माथेरानचा साक्खा शेजारी - बिकटगड

माथेरानला बऱ्याचवेळा जाऊन सुद्धा जवळच्या पेबला जायचा काही योग येत नव्हता. बाबा २ वेळा जाऊन आले होते आणि मी काही फोटोही पाहिले होते. त्यावरून गड सर करायला चांगलीच मजा येईल (आणि घामसुद्धा) हे जाणून होतो. मग एका गुरुवारी संध्याकाळी पेबचा "plan" ऐकला आणि डोक्यात नवीन ट्रेकचे वारे वाहू लागले. हळू हळू शनिवार पर्यंत १० भिडू गोळा केले आणि बाबांच्या "community" बरोबर जायचे ठरवले.
दुसर्यादिवशी ट्रेक असला की आदल्या रात्री काही डोळ्याला डोळा लागत नाही. साडे चारचा गजर लाउनही ३ ला एकदा आणि परत ३:३० ला उठलोच. शेवटी झोप काही लागत नाही म्हणून उठलो. सगळी तयारी केली आणि ५:४५ ला घरातून कूच केली.कळव्याला जाऊन सकाळी ६:१८ ची ट्रेन पकडली आणि ट्रेन मध्ये एकाच गोंधळ चालू असल्याचे समजले.ट्रेनमध्ये दरवाज्यात उभं राहून पहाटेच्या गारव्याचा आनद घेतला. तेज, निनाद, राहुल मिळून गप्पा हाकत होतो. नेरळला पोहोचलो आणि कळला की एकूण २१ जण आहोत!
नेरळ वरून चालत पायथ्याला पोहोचलो आणि "introduction" आटपून घेतलं. उन्हं येत होती आणि स्वेंटर,शाली, कानटोप्या अंगावरून निघत होत्या. समोर पेबचा कडा दिसत होता तर दावीकडे माथेरान. समोर रस्त्यात बरीच गाव होती.चालत असताना मी राहुल आणि निनाद थोडं पुढे निघालो. रस्ता चुकलो!! पण जे होतं ते चांग्ल्य्साठी होतं.चालत असताना समोरून एक मध्यम आकाराचा पक्षी उडत गेला.त्याचा मागोसा घेतला तेव्हा कळलं की तो भारद्वाज होतं ! माझा मित्र प्रसाद डिंगणकर जो नेहमी हा पक्षी बघण्यासाठी उत्सुक असतो,कावळ्याचा आवाजही त्याला भारद्वाजचा वाटतो! पण नेमका या वेळी तोः आमच्या सोबत नव्हता.तो होता राजमाचीला.त्याची कमी जाणवली म्हणूनच कदाचित हा भारद्वाज आम्हास भेट देऊन गेला.असो,रस्त्याचा अंदाजे काढत आम्ही गडाच्या उजव्या बाजूला जात राहिलो. गडाला चिकटून असलेला डोंगर चढलो आणि त्याच्या दुसर्या बाजूने उतरून गडावर चढायचे होते.ही चढण चांगलीच दमछाक करणारी होती.




सुकलेलं गावात आणि सुकलेली माती चढणं कठीण करत होती.पडत लोळत सगळे एकदाचे पोहोचले त्या टेकाडावर. समोर एक भलामोठा विद्युतखांब होता. चढल्यावर त्याशेजारी डाव्याबाजूला गर्द झाडी होती. त्या झादीच्या उंबरठ्यावर असलेल्या सावलीत आम्ही विसावलो. चिवडा फरसाण खाल्लं आणि परत वात पकडली. आता ठरवला की थांबायचं ते सरळ गडावर पोहोचूनच.





उन्हं तापू लागली होती पण हवेत गारवा होता न डोक्यावर सावली. वात सुखद होती जास्त चढही नव्हता. गप्पा मारत जंगलाची मजा लुटत आमचं टोळकं चालत होतं. जसजसं जंगल वाढत होतं तसाच पाया खालचा गावातही वाढत होतं. पायाला खूप खाज येत होती. याची सोय तर पुढे होती. काहीवेळाने आम्ही त्या झाडीतून बाहेर आलो आणि गडावर चढणं सुरु झालं.वाटेत एक मोठा झाड दिसला. त्याच्या डोहात ३-४ जण आरामात राहतील इतकी जागा होती.




या गडाला बिकटगड का म्हणतात ते आम्हाला चांगलंच कळत होतं.पहिलाच चढ छातीवर घेऊन आम्ही कुठे थोडा वर पोहोचतोय तोवर एक सुकलेला ओढा खाली आलेला दिसत होतं. त्या ओढ्याबरोबरच वर चढायचे ठरले. हि वात मगासच्या वाटेच्या बरोब्बर उलट होती. चढण होतं आणि डोक्यावर सावलीही नव्हती.ओढ्यातील दगडांवर चालणं फार कठीण जात होतं. पाय सटकला तर मुरगळण्याची शक्यता खूप असते. प्रत्येक पाउल जपून ठेवावा लागत होतं.हे सगळा असा चालू असताना पहिल्यांदा ट्रेकवर आलेल्या रश्मीला एक "चांगलाच" अनुभव आला. नेमकी इथे तिचे दोन्ही बूट फाटायला लागले. जवळ जवळ फाटलेच. मग ते बांधायला सगळे धागे-दोरे शोधात होते. मग ते बूट त्याने बांधले गेले. हे सगळा सावरत सावरत ती चढत होती. आमचा वेग बराच थंडावला होतं. याला पूर्णतः कारणीभूत होते ते सूर्यदेव. घामाच्या धारा वाहत होत्या. पाण्याच्या बाटल्या रिकाम्या होत होत्या. लिमलेटच्या गोळ्या फस्त होत होत्या.वाटेच्या दोन्हीबाजूने काटेरी झुडुपं होती.पोट्रीची सगळी चामडी उर्ख्द्याने निघत होती. पण काही करता येत नव्हता. आता पाय डोक्यावरतर नाही घेऊ शकतना आणि जरी घेतले तरी तीच दशा हातांची होणार हे नक्की.थकून भागून ओरखडे झेलून नाखीण आणि पेबच्या बेचक्यात पोहोचलो.
इथे सोसाट्याचा वारा वाहत होता. वारा खाऊन फोटो काढून आम्ही पुढच्या प्रवासाला लागलो.चढ कमी झाला होता. ही वाट कडेकडेने जात असल्यामुळे सावधतेने आम्ही जात होतो. बाबा एकटेच पुढे जाऊन उंच गवतात दिसेनाशे झाले होते. काही वेळाने एका वळणावर जुनी गाणी ऐकू येत होती. वळून बघितला तर तिथे एक भल्यामोठ्या दगडावर बाबा शांत गाणी ऐकत आमची वाट बघत बसले होते! त्यांनी आम्हाला न थांबता पुढे जायला सांगितला.पुढे लागणार होता एक छोटुसा "rockpatch".
इथपर्यंत पोहोचलो तेव्हा माझ्याबरोबर तेज आणि अभिषेक होते.समोर एक चांगला १५-२० फुटांचा "rockpatch" होता.गळ्यातला camera आत टाकला आणि पाहणी करायला निघालो. पारसिकवर केलेल्या "rockpatch" ची आठवण येत होती.हा भाग सर करून वर पहिली sack ठेवली. पाठोपाट लगेच तेजही आला. त्याला वर बसउन मी परत खाली आलो. मानली, निनाद, राहुल, संकेत, रश्मी, अंकिता, बाबा, बने काका सगळे आले होते. जेवढी लोक होती सगळ्यांच्या bags अगोदर वर पोहोचवल्या. मग हळू हळू एक एक करून सगळे वर पोहोचले. पण अजूनही पाठी बरीच लोक राहिली होती. ते सगळे येईपर्यंत आम्ह्चा photosession चालू होता.त्या लोकांना यायला अजून २० मिनिटे गेली. मग बाकीचेही वर पोहोचले. इथे एक छोटासा problem झाला. इथे दगडांमध्ये एक बारीकशी जागा आहे. इथून वर जावे लागत होते.आमच्यातल्या अनिरुद्धची इथे थोडी पंचाईत झाली झाली. भरभक्कम देहयष्टीचा असल्याकारणे त्याला हा भाग थोडा कठीण जात होता. जागा कमी असल्याने त्याला वर खेचून घेणंही कठीण जात होतं.त्याला भीती होती ती परत खाली येताना कसा येणार याची. अश्यावेळी जेव्हा त्याला सगळ्यांची गरज होती तेव्हा सगळे एका मोठ्या कुटुंबासारखे त्याच्या पाठीशी उभे होते.तेज आणि नितीन बने काका वर बसून त्याला कुठे पकडायचे, कसे पकडायचे ते सांगत होते. खालून मी व त्याचे वडील त्याला दिलासा देत होतो."घाबरू नकोस रे", "अर्रे दोन पावला टाक आणि वर आलास म्हणून समाज", "common dude you can do it" असे आवाज येत होते. हीच खरी जादु असते ट्रेकची. याला मी आणि माझ्यासारखे बरीच लोकं आज पहिल्यांदाच भेटलो होतो.फार काही बोलणही झालं नव्हता. तरी पण त्याच्या पाठीशी सगळे उभे उभे. एका दिवसात जन्मा जम्नाची नाती असल्यासारखे वागणारे लोकं म्हणजे "trekkers". कुल, जात, धार्म, प्रतिष्ठा, मान, नाव, गाव अश्या सगळ्या गोष्टी विसरून एका तटावर जेवायला बसणारे म्हणजे "trekkers". तर असाच सगळा "moral support" देऊन त्यालाही वर घेतलं आणि टाळ्यांच्या कडकडाटात त्याचा वर सावागत झालं. उरलेले एक दोन जनही वर आले आणि आम्ही वर गुहेच्या दिशेने निघालो.
अजून ५-१० मिनिटांमध्ये गुहेत पोहोचलो.







इथून समोर म्हसमाळ डोंगर दिसत होतं.लांब धुक्यात मालान्गड आणि चंदेरी सुद्धा साद घालत होते. हे दृश्य मनोमन पाहून थोडे विसावलो. काही फोटो काढले आणि डबे उघडले. पुलाव, इडली, पोहे, ठेपले, चपात्या, ब्रेंड, मसाले भात,अंडी, लसून चटणी, "garlic rice",आणि विविध प्रकारची लोणची अशी मेजवानी मांडली होती.हे जेवण स्वाहा केलं.गडाची माहितीचे "printouts" तेजने सगळ्यांना वाचून दाखवले.



