Destination Kokan Diva

En-route Garjaiwadi

It is mid-April when Anirudh starts planning about the next trek. We weigh the options and decide to explore Kokan Diva this time. As soon as the message pops up on our whatsap group, confirmations pour in. we are amazed at the enthusiasm of members. The number starts ticking and reaches towering twenty. Good lord! Looks like we are going to have a fun filled weekend. We decide to book a 25 seater bus. Hemant and me have collected lot of information from Hemant's friend, Kisan about the route. He enthusiastically draws the entire route map for us which makes us feel confident. 

Route Map to reach Ghol 

We reach Nal Stop at 4.15 am. The bus arrives with 6 other people from Sahakar Nagar. 13 of us join them at Nal Stop. We head  to Sinhagad Road now to pick up Ajit on the way. Ajit jumps into the bus near Dhayari Phata and we head to Panshet. As we reach SinhagadPayatha, the bus driver declares that he needs to fill the petrol.  We are clueless.  It appears, there is some communication gap between the driver and the tour operator. He thinks there are petrol pumps all over and he can fuel the bus any time he feels like. But he is totally unaware of our trekking routes. Finally we wait for about one hour at SinhagadPayatha for the petrol pump to open so that we can fuel our journey. We finally fill the fuel at 6.15 and make our way to the destination.The messages start pouring in on the previous day. We have decided to start our journey at 4.00 am on 19^th April 2015. All of us are too excited about the trek since there are not many people who have been there.

The bus travels through the back waters and passes via hilly area. Finally we take around 2.5 hours to reach GholVillage. We are told there is a road to go the Garjaiwadi which is at the foot of Kokan Diva. The bus takes a U turn and halts at the beginning of a kaccha road. We examine the road condition and decide that we will walk our way instead of taking the bus. The bus might reach us to Garjaiwadi somehow or the other. But if it breaks down due to the rudimentary road we will be stuck here for the night.

All of us gather our back packs and start walking. There are hills along the route. Not much of shade however we don’t feel the heat yet. We take almost 30 minutes to reach Garjaiwadi. As usual we finish giving away solar lamps and enquire about the route. There is a small forest ahead of us. We need to pass through this forest and then start climbing. Sachin as usual leads us through the route.  The Devrai is a small forest surrounding the village. As the name signifies this forest is protected by gods hence no one cuts trees from this forest.

Malabar Hornbill

We suddenly see a gigantic bird flying over our heads. It has long beak and is brown in color. We debate on its name and finally agree that it is Malabar horn bill or some other type of horn bill.  We stare at it and it stares back at us. I takes a marvelous flight in front of us and our day is made.

We are now walking though the jungles.  Kaustubh and Sachin are making way for us. We follow them while picking berries and filling our stomachs. Chandan Radio station never rests it entertains us and makes sure that we are following him too. Ajit is engrossed in berry picking. We today have three children with us. ShardulDrumil and Sharvari. The three sum is enjoying the trek more than us. Kalyani is Nishabda as always. Rather she is more nishabda than ever since she is accompanied by her sister and three friends. 

Red Whiskered Bulbul

As we enter the grove of trees the climb can be felt. We suddenly see four trekkers climbing down. We ask them several questions desperately since none of us have been on Kokan Diva earlier. They answer all our queries patiently.  I have read in some other blog that there is a very steep patch which we need to climb at 70 degree.  The group tells us that it is around 80 degree. I wonder if they had carried any measuring equipment.

The Special 20 Kaustubh is behind the click 

We start climbing the hill now. It is steap and sun is bestowing his love on us. It is heating up. We sip the water after every climbing and keep looking up.  3-4 people head towards the top. I am following them. I become breathless by the time I climb the most difficult patch. The soil has become loose and hence it makes it more difficult to climb. As we are nearer the destination we start guessing the angle of the climb. I cannot resist exhibiting my poor knowledge of geometry and say it must be 100 degrees. All burst out laughing and we make it to the top.

Some of the group members are still behind us. We take the shelter of a cave which can accommodate about 25 people. Ajit goes around and sees a water cistern. However the water is not potable. The cave is considerably cool and comfortable. It is already 12 noon. We take rest till everyone arrives. They settle down for some time and we decide to climb up on the peak to get the view. It is a climb of 5 minutes and you reach the peak of mountain. A marvelous view of Konkan region is in front of us. It is an amazing experience to go on the top of the mountain and get the glimpse of more gigantic mountains in front of you.

