To the roof top of Karanataka

Back to the lost world

The last time I had ventured into the wild was in the month of early October 2008. My close buddy Nikhil and I took one of the most amazing trips to the Grand Canyon. We pitched a tent amidst the great canyon walls which seemed too great to conquer. More than a year had passed and my passion to hike and conquer mountain peaks seemed to be on the back burner. So whenever I spoke about my hobby it always seemed to be in the past tense. My colleagues at work would tell me; “Now you are like any other married man, grounded”. So I had to do something, to keep my spirit burning and to let my sniggering colleagues know that marriage isn’t some sort of captivity.

The weekend of April 1^st presented an opportune moment, my wife was heading to Kolkatta and I had a long weekend at my disposal with nothing to do. So I wasted no time, picked up my Outlook’s Trekking Holiday Guide and started my planning. As I went through the Karnataka spots this place called Bababudanagiri caught my attention. The place was remote, didn’t seem to be bustling with tourists, but what excited me the most is Mullayanagiri. The tallest peak in Karnataka, the peak stands at 6332 ft and is so tall that on a clear day you can see the Arabian Sea. So in other words it was irresistible. So I tried pitching the idea to my friend Prem at work but just as I expected he gave me the same old sob story about his wife and kids, but that did not deter me.

Planning

This section is for my CTC friends, so if your not a trekking enthusiast you may skip it. I had a fair idea of what I need to take after my hike with John our guide through Grand Canyon. So I had picked up my standard inventory

Gear

1- PE tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat

1- Gangotri back pack

1 nylon rope

1 pack of candles in a zip log bag (Needs to stay dry)

1 Compass

1 Swiss knife

1 Head lamp (sufficient batteries)

Bungee cords for the bike

My faithful hiking boots and riding shoes

Medical Kit

Pills: Crocin, Combiflam, Digene and Immodium

First Aid: Band aid, Neosporin and Iodex (I would suggest burnol too)

Skin Care: Odomos and Veseline (I missed sun screen)

Food and water

1.5 Ltr Hydra pack

1 litre water

2 loaves of bread

2 packs of Cheese slices

Lots of nutrition bars

2 packs of seedless Dates

A bag full of dry fruits

1 box of Glucon -D

So with all my gear ready I packed it on to my Bullet 500 and got ready to set off on what turned out to be a trip that wasn’t short of adventure.

Road to Chikmaglur

The route to Chikmaglur is a 569km drive from Chennai and the road from Chennai to Bangalore is quite fantastic. But instead of taking the usual Hosur Road and running into endless traffic in the city I decided to take the Chittoor route. The winding village roads are not as good as the express highway but it is a much more scenic route.

My first stop was at Kanchipuram after an hour and a half long drive out of the city, thanks to the auto-hub en route and a late start. If you don’t start by 6:00 am you will run into at least 40-50 slow moving Volvo buses so I would say the one who is early to bed and early to rise is the wiser.

Country side roads

After a quick breakfast while the security kept an eye on the bike, I headed toward Ranipet. At Ranipet I took the right turn to Chittoor. The village road was bustling with activity. With practically every mode of transport from trucks to bullock cart all chugging along at a carefree pace. By the time I reached Chittoor the mid day sun was at its peak and the bike was heating up, so much that it melted the glue that held my shoes, causing the soles to pealing off. At my first stop mid way to Kolar I found a lame cobbler sitting under a tree displaying his wares. I sat on my bike and tossed my shoes for him to repair. As I stood by the roadside while was mending my shoes I ran into some curious bystanders who would look at me like I am from a different planet. Then someone would come by and enquire to me in Tamil “Yendha oore” seeing my TN-07 number plate. People in this region speak Tamil, Telegu and Kannada. So my cobbler pored some funny looking concoction out of an old Old Monk quarter bottle to paste together my soles and hammered the soles together. I figured that the patch work should be enough to hold the soles till I get to Chikmalglur. From there on it was a long drive to Bangalore. The Kolar roads were practically empty and wind was so strong it was practically blowing my bike off the road, for once the 180kgs and all the weight of my gear came to good use. On nearing Bangalore I started asking for directions to head to Tumkur, that’s when I was told the best way to get to Chikmaglur is not via Tumkur but via Hasan. After a few de-tours and asking around I landed at tumkur road via the outer-ring road avoiding the mindless Bangalore traffic.

The Last Lap

At Tumkur road I stopped at the huge MacDonald sign and hogged as I was hot and hungry from hours of riding. After a nice lunch, at 4:30 PM I resumed my journey. The road to Hasan is fantastic road except for the innumerable detours and speed breakers. I was cursing the Karnataka state government everytime I passed an incomplete road construction site. The ride got tougher as the sunset but the cool winds were a great relief. For some reason every driver feels he cannot ride without his high beam turned on. It was impossible to see every time a car or a truck passed through winding village roads and mountain passes you have no idea if you are heading off the road or still on the road for a few seconds. After 14hrs of biking I finally managed to reach my destination at 9:30 that night.