After my first monsoon trek to Naneghat ,I was itching to go WANDERING at the next possible opportunity,but the unpredictable and hectic work schedule was the major hindrance in committing in advance to any Trek Groups.So when Aashish put up this trek I instantly gave my nod with the usual rider that 'provided I'm in Town'.Anyways we kept in touch but I did not know how many have said yes .I was thinking 10-15 would be ideal group.
So on a lazy Sunday morning,I reached the station just in time.At the ATVM the person ahead of me was struggling with the machine so I helped him buy a ticket but lost some precious moments and as it invariably happens in such scenarios, the train was on time and I did not have a ticket.It was a very easy decision for me and without hesitation I boarded the train with no ticket.Perfect start...
The compartment was full of youngsters half awake-half dozing,I found Aashish.After customery high fives and bear hugs,I came to know that there are 25 of us for the trek and I thought 'Ohh No' we are 10 trekkers too many....Of course by the time we completed the trek I would be taking back my words...
There was one more ticket less latecomer like me and he called to his friend in Dombivli to buy tickets for us ( see we did not want to rob CR of the revenue).To CR's bad luck, the guys boarding from Dombivli were late as wel sooooo...
Since this trek was for friends of Aashish, he was the common factor among the small groups and he juggled his time very wel, also keeping tabs on who is going to board from where etc etc.After Kalyan we had the quorum completed and all settle down to getting introduced with others and having a small talk.
I tried to capture the lush green scenery from the train .It was soothing .
We reached karjat on time and decide to have our very on spicy n hot Indian Burger outside the Railway station before catching a bus at 0830.
So after a head count and contri,we had piping hot Vada Pav and Instead of going by a bus the chief negotiators and bargainers Mr.Aashish and Mayur struck a deal with tumtums ,so all of us 26 trekkers distributed themselves in 3 tumtums for a ride till Ambivli (about 35 km).From the experience of the trek,I would strongly recommend going from Neral instead....
The ride was anything but smooth, thanx to potholed road but it was made comfortable by joyful singing from the occupants.I was pleasantly surprised by their enthu and also by the choice of songs.
at Ambivli,there were already two groups having tea at the lone T-shop cum Hotel cum home.We had a tea and official Intro session.The trekkers were from so many different walks of life...Engineers, CA, Lawyer ,Finance,Sales Tax Officer,Navy,Marathi Professor ,poet,Students etc etc.
Though the weather was cloudy and humid ,there was no rain at all.I was just hoping it does not end like Naneghat where there was no Rain at all..
From the Tea shop at Ambivli, one takes the tar road and after about 150 meters,there is a diversion to left which is a kachcha road to Peth village,the Base village of Kothaligad.From here the climb is not very steep as the road is meant for vehicals but I doubt anything apart from a two wheeler would be able to go up..
Its a soft 2 km winding road which opens up to a platou.What a panoramic view we had here...Also welcomed by a short n sweet drizzle...It was official photo break( we had atleast 7-8 un-official photo breaks by now) as the climb would be rocky from here after.....So everyone was clicking photos in different poses to their heart's content...We had to co-axed them to continue trek...but it was fun....
We also got a close view of the pinnacle which seem too far away...By this time the different characters in the group had started showing their TRUE colours... So Anusha was hyper energetic and bubbly,Mayur was the official photographer( the job he did to the fullest, organizing photos at every opportunity tirelessly till the end...)Thanx a lot Buddy...I have yet to see a person so much interested in clicking other's photos...Thankfully for him there was no shortage of trekkers who were equally happy getting clicked...and here there was no Gender bias so the pretty girls were equally supported by boys.There was so much bonhomie , leg pulling and even flirting going on that the otherwise tedious climb was no pain at all and soon we reached the Base village Peth. From here the pinnacle is not too high but the path circles around to avoid steep climb.There are few places where you need to watch your steps but the villagers otherwise have made the climb much easier with rock cut steps where required.With ample breaks for photos, Limbu Pani etc. etc, we reached the caves in 2-2.5 hours, but decided to move towards pinnacle .This was the best part of the whole trek.The massive rock is cut from inside to form a tunnel with steps upwards opening to amazing vistas..The last few meters till pinnacle were an exhilarating climb with cool breeze,nice views and possibility of a shower...