On The Top Of The Mountain ( Zende with Zenda)

Sun is blazing over our heads. But cool breeze comes to our rescue. There is hardly any place at the top as usual. All twenty of us have just enough place to stand. We finish our photography session.  Omkar is all set to shoot the budding adventurous models with his SLR.

After we have had enough company of the Sun and wind, we decide to return to the cave. We open our lunch boxes and finish our lunch. Chandan,  Sachin and Kaustubh do all the talking for the entire group. Mr. Bramhe joins them with his expert comments. Chandan hilariously tells others that they are talking too much. He has a competition.  The chattering stops only when the mouths are busy munching.

After much chaos  and huge effort we are able to set the camera on auto click for a group photo. We gather our bags and head back to begin the return journey.  It is mid noon. The sun has begun his return journey too, leaving behind scorching heat.

The descend is much more difficult due to the loose soil. The legs are trembling and I am not sure of my steps. Sachin takes the charge and passes us through the difficult patches. There are dangerous slops. SharvariBramhe is behind me. This girl has tremendous stamina indeed.  Drumil and Sharvari also slide down effortlessly. Shardul is with his parents and climbs down with no difficulty.

As we finish half way through we realize that the water is getting exhausted. Each one of us had carried three liters of water.  We still have to walk down for another 30 minutes and we do not have enough water. The weather is really hot and humid. We take steps very carefully and try to conserve energy. Some of us go ahead. Sachin, Kaustubh and Rege family are left behind. Drumil finds a water bottle in his bag when we are 80% through. This is a great solace indeed. All of us take a sip and head to Garjaiwadi. We now enter the thick forest. The shade is a great relief. We walk through the jungle for some more time and are able to see the houses far from us. With faster pace we approach one house and ask the lady where we will be able to find some water. The lady gives us some water and points at a hand pump. We hurriedly walk back to the hand pump. With the cooperation of each other we wash our feet and faces and drink water as if we are returning from the desert. I now realize the importance of water. जीवन  (life ) as it is called in Marathi.

We are waiting for rest of the people to arrive. We wait for some more time and Sachin and Kaustubh emerge from the Jungle. We understand that SangeetaRege has dehydrated and is unable to walk. Somebody has to carry a water bottle and some energizer. Hemant and Ajit volunteer to carry the water for her. They find their way back into the jungle without a word. An hour ago we were wet with perspiration. We are now volunteering to get wet with water.

As the time passes, Ajit and Hemant come back jubilantly with  Rege family. All is well. They take some rest while the early birds gather their belongings to walk the final leg. After filling the water bottles and splashing water on our faces we proceed to Ghol village where our bus is waiting.

The road seems never ending and our feet seem heavy. It is 5 pm already. We walk for another 45 minutes and we see a tractor coming from behind. Some of us turn and wait. The tractor stops and takes us in. The road is horrible. The tractor swings in to the pot holes making us jump. We enjoy this bumpy ride to the fullest. The tractor makes the last few minutes of journey very exciting.

We reach Ghol and see our bus. We feel the same way like a child seeing his mother after returning home after a long day.  We toss our bags inside the bus and see another hand pump. The water is irresistible. We again splash the water on our faces. The villagers are returning home now. Hemant is Tea totter. He convinces a villager to make tea for us. We go to the village and sit in the courtyard. As we sit there sipping our tea, rest of the people also join us.  After we finish the tea we settle down in the bus and begin our return journey.

Our feet is heavy but our hearts are light. All of us are speechless now. This experience is enchanting. It elevates our morale and makes us realize there is nothing such as winning or losing. There is only a single most important thing in life and that is finishing. All of us are now on the same page.

This large group was a major challenge for our admin. As usual his meticulous planning and cool temperament sailed us through. We were a team a big team with lot of understanding and excellent coordination. Many of us met each other for the first time. But we are great friends now.  And our greatest friends are those gigantic mountains.  The mountains, they will never move, they are their all the time to welcome us with open arms. We just need large heart and mighty will to embrace them. 