शांतपणे ऐकलं आणि आम्ही पुढे गड पाहायला निघालो.
वाटेत एक छोटासा भुयार दिसलं.आत जायला गुड्घ्य्वर बसून एकावेळी एकाच माणूस आत जाऊ शकेल इतकी जागा होती. mobile मधला torch घेऊन काही वीर अगोदर आत शिरले.आत काही ण दिसल्याने परत बाहेर आले. आता पर्यंत दुसऱ्यान मध्येही उत्सुकता निर्माण झाली होती आत जायची. या वेल्स दुसरे काही लोक आत गेले. हे सगळा चालू असलेला पाहून मी ही जायचा ठरवला. थोडा आत गेलो. श्वास कोंडल्या सारखा वाटत होतं.म्हणून परत बाहेर आलो. पण अंगातली मस्ती काही कमी होई ना.म्हणून परत गेलो. या वेळेस मी साल्यात पुढे होतो हातात torch घेऊन.माझ्यापाठी मानली व टोच्या पाठी तेज असे ३ जन आत गेलो. १० -१५ फूट रांगत गेल्यावर खाली एक चौकोनी खड्डा आहे. torch नसेल तर आत नाकी पडणार. torch च्या उजेडात खाली उडी मारली. पुढे अजून ४-५ फूट रंगत गेलो आणि पाहिलं तर एक छोटीशी खोली होती. आतून चुना मारल्याचे काळात होते.लोखंडी पिंजर्याला असतो तसा दरवाजा होतां. आत torch मारला काही दिसेना मग पाठी फिरलो. आता मानली आत उतरली होती. ती देखील torch घेऊन पुढे बघून आली. मग तिला अगोदर वर चढायला मदत केली. आणि मग स्वतः "chimney climbing" करत बाहेर आलो.
पुढे शिडी वापरून थोडा वर चढायचा होत.वर चढून गेलो आणि एक कोपर्यात हनुमानाची कोरलेली प्रतिमा होती.त्याला वंदन केले आणि पुढे सरकलो. वात थोडी कठीण होती. सावधपणे चढून डोंगराच्या कडेशी पोहोचलो.इथे रस्ता कुठे जातोय हे काही कळेना.हेमंत काकांनी काही पायर्या दाखवल्या आणि त्यावरून आम्ही वर चढलो. काटेरी झुडुपं अंग सोलून काढत होती. त्यामधून चालत-चालत चढत-चढत वर मंदिरा पर्यंत पोहोचलो. मंदिराचा सुशोभीकरण चालू होता. इथे थोडावेळ विसावलो आणि गडाच्या टोकाच्या दिशेने चालू लागलो. रस्त्यात रानफुलांची रास लागली होती. टोकाला अतिशय वाईट परिस्थितीत असलेली एक भिंत होती. त्यावर चढून बघितला. समोर माथेरान दिसत होते. आश्चर्य असं की आम्हाला माथेरानची "mini train" सुद्धा दिसली. समोर उंच "panorama" पोइन्त्च टोक होता. त्यापाठी प्रबळगडाची आकृती दिसत होती. एक बारीकशी पायवाट आम्ही जिथे बसलो होतो तिथून निघून पुढे माथेरानच्या कड्या पर्यंत जात होती. ती वाट पाहून अंगावर काटा येत होता.इथे काही फोटो काढले आणि माघारी फिरलो. परतीच्या वाटेत अजून काही लोक तिथे जात होते. आम्ही विचार करत होतो की आलेल्या वाटेने परत जाणे कठीण होते. या माथेरानच्या वाटेने गेलो तर ? असे विईचार चालू होते.ही वाट अत्यंत भयानक वाटत होती. एवढा ओझा घेऊन जाण फार फार कठीण झाला असत. शेवटी ठरलं की आलेल्या वाटेने गेलेलं बऱ. वरच्या मंदिरात पाणी प्यायलो आणि गुहेची वाट धरली. गुहे कडे पोहोचलो तेव्हा सगळ्यांची आवर आवर चालू होती. बरीच माकडं आली होती. त्यांचे काही फोटो लढले आणि आलेल्या वाटेने परत फिरलो.
"rockpatch" या वेळेस आरामात उतरलो. इथे तेजला युक्ती सुचली. रश्मी तिच्या तुटलेल्या "woodland" मुळे हैराण झाली होती. तिचे "socks" बाहेर आणि "woodland" आत अशी शक्कल लढून तिला ते बूट घालण्यात आले. बाकीचा ट्रेक तिने "तसाच" पार केला.पायथ्याला पोहोचल्यावर एक छोटे खाणी सत्कार सोहोळा करण्यात आला.








नवे "trekkers" आणि अत्यंत जिद्दीने चढलेल्या सूर्यवंशी परिवारचा सत्कार करण्यात आला.
माझ्या आयुशात्ला १९ वा ट्रेक अश्या रीतीने पार पडला.

शिवभक्तांची वारी शिवतीर्थावर

काही दिवस अगोदर कळसुबाई व रतनगड करायचा मनसुबा होता. पण काही कारणास्तव तो डाव फिस्कटला. बाहेर चांगल्यापैकी थंडी पडलेली असताना घरी उब खाणं थोडा कठीण जात होतं. अश्या वातावरणात गीरीयारोहाकांना एक निराळच स्फुर्ण चढतं. ते आवरणा फार कठीण. हे सगळा चालू असताना "राजेंद्र सावंत" यांचा "e " लखोटा आला. बेत होता शिवतीर्थ रायगडचा. आता साक्षात महाराजांचं आज्ञापत्र आलं म्हणजे नाही बोलून कसं चालायचं. तर मग बेत आखला काही साह्याप्रेमी जवळ घेतले आणि २४ december ला रात्री १० वाजता घरातून निघालो.
दादरला प्रथम तेज भेटला (ज्याने येण्या अगोदर खूप टांग दिली होती). त्यानंतर मानलीला घरातून घेतलं आणि तिघेहि परेलला पोहोचलो. मयूरला वाडियाजवळ भेटलो. तिथे रायगड संवर्धन प्रतीष्ठांची गाडी तयार होती. राजू दादाला भेटलो आणि गाडीत चढलो. गाडी १२:३० ला निघाली आणि मी लगेच टकमक टोकाची स्वप्ना बघत गुडूप झालो.
पहाटे जाग आली तेव्हा खिडकी बाहेर फक्त धुकं आणि अंधार एवढच दिसत होतं. गाडीत अंधार होता आणि सगळे झोपले होते. ५:३० ला गाडीतून पायउतार झालो ते हिरकणी वाडीत. इथून काही लोक जेवणाचं सामान घेऊन "ropeway" ने गडावर जाणार होते. त्यांना सोडलं आणि आम्ही नानेदरवाज्याच्या वाटेला लागलो. हिरकणी बुरुजाखालून गेलो तेव्हा त्या कड्यावरून ती हिरा गवळण कशी उतरली असेल याचा विचार करूनच अंगावर काटा आला. तिच्या शौर्याला वंदन करून आम्ही पुढे निघालो. डांबरी रस्त्यावरून काही वेळ चालून आड वाटेत शिरलो. वात दाट झाडीतून जात होती. आणखी १५ मिनिटांनी नानेदारवाज्याचे अवशेष दिसू लागले.एक मोठा बुरुज त्या दाट झाडीतून डोकावत होता.आता पहिला टप्पा लांब नाही हे कळले.बघता बघता दरवाजा आमच्यासमोर होता. हा दरवाजा म्हणजे त्याकाळातील गडावर जाण्याचा महामार्ग. टिळकांनी चित्त दरवाजा व पायऱ्या नंतर बांधल्या. या दरवाजाचा इतिहास राजू दादाने सांगितला. संभाजी महाराजांनी इथे कापून काढलेल्या उंटाची गोष्ट ऐकली आणि परत चढायला लागलो. हा रस्ता वापरात नसल्याने फार खराब झाला आहे. आमच्यासारखे काही भट्के सोडले तर या रस्त्याने कोणीएक जात नाही.


"जंगलाची झाडी होती दाट. काढत होतो आम्ही त्या मधून वाट." अशीच वाट काढत काढत जवळ पास ४५ मिनिटं चालून आम्ही मदार मोर्च्यावर पोहोचलो. हा मोर्चा गडाच्या मध्य भागी असल्यामुळे याला "मदार" मोर्चा असे म्हटले जाते. इथेच जन्जीराच्या शिद्दीचादेखील वाडा आहे. त्या काळी तो इथे नमाज पडायचा. काही लोकांचं असं म्हणणं आहे की इथे त्याने एक मशीदही बांधली होती म्हणून. पण त्याचे ना पुरावे मिळतात न अवशेष. त्यामुळे ती फक्त काही लोकांची "creative" कलपना आहे. ही लोक या मुळे या भागाला "मशीद" मोर्चा असेही म्हणतात. पण ही गोष्ट देखील इतिहासकारांनी चुकीची ठरूनदिली आहे. सकाळचं कोवळं ऊन जाऊन आता चांगले चटके लागत होते. जंगलाची वाट सोडून आम्ही पायऱ्या चढत होतो. खालची खोल दरी भयाण वाटत होती. हिवाळ्याची सुरुवात झाल्याने दरीत हिरवळ होती. दूरवर सह्याद्रीची मुख्य रांगेचे कडे उन्हात तलवारीच्या पात्यासारखी तळपत होती. काही फोटो काढून मी पुढे निघालो.



पायवाटेने चालण्यापेक्षा पायऱ्यांनी चढणं फार फार कठीण असतं. मांड्या भरून येतात. हळू हळू वर चढत होतो. या वाटेवर लोकांची वर्दळ खूप असते. रस्त्यातच लिंबू सरबत, पाणी, बोरं आणि अश्याच गोष्टी विकणारी बरीच लोक असतात. हे गावकरी चवथी पाचवीतल्या मुला पासून ऐंशी वर्षांची आजी बाई सुद्धा असुशक्ते. दोन ताक विकणाऱ्या बायका तर पूर्ण वेळ - चढायला सुरुवात केल्या पासून ते गडावर पोहोचे पर्यंत - आमच्या सोबतच होत्या. जवळ पास २ तासांनी उंचावर दोन महाकाय बुरूज दिसायला लागली होती. या बुरुजान्माध्येच दडलेला आहे रायगडाचा महादरवाजा.



