Treks and Travels: Ettina Bhuja and Ombattu Gudda Trek

12-13 Feb 2010

It has been a long time since I had been on a trekking expedition, also due to some work commitments I had to drop out in the last minute to the OG trip that was planned few days back with my colleagues. Also since the last trek was unsuccessful attempt to conquer OG, we gave it a thought to take an alternate route which was rarely used by trekkers (with a help of guide though) and accomplish the target set previously. Shivarathri holiday gave us a good amount of time to plan our trek more comfortably.
A good amount of ground work was required to plan the trek. Thanks to the people who write about their travel these days which provided most of the information required for planning. The plan was to trek to the Ettina Bhuja peak on Friday morning, camp over night and then from there proceed towards Ombattu Gudda and return back to Hosakere via Lakshmi estate on Saturday evening and then head back to Bangalore on the same night so that we can have one more relaxing day.

Nine people started off on 11th Feb Night from Bangalore in a Temp Traveler and reached in the earlier hours to Shishila (at around 6:30 AM) a small village near the famous Dharmasthala temple. This was the start point of our trek. As per the prior arrangements we reached a Gokhale’s house who would provide us with the early morning breakfast and also the Chapathi as afternoon lunch. The guide who would be accompanying us came at around 8 AM with whom we started discussing about the plan for the next two days. Going by previous experiences we tried to keep the baggage weight to minimum but still the bags were pretty heavy J . Each one carried a sleeping bag, two litres of water, food enough for two days and carried three tents as a whole for the group.
After having a rather heavy breakfast we started off for the trek with chendappa, our guide. The start of trek is about 5-7km from Gokhale’s house and has to be reached by vehicle to reduce the trek time. We could see the glimpse of the peak which we were about to conquer. Everybody eagerly started taking snaps of it.

The trek started off with crossing the Kapila river and its tributary I guess, after which one would eventually lead into thick vegetation. This is the last water source of the trek until we reach the base of the peak where one would find one small stream just below the peak.

The beating of sun rays indicated that the summer has already set in. Even during this time of year the vegetation was thick enough protecting us from the sun. The path went all along the river for some time. The trail was almost flat over here and we could feel the elevation slowly building up as we moved further. In the initial first hour we covered lot of ground though some people lagged behind for taking photographs. Also we came across a small water falls on the way which was hidden from the trees and bushes.
On the trail one can come across variety of Mushrooms on the forest floor and also dead trees and dense canopies which would become excellent photographs. Many of us have captured some amazing snaps of these.

After more than two hours into trek we started deviating from the stream path and we could sense the elevation building up. The climb was slowly getting tougher and one could sense a fight between the body and the mind. It has been a long time since I had trekked and I could feel the initial resistance for the climb. The effect of city life style was showing up. We started taking breaks at regular intervals for catching our breath and the high humidity was taking toll on us.
The trail gained more altitude after two hours into trek and the vegetation was a mixture of grassland and Thick forests. After initial disappearance of the peak, now the peak was visible again but still was far away across the valley. We had crossed few hills in the process by now and walked along narrow ridges which in turn led us to another hill. They valleys were deep along the ridges and one had to be careful while moving along this path. We would take breaks in between to fulfill our thirst with water along with glucose for instant energy.

