A night on the rocks

The lights of the town below were lit up like a giant UFO.We stood resting against one of the rocks. The climb was steep and the maze of shrubs and the boulder like walls were intriguing in the flickering light of our torches. The trek started in the night much later than anticipated, thanks to the cops who refused to let us proceed to Papagni Mutt (the trekking base) despite much haggling. My attempts to find an alternative route on google only revealed that post 12 is a bad time to proceed to the base because of the patrolling cops, inviting groans of disappointment from my team.We had reluctantly turned around but bumped into a guide who agreed to take us via an alternative route. We left our bus asking the driver to pick us up in the morning from the base and left off silently with the guide through the fields.

Skandagiri, also known as Kalavar Betta is an ancient mountain fortress located near Bangalore at an altitude of 1350m. Dilapidated remains of Tipu's fort can be found on the top. History says this was a small but strong hill fort. It surrendered to British troops in 1791 and remained in British hands until the peace treaty of 1792, which ended the third Anglo-Mysore war.

The trek is a literal teaser. Just when you think you have reached the top, there is another stone wall towering just beyond. Short but exciting,we had to stop occassionally against the rock ledges (not to mention my shameless dumping over the tripod to Karteek and the undesirable effects of mixing drinks on our young intern).

We reached the summit at around 4 a.m,two hours after we started the trek. The wind was blowing relentlessly and the bone chilling cold left us shivering for cover.Luckily for the trekkers, there is a small shop which sells hot chai and maggi and arranges for a bonfire as well, predictably doing brisk business.We gathered around the bonfire to beat the cold, waiting for the sunrise. Around dawn, a few mist covered peaks in the distance come into view. Like piles of cotton candy the clouds play with the wind, finally giving way to the small orange ball in the horizon. The magical view lasts for sometime before the fog clears up for a bright day.We descended soon after and left back for Bangalore. My first trek of the year was over,hoping to catch up with some more before it ends!