Kunti Betta - 5 July 2015

Date: 16 May 2015

Time: around 4 PM

Weather: heavy down pour

Not surprisingly, night trek was canceled, much to everyone's disappointment

Date: 5 July 2015

Time: 7:30 AM

Weather: Warm and Sunny

Not surprisingly, 21 trekkers were on their way to spend a day climbing rocks as an excuse to have a fun time with friends who were strangers the day before.

BTC organizers Sonali & Ramya and some of us were coincidentally part of both lists. After frantic scramble, most of us managed to fit within a compartment and some came to join along the way. After a few mandatory snaps, we got Dumb Charades going. Movies we gave were either too easily guessed or made tougher than warranted by comic acting. Movies we got always took long time owing to inept acting and poor guess work. And if that wasn't enough recipe for jolly laughs, members often guessed/helped for the opponent team :D Add some inspired acting and guessing, 100+ minutes passed in a jiffy. As we neared Pandavapura, couple of crossings and hunger pangs meant snack munching earlier than usual.

We had to disappoint plenty of clamoring auto wallas on our way to breakfast, a place near the Mysore highway. Thatte idlis, vada, tomato rice followed by tea/coffee - tasty and filling. Tomato/Lemon rice packed for lunch. Fierce competition ensued to provide us mini-bus transport to Kunti Betta. And while we waited, we checked out coin operated 'wireless' phone box, bought water bottles and milled around.
 

Unusually, there were plenty of first timers in our group (organizers informed during feedback after trek that it was a conscious effort on their part - kudos! ). After Dumb Charades, photo snaps and introduction session at foot hills of Kunti Betta, the group had already started to gel well. Organizers stressed about important policies like no littering and to stay as a group throughout the trek.

But right before actual climb started, I brought about a division. We stopped besides the algae infested pool, looking at a steep slope - without pausing to think or hear, I leapt ahead. Few other followed while organizers wanted us to take the easier route. Compromise time - Srikanth (BTC organizer) came with us leaving Sonali and Ramya to commandeer the rest. And it helped that we could see possible merging of paths.

After the initial steep slope, it became easier, punctuated now and then with small jumping maneuvers. To our left was another hill and a lake at its base. Visweswarayya Canal, roughly dividing the town in two, was visible further away. Trees, farms and cottages completed our surrounding view.

A few gray clouds and refreshing wind bursts saved us from what would otherwise been a very hot summer day. A family with very excited kids were not far behind us and over the course, overtook us.

The two groups joined as we reached the track between two hills. We took break often to catch our breadth and hydrate. The uneven climb made it touch above easy trek. And large climbing strides and small leaps became necessary as we neared the peak. It took us just above an hour.

A vertical pillar, about 15 feet in height, marked the peak. Large boulders were strewn around, providing us space to keep our bags in shade as well as ample opportunity for photo shoots - we needed more than an hour! While the boulders provided nice shots by themselves as well as for jumping shots, the hanging rock took the top honors.

Photo Credit: Ganesh Venkataramani

 

The howling wind made it even more thrilling to reach the edge and dangle our legs over yawning empty space. From push-ups to yoga, standing to sleeping, umpteen positions were tried to get that awesome profile pic. And there were 3-4 photographers calling the shots from different angles. And of course, we tried various group snaps at different locations. By start of feedback session in train back to Bangalore, my both sets of batteries and camera memory were out!

 
We took about 45 minutes to reach the base. This time we were all together as a group and took the easier path after climbing down from the main hill. The steep portion besides the algae infested pool has a sliding track, probably formed by people sliding down over the years. Some were sportive enough to try it.

After washing and filling water outside the temple steps at the base, we had lunch inside a sheltered hall. Lemon/Tomato rice with sambhar/curd and snacks to add taste. Followed by three cameras on timer for group pic. The mini-bus then dropped us back at Pandavapura bus stand. Passenger train arrived even as we were purchasing tickets. Huge crowd and jostle for seats again. More than two and half hours it took to reach Bangalore. We had jack fruit, dates, Maddur vada, Churumuri, biscuits etc and then feedback session was done with on the journey itself. Trek expenses came to Rs 205 and Rs 5 was added as BTC fund.

Kuntibetta Night Trek - February 11, 2012

First trek of this year and the place a long awaited one. For some reason or the other, I kept missing the Kuntibetta trek - be it the weekend MS studies or coinciding with trips to home. Having done a night trek before with BMC, I marked this one as the third semester was nearing to its conclusion. The wait was certainly worth it.

The fun started right from the 130-odd km tempo journey to Pandavapura, where the hill is located. After crossing the city limits, a fellow trekker enthusiastically suggested that we play mafia (a game I got acquainted with during the Wayanad cycling trip). Though the rules were different, the essence of the game was same, We played two rounds, the second one lasting much longer as many first timers got the hang of it after the first round. It certainly is a good way for time pass and served as ice-breaker too. And the best thing about it was that all the twelve people in the tempo participated.

At the base of Kuntibetta

We arrived at the base of Kuntibetta at around 1 AM. About 30-40 trekkers had come, conforming the popularity of the place. Ofcourse,we twelve continued to be together for the climb. Sleeping bags were provided for those who wanted. I had brought a thermocot and was adamant in staying awake the whole night. So, I didn't take one and was happy to have reduced luggage. We started the climb at around 1:30 AM after going around a small pond. The climb was steady for around half an hour before we came to a steep rock. The guides had brought ropes for the purpose. It was my first experience of climbing with the help of a rope. Though it was barely 10-15 feet, it wasn't easy. There was relatively flat rock after it where we took a break for refreshments and photo-shoots.

Short break after the rope climb

It took us another 40 minutes (1 hour 10 minutes overall) to reach the top. It is a short trek. But it certainly was enjoyable as we crossed small hills to the top. And one point, we diverged from the actual path to stand on a small cliff. I don't quite remember how big the moon was, but we had to be careful with our footsteps. There were some slippery climbs too, where we helped each other to cross.

Quickly various groups settled down for the remaining three-odd hours for the dawn. After customary photo shoots, we started with snacks to settle our temporary hunger. The air was chill and I was starting to feel bad about not bringing the sleeping bag. I had the thermocot, but decided to not put on for the moment. After we had settled down proper and satisfied our stomachs, it was time to kill time. We had already done surveying of the villages below and enjoying far-off lights. As it happens mostly, we started telling stuff from our lives. As usual when my turn came, I told some of my trekking experiences. One guy shared his childhood spent in an African country. It was good enough for novel or a movie. How they had attacks, how they survived so fortunately, their journey back to India. I told him that time and it's true so far - I will remember his account for a long time.

I was actually sitting away from the group with music on my mobile, looking around the hill. The voice had carried to me clearly and it was only later that they knew I was listening. After everyone had their say, they prepared to sleep. I spent the remaining hours in solitude, wondering among other things, why should life be there and whether or not we had a choice before coming into existence. At some point before dawn, I put on the thermocot as it became very cold.

 

Starting the descent

We started our descent 15 minutes before 6AM. We took a different route after sometime as we were headed to the lake at the base. It was almost a two hour hike. Having not slept whole night and hunger made it difficult. And after reaching the lake, I didn't like the idea of stepping into cold water. The life-jackets took time to arrive and I don't know swimming. That made it easier to decide at the time, but looking back I feel that I missed out :D. Overall a nice trek to start the year with.

Time pass while others enjoyed the lake