15th July - Trek to Bilikal Rangaswamy betta & Chunchi falls

Amidst nature in Bilikal Rangaswamy betta and Chunchi falls

Excitement knew no bounds for me. This was going to be my first BTC trek. I had registered as soon as the registration mail popped in my inbox. Though I was enthusiastic, I was a little sceptical of trekking with 20+ new faces but soon I realised how wrong I was. These trekkers are the most amazing, jolly-going people with one common point-love for trekking and never once did they make me feel like a new-comer. We all assembled and reported to our organisers Amol and Dinesh Yadav at Shantala silk house and started our journey to one of the memorable days in my life.

And the journey begins……...

After crossing the city limits, to break the ice our organiser Dinesh Yadav began the introduction round. Being a first timer, I was called upon to the front first. I was asked to introduce myself by enacting my name (by playing dam-charades). Hats off to my acting skills, none of them were able to guess my name at first😉. By pulling our legs by deliberately not guessing our names and making fun of our acting our organiser got us all together by the end of our introductory session.

After filling our stomachs with hot idlis we soon reached the base. A panorama lined with green shrubs and elephant dung scaring me a little we started our exploratory trek.

Bilikal betta is around 70+ kilometres from Bangalore. One can reach the peak either by trekking or by vehicle. Preferring two feet over two wheels, we set off on foot through long meandering trails and pensive walks through the lush green territories all along the trail. This trek requires more of self-confidence than physical strength. The overcast conditions were perfect. The weather was neither too hot nor too cold with clouds hovering over us, lightly drizzling now and then, and cool breeze making it perfect for the trek.

Two village dogs had decided to accompany us sometimes leading and sometimes following us. After an hour climb with such fun-loving people we reached the hill-top. One can see the city of Kanakpura and surrounding hillocks from here. The view is captivating. All thanks to our photographers Amol, Sachin, Manish and Pralove who captured this breath-taking beauty and our wonderful moments.

Descending was quite easy and with our tummies filled with yummy home-made and packed food within an hour we were comfortably seated in our bus continuing our journey to the next awaited part of our day-The Chunchi falls. We had a gala time playing antakshari, singing songs from late 1980’s till recent ones during our short drive to Chunchi falls. River Arkavathy taking a leap at chunchi was pulling us to her. We started our trek, crossing a channel and defending towards the river. The falls has two cascades with little water in the main falls. 

After clicking some group pictures, not forgetting our signature “GO-PRO TAKE A PHOTO” sentence for every click we started towards the next falls. Wind speed was just right to intoxicate oneself with the mesmerising view. I sat down enjoying the cool breeze feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. After spending some quality time there we started back our trek. We stopped for a cup of chai and munched some snacks. We started our journey back. Kudos to Sowmya and others for their awesome dance steps. Thank you, Srikanth sir, for your superb belly dance. With my muscles cursing me a little, the day ended perfectly strangers becoming friends, giving me a lot of memories to remember. Thank you guys😊.

Written By     : Meghana Rajesh

Organized By : Amol & Dinesh Yadav

Date of event : 15th July, 2017

Place              : Kanakapura

Pictures          : BTC FB Page

8th July 2017 - Tekking to Sivagange

      I would like to be fit.  Those who have seen me, can easily say I am obese, over weight.  Still I am a habitual walker.  Everyday walking in a single place is boring.  So I would like to change this by trekking 3 - 4 hours on Saturdays, Whenever possible, with whichever group, I enjoy this. I also enjoy the company of youngsters.  To make them comfortable, I sing and dance.  Low-expenses, not disturbing family are other priorities. Before this, I had trekked with BTC – Bangalore Trekking Club continuously for 3 weeks.  This week I could not register in time.   I decided to go on a very popular trek , even if I had to be alone- Sivagange.  This is the 3^rd time I am going over last 10 years.  I knew it would stretch me out but I knew it would not be difficult.  I called my young friend,  Satish who gladly accepted to join.

Two of us started by a train, 56515 Hubli passenger.  Train departed exactly at 7:45 AM and we reached Dabbaspete by 9:15.  We took a shared auto to  the Sivange temple.  The distance was 6 KMs and shared autos take Rs.20/- per person. This is the  general mode of transport. Once we reached there apart from the packed sandwiches, we ate tatte(plate) idly, vada and also packed ‘Rice Bath’.

