Ride to Skandagiri - The sod amongst clouds.

There's something breathtakingly blissful about a sunrise. It's like unconditional mother's love, a breath of fresh air which brings about inner peace, a soul touching experience which showers endless joy, a totally remarkable grand spectacle which holds indescribable beauty. It's just tranquil in its simple magnificence making you feel big and tiny at the same time which happens once every day and its absolutely FREE.

Warning: The pictures uploaded are intriguingly seductive. I hold no responsibility whatsoever if you tend to fall in love with Mother Nature.

10th of February 2015.

12 am. I was technically at work minding my own business (watching the roast of Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor for the 4th time) and then this awesome random picture of the sun rising amongst the clouds comes up on the screen. The next thing I knew, "The Itchy Feet Syndrome" started kicking in.

It was time I had a few riders accompany me for a short ride. I approach Isaac (a.k.a Icy), Mithun (a.k.a Malabari) and Shreyas (a.k.a Sprinter) with an impromptu plan and give them 2 options.

1. Wind yourselves up in a warm blanket and doze off like a giant panda and die of boredom and regret.
2. Come watch the ever inspiring sunrise and get a glimpse of God's view from the top of the land amongst clouds.

The answer was unanimous - "let's ride".

• Rides used: 3 Vintage street style Royal Enfields (The king of Rides), 1 Yamaha R15 (Boy's Toy).
• People Abused: Mithun (nah not really, we love the guy to the core).
• Destination: Skandagiri.
• Skandagiri Trek difficulty: Easy (if you are an acute trekker).
• Trek distance: 10 to 11 kilometers (too and fro).

5:30 am. It was cold and we were at the bottom of the hill. With our backpacks filled with a couple of oranges and a water bottle, we started trekking with a torch in our hands. A rabbit ran past us and nothing interesting happened until the sky started changing color (so I'll chuck the boring part).

Somewhere near the top, the dark starry sky started changing color from pitch dark to pink to slight orange to deep gold. It was simple yet spectacular (the twilight, what can I say??).The city lights from the top was not a bad sight either. It just took the sun a mere 8 minutes to rise up to a certain level before we could take some stunning silhouette pictures.

Then, the mysterious morning mist started kicking in enclosing the sun completely. I guess the weather Gods had some seriously important stuff to do like watch air crash investigations and eat Thai curry while wearing only pajamas. Well, I'll never know. We had no regrets because the slight breeze made us ecstatic and the mist caressed our faces like we were someone special.

There is a flag post at the top, a couple of rock buildings and some ruins which marks the end of the climb. We plopped down on the end of the cliff and waited for the mist to clear to get that sight of the surreal landscape which we had come for until our pants got wet from the moisture of the mist. Then in an instance, our jaws dropped and eyes opened wide and we just sat and stared and stared and stared some more as the sun glowed and glimmered revealing the most awaited sight of the waves and waves of milky white clouds below our feet.

If Gods enjoy this sight everyday, then I would love to be a God. The apprehension of the clouds from above is absolute eye candy. We just sat there for ages without uttering a word. The only parts working were our eyes and brains, trying to process the unimaginable amount of happiness that we felt. No words come close to describe the aura that we felt. It can only be felt physically.

9 am. It was time to descend and head back home. We were just glad that we had night shifts in our office.

Important Note and frequently asked questions.

1. Police: There is no police and no sneaking is required.
2. Getting lost: Google maps works fine. You won't get lost.
3. Getting robbed: Not happening in Skandagiri.
4. Vehicle parking: Has ample space and parking fee is INR 50 on weekends and free on weekdays.
5. Trekking by night: Completely legal, carry a torch. Snakes are rarely seen.
6. Trek guide: Available. INR 200-300 if you speak in Kannada, INR 400 if you speak in Hindi and INR 500 if you speak in English with a French accent. Usually guides are not required.
7. Food and water: Not available. Carry your own and please DO NOT LITTER.
8. Camping: Can be done at the top. Gets windy at night.

Suggestion: If you want some privacy, go on weekdays. The hill is all yours.

If you liked Skandagiri, you may like Nandi hills as well. Check these out.

Note: Nandi is comparatively crowded.

Next Ride: Very soon. Until then, ride hard ride safe. Peace !!!!.

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