11th July 2009
Started from Bangalore @ 2pm for a rock climbing adventure to Ramnagaram. Around 50km from bangalore. The place is dotted by many rocky hills and people from far of places come to do rock climbing as professionals or as amateurs. Gopal my friend had taken his Indigo CS and we really pushed the speed to 140km/hr in NICE road. We had taken Banerghatta road and then NICE road till Mysore rd. Banerghatta road as usual is always very busy. Indigo CS is a very stable car and has good pickup. We reached Ramnagaram at around 3:15pm, had a masala dosa for lunch and took two bottles of water and 3 cans of beer in our backup ;). While entering Ramnagaram I saw a hill which had a gradual slope on one side and steep on the other. This hill was little away from the main town. The moment I looked at it I knew this is the one we will climb today. It somehow attracted us and had had some attraction by its look.We saw a small road which went towards that hill and we followed it till we reached a small village. Gopal asked a woman who was standing beside her house for direction and the expression she gave was simply wonderful. She smiled, hid half her face in her sari and shyly turned away. Still the villages of India have people who are simple and they shy away when they see big cars and city people. Anyway we carried on through the village and finally we reached a corner with an old man sitting in his balcony. We asked him how to reach the Hill and he showed us a very narrow (only one car width) mud path with foliage on both sides of it. Slowly Gopal drove his car as the foliage was scraping his car from the sides. The only concern we had was can we turn around the car while going back? Or we have to drive in back gear. I got down from the car and started to walk ahead and find out if there's a way and finally the dirt track ended in an open area with the hill in front of us. There was a small pond also in the foothills where a village lady was washing her clothes. The front face of the hill was rocky but also had thick bushes in some places. We could see some small trees on the top. We asked the lady which way to go up, now since we don’t know Kannada we understood only her sign language. She showed us the gradual slope side, the way up. So both of us now stood in front of the hill and started too evaluate it. The front face of the hill looked not that dangerous but yes we could see some steep areas on the steeper side. We decided we will take the short route that is climb the steeper side. So although the lady wanted us to go through the comparatively easier route (not that easy tough) we choose to do some real rock climbing. Our climb started slowly but steadily. The more we climbed the tougher it became but the view of the entire ramnagaram town became more and more beautiful. The best thing that we both did was talk to each other about the next steps or direction we will climb up. So opinions are very important and both of us though were confident, we were never overconfident about our decisions. This helps is choosing the right way up. And always it is advisable to take the decision which the weaker person takes. None of us were weaker but confidence varies at certain points, like can I do it? Can you do it? Is there another route? If we slip then is there any support to stop our slide? Are our shoes with us (to climb take proper shoes which gives you lot of grips)?
At one point I was leading and started a rock climb almost at 60degree angle. Now these rocks are very rough so it gives you a lot of friction but it is solid rock and there are no gaps or cracks where you can jam your feet or hand for a solid hold. I went little up and then my shoes started slipping. Oops I felt, I will fall now. I just put my whole body on the rock to increase the frictional surface area. So my slip stopped but my confidence took a heavy toll. I lost all my confidence and told Gopal hey man I am feeling scared! But he gave me full moral support and I told him to remove my shoes while still in that lizard position. He removed both my shoes and socks and after my feet dried (was wet with sweat). I started my climb down till I reached the ledge. Oooh my.... saved for the day!! We then carried on our climb further up but the more we climbed the hill we could see that vertical climb was getting steeper and more difficult, till we reached a point were the most steep side of the hill is. And we cannot go any further cause there is no point you can climb that face as it is a dead drop down and no ledge or support to stop your fall. By the way the height of the hill is 800m thats nearly a kilometre. At this point I told Gopal shall we climb up? If yes then we have to vertically climb a rock with no support. But the place where we were standing had a slanting rock against the slope angle which could stop our fall in case we slipped the climb. So Gopal was the first to go up he climbed 4-5 steps and then he said. Oh shit man this is very difficult!! And he put his complete body on the rock. The lizard position!! I told him, hey man there is no way we can go down the only way is UP. Take some deep breaths and then try. He laid there for almost 2 mins and then like a snake he started to push his body up. The only thing that stopped him from slipping was the friction. After a much painstaking lizard climb he groped a bunch of shrubs but that just came off from the root. Ooh man!! I kept shouting go man you can do it. Keep going and YES finally he pulled himself up by holding a bunch of grasses. He just gave a deep sigh and i could see his face which tells how hard the climb was. Now it’s my turn; I climbed the same way as Gopal and got stuck exactly where he was stuck.. And there was no posture other than the lizard position to stall your fall. I told Gopal to pull me up, but after that climb he also got scared and instead of seeing me he was looking at the depths behind me. He tried to come little down and pull me up but our hand was not reaching out. So I started my snake climb and finally I too was able to pull myself up. Wow!! We started rejoicing our success. This climb was one of my most