It starts with a Gangadareshweshwara temple.  There are around 500 steps to reach there.  To the side of the temple, a trail starts.  75% of the total trekking distance has uneven steps . There are many shops which sells Juice, buttermilk, churmuri, biscuits, etc, every half-a-kilometer.  This total trail is around 2.5 KM one way.

The view was very good. We could see clouds at the top of the hill. Terrain was mostly rocky and some places are quite tough to climb.  There were just few meters of walking.  Most of  it was climbing.  Since this was a Saturday, there were many groups, and families who had visited.  Surprisingly a few love-birds/couples were also trekking.. Since we were the  only two, we were pretty fast.  Satish is a strong man and is very experienced in trekking.  We had gone on  quite a few treks  together earlier too.  

There was a big statue of Siva and parvati.  That is the last part of the trek.  This is the  most challenging part. The pathway was steep and narrow had a good railing support.  One major problem here is the menace of monkeys.  There are hundreds of them.  They were very daring.  I had heard that in the previous week, it had taken a purse with two mobiles and even though they tricked to get the two mobiles back, the bag and more than a  thousand rupees were lost.  So we were very careful.  Even then, one monkey climbed on the bag pack  of Satish.  He was very courageous and did not give  the bag at all. I could see them opening zips easily and also even peeping into packets.  We took multiple breaks and finally reached the top.  We had leave to  our bags in a make-shift shop to protect them  from monkey

he top has a Nandi, a bull and Giri Gandareswara temple.

The view was very good.  Could see many more hills, a big water body, Tiny vehicles moving and a good view of Sivagange town.  Like many hills there is a large flat surface at the top,  it was very windy and also there were a lot of bushes/greens. The others side had two light poles.  It seems that they play a game to keep a coin at the top.. it is tough since there is a  forceful wind blowing.  They have put up a railing all around.  We took around 2 hours to reach to the top.  We started at 10:25 and reached  the top at around 12:30.  After spending a few mins there, we started climbing down.  This is equally tough.  With fewer breaks, we climbed down.  We took a break, ate the packed Rice Bath and we could touch down by 2:30.  We took the shared auto-rickshaws again. This time we took a KSRTC bus to go back to Bangalore.  It was a very simple and meaningful trek.  Hope to make many more memories like this!

24th Jun 2017 - Trek to Rayakottai

Blog Credit to 

Written By      : Aaditi Lakshman

Organized By   : Dinesh Yadav & Amol Saindane

Date of event  : 24th June 2017

Place              : Rayakottai Fort

Pictures          : BTC FB Page

As soon as I read the mail..about the trek...I was so excited ! It was the much longer break I needed amidst the studies..the stressful life!

Then..I got a mail about itinerary! My joy knew no bound !Preparations went on normally.

I loaded my bag with 3 -1 liter water bottles,then junk and lunch!

I couldn’t sleep the entire night on 23rd!

Trust me…my close friends were worried!i get way too excited

Then I closed my eyes for some time..like may be 2-3 hours..it was already 5 am ! the alarm rang! I got ready!

I sat in the cab and suddenly mind started wondering about..

What did I seek from this trek?

Where am I heading towards?

Usually, when I sit in cab or bus..all I think of is medical mnemonics! What would I do if I find a patient who is running at the speed of light? Ha ha..

So the meeting time was 6:45am at the majestic railway station entrance! I reached there on time! Then I met Dinesh..organizer! There were a few boys..who I  dint talk to at that point of time..

I met a lot of people from previous BTC treks..it was nice to see faces that I had already seen!

Then we got into the train and started talking about general things!

Then others joined!at Byappanahalli station!

The train started at around 7:55-8:00 am.

Then instead of playing this traditional trip game dham sharads...we started having introduction session and started singing songs..there were many singers,cooks, dancers!

This was real time! we had loads of fun..it was an enthusiastic gang!

Then we arrived at Rayakottai station

All set,with full determination and full tummy…we started walking….

So now we went back to the station crossed the railway track and started walking to the base of the hill!

Then, we stopped at certain point and had a formal introduction session! Here is when actually something exciting happened..we clapped our hands against thighs in a fashion of WE WILL.. WE WILL.. ROCK U!

I was very excited.. I have always dreamed of getting lost in the woods!

Then at around 10:30.. we started ….

Talking about the hill and its history,

Rayakottai fort is one of the ancient fortresses in the Krishnagiri district. The fort is situated within the town of Rayakottai which is one of the ancient fortress in the Krishnagiri district!