Finally after four hours into the trek we decided to take a break for lunch at around 1 pm. Everybody seemed to be hungry and we decided to stop at a place where we had last cover of trees. We could see a clear view of Ettina Bhuja now for where we stopped and it was still a question as to how one can reach its peak given the structure of it. It was impossible to imagine being on top of it (As per the guide one had to go around the peak and there is a way out to climb it)
We had covered three fourth of the distance till now as per the guide and remained with one fourth which could be covered in one more hour as per his estimation (which finally proved wrong for us though :-( , more details later)
The lunch was provided by Gokhale and it comprised of Chapathi and beans curry. Everybody enjoyed every bit of it and then decided to take a short nap for half an hour since not much distance had to be covered in the trail.
After a short nap we resumed our next phase of trek at around 2pm. The vegetation consisted mainly of tall grass and very sparing covered with trees. The temperature had reached its peak, sun god was showing no mercy and all of us were sweating profusely and unable to manage the heat. The task of reaching the base of peak looked daunting. The number of breaks increased because of the heat and we were soon running out of water and no tree shades as well. This was one of the toughest climb to the base and finally were able to make it after two long hours of walk. We reached there by about 4pm in the evening. We then threw our bags and ran towards the only water stream which lies below the base of Ettina Bhuja to refresh ourselves and relieve ourselves of thirst. The water source is not visible to anyone, only a person whose has an acquaintance with this place can point you out the exact location.

Weather plays a very important role in this part of the country which we initially underestimated for our trek. As one gains altitude the tress starts disappearing making way for only shrubs and grasses which makes it difficult to climb during this season (Feb – May) with sun continuously beating down.
Another half an hour climb was remaining to reach the top. Sunset time would be ideal to reach the top as one can see spectacular view of the whole mountain ranges as well as the beautiful sky created by sunset. Since we had enough time on our hands we decided to collect woods for the camp fire and start pitching the tents.

At 5pm we started climbing towards the peak of Ettina Bhuja. It was an immense climb (both mentally and physically given the experience that we had till now) of the steep elevation and an almost vertical climb at the very end of the climb (almost 30-40mtrs).

The experience of getting there was awesome and thrilling. It was a good experience to be there on the top and watch the sun setting. We spent close to one hour experimenting with our cameras. It was worth the climb and one shouldn’t miss this opportunity. The downhill climb was rather easier than thought while climbing up. We made it to the tents when it was neither too dark nor bright, rather call it dusk.

Myself and few others decided to freshen up with a nice bath, while rest of the group got busy with camp fire and dinner preparation. Having bath in the stream was a bone chilling experience but very refreshing.
The menu for the night was noodles with few vegetables. Sundaram and Debarshi had started cutting the vegetables for the recipe. We had carried a vessel to prepare the noodles and it was nice experience of cooking and eating right in the middle of a thick forest.

In the meanwhile we started discussing on plans for tomorrow with the guide. It was clear that the guide not exactly knew the path to the Ombattu Gudda from here but had a rough idea as to which direction that we need to head into. There were three options that we were left with to achieve our next target:
1. Head into the thick canopy right in front of Ettina Bhuja peak and climb up two hills adjoining to it which will eventually leads to Ombattu Gudda track.
2. Reach Bhairaveshwara temple and then enquire with the people over there for the shortest path for Ombattu Gudda.
3. Reach Lakshmi estate and then trace back the path to Ombattu Gudda.

The first option was ruled out since the route was never explored. We were hesitant to take this because of water/food issue. We were not in a condition to camp for second night since we were not prepared for it with respect to food.
Option two would be a longer path and option three was not much of a fun since we would be walking on a jeep track, a well defined path. After lots of discussion we decided that we would first reach Bhairaveshwara temple and then make our decision. After finishing off with Dinner everyone headed towards the bed, to get prepared mentally and physically for the next day activity. Camping in the night was a real good experience. All of a sudden, after nightfall the wind picked up speed and started hitting against our tents and was chilling cold followed by a light drizzle which in turn brought down the temperature making people to go inside their sleeping bags and sleep tight. Now and then I could hear strange noise in the background (maybe created by the blowing winds, or some wild animals’ roaming around). We had set the alarm for 5:45 AM but at this hour it was still dark and we were covered with clouds and the visibility was very poor so decided to wait till the day light pours in. Finally after a wait of 15-20 min it was good enough for us to come out of tents and enjoy the early morning breeze, sitting around camp fire which kept burning the whole night!!!! .
After finishing the early morning rituals, we got ready and were all set to go by 7:45 AM. The path to Bhairaveshwara temple was rather easy since we were going downhill and reached there in the next half hour. We came across farm lands and fences which was enough proof of civilization around and hoped we would meet somebody to get clarification on moving towards our destination Ombattu Gudda. Luckily we met a person as we were nearing Bhairaveshwara temple with whom we discussed the shortest route possible to reach Ombattu Gudda. The person told us that it would take around two hours to reach the top of the hill facing us, after which the OG range starts. We decided to head towards the peak facing us. We needed to climb the peak to reach our destination. We decided to cover as much distance as possible before it becomes really hot. We stopped at the foot of the hill near a stream at around 8:45 AM to have our breakfast and also fill water in the bottles as we were running short of it. We couldn’t find a flowing stream, hence decided to use a chlorine tablet to purify the water. The ascend to the peak was rather steep but the path was fully covered with trees which was good for us. Nearing the peak we had to literally make our way to the top as we hit some dead ends and finally were able to figure out the way to the top. We reached the top by around 10 AM and was a nice feeling to be on the top with the view of Ombattu Gudda diagonal to us, also the view of Deepadakallu to the left and Amedikallu peak behind us. The OG range had just begun and people were very relieved that they had made it till here.