Journey from Pune to Ghol in a vehicle 2.5 Hrs. Best Season November to January Ghol to Garjai Wadi on foot 45 Minutes Water  Available on the Top No Garjaiwadi to the Cave on Kokan Diva 1.5 Hrs. Overnight stay in the cave 10 people Cave to the Top of Kokan Diva 5 Minutes

RAIGAD PARIKRAMA

Everybody knows about Raigad the capital of Shivaji Maharaj. However very few know about Raigad Parikrama.  I had no clue about this trek until recently.   I was told by our cyclist cum trekker friend Hemant about this trek and we instantly decided to explore it.

On 25^th January 2015, a group of 8 trekkers got  in to 2 cars at 5.30 am. We reached Raigad Payatha after  our normal breakfast of Pohe. Apart from 6 adults (Hemant, Anirudh, Chandan, myself, Omkar and Mr. Bramhe) there were two youngsters; Drumil age 12 and Sharvari age 13.

From L to R: Mr. Bramhe, Hemant, Sharvari, Ashwini, Drumil, Chandan, Anirudh and Omkar 

Hemant guided us to the left side of stairs. We could see Raigad Parikrama painted in yellow on a rock.  Raigad parikrama is a unique trail of around 12 kms. The parikrama path takes you around the entire fort.

As we enter the parikrama path, we leave the gigantic fort on our right side. The path is quite unknown and difficult to explore. You need guidance from an experienced trekker. Since we were led by Hemant  who had been on this trek twice, finding our way turned out to be easy. We slowly entered into a dense forest.  We were still able to see the glimpses of the fort on our left side. We continued to walk for another hour. This stretch was easy and there were no extraordinary climbs. Omkar had brought his DSLR camera with gigantic lenses. I was truly impressed and withdrew from taking snaps on my tiny mobile.  We could see enormous Lingana on our right side. 

Lingana 

We were walking on the dried grass under the trees. The shade made it pleasure sum to walk too. On the way there was a pile of firewood from which each one of us picked up sticks. They are very useful while descending.

After an hour of walk we decided to take a break for a sip of water.  The next stretch again took us though the jungle. There were varieties of trees.  We kept walking on the golden grass for another hour and took a break as decided. After a round of refreshing fruits we started waking again. The rout was more or less plain with some easy climbs.

On the way there were a few huts. We interacted with the residents and found out that they had no electricity.  When we in the urban areas electrify every corner of our cities there still are good number of people living in the darkness. 

As we proceeded ahead,  there was a carpet of purple flowers laid in front of us.  We crossed this beautiful piece of our journey and realized that we have started climbing. It was a climb of almost half an hour after which we found a shade and some patch of leveled ground to sit down and rest. We opened our Tiffin and finished our lunch. It was already one pm by this time. There was a small group of trekkers who also followed us.

After a long break of almost 30-45 minutes, we started our journey again. The route now took us through an enormous descend. The sticks were a great help now. The soil beneath was loose hence we had to watch our steps carefully. Hemant , Drumil and Omkar went ahead. However I was holding up the people behind me since I was scared of the loose soil. I suggested that others may like to overtake me as I was obstructing them. However no one did so since they said anyway the trek will be complete only when the last person completes it. How true! We reached the bottom of the hill after a very long and difficult descend. There were huge trees protecting us from mid day sun.

We took some rest and started our journey again. To my dismay, it was a huge climb again. Nature gives you life lessons all the time. If you do not like descends there are climbs. By the time you settle for something you hate you will soon have something else to hate more.  Take change to your stride and start enjoying every step.

As we climbed up again we realized we were in the final leg of our trek. The fort looked closer. After a climb of another half an hour we could see the first glimpse of cables of Raigad Rope Way. We now left the forest behind us and entered the open unpaved road. At about 2.45 pm, we could now see the cable cars in front of us. It was amazing to watch them rolling up and down carrying passengers.

Our last halt was at Deshmukh hotel to drink Lemon Sherbet to celebrate our completion. This was indeed a lovely trek in the company of lovely nature and of course lovely people. 

Monsoon In Summer : Hide out at Harishchandragad

It is Mid February  and the message on Whats App Group pops up.

Trek to Harishchandragad : 28^th February and 1^st March. 

And then it continues, things to carry, eatables ( Only for self and not for all). This time we also discuss about protecting from heat since the summer is in offing. We debate on starting early in the morning or climbing the fort in the evening after 4 pm. After a long debate we settle for starting in the morning of 28^th February.

