Yana is a picturesque spot situated amidst rocky mountains, in the Western Ghats, under the Uttar Kannad District of Karnataka. Yana has to be reached by trekking a distance of around 9 kms through thick forests. The path to Yana is now a pretty good dirt track, thru which one could cycle. Going by motor vehicles is also possible now, but you cannot take the vehicle all the way to Yana. Vehicle needs to be parked a few kms before the spot. Yana is approximately 40 kms from Sirsi. A state transport bus plies exclusively between Sirsi and Yana twice a day.

13th December 2002 Friday:
Our mode of transport was a private Swaraj Mazda 21+2 seater, and we were 18 people in all, including two organizers, a doctor couple, few girl students of Veterinary sciences, a botanical student from Mount Carmel, two software engineers, and some trekking veterans. We assembled at NEC's Malleswaram office in the evening, and left Bangalore by 10pm. Since the road to Shimoga is in a very bad shape, we took the National Highway 4 that goes to Bombay. We passed Tumkur, Chitradurga, Davangere, touched Haveri, and took a left turn for Sirsi.

14th December Saturday:
We reached Sirsi at around 8am. After a quick refresh wash at a hotel, we again boarded the van to be taken to Yana. We were able to take the van to a point 3kms before Yana. The plan was to leave the van and the crew (driver + cleaner) to remain there until we retuned next day. Leaving them, our group trekked the 3km stretch to Yana slowly, amidst thick and dense vegetation. A group from Vijaya College, Bangalore had also come to Yana at the time. This beginning trek was a very enjoyable one, with each member of the group relishing the experience. After an hour or so, we came to a place where a huge rock stood towering before us - I guess it should be around 100-150 meters tall - but I may be wrong - at the foot of which was a temple and a shelter - this place seems to be a well known picnic spot, since we could see many local tourists. One heartening thing we witnessed is that the whole path that we trekked was strewn with plastic waste and bottles – something that is totally against the conservation of nature - if this continues, it will soon become a very serious threat to the place. This shelter is going to our base camp for the day and night. We had carried groceries and utensils, and cooked lunch here. After everybody had refreshed in a nearby stream and lunched, we set off to trek and explore this whole place. Opposite and into the mountainside is a flight of steps - around 300 in number. Taking this route, one could fully explore the surrounding places. Mostly the places of interest were the huge rocks of various shapes, caved and padded one upon another. There were numerous caves, and exploring them proved to be a strenuous as well as enjoyable task, which everyone undertook with glee. I did amuse myself by climbing the rocks. The rocks are sometimes very sharp on the sides, and one needs to be extremely caution while dealing with them. The caves are housing bats and rats, and sunlight doesn't reach many.

A torch was essential here. This trek took us through this multitude of rocky caves and bushes, and them through dense mountainous jungle. After this trek of about 5-6 kms, we returned to base camp at about 6pm. It is cooking and relaxing time now. Supper was also prepared. I amused myself my going down the stairs after it was dark. It is a very good experience to witness the jungle after dark - there are no other sounds except that of the wind, insects, and the sounds made by animals somewhere you can't see. A langur was doing its rounds atop the tall trees, and though I couldn't see it, the sound of branches kept indicating where it was. After dark, all the rocks and bushes around me, appear as if it is some animal waiting to pounce on me. This experience was thrilling enough. After an hour or so of being there, I returned to camp. Supper was ready, and everybody helped themselves with rice and sambar. While a few opted to go to bed immediately, a few of us thought of a campfire. Immediately a fire was built up, and 2 hours were spent around it - singing, joking and in general, having a very good time. The location, with the rock towering high above the night, and the enthusiastic girls, plus us proved to be one great night that will not leave our memory easily. It was past 10pm now. While everyone retired in the shelter for a well-deserved rest, I, as usual, opted to stray alone and retire in the small separate shelter very near to the steps, which served as a petty shop for the visitors during the day - a good 200 meters from the main camp. I immediately didn't feel the cold, and was also surprised why I am not feeling cold. As the night wore on, I drifted in and out of sleep, frequently disturbed by something running in the nearby bushes, or a sound from the thatched roof, or a booing sound from the thick bushes 50 meters away. Though I could never figure out what creatures were doing these rounds, the fear of opening my eyes to see a bear near me, kept me awake most of the night. And my previous surprise was now shattered, as I was now slightly shivering from the cold air. A bit of fog had also set in, which I could clearly see in the torchlight. At about 4AM, I had gotten up, and strolling in the vicinity.

