Visapur trek - 11th Aug

It was a trek to Visapur last Sunday alongwith a visit to Bhaje caves. A huge fort in the Maval region of Pune. It is also know as the elder brother of Lohagad which is just opposite. It has a vast area on the top . It should be atleast 3-4 kms from one end to the other. There is not much of fortification and it houses some unknown historic structures. Not many visit this fort unlike Lohagad as the route to the top is rocky and there are boulders and rock patches that you need after crossing a jungle to take during ascend and descend. After alighting at Malavali station we started on the Lohagad route and took the diversion at the left before Lohagad fort to take the jungle route to the Visapur fort. A waterfall was flowing through the route made of stones at the time of ascend. There are about 15 large water cisterns on top and a few abandoned structures. We tried to search for a Shiva temple but were unable to due to the heavy fog that had engulfed the vast area. Still we completed one complete round of the fort walking near the edges. After food and braving the heavy rain we started for the descend through another route which goes to Patan village near Malavali. The route is similar to the other route with stones and waterfall flowing through. Somehow we lost the way in the middle and drifted away from the route as we discontinued the rocky route and took for a path way. But with the guidance of the locals we reached Malavali station before dark. Thanks to Tejas, Manju and Menaka, we again had a great trek together this season.

Dudhsagar Waterfall trek - Rail route 4th Aug

Trekked to Dudhsagar Waterfalls last Sunday after a good 2 months gap with Trekmates India. It was more of a trip than a trek but quite interesting and enjoyable. Since it was a pilot trek for TMI a lot of instructions were passed around and there were some doubts about the train halt and the distance between the stations etc. The trek began with the train journey from Pune to Dudhsagar station on-board the Nizamuddin - Vasco Express singing songs, mashup some gigs etc. I was very excited as I was trekking in my home state for the first time and I had waited for this trek since the past 3 years. Also the fact that I was trekking withManoj Kalwar as the leader after almost a year. We reached Castle Rock station on Goa - Karnataka border and everyone were on their feet as we were told that the train would make an unofficial halt at Dudhsagar station for 30 seconds. With management and co-ordination skills in place a plan was chalked out to jump once the train became slow. It gave me the feeling that we were either fugitives running from the jail or dacoits come to loot a place. After getting down at the station had to wait for an hour for the sun to rise a bit. As it was dark and it was quite risky to walk in the jungle in the dark. Dudhsagar station is a 2km walk from Dudhsagar waterfall. The gigantic waterfall mesmerized me completely when I saw it for the first time. The scene was so engrossing that I could keep watching it for hours together. I wanted to climb to the top of the falls but couldn't as it was not part of the group plan. Still I manged to climb sideways to a certain height through a small flow of water but had to return. After that we had to walk along the railway track for about 12 kms to Kulem station. Some of the trekkers hitched a ride on a goods train for the entire track. I also joined them for about 5 kms which was again a first time experience of travelling in an open air goods train. We got some good rest and lunch at Kulem. I took this opportunity to have a tasty fish curry rice at a restaurant in the village. Perfect timing just before the month of Shravan. And we started journey for Pune in the evening. The return journey began by singing songs, the heavy rush of the nearby Kannadiga people. The best session was the late night intellectual discussion about life with Sai Iyer and a lady by the name Shweta which went on for a good 2 hours. Sai I am already looking forward to another brainstorming session with you and yes Adarsh Hemrajani a champion trekker in his own right. Thanks for the company throughout. My friends at TMI really make me miss the treks which I am not a part of.

Sudhagad trek - Jul 13

Last sunday it was a trek to Sudhagad with Wild trek adventure club Pune. First we went for a darshan of the Shri Ballaleshwar ganapati, one of the ashtavinayak's in Pali. Sudhagad could have very much been the capital of Shivaji Maharaj if not for Raigad. A massive fort and it looks like a replica of Raigad. An easy trek similar to Raigad and there is also an ladder at a difficult rock patch. It was known as Bhorapgad before the Marathas acquired it and it has the Bhoreshwar as well as the Bhorai devi temple. The other places to see on the top are the water tanks, Pantancha wada, Chor darwaza, Mahadarwaza and Takmak tok. There are 3 routes to go to this fort. The route from Thakurwadi, pali village, Pacchapur is the less time consuming. Thanks to Prasad Wagh the trek leader got some good information about the fort and the history around it. A good trek for beginners.

