comes to life only during the monsoons. I was amazed and awestruck as I stood atop the main peak, and gazed down into the valley below. There was just too much to explore! I, for one, would definitely need to visit this place at least a dozen more times to explore it in its entirety, and for my brain to form a complete mental image of the area.

It was the second weekend which had been unlocked post the actual unlocking of the city, and I was itching to get back to my usual trekking routine. In fact, I had initially succeeded in putting a group together for a proper two day trek to a reserved forest. But as luck would have it, that trek got cancelled and I ended up going to Bananthimari betta with another bunch of friends. I was a bit hesitant and skeptical of the place at first. But the moment I saw the mist flowing off the top of the peak in the distance as our car wound its way to the hill, all my apprehensions about the place (being too less of a trek) faded away. This hill is by far, unlike any of the other peaks I've scaled close to the city, and one of the few that resembles a deep reserved forest in the Western ghats, complete with thick dense foliage, a bamboo forest, a stream and a cold misty peak with multiple viewpoints. What more does one need for an exploratory mission?

First half

With that being said, BM Betta is great for beginners, expert trekkers, and everyone in between. The trail is pretty straightforward once you catch it at the base, and the scenery keeps changing as you go up. The trek initially begins with a jeep trail which gradually narrows down to a thin shepherd trail. We began our trek some time around 730, with our packed breakfasts in our backpacks. Somewhere during this shepherd trail portion of the trek, I heard a peacock fly overhead but before I could turn to take a look, it had disappeared. Nevertheless, we kept hearing peacock calls all through the shepherds trail section of the hill. After you've done hiking through the more open sections, with shrubbery farther from you on either side, you'll arrive at a point where you'll need to make a decision on which hill you'd like to climb. Like I said in the beginning, there are multiple peaks here with many access points. We decided to climb the one to our left, since our leader informed us that it was the "main" peak. After getting off the shepherd trail, we were enshrouded by a massive bamboo grove with barely any noticeable trail to follow.

 

We had our breakfast by this colourful water body with the wind making ripples on the surface of the water, scattering the reflected dark green of the surrounding shrubbery all around the pond:

 

Misty hill in the background - a perfect view for breakfast

Wind sending ripples through the water

 

It was all up to the trek leader now to carve the path out for the rest of us who were new to the place. With tall bamboo shoots towering over us to form a thick canopy overhead and fallen branches scattered all over the place, we had to literally bushwhack our way to the opening at the top. We ran into spiderwebs, thorns, wet leaves, and other organic matter, all while holding onto slippery tree trunks and branches for support. I think the bamboo grove provided a moist and humid environment for fungi to grow and so we were in for a visual spectacle of sorts; wild mushrooms of varying colours, shapes, and sizes, and the miniature organic matter growing in the boscage.

 

                                                     

 

Whether there's an actual trail here that's been overrun with shrubbery due to lockdown induced abandonment, or this section was always wild, untouched, and blanketed in thick foliage is anyone's guess. But none of that mattered! As the rush of adventure we got navigating this steep section, getting on all fours, squatting under big logs, pushing thorny branches out of the way, climbing over fallen logs, sometimes jumping over them, and craning our necks to see further ahead in the brush, the dull monotonous trail from earlier in the morning totally paled in comparison. The heavily forested section didn't go for long, and by no time we arrived at a clearing. It opened up to scintillating panoramic views of surrounding peaks, evergreen forest, and countryside farms, with heavy, grey monsoon clouds providing the background score. The clouds were far on the horizon, and luckily didn't obscure our view of all the wonderful sights that lay right below us.

 

The viewpoint after the bamboo section

 

Together, we heaved a huge sigh of relief on completing the forested section, and I went ahead to rest my feet at a huge flat boulder. A carpet of green was glittering with life in the thick forest below, and the entire valley sparkled with the new lease of life bestowed upon it by the monsoon. While taking in all these amazing sights, we noticed another group on the adjacent hill that was right in front of us, maybe around 700 metres away or so. The same hill which we would have reached had we gone straight instead of taking a left on the trail. The group consisted of about 20 people or so, as much as we could establish from such a distance.

 

The group on the other side. Notice the water trickling down

The group huddled around a pond

 

The Second half

After relishing the cool suburban breeze effused with the rich fragrance of fertile forest soil, we decided to proceed for the peak. The route was such that we had to take a left U-turn to go around the hill as we couldn't continue straight. That route was rendered impassable by the steep rock face with a drop to the right. We had two choices from here. To either proceed on the steep but slippery hillside and reach the other side quickly. Or take an alternative route; backtrack our way a few meters down, and then climb up again using the dense foliage as gripping points, which would be a bit more time consuming. Two of our team members took the first option and two took the other.