15th December 2002, Sunday
As the day approached, other members woke up, and were getting ready for the day. Myself and the other programmer and the girl from Mount Carmel, strolled down the stairs to the stream for a good walk in the early morning. I used the opportunity to take a quick bath in the stream. It was not very cold, but instead pleasant. Returning to the camp, breakfast was ready, and after everyone had breakfasted and readied, we started off to explore the rocks behind the temple - barefoot, for the pujari had asked us to do so when we are in the temple's vicinity. This exercise took a good 2 hours. The rocks were huge, amazing and very old. The place was enthralling. After this, we packed lunch, and bid adieu to this place. The plan was to trek to the van, ride to water falls called 'Vibhuthi Falls' nearby. A slow walk, took us to the van. For a change, some of us opted to ride on top of the van. All 9 of us on top enjoyed the whole ride to the waterfalls - we also saw a very black and big snake finding its way on the roadside. To reach the falls, we again trekked for around 2kms. The waterfalls was very high, and surrounded by rocks. The rocks were very slippery, and though no major harm was done, many of us had falls and bruises. We had a good 3 hrs for ourselves here. While many decided to get into the water and have one great bath, another enthusiastic group decided to climb up to the top of the falls along the right side of the rocks. Myself, as usual, strayed to the secluded left side of the falls - my plan was to climb up this steep side almost vertically through the roots and bushes growing on the rock sides - to the top of the fall - The falls should've been well over 65-75 meters in height. The climb was very difficult - with no holds - The sand on the sides of the rock kept giving way - but the roots were strong to hold my 84 kilos - and the rock had some holds on edges - but I had to climb underneath the dense growth of bushes and roots to have a hold - I never thought of snakes here - and I was a little more than half way up - when after holding on to a rock edge and my two bare feet dangerously positioned on some roots and rocks - a movement caught my eye - a baby viper - about an inch thick and a feet long - overtook my feet a few centimeters away - stopped - curled itself on a small plant – and calmly started looking at me - without a movement - Imagining the leg hold and hand hold and the precarious balance I was managing - I understood that if it stuck, I'm doomed - either I may panic and fall to death, or even if I managed to keep my cool and try climbing down - which could also be fatal. I waited a good 15-20 minutes in that position, motionless for the snake to disappear and me to continue - but it didn't move - and it was so camouflaged in the roots and plants that, if I took off my eyes for a second, I had to spend a good time again to exactly pinpoint its head and body. I was in a dilemma - whether to take a stick and try chasing it away - I did not know how fast it could be or how it would react - Or to take my legs back and climb down to safety - I contemplated this idea for some time, and the fear of finding a bigger stronger mother viper somewhere in my way up, I, very reluctantly, decided to climb down - which was another difficult task - I managed to slowly climb down to the rocks, thanking my God that nothing untoward happened. Then, after having lunch there, and some snaps, we started off for the van. The luggage were bundled up on top - and got ready for the drive back to Bangalore through the night. Three of our group members bade good-bye at Sirsi, and we started for Sagar. Reached Sagar at around 8pm. We had supper at a 'Sukh Sagar'. At about 10pm, we started off after a conclusion talk by the organizers. The route was through Shimoga, Arsikere, Tumkur. We reached Bangalore at 6AM, 16th December 2002, Monday.