Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta - A One dayer near Bangalore

This trek was meant to happen more than 2 months ago with friends and a dear friend Pradeep but my mom got all upset about me going on a night trek (I could not convince her with stories of night treks in Maharashtra), that I has to back out in the last hour. Months later, an email from Bangalore Trekking Club about a day trek to the same hill was all it took for me to register. And a call to Priyanka, my colleague at Himalaya Drug Company sealed the deal as we planned to pack our bags and head out to the mountains over a weekend.

Bilikal Rangaswamy Trek is an extremely simple one with a well carved out and broad path up till the peak. You can made it exciting with a bit of boulder climbing. But the view of green and rocky mountains in front of you makes it a must climb mountain. You can easily finish this trek in half a day. Usually people cover Chunchi Falls as a part of this trek but we spent a lot of time on the peak, chit chatting, exploring and enjoying the greenery.

BTC is a fun group and Sangamesh a very friendly organiser with a smiling face that puts you at ease from the word go. We headed out of Bangalore at 7:30 AM and started our hike at around 10:00 AM. We stopped in between for breakfast and packed lunch which stayed packed till the end(More about that in a bit). I was thrilled to meet a fellow Pune Trekker with who I went on and on about all the adventures in Maharashtra.

The villagers were celebrating the arrival of their new tractor at the peak of Bilikal Betta(in a temple). When they saw us, they invited us to have lunch with them and cooked some hot sambar and rice for over 20 extra last-minute guests. The food was delicious and hospitality unmatched.

We sat on the rocks and shared stories, played games and cracked jokes as if we knew each other for years. That’s the thing about treks. You bond really well with strangers from the word go. Coz, there is a very strong shared interest. It starts with stories of people having trekked in different terrains, various travel stories and can, at any point, take a sharp turn and become a conversation you might have had only with your best friend. That’s the thing about treks.

Written By         : Vachana Shetty
Original Blog      : One dayer near Bangalore
Organized By     : Sangamesh
Members Count  : 21
Date of event     : 26th Oct, 2013
Place                 : Kanakapura
Pictures             : BTC