महादरवाज्याअगोदर काही १००-२०० पायऱ्या चढताना चांगलीच दमछाक होते. सरळसोट असलेल्या पायऱ्या चढून आम्ही त्या महाकाय महादरवाज्यात पोहोचलो. इथे आमच्या सोबत असणारे काही लोकं अगोदर पासूनच बसलेली होती. दरवाज्यात फार कमी लोक होती त्यामुळे काही चांगले फोटो काढता आले. या गडाचा उंबरठा मराठ्यांच्या चारही छत्रपतींनी ओलांडलेला आहे. तर या पावन उंबरठ्याला पाय न लावता आम्ही गडात शिरलो. गडात टाकलेलं पाहिलं पुलाच वेगळा असतं. या गडाचा इथिहास आपल्या समोर उल्गाद्तोय असा वाटू लागते. त्यामध्ये राजू दादाची वर्णनं ऐकून कधी उंबरठा ओलांडणारे महाराज दिसू लागतात तर कधी शिद्द्याची पावले आत पडण्याची दुखद घटना दिसते. अश्याच घटनांना बघत बघत आम्ही गंगासागराकडे पोहोचलो. काही वेळ थांबलो, सावलीत विसावलो आणि होळीच्या माळाच्या दिशेने चालू लागलो. महाराजांना मुजरा केला आणि बाजारपेठेजवळ पोहोचलो.इथे रमा ताईने गरम गरम उपमा दिला. पोटभरून खाल्ला आणि MTDC च्या dormitory च्या दिशेने निघालो. तिथे sack ठेवल्या आणि फक्त camera आणि पाण्याची बाटली घेऊन गाड्फेरीला निघालो.


सर्व प्रथम गडावरच्या पावन कुशावर्त तलावाच्या दिशेने निघालो. वाडेश्वराच्या मंदिरात बसलो. कुशावर्ताचा आणि विक्रम दळवी याच्या तीरांदागीची गोष्ट ऐकली. वाडेश्वराला वंदन केलं आणि वाघ दरवाजा पाहायला कुशावार्ताबाजून निघालो. राजू दादा म्हणाला होतं की इथे एक गोमुख आहे कुठेतरी. ते गेल्या दोन्ही खेपेला पाहिचे राहून गेले होते. यां वेळेस मात्र ते नक्की शोधायचे आणि हा निश्चय करूनच उतरलो. कुशावर्त पाठी राहिला होता पण गोमुख काही दिसेना. परत वर येताना बघू असे म्हणालो आणि वाघ दरवाज्याच्या दिशेने उतरलो. २० मिनिटं उतरून झाल्यावर काश्याचेतरी अवशेष दिसू लागले होते.




पण थोडा पुढे गेल्यावर ते झाडीत लपून दिसेनाशे झाले. याला रायगडाचा चोर दरवाजा का म्हणतात ते व्यवस्तीत काळात होतं आता. झाडातून लपंडाव खेळत एकदाचे पोहोचलो इथे. राजू दादाने इथून राजाराम महाराज कशे पाळले त्याची गोष्ट सांगितली होती. कसा तो वीर उतरला असेल. कारण इथून खाली उतरणे केवळ अशक्यच आहे. इथे न पायर्या आहेत न पायवाट. इथे आहे तर फक्त खोल दरी. सरळ कडा जो उतरतो खोल दरीमध्ये.



इथूनच राजाराम महाराजांना दोरखंडाने खाली उतरवण्यात आलं होतं. आता इथे थंड गार वाऱ्याची झुळूक येत होती. हा वाराच भिंतो रक्तात आणि तयार होतात तानाजी येसाजी सारखे खंदे वीर गडी. इथेच काही वेळ काढला आणि माघारी फिरलो. वर जात होतो कुशावार्ताच्या दिशेने. तेव्हाच लक्ष थोडा उजव्या बाजूला गेलं. आम्हाला हवी असलेली वाट डाव्याहातला होती. इथेच कसले तरी छोटेशे दगड रचल्या सारखे वाटले.जवळ जाऊन बघितला तर इथेच होतं ते गोमुख.




कुशावार्तने स्वतःहून गोमूखाच दर्शन घडवलं होतं आम्हाला.त्याचे photo काढले आणि पुढे जातना ते आमच्यापैकी कोणी शोधले या गोष्टीवरून भांडत भांडत परत वाडेश्वर मंदिरापर्यंत जाऊन पोहोचलो. इथून आलेली वाट न घेता दुसरी उजवी वाट घेतली.या वाटेने जाताना हंबीरराव मोहिते या मातब्बर सेनापतीचा वाडा बघितला. इथेच सावकाराचा वाडा, मोरोपंत पिंगळे तसाच सोनोपंत डबीर यांचे वाडे आहेत. एवढे वाडे जवळपास असल्याकारणाने या मंदिराला वाडेश्वर असे नाव ठेवण्यात आले आहे.
ऊन चटके देत होतं. परत वर बाजारपेठेपर्यंत येऊन पोहोचलो. जवळच्या एका गाव्काराच्या घरी आमची जेवणाची सोय केली होती. तिथे जाऊन जेवण वगैरे आटपून पुन्हा गडफेरी आरंभली. आता टकमक टोकाच्या दिशेने निघालो. वाटेत लिंबू सरबत प्यायलो.टकमकला जाण्याआधी २ दारू कोठारं बघितली. टकमकवर काही लोक rappeling करत होते. त्यामुळे इथे एक वेगळाच गोंधळ चालू होता. त्यामुळे त्यांना जास्त त्रास न देता आम्ही २-३ फोटो काढून माघारी फिरलो. आता पोहोचलो कोळीम तलावाकडे. हा गडावरचा एक मोठा तलाव आहे. कोळीमच्या काठावर बसून छत्री निजामपुरची गोष्ट ऐकली. साडे पाच वाजले होते.आता जाग्देश्वराच्या दिशेने निघालो. तिथे काही शाळकरी मुलांची सहल आली होती.




त्या गोंधळात काही फोटो काढले आणि मनोमन जाग्देश्वाराला वंदन करून महाराजंच्या समाधी पाशी गेलो.महाराजांच्या पद्स्प्रशाने पावन झालेली पायरी उतरलो आणि चिरनिद्रेत निजलेल्या महाराजांपाशी नतमस्तक झालो.




हिरोजी इंदुल्कारांच्या नावाची पायरी बघितली व तिथलाच शिलालेख ही वाचला. पुढे वाघ्याची समाधी पहिली. समोर असलेलं भवानी टोक साद घालत होता.गेल्या दोन वेळी इतवार येऊन परत फिरव लागलं होत. या वेळेस भवानी टोक बघायचच असं ठरवलं आणि सांगितल तसा राजू दादाला. तो म्हणाला अगोदर बारा टाकी पाहू मग जाऊ भवानी टोकाला. तसेच भराभर बारा टाकी पर्यंत पोहोचलो. या भागात देखील मी अगोदर कधी आलो नव्हतो. इथून दरी थोडी जासतच खोल वाटत होती. दरी मध्ये पूर्ण हिरवळ होती. जवळच एक दारू कोठार होत. या इथे बरीच पाण्याची टाकी आहेत. काही छोटी तर काही मोठी. बारा आहेत की नाही ते मोजले नाहीत. पण असतीलही.
सूर्य मावळतीला झुकत होता आणि नाही म्हटला तरी भवानी टोक कमीत कमी २ किलोमीटर तरी नक्कीच असेल. पण आता नाही गेलो तर अजून बरेच दिवस थांबव लागेल हे ठाऊक होत. त्यामुळे भिडलो त्या दिशेला.वाट सुक्या गवतातून होती. इथवर फार कमी लोक येतात. त्यामुळे इथे पायवाट नाही आहे. आहेत तर फक्त ढोरवाटा. ही वाट काढत काढत कधी कधी तर धावत पळत पोहोचलो एकदाचे त्या टोकाला. आता इथे थोडावेळ बसून परत फिरायचं असं ठरवलं. इतक्यात एक गावकरी लांबून शीळ वाजवत चालला होता. आम्ही त्या शिळेला साद दिली आणि त्याने विचारला " पाहुन , भवानी मंदिरात यता काय ? " मी कोणाकडे न बघता त्याच्या पाठी निघालो. जर दुसर्यांना विचारल असत तर कोणी तयार नसतं झालं. मी पुढे गेल्यावर त्यांना पाठून येण भाग होतं.आता तर खाली उतरायच होतं. बराच वेळ खाली उतरत उतरत गेलो. जवळ पास १५ मिनिटांनी एका छोट्याश्या दगडाच्या खोबणीत ते मंदिर होतं. तिथे नतमस्तक होऊन इथवर यायची सोय केल्या बद्दल आभार मानले व माघारी फिरलो. आता लक्ष्य होतं ते जगदेश्वर मंदिराच आणि ते सुद्धा सूर्यास्त होण्या अगोदर.
वर येणारी वाट एकदम निमुळती होती. एका वेळेस एकच व्यक्ती चालू शकेल अशी ती वाट आहे. तिथून थोड जपून वर आलो आणि नंतर सुटलो जाग्देश्वराच्या दिशेने. डाव्या हाताला सूर्य मावळत होता.भगवा रंग आकाशात चाहु बाजूने पसरला.


दूरवर नागर्खान्याची आकृती त्या भगव्या रंगात दिसत होती. तो भगवा रंग जणू मराठ्यांचा आपला भगवा असल्यासारखा भासत होता. त्या रंगाच्या पार्श्वभूमीत जाग्देश्वाराचा फोटो काढला आणि धावत सुटलो परत. कसे-बसे पोहोचलो जगदेश्वर पर्यंत. तिथून आणखी १५ मिनिटात पोहोचलो आमच्या वसतिगृहाकडे.
हात पाय धुतले आणि थोडा आराम केला. कपडे बदलले आणि चक्क आम्ही पत्ते खेळत बसलो. त्या नंतर थोड्यावेळाने आमचं जेवण आलं. पिठलं भाकरी खाऊन बाहेर अंगणात गेलो. मस्तपैकी चांदण्या चमकत होत्या आकाशात. त्या चांदण्यात गप्पा मारत बसलो. काही वेळाने मला झोप अनावर झाली आणि मी परत जाऊन माझ्या थकलेल्या शरीराला हवा असलेला आराम दिला.
सकाळी ५ वाजता उठलो ते कुठल्याश्या पोवाड्याच्या सुरांनी. उठल्या उठल्या मयूरला उठवल. सर्व प्रातःकालीन विधी पूर्ण केल्या आणि होळीच्या मालावर जायला निघालो. वाड्य्तातून बाहेर पडलो आणि होळीच्या माळावर जाऊन पोहोचलो. महाराजांना सुप्रभात बोलून फोटो काढले आणि परत मेघ्दाम्बारीच्या दिशेने निघालो. सिंहासनाकडे सगळे हजर होते.शिवाप्रर्थाना आटपून आम्ही वाडा पाहायला निघालो. राजू दादा प्रत्येक जागा व त्याच महत्व समजाऊन सांगत होता. मनोरे पहिले, अष्टप्रधान मंडळाचे कार्यालय पहिले, टाकसाळ, राणीवसा आणि अशे बरेच वास्तूंचे अवशेष पाहून बाजारपेठेत पोहोचलो. परत त्या गावकरच्या घरी जेऊन गड उतरू लागलो. वेळ कमी असल्याकारणाने आम्ही नानेदारवाज्याने न जाता पायरया उतरून गेलो.




