It all started when we(the class of ECE UVCE) were waiting for the Signals class on friday the 26th August 2011.Someone just said " Whos up for trekking at Savandurga?".The word spread and by the end of the class,10 guys confirmed that they would be coming.Texts were exchanged and we all decided to meet up at Majestic bus stand at 7 in the morning.Satish was a little late in arriving :P but otherwise all else went smoothly.
When we asked the TC at the KSRTC bus stand about where to board a bus to Magadi,the collecter said that we would have to catch a bus from the Kalasipalya bus stand at the city market.(A little heads up here,there is a direct bus from kalasipalya to Savandurga at 6:30 am.)We reached market by 7:45 am and by 8:00 am sharp our bus was on its way to Magadi and onwards.I felt that since we had gotten on a private bus,it meandered around Bangalore a little more than KSRTC buses do.The ride cost us rs 25 per head.The bus dropped us off at the place where one has to take a diversion from the main road to reach Savandurga.The autorikshaw drivers standing there tried to convince us that there would not be a bus towards our destination for a long time and we would be better off taking the autos.But we had not waited 5 minutes when a bus did arrive.we reached the base of Savandurga and waited while a friend of ours arrived from Tumkur.There are no good hotels here and its better to have breakfast in Bangalore itself.
We began our trek around 11:00 am(which is pretty late) thankfully there was no sun about.A little overgrown path leads to the base of the cliff.(It was here that a dog started following us,or perhaps leading us,we dont know which :P )One look at the cliff and we all knew that this would not be a walk in the park.The foreside of the hill was very steep and completely bald.Absolutely no footholds.The young hotblooded guys that we were,we decided to climb the hill on this side.Although it was pretty clear that the path was around it.We were going good till a point where it was really difficult to climb anymore,because it was very steep.We continued on at a very slow pace.
This is one of the times that we are reminded that man cannot cross every obstacle that nature throws in his path(Although an experienced rock climber could have done it,we certainly could not)One of my friends Akshay had climbed a little higher than the rest of us and he realised that it was impossibe to go on that way.Within moments,we saw him slipping,he was on all fours and trying desperately to hold on to something,as the rest of us watched.The thing that gave us all a horrifying moment(and a " come to your senses call") was what happened next.The water bottle in Akshay's backpack slipped out of its pocket and and went tumbling down the slope.It acquired a high momentum and finally crashed into one of the rocks.It was a terrifying moment watching the bottle go down at such a pace.We all began to think about our fates if one of us slipped on that slope.
After that incident,we hastily followed the right path(The path is marked with yellow arrows).From hereon it was a simple enough trek to the top.we stopped a couple of times for pictures and rest and also met a few fellow trekkers from Bangalore.On the way to the top we saw a few forts,perhaps built during the Kempegowda era.We slowly made our way to the top,the dog following us all the while :P .
We reached the summit at about 1:00 pm,and I believe that if one does not stop for pictures and to savour the view,one can get there in an hour and a half max.The view from the top was absolutely stunning!!we rested and ate some snacks.Slowly,the wind picked up!!and in a few minutes had reached a really high speed.The wind in my face felt delightful.We were again awed by the superb power of nature.There were times when I(being quite light)was thrown off by the wind.We spent some quality time at the top.(And we did not litter the place.Please do not do it)As we sat gazing towards the east,(The direction of Bangalore)We could see the rain clouds heading our way.Hurriedly deciding that it was best to leave as soon as possible,we left the place.
We had not gone some distance,when the rain hit us.As a result we were forced to slow down our pace.Tiny streams began to run down the side of the hill and we had to tread very carefully.but the rain did not last and soon it was reduced to a drizzle.I made it down without incident and reached the base at around 2:30 pm.It had taken me a little more than a half hour.The rest arrived within 10-15 minutes of my arrival.I was later to know that some of the guys had slipped and fallen a couple of times.At the base we rested at a temple like place(I could not be sure as I could hear A.R. Rahman's "Jai Ho" blaring inside.