We decided to move ahead and try to reach till the last peak of OG. We got down from the current peak to make the way towards the last peak of OG. The path below the peak was a jeep track which would lead us till the foothill of the mountain range. There is a Bungalow constructed by Lakshmi estate people for their workers and the owners. This forest range supposedly belongs to Khodays’s group.

The jeep track length was almost around 3km of walk. There was no shade on the way which was making us difficult to walk as the temperature was building up. Also our water resources were depleting. The guide had a contact number of the person who was working in the Bungalow and fortunately we had the network to call him up. As per the discussion with him we concluded that we were on the wrong trail and need to come back and take deviation to another path we had initially come across. This decision proved fatal as we were in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t know the next course of action.
After a long discussion we concluded that we would head back to Lakshmi estate since we didn’t have enough water for covering the peak. The Bungalow was the only source of water which we couldn’t find. We were not sure about how far the Lakshmi estate is going to be from the current point. We started out backward journey on the jeep track towards Lakshmi estate. Luckily for us a Jeep was heading towards the Lakshmi estate from the Bungalow. We enquired about the route and guess what?? We were actually on the right way towards the bungalow which unfortunately was too late for us to head back as we were half way back towards Lakshmi estate. It took another hour and a half for us to head back to Lakshmi estate. The distance between the bungalow and Lakshmi estate is about 8km.
We met some caretakers of the estate on reaching the estate at around 2pm. A surprise was waiting for all of us!!!!

We could hear the sound of flowing water indicating a water source nearby, maybe a stream. When enquired it turned out to be waterfalls right in the middle of their estate. All of us headed towards the falls to take a dip and get freshen up. It was a fantastic water fall to relax and end your long journey of two days in the wild. In the meanwhile the caretakers were busy preparing meals for us. The food was delicious. We finished our lunch at around 3:30pm
Our guide Chendappa who accompanied us all the way decided to head back to his village. We had accomplished our target of conquering the peaks. We thanked him for all his efforts that he had put to make sure everything was in place right from finding various water resources and finding the way out from unknown ranges.
Since we had asked our vehicle to pick us up at the estate entrance at around 5pm in the evening we had no choice but to wait since there were no mobile signals to call up the guy. Many of them decided to take some short nap. From Lakshmi estate once has to walk for around 2km to reach the main road. At about 4:15pm we were all set to head back to the entrance and reached there by 5:00pm. After a wait of 15min we could see our vehicle heading towards us. We all leaped with joy and started heading towards Bangalore.
This was indeed the best trek that I had done till now because the team was real good with no weak links (though Debarshi had some problems with the leg on the first day, he didn’t give up, that’s the spirit!!!), amazing experience of climbing the very top of Ettina Bhuja and so on. The plan for the next trek has already started. Hope everybody in this team would join again.