The place seemed nice..typical village environment..too hot yet breezy!

Initially it was very easy..the foot of the hill was awesome…there we're bushes with beautiful flowers shining so bright in the glimpse of sun! there were a few villagers and kids who were washing their clothes close to the homes!

Now after covering 2 Kms ..we took around 2-3 breaks..and did lots of photography sessions!

For me trekking was more like sprinting…:P

While climbing up..i was sort of conserved with photography..but while descending down..I was a big photo maniac… lol!

When we took the second break..we were resting on a rock..

I was decently trying to cool myself down…because..I literally felt like I had tachycardia a bar higher than it should be! :P  ha ha! So that’s when this interesting thing happened . The rock was brownish . a brown grasshopper jumped from far left to other end of the rock so perfectly camouflaged that I couldn’t locate it until it jumped again.

We reached the peak at around 12:30 pm.

This was an epic moment for me. This was the first time I ever went to a fort trek and it was awesome .

It felt like the wind was blowing just to welcome me….to probably celebrate my reaching the peak.

After that we had couple of photo shoots! Awesome it was J not to miss GO PRO TAKE A PHOTO😊

We then decided to have lunch and start descending down by 2!

The plan was to be able to catch the train that departs to Bengaluru at – 4pm

So we sat down and had played ping ping game...we danced ..sang..talked!

My parents kept calling every now and then to check about my whereabouts!

Like the hush in those mountains, the silence swelled with the intake of my breath into a presence of vast benevolence of which ..I was a part! It just felt like something great had happened to me!

After exploring…the rest of the place we started descending down at around 2:30!

This time it was fun and easy…but I kept falling a lot of times. all because of the topsy-turvy slopes!

Every time I put my leg ahead…I literally wanted to go back to the peak!

So we reached the station at around 3:30 pm. We had this feedback session!

I was literally speechless for a second!

Every single person on board was awesome….so caring and they never got me bored.

The train was late by almost 20-25mins. We all got in. Some only got seats, but we had lots of fun..Chit chatting, Antakshyari, eating biscuits etc…

So we boarded the train and reached Bengaluru at around 7 pm

At the end of this trek, I have discovered a new version of me. I learnt fear not anything.

Life detachment, pursue because it interests you, no fundamental questions.

Self dissolved into supreme, no questions, no answers, its just bliss.

It was a very huge Kannada crowd this time...so it was nice! To connect with people

Thanks to the organizers for making the trek so interesting  and exciting!

Posted 1 week ago by Amol Saind

17th June 2017 -One Memorable Trekking to Ramadevara Betta!

A pleasant saturday morning it was and for working professionals to get up early that morning must be difficult surprisingly everbody had made up to the stations. Kudos to us  This trek was organised by Amol, Dinesh, Parth through BTC (Bangalore Trekking Club) who all did an amazing job. I boarded a train from Yeshwanthpur JNC lead by Rajesh and most of them boarded from Bangalore Central JNC who greeted us later. There we started heading to the destination ‘Ramadevara Betta’.

Ramadevara Betta is about 3,900 ft height above from the sea level and is situated in Kyatsandra on the Bangalore-Tumakuru road. Kyatsandra is a small town located about 70 km away from the Bangalore. The top of the hill is a huge rock with views of the surrounding towns.

Train leaving around 8.30 at Yeshwanthpur JNC and the general compartment being mildly full, which we happily boarded and made it a living room in no time with our introductions, stories, jokes, and games.

                                

A part of the team were playing the unanimously loved game Dumb charades, where we encountered tricky movie names like ‘Sabotage’,’Grudge 3′ and sometimes easy names like ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ while the rest of them were lost in their world (including me :P).

In an hour or so, we all reached our destined station ‘Kyatsandra’. A station with only a handful of people, a water tap, and no hotel, it felt peaceful. Add the nice cozy calm weather with little sun, and warmness in the cold air, made it the perfect setting for the trek to come.

Walk to the hill started after strict instructions by our leads of NO smoking, NO drinking and NO littering. Violating any would call for a lifetime ban from BTC  and we took a mandatory group photo down the base hill before we ascend.

We tighten our shoe laces and marched towards the peak, like an army marching to fight a battle, just a lot happily and peacefully. With a lot of new comers, with probably equal number of experienced trekkers, the crowd was a mix and saw excitement and anxiety alike.

