I have to admit that I was slightly anxious as R sped through the narrow empty road that morning. The sun wasn’t up yet, and the air was chilly. The early morning breeze inundated my entire being, which was quite pleasing to my senses. A mixed feeling of joy wrapped in a little bit of apprehension was perhaps how I felt then. R had planned everything and I had no clue where we were headed. All I knew was we were out to trek somewhere in the outskirts of Bangalore.
It was the month of December, 2020, when R came up with this idea and I was going to be his partner in crime. We were to travel in his bike and this was going to be my first long drive on a bike. Quite naturally, I was a little nervous. My bike rides have always been within city limits. Well, there’s a first time to everything. Besides, I had to have faith in R, who extensively travels in his bike and has even been on off-road biking trips to places like Leh-Ladakh. R is an avid trekker too. In fact, R and I met during Rupin Pass Trek and ever since we’ve been very good friends.
The Ride
Off we went through crowded city roads and busy highways, stopping for a snack here and there in roadside eateries. We passed through charming quaint villages with cute little lovely homes. In some places, those meandering roads with gorgeous scenery unfolding at every bend was just picture-perfect. At one time, we even took a wrong turn and travelled for 9 Km. through a broken road passing by bushes and wilderness, with not a soul in sight. Needless to say, we panicked a bit and the entire stretch was filled with anxious moments. Being adventurous by nature helped at that point and finally we made it through. Overall, we did have a wonderful time.
The Trek
Kabbaladurga is a beautiful little hillock, nestled somewhere in the rock-strewn slopes of the Kanakapura mountain range. The monolith hillock is located at Kabbala Village, about 80 Km. away from Bangalore. The initial stretch of the climb was easy as we maneuvered our way through tall grasses, bushes, shrubs and trees with boulders strewn here and there. There was a flight of steps too, carved out somewhere. R, however, decided to follow the trail through the wilderness instead and that’s not surprising at all.
We climbed at our own pace and took frequent breaks enjoying the splendid view of the surrounding hills and lakes that progressively got smaller as we climbed higher. R is a photographer by profession. Hence, many of these were photo-breaks. Sometimes, I would surge ahead only to realize that R was left far behind.
Everything was fun till we reached the rock face of the trek towards the end, which was almost a 70-degree climb. This section was tricky and wasn’t easy. Some places had indentations to enable a proper grip on the rock-face, some had hand railings too. Even as I concentrated on the climb, my mind worried about the descend through those steep sections.
A temple dedicated to Goddess Kabbalamma is located on top. Villagers regularly climb up to pay their obeisance to the Goddess. During our climb, four villagers passed us. They were bare-footed, and the climb seemed like a piece of cake to them. Parts of a ruined fort also exists alongside the temple on top. After spending some time on the peak, we descended. My descending demons, as always, took no time to make their ugly appearance and trouble my mind. I needed a helping hand from R, especially at the rock-face section of the trek.
The River
After lunch at a roadside eatery, we rode around the countryside for a while and then visited Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Here we spent sometime relaxing at the banks of River Cauvery. The sanctuary authorities bothered us about permissions, but we did manage to find a spot where we wouldn’t be discovered. I had been here just a few months ago and had waded into the waters. This time the river had swelled, and we had to contain ourselves only at the bank. R even managed to take a quick nap. I had no intention of closing my eyes even for a second and missing the magnificent view of the river.
The Sunset
On the way back, somewhere on a random bridge over a waterbody, we witnessed a glorious sunset. Couldn’t have asked for a better end to the wondrous day! We reached home late night after having covered nearly 250 Km.
Seasons of Life! 