This time there are five members. Sachin will lead the group this time since he has been on Harishchandragad several times. I along with Chandan am accompanied by Aniruddh, Hemant and Sachin.

While I am organizing my back pack, I receive a message from my friend Reshma in London. She tells me that Harishchandragad was listed as the most exotic camping location in India by Report in UK. I am all the more excited after reading this.

The back pack for me and Chandan is ready. We roll our large foam sheet and fix it on the backpack. We have to wake up early next day to start by 5.00 am.

One can climb Harishchandragad by two routes. The first one is via Pachnai Village. This is an easy route which takes around 1.5 hours .  Second route is via Khireshwar Village which takes around 4-5 hours. The next and toughest rout is via Nalichi Vaat. It again takes around 5 hours. However you need expert help to climb via Nalichi Vaat. We have been to Harishchandragad last year via Pachnai. It was a one day trek and we had already decided to come again to this amazing mountain to stay overnight. 

We decide  to choose Khireshwar route which is moderate.

Me,  Chandan and Hemant are picked up at 5.10 am from law college road. We head strait to Khireshwar in Sachin’s Car. As we enter Narayngao, we cannot resist having a cup of tea. The steaming hot tea refreshes us and we jump back into the car. The road now takes us via Ale Phata. After an hour’s drive we take a diversion towards a road besides a dam.  It is a temporary road with no tar surface. We enjoy the bumpy ride of around 15 minutes and reach Khireshwar. This is where we part with the car and get down on our feet.

Our  routine breakfast of Pohe is served to us at a rudimentary snack bar. We now have to park our car safely so we climb in and as usual due to some confusion I suddenly open the door to recline from the car. Meanwhile Sachin has already started moving. I fall flat on the road. All are shocked to see me thrown out of the car. However without any major injury I am back on my feet. And the trek begins.

Sachin knows the route thoroughly and we religiously follow him to climb this gigantic fort.  The Sun seems to be off duty today. The black clouds are accumulating in the sky. We thank god for sending these guests who will protect us from Sun. Our decision to climb up In the morning seems to be correct. It is going to be a pleasant climb.

As we make our way through the forest , we see arrows at one junction. Sachin decides to take the route where there is a cross. Cross sign ideally negates the route. I am slightly skeptical and think he better be right. After a climb of about 15 minutes we reach a large and scary rock patch. Sachin tells us that we will be climbing this rock patch. Chandan iconfidently  fallows Sachin and reaches the other end. I make my way carefully through the rock patch. But as I look down, I am stuck. And I also block the way of Hemant and Anirudh behind me. Sachin comes back and helps me regain my confidence. But for him,  I am sure I would have ended my trek at that moment. As we go ahead, we again enter the thick forest. We are climbing now. As we become breathless, we reach a small temple after almost 30 minutes. Here we are. We are at Tolar Khind now. The v shaped mountain that we saw from the bottom. We are actually sitting in the bottom most peak of this V.

First Rock Patch

The Sky is not blue. It is Black

We enjoy a drink of water and dry-fruit. It certainly was a strenuous yet enjoyable journey. After taking rest for about 10 minutes, we head to the next stage of our trek. We start climbing again and we suddenly are out in the open. We realize that Sun God has disappeared behind the clouds. We thank the god once again for sending black clouds on our trek. As we look ahead, there is a gigantic rock patch welcoming us. I am not sure if I will climb it. This time Hemant and Chandan make their way through it first. I hold a rope hanging to a bar and am able to climb the first step. Chandan has hurt his knee meanwhile. He sits down in pain. All of us also halt at the same place and Hemant suddenly points out at the bunch of trees below us. We are astounded to see Shekru ( Giant Squirrel) a rare animal jumping from one tree to another.

Second Rock Patch after Tolar Khind

We catch our breath and start climbing next part of the rock patch. As we climb up we pass a sigh of relief since we see a plain surface after a long time.  There is a small tea stall with a big shade. Hemant does the honors of naming it Mc Donalds of Harishchandragad. We relax here and drink Lemon Juice. We are fully charged now. Chandan starts his radio station with a continuous commentary which is an indication that his knee feels better. When you have a brain injury in the knee ( ha ha) it is natural to mute yourself.

