The hill in my backyard

Karnala used to be a favorite for the school picnics, the age when a shaded spot in the trees with a few caged birds seemed like a good idea. One time I remember going there and wondering why it was called a "bird sanctuary" when the only bird I saw was in a picture pinned to a tree! Age tells me now that most animals usually stay away from predators (which we very well qualify to be ... considering that we've put the birds in cages just to protect them from ourselves!).

I live 40 kms from this place, and have never been to the fort up there!

I always thought it quite a shame that I (being this avid trekker) never got around to climbing this hill! And for the last 3 weekends, I've been trying to get Shantanu and Sukesh to get off their asses and go there with me. Last weekend, after all these years, I finally got to the fort of Karnala with Shantanu.

It's a smallish fort bang in the middle of the sanctuary, only about 450 meters above MSL. The trail from the sanctuary entrance to the fort takes about 1.5 hours to do, and is a nice walk, gently sloped and mostly shaded. A rock pinnacle about 40 meters tall (a favorite with climbers) is the most striking feature of this place.

The beauty of Karnala is that it is so close to home ... practically in my backyard. It's the perfect place to head for half a day, get a fair bit of exercise, and an awesome spot to relax and chill. I'm expecting to be there more ofen now!