A lot of people have been asking me about Skandagiri and a lot of “rumour” abounds online, apparently. This is my two-bit in an attempt to help all those aspirants!
Some common myths of Skandagiri
1. You are NOT allowed, Police will stop you, they will imprison you or ask for bribe:
I went in Dec 2013, there were no police, no barricades, no sneaking around required.
2. You will get lost :
Both Google Maps and Nokia Here Maps have pretty well defined roads to take you till the very foothills of the hills. Appx 70 kms, the general direction is from Bangalore to Chickballapur, you can either go through Chickballapur and reach it, or take a small diversion before Chickballapur in the direction of Muddenhalli and reach. In either cases, the cartographers have done a good job. I have attached screen shots, just in case.
Carry a flashlight and a bottle of water. If you are first-timers, take a guide.
3. You will be robbed :
Might be an isolated incident, but again, usually it’s a group of guys who go, and I don’t think they form a robber’s primary target audience.
4. Your bike/ vehicle parts will be stolen :
Again, might be an isolated incident, but we found a very well defined parking spot, and remember on weekends, quite a few people go, so safe parking of personal vehicles will not be a problem ?
5. Its very very cold and very very windy :
It is cold, yes. But not like freezing temperatures. Anyone acquainted with Bangalore weather would be well adjusted. Plus all the trekking, will counter the cold. Some basic warm clothing should suffice.
6. There is Hot Tea and Maggi on the top :
We DID not find it! The mythical manna, huh! Maybe some time back, some enterprising fellow did venture out there, but we went there with that expectation and were sorely disappointed.
7. There is no motorable road:
I have already praised the cartographers: well paved, clearly defined paths till the very beginning of the trail.
8. It is dangerous :
Everything in Life is! Not more than the obvious. It’s a trek and its best done at night, so beyond the obvious dangers from …an occasional snake, or a overlooked pothole or a jutting piece of rock, the trail is pretty ‘treadable’ with just a few…tough points. Nowhere along the trail did I find a situation that could lead to fatal injuries,
After all these reassurance, we always have Lady Luck…so disclaimers, disclaimers…if your Vaastu doesn’t match , don’t coming running, blaming me. You might be robbed, your vehicle stolen and you may fall to your death or all three on the same day! But it would be because of your stupidity or your bad luck. As a trek, Skandagiri is pretty ok!
Last words:
The roughly 3 hour trek is worth it. It will get tiring, you might invariably get some scratches and bruises from the brambles/bushes/thorns. But then, you reach the summit after the long winded trek, just in time to see the sun peek through. As your eyes meet the grand spectacle of the sky changing colors like a woman changing silk sarees…from pink to orange to a deep gold and the wave of clouds flow down to the bottom of the hills and lap at its feet and you stand on top and witness all this; you will agree with me: the trek will be worth it.
And that said, which trek isn’t, when made with friends, and with the novelty of flashlights and dark starry skies above.
Keep walking.
For pictures click here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.253727744783596.1073741832.253555994800771&type=3
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