Experienced an awesome paradise on earth - Skandagiri Hill!!!

It was an early morning 6 AM, I was rushing with excitement to meet some 20 new people in my lifetime who shares one common goal “exploring the paradise – Skandagiri”….. Waiting around 7 AM, we all gathered slowly & happened to shake hands, share smiles, spread cheers, & grow warmth between each other as we travelled to CHIKBALLPUR in a local transport….. As we all reached the village by 8:30 AM.., the aroma of hot steam emitting idly, vada & dosa with colorful side orders couldn’t  allow anyone to resist in indulging  a mouth watering cuisine … After gearing up with a cup of hot coffee & some food parcels, we all cheerfully got into an rick & then what…..yeah, the ride started….!!!!!! 

One cannot stop admiring the beauty of all the mountains that’s around you, standing so giant, the moment you reach the base of Skandagiri hill……That breath taking view was so pleasant & warm, welcoming  everyone including a first time trekker like me….. Before we could start exploring, we cheerfully introduced ourselves to every other member in the group & here we go……Its 21 of us…..Sushma (Admin) , Hiren (Admin), Pragathi, Shilpa, Geetha, Nasreen, Srikanth, Vikram, Sreemoyee, Priyank, Pritee, Vivek, Sathyasagar, Abhiram, Aparna, Sasikumar, Umang, Arpan, Vivekanand, Naresh & I (Savithri )… 

Admin shared the Do’s & Don’ts, rules, & cleared all assumptions in all of us and we headed forward to reach the top notch…. It felt a little sunny ( around 10:30 AM)..,  when we were starting from the base all that you do is to give some constant attention towards little rocks that forms a step and we were all reaching slowly & steadily…..

Naresh & Sreemoye must be the brand ambassador for bullet racing as they carry such a huge energy & attention in reaching the hill top so fast…!!!. Hiren was constantly stopping at regular intervals, monitoring the group & made justice to his role as an admin….. There use to be always one gang I could form & it becomes Shilpa, Geetha, Nasreen, Pragathi & Aparna.., sharing jokes & trekking beside me…… after reaching few levels, we constantly gave breaks to regain energy…. Sushma on the other side was taking good care of the group in guiding ways those are really safe & easy to follow…. 

Is there any group that can run without a fun element…??? Before I could wonder who it is, god proved me the faces…..  One can never have a serious face while trekking & if you still want to do that I bet Srikanth & Vikram will never let you do that….. Already it’s the altitude that makes me feel little nervous… So I rest quite frequent & for every level, Vikram calls it “WE ALMOST REACHED” :p ….. I being a kid blindly believed it and every time I feel little nervous, there’s gonna be a voice again …“2 STATES…, WE ALMOST REACHED”…:p  and for the next few levels all I could do is just laugh wide with motivation after hearing ….. “WE ALMOST REACHED: D ………..!!!!!!! Thanks for those kind motivations….. :D

We started taking pictures now, it was already 12:30 PM and we were about to reach the top… Yaayyyyy…. We all must convey sincere thanks to Sasikumar for clicking all beautiful pics, as we were so keen to compete with worlds best models …. Especially Vivek & Sathyasagar should salute Sasi as their portfolio was almost ready to hit the screens…:D  Its was just 10 more minutes and we all finally reached the top…. Aparna , Nasreen , Umang, Pragati , Pritee, Vivekanand were all smiling happily , welcoming all of us to join the gathering on top…. There we found a fort near by to climb & announce our adventure of Skandagiri &  before we get a second thought, half of the group has already started climbing the fort after having enough refreshments…. :D

We all gathered on top (Around 1 Pm)… raised our hands above…. Felt the extremely chilled air that could pamper us with so much love…. That was an extremely sought tranquility I had & I bet not many on earth are so lucky enough to feel it but we all 21 happened to!!!….. Happily clicked pictures.., came down … had an extensive spread of rice/ sambar/ briyani/chocolates to fetch our hunger at an alarming rate…..We had some in-house guests too .., wondering who…..Those cute monkeys & dogs around us!!! …….. Had fun in exchanging dishes, thoughts, achievements & few more clicks to say bye to the beautiful fort on top….

And now its time to get down slowly….. Here I was going even more nervous as the sight of the altitude & the rocky terrain challenged me quite a bit… Still some strong helping hands like Sushma, Sasi & Vikram helped me get down the hill so safely…… We again stopped at some places, quenched our thirst.., clicked some pics & also had an awesome entertainment from Srikanth , Vikram & Sushma….. And now all I was particular about, is to get down safely…:D We admired the beauty of the nature as we pass by & made sure that the group descends down the hill slow & safe….. Finally we reached the base (Around 4 Pm) & it was such an awesome feel for everyone to look at the top once again and gaze at ourselves that we were there few hrs back..!!!!!!!! whoa..!!!!!!Breath taking moments …!!!!!!   I was completely taken back by the experience I underwent in the whole trek & was so delighted to share the same in the feedback session….. My lifetime dream came true at last as I successfully completed my first trek….. More than a trek, it felt like an awesome adventure with likeminded group who were so cheerful & caring throughout….. I would definitely thank from the bottom of my heart the admin & all 18 other friends who came with me, conquered Skandagiri &  finally conquered ma heart for lifetime…. :D Wish my post clears all mental blocks in anyone who wish to explore an adventurous trek with BTC….. Good Luck guys ..!!!!!!!:D

Written By        : ​Savithri Nilakantan

Organized By    : Sushma & Hiren

Date of event    : 27th July 2014

Members Count : 21

Place                : Nandi Ranges

Pictures            : BTC FB Page