महादरवाज्याला परत यायचे वचन देऊन बाहेर पडलो. नन्तर परतीच्या वाटेने जाताना पाचाडला जिजाऊसाहेबांचा आशीर्वाद घेतला.तर अशी माझी रायगड वारी समाप्त झाली. गेल्या ३ वर्षात हि माझी ३री वेळ रायगडला यायची. हा गड आपलासा करून सोडतो. परत पावलं या दिशेने वळल्यावाचून राहत नाहीत.

Duke's Nose

After wrapping up the prelims it was time to take some breather from studies and let our feet do the talking for a change. So we Duke’s nose was decided.
We reached lonavala at 8 o clock in the morning. Soon the rest of the group gathered. When a head count was done it said 25! That was a good score. We were excited about this one. I had heard a lot about this trek. Duke’s nose can be seen easily while travelling on Mumbai-Pune expressway. They are actually two hills side by side. The taller one is called the Dukes Nose and the shorter one Duchess. From lonavala we hired a mini bus to take us to the base village. Songs were sung in the bus and among all this merry making we didn’t know when the time flew by and we reached our destination. We could see the nose from a far away distance. There was a huge plain land full of muck to cross before the beginning of the actual climb (if u could really call it a climb!).
We wrapped up with the introductions right here itself. Once it was done we had the green flag to get the machine running in its top gear. We were rushing towards the peak. The walk was calm hardly some climb and we were at the base of dukes nose. We were pretty much confused as to which one is the Duke’s nose! It appeared very small from here. Nevertheless we started our climb. It was fine one.
The sun was shinning brightly and it was nice for indulging in some photography. As the height didn’t seem much we were walking at a pace comfortable to everyone. While climbing up we met a group who were climbing down. They said that visit the duchess first then proceed to dukes. We agreed. The way going up to there was through dense tall grass rather bushes. They were as high as 5 feet in some places. Making our way through them we reached a small ridge protruding into the valley below us. When we first reached there we could see the Duke’s nose peeping out of clouds. It appeared divine. Everyone had their photos snapped out here. It was a nice scene. There were clouds all over behind and we could hardly make out the depth from here. The dukes standing tall now due to passing of clouds seemed beautiful. After spending a nice half an hour here we proceeded towards the Duke’s.
The climb was very easy. We reached the Duke’s top in next 15 minutes. We could see the duchess from here. There were a couple of our fellow trekkers still on duchess. We clicked their pictures while they clicked ours. In next half an hour we all were huddled together on the top of Duke’s nose for a group photo. We reached there by 10:30 am. Here is a small temple of Lord Shiva. We offered our prayers here and retreated. We had lot of time now. After having a sumptuous lunch in the shade we proceeded towards Khandala. But before that we had a nice entertainment show. We sang songs, danced and cracked jokes. It was just like a bonfire but without a bon fire.
When we got down we saw some small rock walls. As a “trekkerly” instinct we decided to give it a try and have some “adventurous” photos clicked. One by one most of us tried varied routes and various methods on these walls. It was nice fun out here. Fooling around this place for around 45 minutes we moved on. Now we had our sights trained towards Khandala. We were moving through grasslands and huge trees. It was nice and cool. There were small streams flowing. The fields were lush green. We had limited water resources with us. So we decided to give this water a try. The water from the stream was extremely tasty. It had a tinge of sweetness to it. After quenching our thirsts and filling our water bottles we moved on. The route was through nice fields and grasslands. We had ample opportunity to shoot pictures. I clicked pictures till the time I had no battery left in my camera. It paid off as my pictures won the best photograph and also the second runner up photograph in the competition later organized by our group.
On our way to Khandala we met torrential rains. It was raining heavily. Now the place appeared more serene and beautiful. We reached the dam by 5 pm. Out here we had some breakfast from what was left with us. Here we met a dog. He was a young dog and ate nothing but sweets! He ate SONPAPDI but didn’t touch IDLI CHUTNEY. We had a nice time with him. We reached highway in another 20 minutes and then took a ST Ride to Panvel. From here we took a train to Thane and then this was the end of trek!
The trek finished as soon as it had began. It was the shortest and the smallest trek I had ever done. Nevertheless it was a fine trek. Enjoyed to the fullest.

11 FRIENDS 17 HOURS AND AN AWFULL TREK TO LOHGAD

Missed a trek to Lohgad a week before and to make up for that decided to do it this time. We were 11 people together coming from various different places do fulfill a collective task.
Day began at 4:15am with call from Manali-trekker companion on this trek. She told me that Tej-another trekker buddy on this is not attending his wake up calls. So I was trying to call him till the time I left my home. My first step outside the door frame of my house was at 5 am. I walked all the way to the rickshaw stand and got one which ferried me to Kalwa railway station. Now my woes began !!!!!!!!!!
I was waiting at Kalwa station in the hope of getting a train which could take to the next station-Thane- from which we were to board train to Lonavala. After waiting for twenty minutes at Kalwa station which appeared as a mosquito feeding centre the train arrived. I reached thane station at 5:30am. When I went to the ticket counter there was a huge queue. With just 45 minutes to go I had very less hopes. Prasad-lonavala specialist-arrived soon to give me company. He had his woes. He did not get any rickshaw and had to walk half the way around one and half kilometer. Soon his friend named Yuvraj arrived. We were waiting in the line to get a ticket. But our hopes shattered when the train arrived and we were still no were near to get a ticket.
We left the queue and left the idea of going by a train. We decided to take a ST ride to lonavala. So we went to the nearest ST stand. Out here we were told that the ST bus to Lonavala starts from another ST stand! We were searching for a rickshaw. After around 10 minutes we got one. We went to that bus stand and LUCKILY got a ST quickly. Next two and half hours were all cozy and fine. We had two seats among three of us. We reached lonavala by 8:45am.
Rest of our team was already waiting for us to arrive. They had made an enquiry and told us that the bus would be coming at 9am. We spent some time in enjoying and teasing and cracking joke at one another. But our worries began to mount when there wasn’t any bus till 9:45am. The people at enquiry counter said the bus was caught up in its way. ACCORDING TO THE GOD DAMN TRAIN SCHEDULE ON INTERNET, there was a local train plying between Lonavala and Malavli at 10:15am. So as there was no bus we decided to go by train. On reaching Lonavala train station we came to know that the train is at 10:05am and had just left !!!!!!! uttering as many bad words as we could manage we left the station in hope that the bus had still not left the bus stand. on our arrival there thankfully the bus was still standing but awfully crowded. Some way or the other we entered the bus and could barely stand. There was a foul stench of vomit in the bus. Adding to it the locals were continuously climbing up and down the bus for one reason or the other. After waiting for 45 minutes in this bus the conductor said that there was some problem and this bus will not be leaving any time soon!!!!!! So we got down from this bus and LUCKILY got another bus in which we had place to sit and went comfortably to Karla fata in next 20 minutes. From Karla fata we took rickshaws to Malavli village and then started to trek- FINALLY.
As we had a time crunch we decided to drop Bhaje caves. We were slowly and steadily climbing the road to Gaimukhkhind. This is the area between fort Visapur and Fort Lohgad. I was indulging in some photography. The climate was bright and sunny. When we were half the way there were sudden torrential rains. We ran to a place selling lemon juice for some cover. Half of us had raincoats and umbrellas but half wee without anything. So we were waiting for rains to stop. But as there was no sign of any decrease we damned the rains and started of again. In another half an hour we were in Gaimukhkhind. The rains had stopped but still the dark clouds loomed overhead. There was also some mist and lightning around. We quickly climbed the stairs and were roaming around on the fort. Our aim was vinchu kata. We were soon gunning for it. While on the route there, there is a place called Laxmi kothar. It’s a cave even older than the fort itself. We had planned to visit it but we saw that there were some guys there. The thing which disgusted us that about them was that they were having a hookah session in there. Is this the place where many of our brave men died to save glory? Isn’t this the same place which protected us from invaders? Is this the way we should treat those brave souls which made an example of bravery and courage? Those brave men must be turning around in their graves on such behavior of these people.
By now the dark clouds had began to come together. We were moving quickly so that we could reach the tip of vinchu kata before the rains. But that was not to be. We were halfway through when rains came. They came almost in a downpour. We had nowhere to hide but were still determined enough to reach the tip. There was nobody else there. We could see the tip of vinchu kata now. It was covered by mist half way. It appeared a divine land. When we were up there the huge gusts of wind were threatening to take us away with them. Holding our ground we retraced our footprints and went back. It was 4:00pm by now. We quickly descended had lunch in Lohgadvadi.
Then it was a long walk ahead to Malavli. After reaching Malavli at around 5:30 we were searching for a rickshaw to take us to Lonavala. Over here the rickshaw drivers were quite smart and were looking ahead to make a good lot of money. They said they would charge us 50 bucks per person for a 10minute ride. After bargaining they came down to 35. Amidst all this we came to know that there was a train at 6:53pm. It was past 6:30pm already, so we left the rickshaws to rot and took rail tickets costing us 4 bucks each. Reached Lonavala station in another 5 minutes and boarded a ST heading to Panvel. The ST was not crowded but still there was no place to sit and we were standing again. After travelling in standing position we reached Panvel by 9:00pm.
After reaching the Panvel train station there were again huge queues and no coupons available. So we had to stand in those queues. We boarded a 9:30pm local train and reached Sanpada station by 10:00pm. From here we had to break journey to Thane. Once here we came to know that the train was at 10:38pm. As there was no other option we waited there. Then at 10:40pm there was an announcement that the train would be late by 20-30 minutes. This was a nightmare coming true. The train arrived at 11:05pm and we left for thane. We reached thane by 11:40pm. Then I boarded train to Kalwa by 11:45pm. After reaching Kalwa I stood in another queue for rickshaw. Another 5 minutes and no rickshaw around with considerable people ahead of me I decided to walk my way to home. I was moving as fast as I could. But the usual 10 minutes walk took me 20 minutes. After reaching my house at 12:15am I had almost no energy. Had a nice warm water bath and was tucked away.
A difficult trek came to an end. this trek will be remembered by all 11 of us for a pretty long time.