difficult climbs and also very thrilling. The view from the top was just simply amazing. You will feel like god. Still we had to climb the final cap of the mountain but it didn’t look dangerous. What surprised us was the other side of the hill. The other side was hiding a small but a dense forest. The forest comprised of medium height trees and shrubs. We started doing a circle around the hill cap, exploring the hill. Also we were discussing which way we will go down. And we saw the gradual slope that runs through the middle of the hill, the slope which the lady at the foothills had told us to climb from. Anyway I was busy preparing my DSLR to take some shots and the suddenly there is this feeble, whispering and fear filled voice of Gopal. Amar, amar, bhalu (bear), bhalu (bear)!!!! I turned and saw a big black sloth bear standing just 30-40m from us, on his four feet and staring straight at us. Oh my!!! The initial response was be a statue don't move! For 10-15 secs our minds were just blank, heart beating fast and we are staring straight to death. This bear was standing on the top of the hill cap and he knew exactly and much before that we are coming, cause his posture was a prepared stance just before it starts running towards us. Gopal started saying, aare yaar ye hum log kya kar diya, yeh kanha aa gaye, kya risk le liya re!! It means where did we come freind, what did we do man, why did we take this risk!! But I will thank our instincts as well as the bear’s non responsiveness. He was still staring straight at us; any strange or sharp movement and he might think as a threat and attack us. So slowly but swiftly we turned our back and started walking away from him. Now here’s the challenge we have we cant climb down the way we came up cause the way up was very steep and if we try to scale down from that side with a big black bear behind us we will fall to death. So I told Gopal let us take the sloped mid rib side, but the mid rib side had the forest and now our minds started playing the tricks and we thought there will be more wild animals in this forest and today we are going to die. The feeling of staring into death, huh I can’t explain. I knew we will die but how or when is the question. Either we will fall from the hill trying to run away from the Bear or the bear itself will injure us badly if not eat us up Or some other animal will join the feast!! We started walking briskly away from the bear and our intention was to get out of his sight. While we were doing this we also made sure we choose the correct way down. Although Gopal was insisting we climb down the way we came up cause we know there will be no animals on that side as it is steep, but I felt the risk would have been too much as we could slip and fall. We had a small backpack where we had got 3 chilled beers which we thought of relishing it once we reach the top. But who knew instead of we having beer the bear will have us. Gopal just kept turning around to see if the bear was following us or not, but luckily the bear stood just still staring at us. I kept looking for the path down and kept telling Gopal don’t look back just keep on walking. Once we were at a little distance and couldn’t see the bear anymore we started climbing down very fast. We entered the dense foliage and anywhere I look I felt that some animal is watching us. At one point we had to climb down a steep rock and my footwear was not giving me enough grip so I slid down the rock but Gopal did a good job by taking support from the trees and bushes to climb down without sliding. After sliding I saw my cargo pant was torn from behind. So upar jo mera bhalu dekhke phata tha woh aaj bhi pant mein phata dikhta hai ;). Finally we reached a clearing almost at the base. We just looked up and saw the hill, we were smiling but also the thrill and fear was inside. We drank some much needed water to wet our throats and talked how lucky we are to be alive. The way which we came down was the correct way down cause any other path was not looking that simple. So our instincts were right. The sun was about the set and we thought of leaving the place as early as possible and finally by 6:30pm we were back on Mysore road.Safe and Alive.
Link to Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/amarnath.pramanik/BearRamnagaram#
We learned a lot of things from this adventure and let me share those with you.
Precaution:
1. Before climbing a hill or mountain it is always better you check on google earth or maps to see what is in and around the hill.
2. If you are doing a rock climbing without professional gears at least have rope and gloves.
3. Always carry a weapon, this is not to fight out the animals but will give you confidence in case you face one.
4. Wild bears are far more dangerous than regular circus bears, and not as cuddly or skilled in unicycling. By all means, if you ever find yourself in the situation with you and a bear, it's probably your fault for interrupting it while it was foraging, or it's cub foraging. Anyway, do not "play dead" like they do in comedy movies. Bears will not sniff you and walk away because you dropped to the floor and curled up in fear, they will maul you. If the bear attacks you be smarter than that and run like hell, but not in a straight line. Try zigzagging and doing barrel rolls to throw the bear off, it works. By the way, some bears can run up to 40 mph.
5. Also if you are camping try to cook food away from the camps and don’t dump waste around the camping area. Throw it far away.
I came across this article on the web, worth sharing it
How to Escape from a Bear
Bears are among nature’s most majestic creatures, and seeing one in the wild is an unforgettable experience. Get too close, however, and your encounter with a bear can be more terrifying than awe-inspiring. Fortunately, despite humans’ continued encroachment into “bear country," attacks on people are rare, and fatalities are even rarer. Still, bears are immense, powerful wild animals, and any meeting between bears and humans can potentially turn deadly. Do you know what to do if you find yourself face to face with a bear? Read on, and hike safely.