We get into the bushes again. Sachin says he knows another short cut. We are now confident about his skills hence follow him without any apprehension.  As we walk for another 20 minutes we realize that we are very close to the destination. We pass by a small hut. The man is selling buttermilk and tea without milk. Some of us choose to drink buttermilk as if his prosperity is totally our responsibility.

After a walk of another 15-20 minutes we reach our destination. We had started our journey at 9.00 am and we have reached the top at 12.30 pm. Just 3.5 hours. Bravo!

Ancient Shiva Temple on Harishchandragad

The fort looks very different this time. Many shades have come up next to the temple.  We enter one shade called Sahyadri. The shade is covered with dried leaves. We keep our bags and enter the Shiva Temple. We examine the temple. Sachin informs us that the stone structure behind the temple where Swami Changdev meditated is a good place for night halt. It is empty at the moment.  

We come back to Hotel Sahyadri and open our lunch box. Our Parathas blend well with the steaming hot Dal and rice. With the stomachs full we decide to lie down  for some time. The weather being pleasant I am able to catch a quick nap. After a few minutes, I am up and startled due to the raindrops on my face. I am almost shivering now. The clouds that  protected us from Sun are showing their affection with these droplets. We gather our bags together and without much deliberation run towards the temple. This place behind the temple  becomes our shelter for the day. It is clean. Some trekkers have already reserved some part of this place. We settle down in the remaining part.

The rain god is bestowing his  love on us. It is only 3.00 pm and we have no clue  what to do. We had a plan of visiting Kokan Kada which is called off due to rain. Last time we had visited Kokan Kada however we had to return without enjoying the view of the valley due to the fog. This time we were sure of being able to see Kokan Kada. However  the Almighty seems to have a different plan for us.

We now realize we do not have Playing cards or anything else. Aniruddh is entrusted the responsibility of bringing Playing Cards and Snake and ladder for the next trek. The people who had reserved their place come back. We have a company of techies now. We chat for some time and get acquainted with each other.  It is tea time now. We don’t want to get wet but want to drink tea.  Lust for tea wins over the fear of getting wet. We head to Sahyadri.  He promises us to serve the tea and bhaji in 10 minutes. As we wait there, we get lot of information. Harishchandragad was never as vibrant as today. There are local entrepreneurs who have started providing tents on rent. The local economy is fluishing. We are happy that they are finding better avenues of livelihood. At the same time, we are scared this place will soon turn out to be another hill station.

After a wait for almost 30 minutes we realize that we are not going to get the tea so soon. Hence we decide to go back to our hide out. The rain god is pouring his valuable wealth on mother earth. But it is untimely. The mother earth is not ready yet to collect this wealth.

We go back and discuss about future treks. Only trekkers and children can do this. Children can start thinking of what to eat for dinner even before they finish their lunch. Similarly a seasoned trekker also possesses a child’s mind. He can start planning for the next trek even before finishing the current trek.

We get our steaming hot tea and Kanda Bhaji. It was worth a wait.  After enjoying the tea we try to anticipate if rain will stop. It does not stop and we keep sitting and chatting. Meanwhile some more people arrive. Some of them are drenched. They have come back from kokan kada and have not been able to see anything. We are happy. Someone else’s dismay may be cause of joy at times. The  Sunset at one place may be a sunrise at another.

We now decide to play Antakshari.  The techies verses our team. I am the dumbest member in the group. Chandan is a great performer. He recites the songs with the music and sometimes mimics it too.  It goes on for almost 2 hours after which Sahydri fellow brings us the dinner. We enjoy the steaming hot food in the chilling weather. And unpack our sleeping bags. The rain is subsiding now. I go out and try to look at the sky. Clouds are overshadowing the tiny stars. I come in and get into my sleeping bag.

Next day all of us wake up to the down pour of rain. We are sure now that we have to miss our appointment with Kokan Kada.  We roll up our sleeping bags and gather our back packs. We do not want to delay our stay further since the rain will not stop. We come out and go to Sahyadri for a glass of tea. As we bid a farewell to this gigantic fort, we are sure that we want to come back again after a few months.

We unwind our way down the hill. The techie group also joins us now.  Nine of us head to Tolar Khind. As we cross the difficult rock patch we watch our steps carefully. It is wet but not slippery yet. We take a brief halt at Mc Donalds of Harishchandragad and head to Tolar Khind.  The rock patch after Tolar Khind seems more difficult. But Sanchin is there to guide us. He remains stay put,  mid way till the last person crosses the dangerous patch. I am able to cross it without much of difficulty. Thanks to Sachin without whom it was just not possible.