Panhalagad - Pavankhind trek - Jul 2013

Last weekend it was a trek to The Last Stand which paved the way for the founding of the Maratha Empire and the making of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. One of the most historic, significant and bloodiest battles was fought by the great warrior Baji Prabhu Deshpande and his 300 Mavalas against an 15000 strong Mughal Army led by the Mughals at the Ghodkhind which is today known as Pavankhind. I waited for 3 years to do this trek. I had to grow in confidence since this was a 47 kms range trek through an historic escape route from Panhalagad to Pavankhind. I started on Saturday morning with my cousin Pankaj and a group of 115 plus people from Kolhapur hikers. And soon we were joined on our trek by a 400 strong group from Ichalkaranji and some other 100 odd trekkers from Pune and Mumbai. The trekkers consisted of kids as young as 7 years old and adults as old as 60 plus. The enthusiasm and spirit shown by all the participants was motivational for one another. The trek goes through mountain ranges, muddy slippery roads, paddy fields, jungles, waterfalls and above 40 streams and rivulets. Except for a lunch break on the first day and an overnight halt at a villagers house we walked for two days braving the continuous heavy rains, escaping from leeches and lifting ourselves from the sticky mud. A different experience all together. This trek would be quite easy in the winter but it is done in the monsoon to experience and get a feel of history about how the Marathas would have made good their escape in the monsoon about 4 centuries ago. The 47 kms route goes through Panhalagad, Pusati Buruj, Turukwadi, Masai Pathar, Kumbharwada, Chaphewadi, Kelewadi, Khotwadi, Mandlaiwadi, Karpewadi, Ambewadi, Ringewadi, Malewadi, Sukumacha Dhangarwada, Mhasavade, Pandherpani and finally Pavankhind. The entire route is marked with arrows specially at bifurcations and the locals are very helpful in providing the right directions hence there is very less chance of getting lost. We ended our trek at a village called Bhaat Tali with a sumptous buffet lunch which consisted of mixed vegetable, puris, masale bhaat, dal and sevai kheer. After that we moved to Pavankhind to pay our respects to Baji Prabhu Deshpande. The sight of the gorge which was successfully defended by the Maratha Army was terrifying with a huge waterfall flowing through it. After the salutations, worship and a closing speech the trek was ended. Three cheers and a round of applause for the founder director Sagar Patil and his team of Kolhapur Hikers who organised this trek. It was very well planned and executed to the hilt. Right from organising the transport, the motivational speech by historians Appa Parab and Amar Mohile at the strt of the trek, the worshipping of the statues of Shiva Kashid and Baji Prabhu Deshpande, the distrubution of ID cards and route map, the food arrangements, expertise and making history come alive throughout the trek. A must do trek for all Maratha trekkers and to those proud of Maratha History. I can call myseld an expert at trekking after this success. The trek ended for all the trekkers on Sunday but for me it is incomplete until I trek from Pavankhind to Vishalgad from the same Khind or valley that Shivaji Maharaj escaped. A trek rarely done by trekkers. But I have to do it solo or with my cousin later in the year when there are no rains. Such was the impact of this trek that it has made me even more crazy for forts in Maharashtra and I ordered Babasaheb Purandare's Raja Shivchhatrapati online to understand the complete Maratha history

Kalsubai trek - Jun 2013

Blown away by the wind at the highest point in Maharashtra. Trekked to Kalsubai last Sunday with Trek O King and included 120 + trekkers and 4 wild ones from Goa. I would have loved to to take the Indore route but had to be content with the Bari route. This trek has been made easy to attract more visitors while ladders have been fixed at 6-7 places where the climb is difficult. I tried to make this trek as difficult as possible for me by taking the route besides or below the ladders. But still in terms of difficulty level I would prefer Rajgad or Torana. Sorry to say but nothing gr8 to offer for the regular trekkers but watch out for the final frontier, the pinnacle that also has the Kalsubai temple. Especially in the monsoon being at the highest point with the strong wind and clouds blowing made it an awesome WOW experience. To stop yourself being swept off your feet you need to sit down holding yourself or others. The velocity could be gauged from the fact that when I stood up with my hands widespread the wind pushed me ( currently weighing 90 kgs ) to a distance of 4-5 metres until when I stopped myself and sat down. Nevertheless it was a great experience being to Kalsubai specially 4 friends from Goa made it more enjoyable and interesting. — with Prabodhini Ekawade and 3 others.

Lohgad Trek

Trekked to Lohgad on Saturday with 5 friends. We reached Malavli station at 10 am in the morning, one station before Lonavala. An easy trek made into a difficult one as we chose the less walked path through the hills from the waterfalls next to the Bhaje Caves instead of the muddy road that takes u straight to the base. It was an amazing view of the Maval region from the top after a short climb from the base. We witnessed a huge crowd approximately 500 odd people. Some enthusiastic trekkers doing diving at Trimbak talaav which included ladies as well. The fog and rains made for an amazing ambiance. While proceeding towards Vinchu Kata I took the risk and descended a difficult rock patch alone which could have gone wrong and also ascended it on return. My tall frame does come handy in such situations. The view from Vinchu Kata or Scorpion Sting was another visual treat. And after reaching the base we thought of taking another route as we had to go to Lonavala to be able to get seats in the local. We descended towards Dudhivare Khind in the heavy rain which is about 6-7 kms and later towards the slope to Lonavala a good 4-5 kms when we decided that we had enough of walking and getting drenched in the rain and hitched a ride to Lonavala for the last 4 odd kms. We reached Pune around 10 pm with our legs paining along with other body parts and sore throats. Will definitely go down as one of the memorable treks thanks to my friends who were a part of this event namely Jayesh Shah, Sayalee Sheth Shah, Tejas Shah, Siddhesh Parekh and Nilesh Gaikwad. We rock guys ........ dats the spirit !!! — at Lohgad, Lonavala.