The first option involved precariously walking across the stony hill face, which slanted at a perilous 70 degree angle, with no trees or grass to hold on to and water trickling down at some points. They decided to do the section barefoot, and took it one step at a time. In fact, the third trekker and I stood frozen in our places waiting with baited breath as the other two laboriously made it across to the other side. Only when they successfully reached the other side, and were back on firm footing, did we heave a sigh of relief and began moving.

 

 

I wish I did, but I've not taken any photos of this particular section, mainly because I was too busy finding a handhold and plonking myself up on the rocks correctly. This section was completely wild and untouched. The boulders were far from each other, they were covered in shrubs, and you wouldn't know if your foot would land on solid ground or just fall through the foliage in between. So we had to take it very carefully one foot at a time. We had to again resort to rock climbing, and propping ourselves up on massive boulders, as well as shaky wooden logs, to get higher and higher. All while pushing thick branches out of our faces in order to see further ahead. Finally, we arrived at a section that resembled a trail but which was heavily overgrown owing to weeks of continuous rain.

There was another slippery rock face that we had to climb, but it was easier compared to the first one. Once we arrived at the peak, we were engulfed by a chill breeze that was constant more or less the entire time we were there. There were freshwater ponds which had formed due to the rain, and I got down on all fours to lap it up animal style. The breeze felt colder than it actually was due to the sweat that had formed on the surface my skin. That is a most wonderful feeling that cannot be described. It isn't that menacing kind of cold which makes you run for your warmers, but the soft, affectionate kind that people love and generally prefer. The one that adds to the ambiance and brings out the winter mood everywhere.

The clouds kept dreamily passing by one after another, sometimes right through us, and sometimes a few meters below the peak like a carpet. We lazily sat down on the ground and took in the sights of the entire landscape ahead of us which also comprised of several peaks in the distance. Some of us decided to balance their phones between two rocks in order to capture time lapse videos of cloud movement during the break. After being sufficiently rested, we went to check out the opposite side of the hill, the direction which we came from, and then continued with our descent from there. During the descent, we could still see the gang on the opposite hill. I think that flat piece of rock was their final destination. There were some people on the peak of that hill as well, but we doubted it as to whether they could have been part of the same group.

 

Completely covered in fog

                                          

I put the 30x digital zoom on my new camera to the test and tried to capture them to the finest level possible. Here's how that turned out:

The Real Adventure

They could have been a subset of the very same group that was resting near the pond. That does happen a lot in trekking. One set of people who want to do the more difficult part of something, while the rest wait for them at another point lower or earlier on the trail. We ran into the group by pond, as we ourselves arrived at that spot while descending. Yes, they were still there! We took that route while descending instead of just tracing back our steps via the same route we used to ascend the hill. We love exploring that way. And an exploration it was indeed! 

We later arrived at a point where the hill rolled down steeply, there was barely any vegetation, and every step had to be intentional and calculated. Little did I know that the real adventure of the day quietly lie in wait for me towards the very end of the trek. There were trickles of water washing over the rocks in intervals and you wouldn't want to step on them. I got separated from the group as I wasn't confident of going down the same way. My quest to find and land myself on only the driest patches of rock took me far to the right and I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Towards my left, water. Towards my right, water. Right in front of me water.

Now the only option I had was to climb back up and find another way around the wet patch which ended up taking me ever further away from the group, leaving me to find my own exit to the plains from the right side. It didn't take even a few minutes and I had successfully got down to ground level after dodging all the wet portions. 

But everyone had gotten down on the left and I now had to rejoin them. 

I kept my eyes glued to the ground in the hopes of spotting a shepherds trail or anything of the sort that would take me to the left side. I found it after hiking for a while and joined the trek leader waiting there. Somehow, I had made it before the three of them could make it down together. And all along I was assuming that they'd already reached, and would be waiting for me there.

 

Appetizing mushrooms on the way down - but are they edible?

The ride back home was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that we stopped at a really horrible place for lunch. The food didn't taste bad. It's just that there wasn't any taste at all! 😁 We asked for extra salt and somehow made it through meal. If one can make it through that last steep section of the hill, one can make it through anything, we declared in unison. And besides, most food tastes good after a trek no matter how bad it is. All you want to do is fill your tummy.

We got back to my friend's house where I had parked my bike. It was dark and cloudy in the city, just as it had been all day long. I picked it up and started for home. It was around 530 in the evening and the city traffic was just starting to pick up. Luckily, it wasn't raining unlike earlier in the morning, when I got drenched getting there. It was still cold though, and the effect was magnified for me as my trekking singlet was still wet, and I had worn mornings jacket (which hadn't dried one bit in the car) over it.

Unmistakably, this is one of the most wondrous parts of short single day hikes near the city that I treasure the most. Riding back in the pouring rain soaked to the bone, shivering continuously as you make your way through slushy roads and clogged intersections. That homely warmth and relaxation you feel on getting home and snuggling into a blanket with some hot food and a movie. Now just imagine if I had taken a cab instead.