We make our way though the drenched jungles now. We are equally drenched indeed. We take another half an hour and reach the foot of the fort.

L to R : Ashwini, Hemant, Aniruddha, Sachin and Chandan

A risky Descend 

The eating joint which served us Pohe thankfully has a changing room. All of us get into dry set of clothes safely kept in our backpacks. We are happy that we spent a rainy night on this  gorgeous fort.  We cannot wait to get back home to tell everyone how much we enjoyed.

All of us decide that we will come once more in the coming months. We have an appointment with Kokan Kada, Starry Nights, Naughty Wind and of course the exotic fort.

Rajgad To Torana : A Dream Come True

It was mid of September when we had trekked last.  After a long deliberation, we finalized Rajgad Torana Trek. With lot of additions and deletions seven of us confirmed. Anirudh, Chandan, Anant, Ram, Kalyani , Sharvari and me were the final seven.

Preparations began with loads of messages on what’s app.  Anirudh meticulously mentioned the program on the group. We listed out the items to be taken after getting information from other friends who had completed this trek. I came up with the idea that each one of us bring one food item for all. And as soon as the messages started popping up I realized, the idea was a super flop.  There was a great confusion . Everyone was bringing everything for all. 

We gathered at Rajaram bridge at 6 am in the morning on Saturday the 6^th  December 2014. Seven of us in three cars because Chandan had a brilliant idea of logistics. We do not cross Chandan and Anirudh about logistics, since they are employed by multinational companies. If multinational companies are able to prosper due to their expertise, we must utilize their services (they are free of cost also).

We reached Rajgad around 8 am. Anirudh, Chandan and Ram left in three cars to Torana. They were supposed to park two cars at the foot of Torana and return in one car. The idea was, when we descend from Torana on the next day, we would be extremely tired. Hence if we have two cars at the foot of Torana, we can return comfortably and pick up the car parked at Rajgad Fort on the way.

As three of them left, me and Anant went on our enquiry mission. We had to fix the arrangements for lunch, dinner and guide. We were told that there will be no food on Rajgad. Hence we ordered the food from the foot itself. However as we climbed the top we realized that there were people who provided the food on the top as well. However the food quality was excellent hence no regrets. Second part was about the guide which we were thoroughly misguided. We were told that we do not need a guide in the first place. Secondly if we insist,  we will find one on the top of Rajgad. We trusted and did not fix the guide. This proved to be a major mistake later.

Three men returned in one car at 9.00 am. We waited till they finished the breakfast and we set off to our expedition at 9.30 am. Climbing Rajgad was the first part of our mission. The trail was beautiful and pleasure sum. I had been to Rajgad last year too. It had a different look all together. Nature wears different costumes every time you visit it. Last year it was in the month of September hence this handsome fort was draped in yellow flowers. It looked marvelous. This time it was dry but elegant again. There was greenery all around but that golden attire had disappeared. 

L to R Anant, Anirudh, Ashwini, Kalyani, Sharvari, Chandan and Ram

We reached Rajgad around 11.45 am. We were told earlier that we should reserve a place for us to sleep as soon as we reach. We went to the Temple and found that around 50 trekkers had already occupied it. Hence we started looking for other places. There was another shelter, Daru Kothar. As I peeped in, I realized that  there were children inside. I was told by the leader that they are vacating the place in a few minutes. When they  vacated it, the place looked dirty. There were wrappers and left over food all around. I approached the leader and requested him in as much polite tone as I could ( which is really unlikely of me) that it will be nice if we cleaned the place together. The leader was smart. He told me not to worry and instructed the children that they must pick up the garbage and leave the place in the same condition in which they had taken over. This was useful. With the help of this group we made this place ultra clean.  Swatch Bharat Abhiyaan rocks!

We spread our foam rolls and relaxed for a while. A person came with the food from the bottom of the fort which we had ordered in the morning.  The food was excellent and steaming hot. Thanks to Mr. Purohit from Aranya Dhaam. 