The trekkers involved in this trek by Girishishya Hikers are :-
1.Prasad Dingankar
2.Vinit Tavate
3.Tej Khadka
4.Manali Patke
5.Natasha Karkhanis
6.Tejaswi Karkhanis
7.Rushabh Dharod
8.Mayur Dorkar
9.Sanket Kale
10.Ajinkya Chavan
11.Yuvraaj

Parsik – Rocking Around

After a long hiatus from trekking- a month, the Parsik range was teasing me from my window. Every time I sat on my sofa I could see the raw masculine ranges in front of me. So just couldn’t bear to stay away for long and so planned for a trek to Parsik-new route. In the early stages of planning had around 10 people, but as usual with Giri Shishya Hikers the number came down to – 7.
Early morning another Parsik ritual-waiting!!!!! Met Tej, Manali, Mayur, Akshay and Surya at the bus stop. Prasad was yet to come and he came a good hour late. So the trek began at 9am. We walked to the base of the Parsik hills and then cleared the hutment area.
Once we cleared that area the first challenge was to climb through a small patch which was full of loose soil. Tej and Prasad cleared the area without first. I followed them but my first step was recorded with the soil lump giving away! So carefully I climbed up. Akshay also tried but wasn’t successful so he came by another route. Now Manali and Surya were left to clear this area. Due to Manali’s shortcomings she wasn’t able to do it. So yet another route was found. With a bit of helping hand even she was standing with us. Now the route was through thick vegetation. We had to make way through dense tall grass. All the dried leaves were scratching our skins out. It was difficult to move around. We were doing the best to our levels. We were trying to make a proper route for rest of the team to follow. I and Prasad were at the beginning leveling the route. After climbing through this sort of terrain we reached a semi flat region. It was clear of the tall grass but still our ankles were in grass. After resting here for sometime and refreshing ourselves with a water break. Once done with it we moved towards the base of the pinnacle. The route was still grassy and more difficult as we were climbing on a ridge and the thick grass was hampering our ability to guess the edges of the ridge. I had did this route for a couple of times now so was pretty much used to it. In about next 20 minutes we were at the base of the patch that we were supposed to do. Half of the team was at the top and the other half below. This was the first time that we were climbing and recording on a video camera!
I had tried this patch earlier but had returned after doing halfway. This time I was determined to go all the way. So it was mayur, Akshay and Manali at the top of the rock patch and tej, surya and prasad at the base. Gave Tej and surya some instructions on how to record in a camera and I began the climb.
The patch could be divided into three regions. The first region was a proper big crack in the feature. Using it we could easily complete the first region. This was the part I had done earlier. It didn’t pose any problem at all. The second region was a bit tricky. There were quite a bit of grass growing it the small crevices in the feature. Due to it some of the good strong holds had been weakened. In here, there were two routes by which we could approach the third region. The route going by the right side had a few strong holds but we had to traverse to the left side eventually as there was a bit of overhang situation on the right side. So keeping the holds in mind I preferred going by the right side route. There were some undercuts and slobs in this route. After moving through them I reached the overhang. At this point I had to traverse to the left side. I was a bit nervous but was confident enough that I can do it-guts and glory all the way. So steadily I made my move. Making sure that every hold was strong and could take my complete body I slowly started shifting towards the left side. Once I was clear of the overhang using my shoulders I got on top of the rock forming the overhang. This was the end of second region. Out here there was considerable place for me to stand comfortably. I was just one step away from the summit. The problem over here was there was just a very small crack. There was hardly any other hold available. It was just like a plain wall. Over here I jammed my right feet somehow into this crack and jammed left hand in between two rocks overlapping each other. Using my right hand on a slob hold I pulled myself up and here I was! It was done.
I had dreamt of doing this rock patch for quite sometime. I had been here numerous times but this was an altogether different way and route. It was a different kind of high. It was like a “nasha”. I had to do it. The rush of adrenaline was incomparable to anything. For the last 15 minutes I was negotiating a route through rocks and I had finally succeded. I was on top among nature with my friends what else could a guy like me want to have! This was heaven. After spending sometime and looking back at what I had done felt amazing. Soon I was down doing the camera work for Tej, Prasad and Surya who also did the rock patch successfully. Once everyone was together it was celebration! We had some eatables and then retreated.
Thus came to an end one of the most endearing treks of my life.

Parsik ...........Let The Rains Come

Thanks to my dear younger cousin sister Aasawari. No planning at all was done. Circumstances came together and I got a nice team of 14 people.
Saturday night was a pretty hectic one. I was being bombarded with calls from anyone and everyone. Some where interested in knowing if the trek was on, what was the reporting time and all such questions. The imminent rains were casting a bad shadow on the trek but we were imminent about rocking around.
So in the morning we met at Kalwa station. From there we proceeded towards base of the hills we were going to trek. I was pleased as most of the time the number of members in the team doesn’t exceed 10 so having 14 people with me was a nice experience. We had quite a few amateurs with us. We started the trek at around 9am. I had decided to take the regular route due the presence of amateurs. But I had no idea that this regular route would not be so “regular” anymore. The way was through huge grass and due to it the route was not so visible. We were moving ahead by trial and error method. Once we reached the groove well known to us we moved confidently. The route was nothing as I had expected it to be. It was very slippery and a small stream of water was flowing from here. We had all the muck on our feet. Tej was opening the route for around 30 minutes. But later I had to call him back to support the newcomers. So it was aniket another newcomer opening the route now! He was pretty excited and Prasad was encouraging him and guiding him in the way. I was helping Aasawari climb. She was an amateur and was really having a very hard time. She once pulled Tej down when he was supporting her! The rocks were pretty unstable and getting a grip was very difficult. Our feet were almost buried in the muck at every step. We were climbing the groove for over an hour now and still had done 70% of it. This patch is usually done in around 45 minutes by us. Having a very bad time we were moving up and ahead but at snails pace. Soon Prasad was called back too. He had almost gone the complete distance and came back just to help others. So after struggling through this patch for around an hour and half we reached the top! Once here, everyone was checking the bruises or the damage their body had taken.
Over here the weather was awesome. A strong wind was blowing and a light drizzle had started. We first of all cleaned the muck of our soles for a better grip from here on. Then it was time for photo session. Clicked some nice photographs here. Then we climbed the antenna over here. These are the reflectors atop the hill. Atop them it was still a nice feeling. Soon other guys joined us and then it was howling going up there. After spending some time here we moved towards the main destination- the Parsik Pinnacle. Now for sometime there was no climb at all. We were moving on huge carpets of green. A stroll of around 20 minutes took us to the waterfall which we were going to enjoy later on in the trek. After spending a couple of minutes here we started our move towards the base of the pinnacle. The way over here was a bit difficult. The way was slippery and we had to be extra careful. Slow and steadily we reached the base in another half an hour.
Now the huge pinnacle rock was ahead in front of us. As if it was balanced on the edge. It gave us a nice stiff challenge. The wind was pretty strong now. Half of us didn’t believe that we were going to climb this. Tej was asking us that should we really do it. I was hell bent on doing this. So a small group was formed who would take the pinnacle. It was I, Tej, Prasad, Mayur, AJ, Rohan, Manali, Harshada and Sukhada.
So we nine people kept our bags with others and moved towards the pinnacle. We had small photo session here too. Then we divided ourselves into groups of two and one group of three. Tej wanted to lead with Rohan. I would be covering them with AJ. Once Rohan and AJ are done we would bring the other guys up. So making this rough strategy we made the move. Tej quickly negotiated the first and second patch. From here the going got difficult and Rohan who was backing Tej nicely had some difficulties. I was covering him up and so with some suggestions from he went up fine. Now it was the dreaded patch. There is just one hold in here and it was difficult with the air and rains. Tej made his way steadily up this patch. Once he was up he helped Rohan through that patch. Mean while I helped AJ reach this point and then went back to bring Mayur and Manali. When I reached back to the third patch with Mayur and Manali AJ was already besides Rohan and Tej. Now it was time for Mayur to go. He too crossed over and reached the base of the dreaded patch. Out here the velocity of wind had increased. My t shirt had fluffed up like a hot air balloon. Mayur had some problems and decided to call it a day. After that conditions worsened. Rain gods were attacking us water bullets. In these conditions Mayur, Manali, Harshada and Sukhada decided to go back. So it was me and Prasad who were left. Mayur was round the corner providing moral support. Now it was me who was on the rocks. The raindrops were hitting my face like small pebbles. The wind wasn’t letting me open an eye. It was horrific conditions up there. So I stayed as it for sometime-waiting for the rains to drain a bit and winds to reduce. After some moments I had conditions near about to what I wanted but not exact. So I took my chance and moved. I had two under holds on the rock above and one hold near my feet. This meant my one leg had no hold to hold on to. The hold that Tej and others had used while climbing up was now filled with water due to the rain. So it was out of question. So keeping a strong hold on the three points which I had I pulled up on the upper holds and made some way for the free leg to get in the previous hold and other leg in a higher hold. In this manner I crossed the dreaded patch. Following me Prasad too tired but again the rains lashed him. In next ten minutes he was through and we were on the pinnacle! We were screaming our throats off. Wind was pushing us down the valley. It had great force. We sat down and clicked some pictures. Listened to songs like “Shoor amhi sardar amhala kaay kunachi bhiti” and started our move down. If climbing up was bad then climbing down was worse. This was the ultimate test of what I call “calm and composure”. After carefully and safely making our way back to were everyone was waiting we heaved a sigh of relief. There were mixed reactions coming up. Some were thank full that they were alive while some people who hadn’t been there wanted to have a go. Ad mist all this we started moving towards our next place to visit-the “Shiv mandir”.
The way was through dense forest and it was raining very heavily. We were having fun in this situation. There was no climb just plain walking now. Jokes were being cracked and comments passed on them. During all this we missed the turn we were supposed to take and ended up at a dead end. So now it was time for some customized road making. Tej as usual the expert in this job was opening. The plantation was so thick that we couldn’t see the guy moving in front of us. We were mocking Tej that we were playing hide and seek due to him. This patch lasted for some 15 minutes. Then we were on the right road. From here, we made it to the temple in 15 minutes. It was serene over here. We said our prayers and moved on towards the spot were we were supposed to have our lunch. After reaching this spot and having lunch we moved towards the next spot.
This is the spot everyone was waiting to see as I had an awesome photograph as my display picture in various networking sites. That photo was clicked on this spot. During this part everyone was dead tired. But still we were soldering on-never back down. So when we reached the spot it was photos galore. Everyone was having pictures and Tej was the official photographer. Having done with a huge photo session here we started descending towards the waterfall.
Waterfall was the place which everyone was waiting for. While climbing down the route was pretty steep and slippery due to the rains. Using some “ideas” we safely reached down in about 45 minutes. This was the road we had traveled while going towards the pinnacle. But alas our luck ran out. When we reached this spot there were a huge group already present out there. So it was decided to call it quits as we had some girls in our group. We showed our backs to the waterfall and moved towards our descending route. Still as I said our luck had run out for the day. We again headed into a spot which we thought was a dead end. Out here we faced a small but strong stream surrounded by dense trees. We could not see the path it was going by. The route seemed impossible. But going back to the route by which we had climbed would cost us an extra hour. I wanted to get the group back to ground zero before sunset. And again the route which we had climbed up gave us a hard time while climbing up so climbing down it would have been a nightmare. So I decided to take a chance and try this route. Tej joined me and we checked the route going down for around 200 meters. It seemed feasible. The only problem was the dense trees around. So while coming back we tried leveling out some trees so that the route could be made more “walk able”. I was drawing flak from all sides for taking this route but still with support from Tej I decided to stick to my decision. Soon we were climbing down a damn waterfall. This trek had thrown some awesome surprises and this was one of it. I was helping Aasawari who was having a hard time going through the paces. AJ was leading now with Abhishek and Aniket. He was making way by flattening some grass. This was one of the most exciting feelings I have had during various treks. After moving down steadily through this waterfall we reached ground by 4:30pm. It took us an amazing 1 and half hour to negotiate this part.
Thus our Parsik sojourn came to an end. I had some of the most beautiful experiences during this trek. We faced many difficulties and barriers but still came out stronger than those barriers. The team spirit rocked and was a major factor helping us in successful completion of this trek.