Avoid close encounters. If you can prevent an encounter with a bear, the rest of the steps are unnecessary. As luck would have it, bears are reclusive creatures, and they generally prefer to steer clear of humans. You can help them to do so by announcing your presence when you’re exploring their home environment: talk loudly, sing, or carry "bear bells" so bears have time to escape you. Be sure to heed local bear advisories and practice proper food storage techniques while camping, and try to hike in open areas so that a bear can see you (or you can see it) from a distance. Leave dogs at home or keep them leashed. If you see bear tracks, make a detour or leave the area. Avoid surprising bears.
1. Keep your distance. If you see a bear from a long distance (greater than 300 feet), leave the area. If you need to continue on, make a wide detour around the bear. If the bear has not seen you, do not disturb it: retreat calmly and quietly, and then make ample noise when you are well away to prevent future chance encounters. If the bear sees you, begin speaking in a low, calm voice (it doesn’t matter what you say) and retreat slowly, keeping an eye on the bear but avoiding direct eye contact. Your goal is to communicate to the bear that you are human (i.e. that you can defend yourself and are not frightened) while also letting it know that you are non-threatening, and that you are leaving its territory.
2. Stand tall, even if the bear charges you. If the bear sees you and is closer than 300 feet, or if the bear is approaching you, remain calm and try to look as large as possible. Try to back away slowly—do not run—and speak softly. If the bear continues to approach as you back away, stop and stand your ground. Speak more loudly in a deep, calm voice, and wave you arms to make yourself look bigger. Keep an eye on the bear, but avoid direct eye contact. Do not be aggressive, but do not crouch down, play dead or otherwise show fear or vulnerability. If the bear charges you, muster all your courage and stay where you are: the charge is most likely a bluff, and if you stand your ground the bear will turn away.
3. Know your bear. The steps you take to survive an encounter with a bear will depend in part on the type of bear. North America has three kinds of bears: brown bears (grizzly and Kodiak brown bears), black bears, and polar bears. Polar bears, of course, are easily recognizable, and their range is limited to the far northern latitudes. Grizzlies and black bears cannot necessarily be differentiated by their colors. Grizzly bears can weigh up to 800 lbs., and they are distinguished by a prominent shoulder hump and a rump lower than the shoulder. Black bears are typically smaller (up to 400 lbs.), and have a rump higher than or at roughly the same level as the shoulder. If you see tracks, grizzly bears have claw marks well separated from the paw imprints, while black bears’ claw marks will be quite close to the paw imprint.
4. Understand the bear's motivations. A little bear psychology can go a long way—your response to an attack should be shaped by the bear’s motivations. First, if a bear appears to be stalking you (disappearing and reappearing, for example), or if a bear attacks at night, it most likely sees you as food, and any attack will be predatory. If you surprise a bear on the trail, if the bear has cubs, or if the bear is eating from or protecting a carcass, the bear will most likely be acting in self-defense.
5. Respond appropriately based on the situation:
o If a grizzly or polar bear makes a non-predatory attack: Play dead. If the bear (other than a black bear) is attacking you in self-defense, you can put it at ease (and possibly save yourself) by playing dead by lying completely flat on the ground. Do so only after the bear makes contact with you or tries to do so. (In the past, bear experts recommended that one fall to the ground in a fetal position but researchers have since proven that doing this only allows the bear to easily flip over the human in question.) To play dead, lie flat on the ground protecting your vital parts with the ground, and your arms protecting your neck with your hands laced behind the neck. Keep your legs together and do not struggle. Once the bear leaves your immediate vicinity, wait several minutes before carefully looking to see if the bear is still around. A bear may look back and may return if it sees you moving.
o If any bear makes a predatory attack or you receive any attack from a black bear: Fight back. Fight a black bear attack or any predatory attack. If the bear is a black bear, or if you have determined that the bear sees you as food (this is actually quite rare, and more common with black bears and, some say, polar bears than with grizzlies), your only chance of escape is to fight it or scare it away. Hit the bear with rocks, pots, pans, sticks or fists—anything handy, really. The odds may seem against you in a fight, but bears generally do not see humans as prey, and a bear that makes a predatory attacks is usually immature, starving, or wounded, and may easily be scared away if you hit it.
6. Consider last minute escape techniques:
o Climb a tree only under the right circumstances. Black bears are adept climbers, so climbing a tree will do you no good with one of them. Grizzlies, too, can climb a little, and they can reach up to 12 feet into the tree from the ground. Only consider climbing a tree if you encounter a grizzly and you are confident you can make it well up (at least 15 feet, but preferably 30 feet) into a sturdy tree by the time the bear reaches you. Bears are fast, so do not try to race a bear to a tree—you will lose. This approach is usually only viable if you are right next to the tree, and you’re a good climber.
o Sidestep advances if they're closing in within a relatively short distance (>8 feet). Bears and other 4 legged animals have a wider center of gravity, and hence can't make as sharp turns as you or me. Don't just run in circles however, but if engaged in an open area (plains or field), do not run directly away from the bear as they're generally faster. Move left and right where applicable to force the bear to change direction. Do not abuse this, however, as it drains vital energy.
--By Amarnath (Madly adventureus)
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