There is a regular trail which leads to the top of the hill and we follow it. The hill is bushy forest and remaining part contains huge rocks. The path is narrow and either side is infested with thorny plants. My friend and some of us did get minor scratches from the thorny plants. Walk slowly and carefully you maybe able to sight variety of butterflies, bees, lady birds and plenty other little species hovering on beautiful flowers. Watch your step and climb.

Passing through big boulders, sloppy surfaces, twisted tress and  bright green bushes, we reached the top. Yes, easier said than done, the feeling of triumph was surely inside all of us.

The view from the top was majestic, and breathtaking. The lakes that was a little far off the mountain, looked very tempting. The roads were narrow and the big mammoth trucks looked like toys. Neighboring mountains too looked inviting and the clouds over them felt heaven. Words just cannot describe the beauty of that moment we all were sitting speechless, mesmerized, adoring the beautiful nature.

The top of the hill also had many rock formations and provided a beautiful view of the surrounding areas. There is a small lake at the top with many flowering Lotus plants which was a stress buster and a relaxation spot to many. Water was cold enough to relax.

Not to forget the mention of magnitude of hunger we had in all of us as it was pretty early, and the shine you could spot in our eyes when we saw the food. I don’t remember who but somebody opened one food box. That’s it..! Perhaps that’s something we all were waiting for, and wished someone to begin.

In no time, everybody was munching on something, and roaming around to see what everybody else is eating and took a share. Nothing less than an picnic moment, this eat-a-thon went for a while until everybody were content.

There are lot of small caves, a Shiva temple with attractive rounded pillars these style of temples are found in the Hill, a small cave temple dedicated to Rama and interesting rock formations  hence the name ‘Ramadevara Betta’. We explored the hill for some time, took rest, and clicked as many photographs as we could.

It was time to say good bye to the peak, and move to the base. We started descending around 2 pm and took much lesser time to reach the base, descending is quite easy and we’ll have to be a little careful as it gets slippery.

We reached the base in time. As always, we finished a feedback session where words like ‘Awesome’, ‘Lovely’, ‘Memorable’, ‘Too good’, ‘My best ever trek’ were heard. We then departed from Kyatsandra but the fun didn’t end here. We got into the train and found our seats , we were back to the fun mode and played Antakshri so cheerfully and loud that whole bogie could hear us. As the destination was getting nearer, the heart was getting heavier as an amazing day was coming to an end. And in sometime, we have to get back to normalcy but taking back some more trekking experience.

Learning from this trek (because there’s always you take back something from the new places and unknown people)

Living Young – This Uncle who was 24 something ( he says he crossed 24 twice but dint tell us his actual age)  He was heavily talented who had truck loads of experience, he had also been on a trek to Himalayas last year. He gives a tough competition to the youths in terms the young energy and liveliness is concerned. Very enthusiastic person and inspiring. He also said “Life is good”  .

Helping Hand – A person named Niranjan got hurt while climbing. We all felt bad as he was a professional photograher who could click our amazing photos. He had got sprains and was in no condition to climb the hill. Hence one of the organiser (Dinesh) went along with him till the base hill. Dinesh was with him until he was fine and later he joined us on the top hill for food.  This shows how one should be ready to help when somebody is in need.

Lazy to top it– A person (name I don’t remember, Sorry :P)  who proudly claimed that he is lazy much to do anything in the introductory session was the one to climb the hill top first and also the first one to reach the base . This shows how he can put down all the active people down when the work comes to picture. Smart enough though 

The trek ended there, and the blog ends here. But honestly, the memories of this trek would last forever. We have had a beautiful day, and made some new friends, had some crazy adventures and munched on some delicious food. We have done it all. But we are hungry to do more. More such adventures awaits. And more memories. Till then, Enjoy doing whatever you do.

Fact files

Altitude: Around 1200 meters

Distance: 60+ kms from Bangalore

Town: Kyatsandra near Tumkur

Railway station: Kyatsandra, but only few of the passenger trains stops there. Other option is reaching Tumkur and taking local transport.

The trains which we borded- 56515 Hubli passenger while going to Kyatsandra and while departing back to Bangalore, 56226 Tumkur- Bangalore passenger.

Bus: Often buses which plies between Bangalore-Tumkur and return, get down at Kyatsandra.

Food: There are no hotels nearby, it’s better you pack your food.

Route Elevation :

Written By      : Arpitha Nagaraj

Organized By   : Dinesh Yadav, Parth Patel & Amol Saindane

Original Blog    : Blog Link 

Date of event  : 17th June 2017