 After the sumptuous meal we relaxed for some more time.  Anant is always fully charged on the trek. He proposed to go to Suvela Machi. Any place on Rajgad is a long walk of around 1 hour. Realizing that I need to conserve my energy for the next day, I opted out. However, since there were backpacks to look after, I stayed back with the pretext that I am making a huge sacrifice else who will look after our belongings and the place we had secured with great care for the night halt. Anirundh also stayed back with me. We took rest for some more time. It was very cold inside hence we decided to sit in the Sun. The Sun made us worm.  As we chatted for some time, the team returned from Suvela Machi with the tea vendor. After the tea,  all of us set out to the Padmavati Talav which is just in front of us. We chatted for some time. Ram came up with the series “Ya Valana Var”.  All of us expressed the feelings. And Kalyani made us spellbound by saying she felt Nishbda ( Short of words). You rock Kalyani. 

Niddle hole at Suvela Machi I missed it guys

As the sun was about to set, we proceeded back to pavilion. After the sunset, Moon appeared slowly. Mother earth was glittering in the full moon night. The moon looked like a gigantic lantern. The moonlight was soothing and elevated our spirits. Our food had already arrived. We finished our dinner at 8.00 pm and started the Antakshari episode. After a while, everyone decided to go to bed to rise early next day. We slept for a while and some trekkers started arriving in the night.  With lot of disturbance, we could hardly manage to sleep.

We had originally planned to wake up at 4.30am and  proceed to Torana at 5.00 am. However, since we overslept, we started our journey only at 6.30 am. There was a young  boy who agreed to show us the way to Sanjeevani Machi.  We did not find any guide to accompany us till Torana.

The boy walked effortlessly with us. He accompanied us till the end of Sanjivani Machi. You need to take U turn and reach the other side of the hill which connects the hill ranges in the direction of Torana. The view was breathtaking.  East has turned red on arrival of the Sun. The west on the opposite side was pale while bidding farewell to the moon. Viewing Sun and Moon facing each other was a lifetime experience. At the same time Torna was welcoming us and Rajgad was bidding good bye. 

 

Sunrise

As we started descending from Rajgad we wanted to be sure that we were on the right track. We did not see anybody close. There was a elderly woman on the hill across. Anant shouted at her to ask if we would reach Torana on this path. The woman shouted back saying yes we were on the right path. We took the rout through bushes and kept walking. After a walk of about one hour we halted for breakfast. Everybody opened his own bags and brought out the eatables. Chivda for all, fruits for all, khakara for all and it went on. My super flop idea was showing the results now. Ram made it compulsory for us to eat one apple each since he had brought a dozen apples, of course for “All”.

With stomachs heavy and slightly lighter bags we continued our walk. Most of the walk had very less climb. It was more or less flat and shady. It was very pleasant and comfortable. After a walk of another 30 minutes we reached a tar road. We crossed this tar road and entered the bushes again. Our next destination was a small hut as indicated by our young guide. We could see this place from far. We reached this hut in about 40 minutes. There were some men and women sitting outside. We confirmed the rout with them. They told us that we should keep walking on the same route and should locate another hut. We were excited that we had been able to manage it without the guide so far. 

A long walk, destination Torana

As we kept walking and crossing a few more hillocks the journey turned more interesting. Engrossed in walking we soon realized, that we had started descending the hill instead of climbing it. Moreover, Torna was nowhere in site. After much deliberation everyone was convinced that we were lost. Fortunately we saw a woman grazing her cattle at a distance. Anant again asked her at the top of his voice if we were on the rout to Torna. And to our dismay she confirmed that we were on the wrong path. Hence it was clear that we had to climb the descend we just took, go back till we find a junction. This proved to be a major mistake. A loss of energy,  a loss of one and half hours and morale down by 50%.  Chandan , Anirudh and Ram entered the bushes and made their way on the top of one hillock and they screamed, they could see Torana at a distance. Rest of us followed them. After a walk of another 30 minutes or so, we met a group of trekkers for the first time.  They were coming from Torana in pursuit of  Rajgad. 