I would have missed out on all these abstract fantasies, plus so much more!

If you love boulders head over to Avani betta

 

Introduction

Another boring lockdown weekend. Hmmmm! what do I do? I thought. 

Since I was currently on an exploration spree of all attractions near Bengaluru, I thought why not check out something on the Bangalore-Kolar highway. After all, I'd been that side so many times for all my Nagala & Antargange treks. And not to mention, all those memorable long drives to Highway Star Kolar with friends. During some of my Antargange visits, I noticed quite a lot of hillocks dotting the landscape, while resting on the peak. I definitely knew that there must be a few with man-made trails around. I got onto Google maps to get a bird's eye view of the area. 

I found that not very far from Highway Star Kolar, was another hillock called Avani betta. The pictures online were too captivating for this trek to be passed up on. And so I stopped my search right there and settled for Avani betta. Also, I didn't want to overwhelm myself with more options and have difficulty deciding where to go later on. So for that Sunday, Avani Betta it was!

 

Let's begin the trek

The best part was, to do this trek, I'd have to cross my favourite haunt, Highway Star Kolar. Since I started very late that day, I was kind of in between breakfast and lunch while passing by. So I decided not to visit it on the onward journey. Instead, I'd pop in there for lunch on my way back.

I had a pretty late start at 11AM, since I'd woken up late that day:

 

Starting at 11

I got onto blissful highway roads after battling city traffic:

 

 

gloomy weather

Mostly empty roads

 

And stopped for a cup of Joe at my favourite cycling haunt, Kolar CCD: 

 

 

The cloudy, balmy day didn't help with the late start or with the photos. I could have gotten much better photos and good light for photography on a cloudless, sunny day. Heat from the sun is a non-issue for me since I'm used to summer treks. And even if it does get sunny on these Bangalore treks, the heat doesn't get to you the way it does in Andhra Pradesh, and I'm not sure if this is because of the surrounding greenery, or just the general Bangalore effect.

The route was fairly easily and comprehensible. All you have to do is stick to the main Kolar highway, and then take a right turn to get off the main highway at the point where Google maps tells you to, and drive for around 8kms. However, be cautioned that Google might not really take you to the correct starting point, which was exactly what happened to me.

After going through the winding curvy village roads for a few kilometers, you'll arrive at a junction. From there I could clearly see the temple arch and a road leading to the hill. But Google maps told me to keep going straight for another 3 km's, and that I'd arrive at the starting point for the trek. I zoomed into the map to see what google was up to, and thought "alright, its making me do the trek in the opposite direction, maybe the trail goes both ways". But when I got to Google's start point, I stared at a blank field with just a house or two next to it. When I parked and got off, the villagers told me this isn't the start point for the trek, and neither is there any trek-able route from here. I thought Google might only be showing me the road, and that the trail might naturally present itself when I got there. But that was not the case. The people were right. 

 

The area I arrived at by following Google maps:

 

 

Based on the directions they were giving me in Kannada, I understood that I was correct some time back, and the arch point was indeed the correct entry to the temple/trek point. So I backed up to the main road and then started for the junction. I crossed the mud road again and then arrived at the intersection. I took the left turn, inquired with a few people standing there, and they immediately confirmed that I was on the right path. So I went on, and I could clearly discern a temple in the distance at what seemed to be a dead end. 

 When  I got to the temple, it was in fact, not a dead end, and there was a road going towards the right. A throng of villagers and tourists were standing right outside the temple, and I thought they were there to chase people away due to the Covid 19 situation, but considering no one in the village wore masks, I knew it must not be the case. When I spoke to them, they turned out to be super kind, and told me to take the road on the right, and that I'd arrive at the trail in just a few metres.

 

 

Temple car

 

 

The entry as seen from a distance

second junction

Temple you first arrive at

Road that went right

 

I took the right turn, arrived at another triangular looking junction, and I could make out the hill on the left side, and instinctively took it without asking anyone nearby. Once you take this road, you know you've arrived, as the arch is clearly visible from a distance. There were a couple of cars parked right in front of it. So I had to go and park towards the left.

 

On parking the car, I noticed that the distance was 100kms by the time I had gotten there:

 

After parking, I immediately began the trek:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cinematic views all around

The trek starts off with stairs, and this makes it an extremely easy trek for beginners. I'd recommend this place as a first hike for someone who'd like to get into trekking. It's even great for someone who's taken a long break from treks and would like to restart. I was surrounded by boulders on all sides of the hill. There were small ones, big ones, and some that slanted at such awkward angles, it looked like they might just roll down any second. There was just another group of trekkers ahead of me and they seemed to be doing pretty fine. Due to the cloudy sky, there was no heat at all, but neither was it cool. It was just pleasant and salubrious. 