From the base,we walked some distance to the gate of Savandurga.Here we waited for a bus headed for Bangalore.I got down at Kengeri.And reached home around 7:30 pm.
When we asked the TC at the KSRTC bus stand about where to board a bus to Magadi,the collecter said that we would have to catch a bus from the Kalasipalya bus stand at the city market.(A little heads up here,there is a direct bus from kalasipalya to Savandurga at 6:30 am.)We reached market by 7:45 am and by 8:00 am sharp our bus was on its way to Magadi and onwards.I felt that since we had gotten on a private bus,it meandered around Bangalore a little more than KSRTC buses do.The ride cost us rs 25 per head.The bus dropped us off at the place where one has to take a diversion from the main road to reach Savandurga.The autorikshaw drivers standing there tried to convince us that there would not be a bus towards our destination for a long time and we would be better off taking the autos.But we had not waited 5 minutes when a bus did arrive.we reached the base of Savandurga and waited while a friend of ours arrived from Tumkur.There are no good hotels here and its better to have breakfast in Bangalore itself.
We began our trek around 11:00 am(which is pretty late) thankfully there was no sun about.A little overgrown path leads to the base of the cliff.(It was here that a dog started following us,or perhaps leading us,we dont know which :P )One look at the cliff and we all knew that this would not be a walk in the park.The foreside of the hill was very steep and completely bald.Absolutely no footholds.The young hotblooded guys that we were,we decided to climb the hill on this side.Although it was pretty clear that the path was around it.We were going good till a point where it was really difficult to climb anymore,because it was very steep.We continued on at a very slow pace.
This is one of the times that we are reminded that man cannot cross every obstacle that nature throws in his path(Although an experienced rock climber could have done it,we certainly could not)One of my friends Akshay had climbed a little higher than the rest of us and he realised that it was impossibe to go on that way.Within moments,we saw him slipping,he was on all fours and trying desperately to hold on to something,as the rest of us watched.The thing that gave us all a horrifying moment(and a " come to your senses call") was what happened next.The water bottle in Akshay's backpack slipped out of its pocket and and went tumbling down the slope.It acquired a high momentum and finally crashed into one of the rocks.It was a terrifying moment watching the bottle go down at such a pace.We all began to think about our fates if one of us slipped on that slope.
After that incident,we hastily followed the right path(The path is marked with yellow arrows).From hereon it was a simple enough trek to the top.we stopped a couple of times for pictures and rest and also met a few fellow trekkers from Bangalore.On the way to the top we saw a few forts,perhaps built during the Kempegowda era.We slowly made our way to the top,the dog following us all the while :P .
We reached the summit at about 1:00 pm,and I believe that if one does not stop for pictures and to savour the view,one can get there in an hour and a half max.The view from the top was absolutely stunning!!we rested and ate some snacks.Slowly,the wind picked up!!and in a few minutes had reached a really high speed.The wind in my face felt delightful.We were again awed by the superb power of nature.There were times when I(being quite light)was thrown off by the wind.We spent some quality time at the top.(And we did not litter the place.Please do not do it)As we sat gazing towards the east,(The direction of Bangalore)We could see the rain clouds heading our way.Hurriedly deciding that it was best to leave as soon as possible,we left the place.
We had not gone some distance,when the rain hit us.As a result we were forced to slow down our pace.Tiny streams began to run down the side of the hill and we had to tread very carefully.but the rain did not last and soon it was reduced to a drizzle.I made it down without incident and reached the base at around 2:30 pm.It had taken me a little more than a half hour.The rest arrived within 10-15 minutes of my arrival.I was later to know that some of the guys had slipped and fallen a couple of times.At the base we rested at a temple like place(I could not be sure as I could hear A.R. Rahman's "Jai Ho" blaring inside.
From the base,we walked some distance to the gate of Savandurga.Here we waited for a bus headed for Bangalore.I got down at Kengeri.And reached home around 7:30 pm.
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