We walked for some more time. The route was enchanting.  And here it was,  a junction of dilemmas. There were three routes. One going straight. But we were not sure if it would start descending instead of taking us to Torana. Second rout was on our right and third rout was towards extreme right which would change the direction later. Since none of us were sure of which route to take, we were not able to reach a consensus. Hence walked about 5 minutes on each route. This was a loss of another 20-30 minutes. Finally we decided to walk straight. After a walk of about 15 minutes we finally reached another hut. This was the second landmark. We halted at this place and decided to correct our mistake. We urged a villager living there to come with us till Torana. He agreed for Rs. 450. We started walking again after satisfying the thirst of water, buttermilk and tea for each member.  We were unaware of the route hence we were under the impression that we will reach within an hour or so. Soon we realized that this was not that simple. The rout was turning out to be more and more complicated and challenging. The sun was blazing on the top of our heads now. The companion whom we admired at the beginning of our journey in the morning no more looked adorable to us. 

As we gathered our wit, whatever was left, we started counting our steps. The bags felt heavier and each one of us started thinking, which items could have been avoided while packing. I came to the conclusion that I did not need any item inside my backpack except water bottle. 

Destination far from achieving

We kept climbing this mighty fort. We were told that we will enter the fort from Budhala Machi and will then need to walk all through the Balekilla to descend. The fort really looked challenging now. We reached the first rock patch. It was difficult. We had to literally crawl on our arms and feet.  The guide was very helpful he ensured that everyone climbed safely. Sharvari is the youngest of the group  ( 14 years) yet I must admit, toughest too. She never complained, never grumbled or never allowed us to take her backpack.

We climbed again and to my dismay there was another rock patch. This looked enormous. My legs were trembling and was not sure if I will be able to climb it. However with great difficulty I somehow managed to climb. After reaching the top I realized, this one was easier than the first one.

We carried on for some more time. It was another hour and we reached at the foot of Budhla Machi. We had to climb the ladder which was along the wall. As we climbed up there was hardly any place to land. With great difficulty we managed to reach a place under the ceiling of Budhalal Machi. This was a great relief.   

On climbing another rock patch, the guide finally declared that we had entered the fort. Though it was a joyous moment, we had no energy left to rejoice. We were soon met by a vender selling lemon drink. We drank two glasses each and tried to regain some energy. We were now told that it was a walk of another hour or so to reach the temple at the top of the fort. There were some difficult patches however it was better than what we had already faced. We kept going inch by inch and managed to enter the fort premises at around 3.00 pm. All of us were totally exhausted. Most of us rested  on the floor deciding not to get up for at least an hour. Another round of Lemon Juice was extremely useful.  As we rejuvenated, our brains started working too. We realized that each one of us had brought chivada for all and one onion each. Anant had saved one lemon too from the previous day’s meal. It was a great idea to mix everyone’s chivada. Chandan cut onions with great expertise. We mixed it well and enjoyed this bhel. It was the best meal we ever had so far.

Well deserved nap on completion of mission Torana

 We started descending Torana at 4.30 pm.  Torana is one fort you must take very seriously. Some of the parts consist of  extremely dangerous descents. We had to rush now since Sun would set any time and we would have to complete the final leg of our trek in dark. We rushed as much we could.

As we made our way though the fields it was delightful to see our cars parked opposite to the Police Station. It was 6.30 pm when we finally sat down at a tea stall to celebrate the accomplishment.

This trek was extremely educative for me. We kept talking about it for the next two days on whats app.  Ram felt his laptop bag very light the next day. Kalyani was overwhelmed about  all “Vihangam Drushya” (beautiful seanary) she saw. We did not hear from Sharvari but her mom confirmed, she truly enjoyed the trek.  Anant and Chandan will laugh it off as usual but I am sure they are still thinking about those moments of dilemma, exhaustion and accomplishment. I now feel that I can do almost everything in life. There is no greater challenge I am scared of now.  Anirudh as usual has already started planning the next trek for the group.

 

Tired yet feeling accomplished

Had I known this trek is so difficult, I would have never gone on it. Yet I am willing to go on the same trek again and again after completing it. I set out to write this blog so that more people will go on this route without repeating our mistakes. It is a good idea to start early in the morning. Or take a night halt in one of those huts on the way. It is necessary to carry enough water rather that carrying food for all, bedding and extra pair of clothes. Keep your back pack as much light as you can. Conserve your energy till the end. And don’t worry about giving up. You cannot quit it half way through since there is nowhere to go.

The moon lit nights, horrifying rock patches and first sight of Budhala Machi were the best parts of the trek. We laughed and giggled all thought the trek. We were carefree in the lap of these forts.  The forts guard you all through the route. I sincerely feel, every trekker should dream about taking this challenge at least once. I dreamt and my dream has come true.