Kaurava Kunda Night Trek: 30.01.2016
Between all the rut and monotonous life of Bangalore, there came an email from BTC, stating a night trek to Kaurava Kunda. One of the best part about night treks is the scenic beauty in the dawn and at the sunrise.
We started our journey from Majestic Bus stop, where everyone gathered before getting on to the bus for Chikaballapur. Most of us came on time except for the only teenager on the group, who boarded the bus at the last moment. It was a two hour journey to Chikaballapur, followed by a 4 km walk to the base of the hill. The journey to the hill started with the round of introductions, where most people turned out to be software engineers who had come out of their daily routine to enjoy the pleasure of being close to nature.
Gazing at the night sky, when you've not seen so many stars at once in a single glimpse, leaves you awestruck, eyes and mouth wide open! Such was the feeling of watching it. Post the 4 km walk, We started the ascend. Little did we know, that we would be accompanied by the local dogs of the village, who actually followed us till the top of the peak. We halted at the Shiva temple, which comes on the way to top, till where there were actual stairs and beyond which trekking the hill started. Since, it was a rocky terrain, and there would be nothing at the top of the hill, we took the wood for campfire on our way. There were quite a few points in the trek where you actually had to jump like a monkey to grab the next step.
Winters made trekking the hill slightly convenient, but we were pretty sure that till the sun rises, it's going to be really cold; which turned out to be true. The moment we reached the peak, a sense of accomplishment rose inside everyone, especially the first timers, to have made it through successfully, our organizers being the most patient and helpful people to guide everyone at every step we took.
After reaching the peak, 8 people went out to get more wood for the campfire, enough to survive the cold night. The first thing done, after reaching there was, EATING, for all of us were hungry. Few people, didn't even wait for the bonfire to light up and started eating uncooked Maggi, when it came out of surprise, that we actually cooked maggi later.
People brought a lot of food along with them, enough to relish on and fill stomachs with. Few of us were tired and exhausted enough to sleep after eating, while the rest of the clan was awake, playing music, fooling around with wicked names to enact for dumb charades and enjoying around the bonfire. From melodramatic to the party, every kind of song was played. All this while, one of our organisers, Veera, made sure the bonfire kept burning, while the other organiser, Ankit, prepared coffee, which made people all the more excited. The cup of coffee was an absolute delight, for it was a warmth on a cold night. The moment the clock struck 5.30, we were all prepared to see the sunrise. And we saw a red streak of light amongst the clouds, with the blend of orange and yellow, as if it was a portrait painted in the sky.
Without wasting another moment, we started clicking pictures. Ankit, being the only photographer of the trek, was patient enough to click every individual's picture in different poses, including the "stance of Shahrukh".
After a photography session of around 1 hour, we started descending the hill and were reached the base within 45 minutes. Thanks to our organizers, Ankit and Veera, who were patient enough to halt at every point when the group was tired.
As we managed to hire a small pick-up tempo to ferry us to the bus stand, it was a sheer pleasure to watch grown ups fight like kids for a place at the gate.
Reaching the bus stop, we all were hungry enough to relish on Idli and whatever was available at a restaurant, right next to the bus stop. Hopping on the bus, quite a lot of us slept, and became a victim of "Embarassing Sleep Moments" by Ankit, who clicked the pictures of people sleeping, with an accomplishment of Suma (our Duracell) being discharged as well. Dropping the Kulkarni sister-duo at yelankha, we reached majestic, from where everyone headed to their respective places.
Long story short- if you are a beginner, hold the enthusiasm for trekking, watching the beautiful sunrise and are not afraid of the cold nights, and want to come out for a little peace than the peace you get from "Xxxxx amount of salary has been credited to your account", this is the place to be.
Thank you BTC, for organizing it so well and making this effort to bring us close to the nature once again.
Date of event : 30th January, 2016
Place : Kaurava Kunda
Members : 20
Members : 20
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