The Stairs weren't continuous. At some places they were barely carved into the stone, that the slabs looked more stone, and less stair. After a 100 metres or so of climb, there was an opening where a separate set of stairs veered off towards the right, away from the main path leading to the peak. I decided to go and check it out. It led to a place where two huge boulders slanted against each other, creating a sort of cave, with enough space to shelter from the elements.

 

 

The path that led towards the right side

The cave structure

I spent some time inside this cave gingerly clicking photos and resting for a bit. I hadn't trekked for months, owing to the lock down. It wasn't hot, or even sunny for that matter, so I didn't find the need to carry a water bottle. Bad decision. I realized that it was not the trek, but the caffeine that dehydrated me more than anything else.

On getting out of the cave on the other side, I found a few cactus plants along with a ton of free-standing boulders, and started taking pics of them. I also noticed that I wouldn't necessarily have to rejoin the main trail, and that I could just continue the trek from where I was, since it joined the trail eventually.

Cacti and Boulder formations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quarry can be seen in the background

Temple can be seen in the distance

The arch leading back to the trail

Majestic boulders all along the route

On emerging out of the cave the other side, I noticed a wall running along the perimeter of the hill for some distance, which then abruptly ended. When I went all the way to that side, I found a pond, next to which a family had laid out their picnic mat and were having lunch. The kids seemed to be quite excited about the place, but so were the elders. A bit ahead of this pond was a second pond, where I went to have some lone time.

I noticed a route joining the trail where there was an arch made out of stone. I decided not to take it immediately and instead chose to explore further a bit ahead. It led to an open land that overlooked the majestic view of the entire landscape. You could see a quarry, a lake, and the approach road from this view point. It was a truly magical scene, with shades of brown and green painted all over, in the backdrop of a cloudy, but blue sky.

 

Second pond

 

 

 

 

 

First pond

First pond

A structure right next to the first pond

Do you know why these stones are tied?

 

I noticed a peculiar looking cactus plant, where a bunch of stones tied into a cloth bag were hung on them. At that point I didn't know the reason for this. But when I got back home, my folk told me that people come to the temple on the top of this hill to pray for a child. These stones were tied as vows, so that the couple may be blessed with a child in future. I realized that the number of stones tied to this cactus was actually nothing when I reached the temple area, where entire trees were covered in such stone bags.

Also, you'll find a lot of the famous "stacked rocks" on this hill, the universal trekker sign for "I've been here", or "this is the way".  

The globally recognized "I've been here" sign:
 

Yes, there was a bit of garbage

There was a bit of garbage near these rocks but not anywhere else on the hill. It's definitely one of the cleanest hills I've been to close to the city. After lounging around the area for a while and taking in the beautiful views, I decided to move towards the temple.

I found another pond on the way up that was too beautiful to pass up:

 

 

 

On crossing that pond and climbing further up, I came across this huge potato looking boulder with a small pond that had formed next to it:

 

 

 

 

There was a railing to protect people from falling into the water, as the surface of the stone near the pond was very smooth and slanted towards it.

 

I tried to get a pic of the fishes in the pond. Luckily, I was successful at it: 

 

 

Without further wasting time, or resting, I trekked further and was dazzled by even more beautiful boulder formations on the way:

Absolutely spectacular

 

I finally arrived at the temple after a bit more climbing. The stairs began here again, and they continued all the way till the temple. The stairs were so neatly laid, and the way the plants grew around them, it almost felt like someone was hired to landscape the place and clean it everyday. Who knows?  That actually might be the case!

 

Right before arriving at the temple you'll see the vow trees I mentioned a while back:

 

 

 

 

 

At the peak, you get a panoramic views of Avani town, which looks spectacular amidst all the natural brown and green shades of the countryside:

 

 

I quickly realized that it was getting late and I had to move from there. As it is, I couldn't explore much of the hillock due to my late start, and regretted it. I had to abandon the exploration midway, and make my way back to the car as the sky was overcast and it could rain any time. I had neither carried any rain protection, nor had I dressed for a rainy trek. So with that, I began my descent. There were a few families who were making their way up as I was descending, and it was then that I realized I wasn't that late after all. It was only because of the cloudy weather and overcast sky, that I was fooled into believing that it was evening. So I slowed down to catch my breath, and heaved a sigh of relief. By the time I got back to the car, it was already 4 PM. A terribly bad time for lunch. But I had had breakfast at 11, so what was the hurry?

I got myself a burger from McDonalds at Highway Star, and took it 'to go', so that I could eat while driving. It was around 5 by the time I left from there. The drive back home was very blissful, owing to less traffic on the highway itself, and very less movement in the city interior. I comfortably got home at around 6. It was 200kms on the trip meter. All in a day's work, and a weekend done right!