Nagari Ride - one of the best off roading rides, ever.


Okie dokie, here goes my rough recollection of the incredibly awesome and yet perhaps most grueling ride EVER!

Never heard of Nagari, in my life. In retrospect do I want to remember it at all, I don’t know. One of those when Love and Hate collide moments!

The off road bug seems to be picking up newer followers (and haters) in the biking fraternity, specially in the Madbulls. I think this phase of riding in the club has taken a quick step forward with Bra, Rajith and Trooper recently picking up Hero Impulses specifically for off roading. And you know me, up for a ride most of the time! ;) And considering the stable is full, no new bike for me apart from the trustworthy (!) Enfield. Since Hari, seems to have been having incidents off late, my brute 500 is still in need of some work so I have to take the 535 all the time.

Anyway, a couple of weekends ago Ajith, Chidambaram, Bra, Rajith, Shantanu and I decided to do a ride from Sholinganallur to mahabs – and most of it was on mud trails following the saying – go where no bike has gone before! And it was awesome. Some pics of this ride are on Rajiths FB Profile if interested (and if he wants to be your friend!)

And then last Sunday was yet another ride termed the quarry run which took place somewhere off the Vandalur – Kelamabakkam route which was fun in itself.

Sakthi – who recently joined the group, posted about this ride to Nagari and I do know that he is also a part of the Chennai Trekking club so there was a mild interest that I had but I was aware that work pressures would not allow me to make a decision till late in the week. It was supposed to be only around 150K followed by a short off road session and a small trek with camping being the (only) option for the night.

In my mind was this trip I had done a long time back to another “falls” on the AP border (Konai Falls) and I remember even at that time I didn’t do the trek but the ride was good and it had a bit of offroad as well. So with that in mind I even (foolishly) suggested that since the distance was only 150, would there be anyone interested in a day ride!!! I am so glad I didn’t do that or convince others!!!

Anyway, woke up Satday morning at 10ish and called a few guys and found that there were as usual 2 groups! One leaving at 11 and the other at around 2PM. So obviously found my self in the 2 PM batch with Lakshmi, Owner, Ajith, Bra and Kaushik. (Was there someone else?) Tanked up at Shell and headed off. The ride up to around 20Km from the destination was uneventful. Moved decently and didn’t get lost.

Caught up with the first batch at the road that leaves the highway and heads to Nagari. Sakthi took us in the general direction, got lost a couple of times and finally found ourselves off a concrete road and on to a mud trail, which I am sure we all thought was the “off road” bit of the trip! Apparently it wasn’t so.

As we continued on this track, it slowly became narrower and narrower till we were guided only by Tractor ruts. A couple of us decided to gas it the whole way through and I am delighted to say that the 535 did amazingly awesomely well. This was true offroading. A path – with rocks, sand, mud, slush, water and more rocks, sand, mud, slush and water. And 13 bikes going through it, much to the amazement of dogs and cows and homosapiens alike.

Numerous water crossings, and roads that were not roads but just piles and piles of rocks. Winding roads full of sand and slush that really made us ride either foolishly – but gassing it or carefully hoping not to get stuck. Despite this, we had falls, people getting stuck and eventually reached a clearing to see that one of the bulls had a puncture.

Sakthi, I must say has absolutely NO judgement of time or distance. For him everything is “inga thaan” (just here). This statement of his did make him get sworn at and shouted at at a lot of times! But we now know about this so will plan accordingly the next time.

Anyway moving on, we decide to park the bike there and headed off to this inga thaan place again. We would have already done about 10Km of solid off roading and this inga thaan was (just) 4-5 km away – BUT was the worst 4-5 ever! With great difficulty and much swearing , sweating and calorie burning (J) we made it to another clearing which we initially thought was the destination. Only to have Sakthi come and say we are “almost” there just “inga thaan“ again!

