Place: Kabbalaurga trek & Kanva dam.Distance: 100 x 2 = 200kms.Directions: Bengaluru – Chenpatna – Kabblu – Kanva - Bengaluru.Particiapants: Karthik (Sp).Bikes: Pulsar.Previous visit: Savandurgatrek & Manchinbele.Facebook page: Kabbaldurga trek album
IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:Well, call me crazy but this one hillock which I prefer to trek alone. Standing at about 3500feet this hillock offers a much better challenge than Savandurga. And yeah coming face to face with a huge wild monitor lizard is something I’ll remember for a long time. Last but not least it was because of this place I still wear a shoe lace on my right hand for the past 2 years.
I was up at 05:00, it was just another regular day, did a few push-ups & sit-ups, finished my breakfast. Then I guess the restlessness within got the better of me. So picked up a few essentials like knife, lighter, water bottle, good length of rope & last but not least a bottle opener around my neck. It was scorching hot outside but decided to head out.TIME: 11:30
RIDE 1: (Bengaluru - ?)As I left my house, I had no clue where to end up at. Had a few places in mind, but the hot favourites were Nelligudde kere, Manchinbele, Kanva & Maddur. As I cruised along at snail’s pace on SH-17, one thing I didn’t do is wear my ear phones & listen to music like the other hipsters out there, I’d rather listen to wind & my engine.
So…I reached RRDCin sometime, I was in two-minds whether to visit NG lake or head further towards Kanva.I chose the latter & continued further. As I reached Kanva, again the same thing happened, but I wanted something substantial for the main course & kanva for desert. So with the destination set to Maddur I zoomed ahead. As I reached Sathnur, I remembered Kabblu trek, even though it was a very bad time for a trek I took a left turn with the place clear as crystal in my mind.
I got the first glimpse of this mighty hillock many kilometres away, and trust me it always sends chills down my spine. But continued further parked my bike in the town & was all set to trek.TIME: 13:30
KABBALADURGA TREK: I took about 45mins to ascend this hillock. Trust me with others I would have taken not less than 90mins, that’s because I never stop talking :P. With nobody to talk to, this time shit was absolutely serious.The village people warned not to trek as the sun was directly up. But like always I wouldn’t like to have second thoughts & be late for my date with death ;)
STRETCHES:i) initial stretch;ii) 3 point stretch; iii) viper stretch.
i) Initial stretch:
As I left the village, I tied a white cloth around my head. I had to walk through fields & open lands, before I found a trail unlike last time. The trail took me through lots of bushes & trees, until I came across a place where the trail itself was blocked by thorny shrubs & no alternate path available. I tried chopping down a few, then just rushed through it. Left a few bruises on my left arm.
ii) 3 point stretch:Alright I was out of the shade & into the furnace. Steep rock scorching faces & the sun directly on top meant it was business time. There were two routes one going round about using broken railings as support OR climbing straight up the hill. Yeah I chose the obvious one!!
But this meant I had to be extra cautious, had to maintain 3 point of contact all the time. With the surface of the rock scorching, this was no easy task. I had to switch my hands in quick succession & take rest until I could breathe at a normal pace. Finally found a huge boulder, I crept in the shade & had a good 5mins deep nap.TIME: 14:05
iii) Viper stretch:Yeah I call this the viper stretch because it is a curvy path & either sides of the bath are filled with bushes. It resembles a snake crawling in the grass. Last time this stretch was torched completely. After finishing the curve, there were a few well carved steps with new railings provided. I knew after these steps awaited the danger zone.
But I was surprised to find new railings, so it was a walk in the park. Last time this was the death zone, trust me! In a matter of minutes I got the first glimpse of the fort wall. But I rested for a few minutes and then reached the top :)TIME: 14:30
Prayed for everybody I knew and then walked from Kabblamma temple to Nandi temple bare-footed on the hot rocks. Put down my bag, drank a sip of water & crashed for a good 10mins nap. There are other abandoned buildings but I had seen it last time & the burning hot weather wasn’t ideal to loaf around.TIME: 15:00
It was a huge monitor lizard (ooda in kannada). It was my first time spotting a wild one. I had stories about its super sharp claws & how warriors back in the days used to climb fort walls using this reptile.
I slowly reached out for my knife and was ready in case it attacked. But that poor creature took off with the wind and ran like crazy & there I was puzzled :P. I couldn’t capture a picture of the reptile but yeah I took one from Google.
As I continued further down I met a guy from Mysore, gave him some water wished him a safe climb. I finished off the viper stretch pretty fast and then I came across an old lady, she thought I was a north Indian and spoke to me in Hindi. Trust me I couldn’t understand a word, I’m that bad in at hindi. Then once I told her I was also from Bangalore sat together for a few minutes, she told me a lot about the history of the place.
Back at the 3 point stretch, I leaned back, placed my foot side ways and descended at a rapid pace to reach back the town.TIME: 15: 30
RIDE 2: (Kabblu – Kanva)Like the last time, I decided to head to Kanva. I rode for a good 15-20mins, then pulled over looked back at the hill & promised her a return :). Continuing further I stopped again at a water tank, washed my face & filled up my water bottle. There were a lot of potential firewood around, so picked them up & tied them to my bike. As I reached SH-17, I cruised along till Ramnagar outskirts, grabbed something to drink and reached Kanva.TIME: 17:00
KANVA:Well you could call it our clubhouse ha-ha. I’ve been here so many times but never get tired of these waters. With the bike beside me & firewood tied to it, I finished my drink & decided to leave.TIME: 17:30
RIDE 3: (Kanva – Baengaluru)This 60kms stretch was just formality. Even though the traffic increased I could sneak through to reach Bangalore. But yeah had a lot of clarification to do with the other drivers about the firewood all along the way.TIME: 18:30
CONCLUSION:“last time I had trekked, I was scared as shit. I thought I would never climb again. It was the 28th chapter, after 38 more chapters I had returned, totally a different person. Climbed the hill and finished it without breaking much of a sweat. Well that’s what traveling does to a person, Cheers!!”
Until next time Cia \m/
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