u/Explorer-44

South-Western Outer Boundary of the Nandi Complex

I and my trek mates u/Willing_Yesterday548 and u/Renderedperson set off on A relatively short elevation on the south-western outer boundary of the Nandi complex, ending at a viewpoint over a magnificent Grand Valley.

Rocks, shrubs, thorns and grasslands, with little blue Benghal dayflowers (Commelina benghalensis) scattered through the grass.

Bright sunshine, crystal-clear air and a cool, strong breeze made the whole landscape feel almost impossibly benign.

We went off-trail, following the contours and finding our way through the scrub.

Eventually we reached the viewpoint, and the valley opened out below us.

Then, on the way down, the jungle reminded me that beauty and danger can coexist very comfortably.

While clearing dense vegetation with a machete, the blade caught the dorsum of my left hand.

A deep cut. A lot of bright-red blood. A rather sudden change in the nature of the trek.

We bound the wound and started finding our way down.

No panic—just controlled adrenaline, deep breaths, GPS, and one careful decision after another.

The descent through the vegetation and steep terrain suddenly felt very different.

My trek mates stayed with me, helped me get out, drove me for medical attention and waited while I was treated.

The wound was cleaned, examined and stitched.

Thankfully, the bone and tendons were intact.

Now it is dressed, healing and a slightly humbling reassessment of what I thought I knew about bushwhacking.

A blade that has cleared hundreds of trails still demands respect. Arm protection is a must for future trails.

And the jungle doesn't care how fit, experienced or confident you feel.

It also reminded me of the value of a group.

You can explore alone, but when something goes wrong, having people beside you can make the difference between an inconvenience and a genuine emergency.

The hand will heal.

The lesson will stay.

And strangely enough, after all of this, the jungle is still calling.

Credit: Harshita and Deepankar Khulbe

Hi, I'm planning a relatively short excursion into South East boundary of the Chickaballapur Granite Hills tomorrow 16 Aug 2026.Time permitting, few other trails further to the South are planned to be explored. Swim in a nearby lake also planned.

Basically planning to ride by my scooter. Anyone interested can ride with me or bring along their own transport and their friends if they like.

If I get enough interested people (max 4 apart from me) I could take my 4 wheeler. In this case fuel+toll will be split equally.

Off trail sections can be encountered.General terrain and expected weather can be seen in the video attached. Thanks and Happy Independence Day.

We (u/addak01 , u/ Significant-Entry 123 and myself) went into the granite hills with one simple idea: rugged, slow and steady, with the forest rather than against it — and fun.

The setting is a rugged granite-and-scrub landscape of the Bengaluru–Chikkaballapur belt, with rocky ridges, exposed slabs, thorn scrub, grass and patches of denser woodland.

Heavy overcast transformed the place completely — wet rock, deep greens and muted light made the hills feel almost primeval.

The trail was often more of a suggestion than a route.

We bushwhacked through thorny vegetation, moved branches aside, clambered over rock and worked our way up muddy slopes where there was no obvious path.

After enough repetition, we started seeing gaps in the vegetation, natural lines through the scrub and little trails that weren't obvious at first glance.

It became less about fighting the forest and more about finding the route the forest was already offering.

The vegetation itself was surprisingly diverse: thorny shrubs, grasses, small trees, climbers, flowering plants and fruiting shrubs occupying almost every available patch of soil between the rocks.

There was plenty of insect activity too, including clusters of probable Hemipteran nymphs and abundant evidence of herbivory on the leaves.

The wildlife was mostly invisible — but the signs weren't.

We found numerous pellet-like droppings, a large unidentified mammal scat beside a water body and some interesting but non-diagnostic scratches/abrasions on a tree.

The most compelling find was an intact shed deer antler, probably from a sambar (Rusa unicolor).

We won't pretend every scat or scratch can be assigned to a species from a photograph. Field observation is more interesting when we distinguish evidence from speculation.

The antler, however, was a wonderful reminder that substantial wildlife is moving through this apparently ordinary scrub landscape.

And that was probably the biggest surprise of the day.

We didn't necessarily have to see the animals.

Sometimes we see their tracks, droppings, feeding marks, damaged bark or a shed antler.

The forest leaves clues.

We just have to slow down enough to notice them.

Rugged. Slow and steady. With the forest, not against it. And fun. 🌿🦌

And of course no granite hill excursion is complete without a late lunch at the nearest military hotel 🔥

(GPT used for para structure)

Looking for 3–4 like-minded hikers for a non-commercial exploration around the Nandi/Devanahalli hill complex this Saturday.

Small group (max 5 including me) , I will arrange transportation

Fuel & toll shared equally

Moderate to challenging terrain

Early start, back by evening

uneven terrain and off-trail sections maybe encountered

If this sounds like your kind of Saturday, DM me!

While looking for places to explore in the nandi hills:narsimhadevara betta region of chickaballapur division, saw this aircraft (or it's replica, or a drawing of it) on a hill top near to Nagenahalli lake. It's really very very curious. Anyone any clues. Chatgpt, google all returned a zero on what, how, why, who and when. It wasn't there in 2025 imagery. Anyone up to explore