This time we sent Ajith, Bra, Sakthi and Sailesh to go and check the place out and see if there was space etc before we headed up. Given the OK signal we took off another km or so and finally reached a rather large clearing and we were finally able to park our bikes in a shed there (yep, someone has built a shed and some small buildings there as there is a temple)

So we were all getting out of the gear and drinking pure mountain water when Sakthi was back with his inga thaan – apparently from here we had to trek a “few 100” metres to reach the final destination.

Some of us were too exhausted to do anything so sent a few guys who were man enough to trek it to the actual spot and the rest of us just waited. It was getting dark, there was lightning and drizzles and our torches were all attracting insects. We were tired, filthy, and smelt like animals! (ask me how I know) A certain member even said he could smell his own stench (My axe was packed away!)

The brave explorers came back in about an hour and then the usual drama about whether we should just stay put or go to the final destination happened! Every one was tired so it was an understandable situation. Finally we convinced each other and then the trek happened. As usual Sakthi said “inga thaan!” So we started, what we didn’t realize and no one mentioned that the inga thaan included climbing steps!!! So with a lot of puffing, panting, swearing when we could talk, we all moved slower than a snail and climbed and trekked and finally reached the destination. Phew. (Did I mention that it was drizzling when we were doing all this?)

Reached this temple and Kaushik and I pitched our tents. Smokey and Kaushi helped me put up mine as I had no idea how to! ;) The temple sage was very kind and smoke tamil as well and offered us a hall so that we didn’t have to rough it out. And very importantly offered to cook food for us! WOW! No need for maggi noodles.

Once we settled ourselves in we decided to have a splash in the waterfall. There is a natural pool that has been formed due to the fall and it was COLD. Most of us bravely ventured into the pool and had an awesome time with some beverages mixed with natural water.

Decided to wind up around 11 and went to the hall and had some rice, kara kolambu, cheese balls and rasam. The food as usual tasted delicious as it always does when you are absolutely famished and tired. We hit the sack as soon as we ate and I had an awesome sleep in the tent.

Around 6 AM, most of us were up as some people had trekked to this place to visit the temples. Most of us then filled bottles and headed off to various parts of the hills for our morning duties! Jumped in to the pool and played about for an hour or so and then packed up. Had maggi and tea for breakfast.

Once this was over, we packed up and began the trek back to the place where we parked the bikes. Still tiring but not as much as the previous night. Loaded the bikes, all bike started and we headed off. And my ordeal began!

Rajith and I were belting it and after going thro a water crossing my bike just coughed, spluttered and died. Kaushik, Lakshmi, Rajith and I did everything we could imagine. We sent the others off to fix the other bikes puncture. I had an open K&N and we figured it was water. So we took turns venting the engine and Ajith who had gone on came back and after we did the hard work of venting, he kicked it and it started! (He Man and the masters of the universe!)

Rode on, met the group, took photos and took off again! And just a few km from the easy roads, my bike died again after the last water crossing. So in the heat of the day, all the guys behind me stayed on and helped in starting the bike. Mr Sakthi was very magnanimous in organizing kickers! But never did any work! J Finally it started and we were off.

I didn’t want to stop again till we reached the main road so Kaushik and I took off. Realised that my clutch was possibly gone as the bike was revving but not moving! Both of us got lost but eventually came to the starting point. We thought we were the first and waited or 20 mins before realizing the guys had moved on. Kaushik and I then left and I had a slow ride (read 100) till we reached the rest of the boys.

The rest of the boys had stopped at a vegetarian hotel and so some of us moved on till we found a dhaba. Full meals followed with some delicious food and then we split up as some had to leave early etc.

Reached the highway and then split up into smaller groups and Shanker and I were on the way and we got split up when I missed the turning to guindy. I found my self going about 10Km toward Tambaram with no U turn in site. So finally decided to jump the kerb on the highway and took a turn and eventually got back home around 5 PM.

Phew.

Whatever said and done, many thanks to “inga thaan Sakthi” for showing us this place and the incredible ride. Many thanks to all my kickers and co riders who helped each other in times of need and ensuring we all reached home. Awesome ride.