Karnala July 2010

My official trekking group Giri Shishya Hikers was formed. As the first trek it was decided that we would be doing Manikgad with baba’s Sahyadri Trekkers. Plan was relayed and army was formed. But due to some unforeseen things we decided to change our trek to Karnala! This would be my fourth trek to Karnala. But still any trek with baba is worth a lifetime. I was game and so were my friends. Tej wanted to come but alas due to some problems he couldn’t manage to do it. Ninad was absent coz he was ill. Still trek was on and we were ready to lock and load.
As similar to prior trek to Matheran via Dodhani we left our home early and went to Panvel. Reporting was still on. We reached Panvel ST stand by 6:45am. Prasad was already present there. Soon Mayur, Manali and Ajinkya arrived. The other members also arrived after some time. In no time we had boarded a bus and were moving towards Karnala bird sanctuary. We reached there in next 20 minutes.
Over here we were supposed to meet three members -the Sawant family. We took the tickets and then moved ahead to see the bird enclosure. There was a peacock and a peahen, a parakeet, a rabbit and a hare in here. We took ample pictures of them. While we were doing so baba came along with the Sawant family. We had a quick breakfast of “idlis”. Then it was time for formal introductions. Once we were done with it we moved towards the rugged way.
We could hear the sound of stream nearby. So I moved towards that direction. This was not the way to the summit. I knew this but wanted to feel the cold stream there. We were opening the route and the rest of our team was behind. Now baba moved ahead with the rest of the team and we were left behind. After spending some in the stream we moved ahead. It was hardly matter of time before we were opening the route again. We could see the pinnacle peeking through the dense trees and it was an awesome sight! We were going pretty slow this being our first phase and all team members coming after long time. Last time I did Karnala we were just four young chaps and we made it to summit in and hour flat. So this was pretty slow. I had my regulars like Prasad, Manali and Mayur with me. In addition Ajinkya who was with me during last trek was also present. Rucha who was a new entry was also with us. So we super six were moving fast and then had to stop for rest of the team to arrive. It was tedious to wait for so long but is this time we all bonded together and experiences were exchanged, likes and dislikes were discussed and many such things.
Meanwhile, the senior team was behind and walking as fast as their legs could carry. Photographs were being clicked and jokes cracked. Sounds of jungle were over powered by the loud chatting of friends. Huffing and puffing they completed the first phase. Over here we met the whole team after almost and hour. Having some chocolates and having a look at Manikgad we moved on.
Mr. Sanjay Sawant was at the forefront now. He was having some problems with his knee but was still soldiering on. His daughter Aishwarya “Isha” Sawant was accompanying him. Even she had slipped somewhere and was nursing a sprained ankle. Hats of to the courage and determination showed by father-daughter duo. He used to ask me how much more climb is still remaining. And I kept on saying, “just one more patch then it is flat all the way”. This is what baba tells, “People work on hope and they will give it a try until they have hope. Once it is lost nothing remains”. So I was here providing hope. We were doing one patch after another and still there was no sign of any plains coming up. He was teasing me that there has been some change in the architecture of the fort. Some renovations are made. Ad mist of such jolly time we were climbing ahead. During this phase we had left the seniors to open the route so that we could push them ahead and speed up the proceedings.
After climbing for around an hour at normal speed we could see the thumb shaped pinnacle in front of us. Now it appeared at touching distance. Sighting of this pinnacle pumped new zest in the team. Everyone got charged up and we were moving ahead at express speed. Now everyone could see the hope staring in their faces. From here it was almost plains-ALMOST. We could see the surrounding nature and the valley below. Forts like Malangad, Manikgad and Prabalgad were playing hide and seek ad mist the black rainy clouds. The land was all green as long as we could se. It was a panoramic view. Nice cool wind was blowing. We were filling our lungs with as much oxygen as they could take. In today’s world, during our hectic schedules and polluted city air it is very difficult to breathe such pure air. Briskly walking for another half an hour we reached the Korlai Devi temple. It’s the resident deity of the fort. This the actual base from where we enter the fort. Once here casualties were attended. Mr. Sanjay Sawant decided to sit here and look over the operations. So to reduce our load some of us kept our bags with him.
First thing over here is a small patch. This was the first “so called” difficult patch in the whole trek. After negotiating it easily everybody was in high spirits. The second patch was done in the inertia of the moment. After entering the fort we had a small photo session. Then we moved on towards the stairs. This is where the difficulty came. While climbing the stairs there were a couple of stairs missing and so it created a huge void between two stairs. We guys were able to do it easily. But the problem was with the ladies department. They had a rough time negotiating this patch but soon we all were through. As a celebration we had a group picture here. Rest of the steps were cake walk compared to the previous. So in no time we were in the fort reading the grammatically wrong history of the fort. After this we sat near the huge caves dug in the base of the pinnacle. Some singing was done and I being no connoisseur of old songs moved on towards the edge. Soon we all super six were on the edge and facing the huge bouts of wind. Once singing was done we went to see the whole fort. Every view was awesome and every moment breathtaking. The greenery below was mind blowing. It was an awesome sight. I could have wished for nothing more. Father, friends, and peak of a trek what more do I need. This was heaven. We had some ladoos here and then retreated. When we left the door of the fort we sat for a group picture. I was thinking, this fort has been so nice to me. This is the fourth time I have been a guest here and always the fort has accepted me with open arms. I was wondering when I would have another chance to be here. Thinking of this I exited the door. But the destiny had some other plans.
We retreated to the temple where Sanjay kaka was waiting for us. Everyone wanted to tell their piece of story. I, baba and Mayur were the only people who had been here before. So everyone had their first time treks excitement. It was nice. Soon we had lunch with talks about cool wind and panoramic views. Once we were done with lunch I was roaming around with Mayur. Over here we found an alternative way to bypass the patch due to which Sanjay kaka had not come up! So we returned and convinced him to come with us as long as he could take. He was game for it and we moved on. I was happy that soon everyone from our group could be on the summit. It was easier than I thought it would be. We were on the summit in next half an hour and feeling the small droplets on our faces. After spending a good 15 minutes on the summit it was time to go as the sky was dark and it would rain now at any moment. We hurried down and as we reached the temple were everyone was waiting for us there were cheers among the group. Even the clouds were happy and wept tears of joy. We cuddled up in our windcheaters and retreated from the fort.
During descending we were met with torrential rains. The sounds of the jungle were awe inspiring. It felt like the nature would overpower us when just we six people lost our way. The woods were dark and we missed a turn and headed into the dense woods off road. The rains made finding the way even more difficult. We were wading through muck and low hanging tree branches. But we were able to make our way to the proper road soon. Once on the proper way I heaved a deep sigh of relief. Now we moved more smoothly. The muck and the water were making it difficult for Ajinkya. His shoes were not helping him. He was walking barefoot now. Swiftly we climbed down and reached the stream which we had visited during ascending. It had more water now. We were soon enjoying here. A good twenty minutes later baba joined us. He was alone and the rest of the group was moving a tad too slow. They joined us in next 15 minutes and we made our way out of the forest bidding Karnala an adios.
Sawant family gave me and Parsad a lift till Kalwa. So chatting up with Isha and her mother we reached Kalwa in about an hour. Thus the trek came to an end with plans for a next trek brewing in every body’s minds.