Raigad Trek - April 28 2013

It was another one of those fine overnight treks to the capital of Shivaji Maharaj's kingdom RAIGAD with WTAC, Pune. Just before the start of the trek it was tasty dinner consisting of homemade chappatis, potato vegetable and amrakhand. We began the climb at around 12 30 am on Sunday in full moonlight which also consists of 1452 steps and took just more than an hour. Then caught some sleep for about 2 hours in the erstwhile Bazar peth and was woken up early in the morning by the beating of the drum in the Nagaarkhana. 2 years ago when I had trekked to this place it gave me the impression that it is an easy trek. But mind it, if you visit all the points on the fort it is one hell of an adventure. It includes Takmak point, Bhavani point, Bara taaki, Wagh darwaza and Hirkani buruz apart from the normal points like, Samadhi, Jagdishwar temple, Rani mahal, etc. After a good lunch it was time to descend in the hot afternoon sun and the best part was running down the steps. A big thank you to the trek leader Prasad Wagh for all the information about the finer details of Raigad and for turning an easy trek into a wild trek. Something which only an expert can do.

Bhairavgad ( Moroshi ) trek 14th April

Trekked to Bhairavgad(Moroshi) on Sunday. Another one of those great experiences with Trek Mates India. It began with a bumpy ride in the govt red dabba bus from Kalyan to Moroshi. A night trek from Moroshi to the base plateau just before Bhairavgad peak. On the way received darshan of a big black scorpion which posed for a good 5 minutes before disappearing in the dark. After a rest of about 2 hours resumed climb on the rock patch. It was risky at some points and the final frontier where you cannot climb without a harness and support from others. A person weighing 90-95 kgs like me could only complete it bcoz of the efforts, support and motivation received from the leaders at time when my body was just not responding to my mind. And how can I forget the spirit of TMI and untiring efforts of the leaders Vikram Singh O Positive and Vishal Khond and other co-ordinators. Especially the Retrieve Green Bag mission. That was something really a feel good factor for all the trekmates in the end. Cheers !!!

Harishchandragad Trek ( Nalichi Vaat ) 7th April 2013

After a long 2 year wait finally got an opportunity to trek to Harishchandragad ( via Nalichi Vaat), one of the most difficult treks in the Sahyadri Mountains. A dream trek and it's not even been a day after this trek has been completed and I still can't believe I actually completed it. After considering the climb on the loose rocks, the difficult rock patches it was a mind blowing and learning experience, a test of endurance, will power and self motivation.There are about 4 difficult rock patches wherein I completed the 1st and 3rd without any help, the 2nd was done with a rope and the 4th was a chimney climb. The altitude covered in this trek is the highest in any trek, even higher than Kalsubai after considering the fact that this trek began at base village Valivhare or Bailpada which is at 600 metres above sea level. A big confidence booster for future treks. I don't think any trek would sound difficult after this one. Normally this trek is done over two days but here it was completed in one day which involved 6 and a half hour ascend via Nalichi Vaat involving a 18 km climb and 4 hour descend via Tolar Khind/ Khireshwar which involved a 10 km trek . A big thanks to Prasad Wagh and his team at Wild Trek Adventure Club, Pune for all the expertise, support and motivation without which it was impossible for me. Apart from trekking, this trek has also got me hooked to rock climbing now.

Rajgad Trek - 24th March 2013

A Sunday well spent with an unplanned trek. Yesterday early morning I left home thinking that by evening I should have scaled Kalavantin Durg. But there was something else in store for me. The previous plan just did not take off and I did not want to insult the new hunter shoes that I was wearing. Hence started my bike and drove towards Gunjavane, the base of Rajgad. The majestic fort which was Shivaji Maharaj's capital before his coronation. As always reached Padmavati machi and had some nice pithala, bhakri with thecha. I had a lot of time in hand and since I was alone had to do something different. Hence visited Pali darwaza and was able to view the route leading to Torna. Many people were doing this route that too on a hot summer afternoon. After that I started towards Suvela Machi, the farthest point on east. It must have been a 5 mile walk. The last tower after Chilkhati Buruj. I had never been to this end before. On the way climbed up to the big crater in the wall. Later came back to the base of Bale killa and ascended the Bale killa at one go. In fact I was running while climbing the rock patch.No fear or worry unlike the last time. I had not slept the previous night hence my legs started feeling weak. I was dehydrated before the climb to bale killa as I was carrying only a single bottle of water. I had to purchase a bottle of buttermilk from a lady. After descending towards Padmavati machi took a nice power nap of 2 hours in the Padmavati temple. One glass of Kolhapuri special double sweet tea and I resumed my descend. I descended towards Gunjavane village in 30 mins approx and just before the dark. With a satisfied feeling of a good trek and a day well spent I was on my way to Pune.