The Infantry Battalion’s 12-member pathfinder expedition to Ombattu Gudda peak in the Western Ghats returned on Thursday from its 10-day trip, having charted a safe yet challenging route up the difficult hill for trekkers and adventurers.
A Defence Ministry release said the GPS data of the new route would be made available to trekking clubs and individuals.
The other aim of the 160-km expedition was to demystify the elusive peak.
Ombattu Gudda or ‘Nine Hills’, a range in the Shiradi Ghats on the Hassan-Chikkamagalur border, is said to be one of the most mysterious and dangerous routes in the Western Ghats. Many who ventured there never returned, while some suffered snakebites, fell from rocks, or were swept away in the waters. A lucky few were rescued in an unconscious condition.
The expedition marked the route and safe campsites using available forest resources.
The team created a small but credible database of the flora and fauna of the region.