Matheran via Dodhani

After a long hiatus from trekking which seemed forever I finally got an opportunity to regain ground lost during non-trekking season and what could have been a better thing than trekking with baba!
Formerly I asked baba for permission to trek kalsubai on the coming Sunday and I was pleasantly surprised to know that baba himself was organizing a trek to Matheran! Half of my group was already ready to go so it was no big deal in assembling a team. Plans were relayed regular lieutenants like Prasad Dingankar, Tej Khadka were standing by my sides. Mayur Dorkar occasionally accompanied me was game on for this. Sanket Haldankar - Tej’s friend was also coming and so were his couple of friends. Surprise package for this trek was Ankush Pisal- Prachi Tai’s (my sisters) best friend and now my common friend -who is a fine and experienced trekker was also coming. So with this group joining into baba’s group was like a dream come true for me.
Trek began on Sunday morning. We left my place at 4:45am and went to Kalwa junction. From there we took a bus ride to Panvel. During the journey I was getting reports of various people coming by various means and their advancement towards Panvel ST Stand -our meeting spot. We reached Panvel at 6:15am. Over here still some people were still reporting. Over here we met a guy. He was going to Chanderi for a trek with a group called “Trek Mates”. He had traveled from Pune to Panvel for a one day trek. He was waiting for two hours for his group to arrive. That’s the commitment we trekkers show towards our treks. After chatting with him for sometime he met his group and we met ours so we bid him goodbye and wished him luck for his trek.
I met Tej and rest of the people soon. In next half an hour our group had assembled and now we were waiting for our bus to arrive. This bus was going to take us to Dodhani village from where we were going to begin our trek. It took almost another hour for the bus to arrive. Mean while we were chatting and introductions were being done. Match between Germany and Argentina last night was being discussed with fervor. Experiences of previous treks and plans for future treks were being shared. It was bonding time and was well spent. When the bus arrived we eagerly boarded the bus and were on our way. The bus was like a chartered bus as we were the only passengers in it. Soon we were amongst the nature. Mountains on all the sides and slight drizzle were everything we were asking for and we were having it. Ride of half an hour or so took us to our destination.
We didn’t waste any time in getting started. The beginning of the climb was easy. Once we were through with the first base we had our introduction sessions. After this we celebrated 43rd birthday of Mr. Eknath Janardhan Marathe. This was done in proper “marathmoli” style. We had replaced the cake with “sheera”-a Marathi delicacy. After finishing the celebrations we moved on with trek. It was still drizzling and we were wearing our windcheaters and all. Everyone was busy photographing. Most of us had some or the other camera with us. We had a 14MP camera as well as a 1.3 MP camera in our group. The terrain was through fields and flats. We moved through this for another half an hour and rains stopped. Rains were gone but still it was cloudy-perfect for trekking not for photography. Our windcheaters were soon packed in our sacks. By now the difficulty level had increased and the fungal growth on stones did not make our trek any easy. Fine climate was the only plus we had. By now the amateurs in our group were getting a “feel” of trek. Sweat was embedded on our brows. I had Tej, Mayur, Prasad and Ankush with me. We were at the tail to take care that no one was left behind. As the rains had stopped I was busy with my photography. We were posing for photographs and all. It was jolly time. An hour had passed and we had gained some height by now. Soon we encountered a rock patch. It was not very big but considerable enough. The only worrying factor was that it was all wet due to the recent rains and to add to our woes there was some prominent fungal growth in here. But the experienced senior lot took care of the amateurs and when we were here it was clear coast for us to fool around! So some damn fake posses and some real ones too we moved on. By now we could not see anything below us due to the fog. We could not calculate the amount of climb that was still remaining. Some of us were dead tired and were taking frequent halts. This slackened the pace but still it was all fine as we were almost done with the climbing part.
Very soon we reached sunset point of Matheran. It was covered all in fog and we could not see anything here so we moved on to other points worth seeing. We had lunch and a huge photography session on Louisa as well as Malang point. From Louisa point we could see some magnificent waterfall flowing from the rock face in front of us. It was an amazing view. After having a group photograph on lion’s head point we moved on towards other points. After roaming in Matheran for another half an hour we moved towards to sunset point and rested here for around 15 minutes and then started our descend. Descend was much more difficult as the stones were damn slippery and we were hot due to sun. After climbing down for an hour and half we reached the waterfall that we had encountered while climbing up. Soon we shunned our wet T-shirts and were ad mist the cool flowing water. The water was hitting us with a strong force. We were sitting bare back in it and getting massaged by rampaging water! We had another photo session of about 45 minutes in this water. It was a heavenly experience. After spending about an hour we were dressed up again in fresh clothes and were moving down towards village. We were near the fields when baba heard sound of an approaching ST and we were all running towards the village. Once there we had another chartered ST waiting for us! Soon we called it a trek.
As with all treks had some beautiful memories and made great friends. Missed some other friends like my brothers Ninad & Shivendu and friends from college. But all is well that ends well.

Bhimashankar

This is my 25^th trek overall. I had been waiting for this trek for a year. At last Baba told me that we are going to Bhimashankar on 24^th of January. But alas due to some problems it was still postponed to 30^th and 31^st of January. From my usual group Ninad and Prasad were going to be a part of this trek. Prior to the evening we were leaving Prasad said he was not coming. Ninad was not sure. But still I was in high spirits. On the night of 29^th I hardly slept in spite of the long day I had on the next day. This was due to the excitement for the trek.

Early in the morning of 30^th I was busy with my morning rituals when my phone rang and Baba picked up. It was Ninad at the other end. He said that he was game for the trek. This was the best possible start for the day. Along with Baba I left my house at 05:30 hours.

The morning was chilly and we were decked up in sweaters and monkey caps. After walking from my house till Kalwa station we had enough heat in our body and removed our sweaters. We were ready with our train tickets to Karjat. We were going to board the 06:14 hours train to Karjat and now we were half an hour early. I was anticipating the route and the fun that we would be having. I had not met Ninad since Visapur trek and was looking forward to meet him now. Ninad called me at 06:10 hours to report that he had boarded the train. This reminded me of some of the previous treks that I had organized. Everyone reporting about their progress energizes us. This time Baba was worrying about it all.

Train reached Kalwa on time. Ninad-as expected was at the door-waving at us. Soon we boarded the train and met rest of our group. It was after a long time that I was meeting them all- Garbat point trek was the last I had done with this group. No formal introductions were required with this group. Once train crossed Kalyan the weather started becoming more and more cool. Soon we again wore sweaters and were ready to face anything. We reached Karjat at around 07:50 hours. A walk of 10 minutes took us to Karjat ST depot. On enquiry we came to know that the bus to Khandas-Our base of the trek- was no longer available. The guy at the enquiry counter was much better than the one’s we had experienced at Lonavala and Panvel. He even gave us a suggestion that we should take bus to Kasheli and from there we could get another vehicle to reach Khandas. The next bus to Kasheli was at 08:30 hrs. That means we had a nice half hour in our hands. We had some breakfast from whatever we had brought along. Soon the bus arrived at 08:30 hrs and left after 15 more minutes.

The journey was long and boring. To compensate for last night’s sleep I slept for that half an hour duration that the bus took to reach Kasheli. From Kasheli we hired a van and a rickshaw ‘tum-tum’. In this rickshaw we met a local school boy named Siddharth Jadhav! We had a nice time chatting with him. He was so open minded that he almost told us his family history, background, academics and also confessed some his mistakes and wrong doings. He did this in just half an hour. It took us half an hour to reach Khandas.

We started our trek from Khandas at 10:30 hours. The group was highly energetic. Walk through the village was on tar road with houses and plantations on both sides. Everyone was having fun. There were two small girls in our group. Sakshi was the elder among them studying in 4^th grade while Shrusthi studied in 2^nd grade. They were at the front and didn’t want anyone to go ahead. They looked nice wearing some cute miniature rucksacks and shoes. They were having fun on their own right. We stopped in our way for a formal introduction. This being just a formality everyone was fooling. We even had a wooden stick which we supposed to be our mike (microphone)! The walk here was very pleasing. There was wind blowing here. It was nice to have it. The strain was very much relieved. We had not entered the woods even after a walk of around 45 minutes. Ladies in our group-we had four ladies with us- seemed to be tired. But this usually happens as we are not used to do this sort of physically taxing work. Getting acclimatized with this takes some time. So we were not worried about this.

Soon we entered the woods. There were tall trees over here. We could see Khandas situated far away now. The climb was smooth and easy. No one had any problem doing this part. This was our first phase which was supposed to end at the Ganapati temple in the forest. The route had a gentle steep. To get such patch so early in the trek was enough to enlighten us about the things we would have to face later on in the trek. It took us an hour to reach here. The sight of the Ganapati temple was relieving. The temple was newly renovated. The idol was orange in color due to the ‘shendur’. After offering our prayers we began the second phase.

This phase was through patches of dense forest and grasslands. Formerly the route was through dense forest very much similar to the route we had faced till now. After some time we entered grassland. Fading winter grass was yellowish-golden in color. The black rock under of feet was hot due to the afternoon sun. To our right we could see the peak of ‘Padargad’. It appeared like the draping of a sari. In front of us we could now see the mountain of Bhimashankar. It was like a huge piece of solid rock fallen from the heavens. The sides of the mountain appeared to be chisel cut. It looked unconquerable. The terrain was certainly not friendly or pleasant over here. Half of the team had emptied their water resources. This was not at all a good sign. Soon it was decided that a group would move ahead towards the summit so that arrangements for the rest of the group could be made. I and Ninad were a part of this group. Soon we reached the end of our second phase. This phase took us an hour and half to complete. There was a small well over here. The water contained some of the dust that falls from the trees above, dried leaves and such other dust. Mr. Nakashe told us that the water in this well was potable and that villagers from the nearby region used this well for their water purposes. The very next moment we were filling of our empty bottles. We decided to wait for the rest of the team. When they reached here everyone was happy to know about the well. The water was cool and had a very different taste. We quenched our thirst here and had some biscuits and small cakes. End of the second phase gave us the gift of water. The group was energized again.

The third phase consisted of dense forest. The route was plain and simple. There was no climb in here. Walking in such conditions was an experience to be cherished for a long time. Again our group was in fore front. The dense forest prevented the sun from reaching us. It was a nice experience. Everyone was in their elements by now. We were able to hear sounds of birds and monkeys over here. We also saw some monkeys. They were white in color but their face was black in color. They seemed to be afraid of us and we were afraid of them. So it was mutual. We reached a place were there was a small roof constructed. This signaled the end of third phase. We waited here for rest of the group to arrive. On their arrival lunch boxes were opened and lunch was served. It took us almost an hour to finish our lunch. There was a guy selling buttermilk out there. Everyone enjoyed the cool drink and even got some in a bottle. From here we started with our fourth stage.

Fourth stage was also through forest, but here was a gentle climb over here. In the further stages the tree cover started becoming lesser. Now I was leading the way with Mr. Naik, Sakshi and Shrusthi. Those two girls wanted to be in front. So they were sticking with me. It was nice to see them take tiny steps. Their small quarrels were a constant time pass for me. This phase was the shortest but due to the afternoon heat and lack of water it took us almost an hour to complete it. But we never knew that fifth phase could be worse.

The tree cover was almost gone. The route was narrow. There were steep rock on one side and deep valleys on the other. I had to be careful and at the same time take care of those two girls too. In spite of these conditions the scenic beauty was fascinating. Below us we could see many villages and farmlands. We could also see the jungle through which we had come up. On glancing in upward direction we could see the huge rock face above us. Storing this beauty in eyes and capturing the same in lens of the camera I moved on. During negotiating difficult patches I took one of the girls ahead first and then again came back to fetch the other. This was tiring but it was very much necessary in such places. After sometime we waited for rest of the group to arrive. The group behind us arrived on this spot. We were short on water and girls were in dire need of it. I had two bottles-one was half filled and the other was in case of emergency. I gave the water to both of them and still carried half of what was formerly present. Other group members had some oranges and some chocolates. These rejuvenated us. This was the only spot in the complete trek where we could catch some shade. When rest of our group arrived we left. By now Ninad had gone ahead of us with Baba and some other members while I was tending to both these girls. Soon we left this spot. After more half an hour we reached end of this phase. It took us an hour and forty five minutes to complete this phase.

The final phase was through dense forest. The sun was on its way down and we were being relieved. But final patch had some decent climb in it. This was very much tiring. Girls were exasperated and I was afraid that they would ask me to carry them. But thank goodness they didn’t ask anything of it. We could hear noises of some monkeys too. The same like the one we had seen before. We could hear the noise of the group ahead of us. The energy in their voices said that they were on the summit. Right from the beginning of the trek I was telling both the girls that we would be reaching in half hour more! This time they didn’t believe me but it was the truth now. Another twenty minutes and we were on the summit. Eagle had landed.

On the top we could see a water tank. We thought that it had water like the one we had found in the well. But this was dirty water. Some one told us that this was the place to bathe livestock. A walk for 5 minutes took us to the spot was rest of the group was waiting for us. Everyone congratulated the Sakshi and Shrusthi for their achievement. We were told to wait here while Baba and someone else were searching for a place to stay tonight. We had some eatables and soon rest of the group arrived. They were next to dead but the happiness on there faces spoke volumes. It was nice that we had completed the half the trek (ascend-descend was remaining) successfully without any casualties.

After around half an hour we had found a nice accommodation for the night. We dumped our bags there had a wash and left to visit the shrine of lord Bhimashankar. Bhimashankar is among the twelve jyotirlingas in India. The temple is huge and ancient. There were quite a few devotees in the temple. After offering our prayers we waited there for the evening ‘aarti’. It was nice experience. We reached our dharmshala-the place where we were staying-at around 20:30 hours. Over here we chatted among ourselves. Experiences of the day were shared. Aching muscles were relived. Advices were given. Planning for the next days descend was going on. We also played some games. In about an hour dinner was served. Plain chapatti, rice, dal, ‘pithla’-an Indian delicacy, vegetable and some pickle was served. Hot steaming dinner after a tiring day was simply amazing. We ate till we burst. We went out at around 22:00. Roaming in the night was a pleasant experience. Ideas about life and how to lead it were being exchanged. The cool night breeze was flowing. After roaming around for about half an hour we came back and decided to call it a night. I was woken up by aarti of Sai Baba. Ninad had set alarm of 06:30 hours and the alarm tone was the aarti itself. To my surprise Ninad was not at all affected by that aarti. He was still in his dreams. This reminded me of ‘Kumbhakaran’ from Ramayan. It took me sometime to find his phone and switch off the alarm. Everyone in our room was awakened due to it but not Ninad. I switched of that alarm and went back to sleep. But now it was hard to come. By now Ninad was awakened from his deep slumber. Still he was wrapped in his shawl and yawning like a tiger. After getting out of our beds and packing our bags we finished our morning rituals. Now was the time to go to ‘Gupt Bhimashankar’-the origin of river Bhima. Only half of us were ready to go there. Mr. Nakashe had been here recently so he was leading us. Similar to yesterday Sakshi was with me and Mr. Bane. Shrusthi was with her dad but returned back as her legs were paining. A walk of half an hour led us to the spot. There were huge boulders smoothened due to the flow of water. The water was very less as onset of summer was near. We took a few snaps here. There is a small temple of lord Ganapati nearby. We went there and saw ‘Shekru’-this animal resembles a squirrel but is larger in size. It is said to be the specialty of Bhimashankar. After trying to take a picture of it we moved on. A walk of another half an hour took us back.

We had a small quick breakfast of ‘kande pohe’ and tea. Soon we were all ready to rock.We started to descend at around 10:15 hours. We climbed down the first phase in half an hour. This was 15 minutes less than the time we had taken to climb this phase. The sun was getting up to its glory now. Heat was being felt. There was a black dog over here. He was climbing down with us. Even during my Koraigad trek there was a dog who had accompanied us throughout the trek. Ninad has a phobia for dogs. Presence of this dog made him very uncomfortable. Adding to his woes, the dog kept on following him wherever he went. Our routine was very much similar to the way we had climbed up. The only difference was that I didn’t have to back again and again. Everyone was taking pictures of the picturesque views from this height.

The speed of descending was much faster than ascending. This was due to fewer barrages from the sun’s forces. Moreover everyone had a rough idea of how long it was going to take and were mentally prepared for it. We had climbed in six and half hours but had climbed down in four hours. Reduction of two and half hours even while descending was a good score.

Once we reached the outskirts of Khandas village, everyone was looking forward to getting back home as soon as possible. We took a van from Khandas to Neral. We boarded the train from Neral which took us to our respective destinations.

Thus my twenty fifth trek came to an end on a happy note. On this trek I had some great memories and experienced moments which I would cherish for the rest of my life. As a matter of coincidence, I did my first trek with Baba and also my twenty fifth trek with Baba. Missed all my trek-o-maniac friends a lot on this trek. As always left nothing but footprints and brought along nothing but sweet memories of the trek.

Koraigad

After long while at last the dawn arrived when I climbed this fort. I was planning this trek but some things used to come in between and it used to be postponed.

I left my place at 4:30am sharp. 15 minutes walk took me to railway station. Now I called up Prasad Dingankar-our guide for the trek. He said he was up and would be leaving soon. Then I ringed up Siddhesh-he was coming with us for the first time. He was an old friend of mine and Prasad. He was not answering the call, neither mine nor Prasad’s. I thought he was asleep was bound to miss the train. I had almost counted him out when he gave me a ring and said that he was ready and would be leaving from his house soon. Now this news was very good news to me. Train arrived after 15minutes and I proceeded towards Thane station.

I had some Mumbai marathoners with me. Their attire was very much similar to mine. The only difference was that I was carrying a 5kg rucksack on my shoulders and they were not. They seemed to be almost as excited about their marathon as I was about my trek. I reached Thane station and bought tickets for three of us-Me, Prasad and Siddhesh. Soon I met Prasad here and after sometime Siddhesh arrived. We were chatting and reliving our good old times. Manali called to tell us that train was on time and she had boarded it. Natasha also said that she would be leaving from her house soon. Everything seemed to be as per the schedule.

Train arrived at 6:15am sharp and we boarded the train successfully! The train was very much crowded and movement of people from one compartment to another made the matters worse. The train journey was spent in old memories and other life experiences. Other than this, the journey was non-happening. Our train pulled into Lonavala Station at 8:20am. From here we moved towards ST depot. Natasha and Rishabh met us here. Till now we had no idea that Rishabh was also coming. But it was a pleasant surprise.

After regular enquiries about the bus and all we got together and discussed about other things and the route that we were going to take. Once the bus arrived, we moved into it and were shocked to know that the bus had a 45minutes halt before leaving Lonavala. Our fooling continued from where we had left it in our previous trek to Visapur. We were not concerned about the presence of other passengers. We just continued doing our things. Others also seemed to enjoy our masti!

The bus started at 9:15am and we were expecting that it would take us around half an hour or something roundabout. Even after more than 45minutes had passed, there seemed to be no sign of our village. While in the bus we saw some beautiful landscapes. We saw Bushi dam, INS Shivaji and Lion’s point from the bus. The weather was nice-cool and pleasant. After around 50minutes we reached village peth-Shahapur. This is the village that we were supposed to start our trek from.

On getting down from the bus, we first enquired about the returning bus and timetable at around 5pm. They told us that the last bus is at 3:30pm but it is not sure. The jeep services are available which cost Rs.30 till 4:30 pm after that it varies. So keeping in mind that we had get here by 3pm we started. The route was normal-Trees on both sides and ankle tall dry grass. It was good all along. We could see Tikona and Tung fort from here. But still we were not sure of it being them. The climb started with our leader Prasad on the lead. Rest of us just followed him. As usual we retraced our way in search of a better way. At last we found one and then started our climb. It was not very physically tiring during this patch. Then we took one wrong turn!!!!!!!!

The way moved in upward direction. It was covered with loose soil and stones. We had to watch our step while climbing as to avoid dislodging some stone and hurting the person behind us. This was a very difficult task as to get a grip we had to find some firm footing and it was almost impossible over here. Moving up this way for 15minutes or so we reached a point where the route divided into two parts. I decided to take one route while Prasad was taking the other. Others just waited over here for a breather. Most of us were sweating by now. Natasha had a small bruise on her wrist and Rishabh and Manali were attending to it. When I and Prasad returned from our respective routes the answer was negative for both. This meant that now we had to climb down this patch again. It was another daunting task now. This time we made sure that no one was hurt and took our own sweet time to climb down.

From here we took other way and encountered a flight of stairs. These were to lead us to the fort. We again had a quick breather and a photo session. Then again we resumed our trek. In another 10 minutes we reached the temple of lord Ganesh. We prayed here and then continued. On our way we found two caves. One even had a small water tank in it. We again had some quick snaps of the landscape. From here we could see a huge range of mountain from here. The Amby valley project in the village below was a sight to behold. Another 10minutes took us inside the fort through Ganesh Darwaja. We had some pictures her and also the only group picture.

Once inside the fort, we saw two cannons lying near the entrance. Then we saw two huge lakes in the center of the fort. On moving along its border, we called our respective homes to tell them that we had done the summit!!!!!!!!!!!

We saw the huge mountain range in front of us. The row houses of the Amby Valley project below us, Ambavne village, runway for the small airport there and many other things. Then we moved towards the lake had some fun with the frogs in there and moved on to search for some place to have lunch. After searching for sometime we found a cool and cozy place near the temple of goddess “Korai”. She is the main goddess of this fort and hence the fort is named after her. There is a long cannon-118inches long-near this temple. It is the biggest of the 5 cannons present on the fort. We had our lunch here and then moved to see the rest of the fort. We moved towards other entrance to the fort. This route comes from Ambavne village. It is a very treacherous but adventurous route to take.

Over here found two more cannons. There was secret passage way to somewhere but it was blocked. The other similar passageway took us to a new wing of the fort. It was very interesting to go down that way and then emerge from the small opening over there. We moved on to watch other things. I even brushed up some of the rock climbing skills over a small patch here. It was a fine experience. We were again back to the cannon that we had seen.

Clock said it was 2:30pm now and we had to move down now. Soon we bid adieu to the fort and left with our backs towards Ganesh Darawaja.

We had some beautiful incidents in this trek. The memories of them are going to be with us for a long, long time. I badly missed Tej and Ninad on this trek. As usual we left nothing but our footprints and brought nothing but sweet memories of this fort along with us.