The lunch on top was mix buffet kind of thing with lots of variety ,with everyone munching on others' tiffin as wel.Here Om prakash ji surprised us with 'Ghevar'..a sweet delicacy which was amazingly tasty...
Another heartening thing I noticed was the number of enthusiastic trekkers on the top. A little inquiry with the vendor selling tea, mineral water, pakodas there revealed that almost 200 people visit the fort every weekend during Monsoon.The awareness is really heartening.also the place was completely free of any litter...another positive..
With sufficient rest and lots of photos on top we started our descend..On the right side of caves there is a large opening where one can see the ancient canon and fortification (Buruj) revealing past glory of the fort.
The climb down was uneventful and quick as we had a tumtum booked at 1630 hrs.With only one stop at Peth we came down to Ambivli.Generally this last stretch is always the toughest as your energy levels are low and the path seems unending.
Throughout the trek Rain was playing Hide n Seek with us.we were drenched in sweat by the time we reached Ambivli. We were dejected seeing heavy rain at Kothaligad and Peth while we were at ambivli..Luckily rain gods smiled on us and there was heavy downpour at Ambivli and everyone came out to get drenched.With our bodies somewhat cooled down but cloths wet, we headed for Karjat to catch 1840 train back home.
Again the tumtum journey was full of songs and this time I was active participants. Again the youngsters floored me with their grasp for Olden Classics.Surprisingly, the choice of songs was automatically veering towards old songs..Such is the magic of those lilting melodies and such is the short lived popularity of newer songs.
Since it was a cost to cost trek and we had some amount left with us,Aashish and Mayur decided to treat us with two spicy indian Burgers with mineral water and "Khane ke bad mithe main kuch Mitha Hojaye" wala Dairy Milk...The vendor was quite happy with us for the big order and served us with piping Hot vadas'.
By the time we reached the platform,train had already arrived and expectedly jam packed. We decided to wait for next train after an hours time and sat comfortably on rain washed cleanliest platform I had ever seen. Imagine all of us with successful careers and in good positions at Offices, sitting merrily on a platform to enjoy a Happy Meal...This is what Trekking does to you..You willingly shed all inhibitions,all attitude and ego behind and just enjoy the day....
After a filling meal we waited for the train and to our utter dismay, the next train also was jam packed and we found our fellow trekkers from "Shikhar Vedh" occupying the seats as they had boarded the train from Neral. smart guys.This is the reason I said above that one should go from Neral instead of Karjat. Anyways, you learn from experience.
The jam packed train meant that we had barely enough space to stand in a hour long journey. What followed after that was sheer enjoyment. With all the possible power in our lungs we sang to our heart's content all songs,marathi, hindi, parody songs etc.There was an undeclared contest between other group who were also in similar situations. Needless to say our lung power outwitted them hands down.This would not have been possible without all my friends and girls in our group.Guys you were ROCKING!! पुरें ट्रेन को हिला के रख दिया ...That was the best one hour journey I had after a long long time..
The biggest takeaway for me was the endless Positive Vibes n Energy from fellow trekkers which shall help us to grind for the week ahead in a highly polluted and stressed out lives.We all departed with a clear resolve in our minds to meet again on some trek and continue the bond....
Thanx again to Aashish and Mayur....
also thanx to all my 25 friends..Dear , I am very bad at remembering names so a general thanx to all... you all made my day...
So on a lazy Sunday morning,I reached the station just in time.At the ATVM the person ahead of me was struggling with the machine so I helped him buy a ticket but lost some precious moments and as it invariably happens in such scenarios, the train was on time and I did not have a ticket.It was a very easy decision for me and without hesitation I boarded the train with no ticket.Perfect start...
The compartment was full of youngsters half awake-half dozing,I found Aashish.After customery high fives and bear hugs,I came to know that there are 25 of us for the trek and I thought 'Ohh No' we are 10 trekkers too many....Of course by the time we completed the trek I would be taking back my words...
There was one more ticket less latecomer like me and he called to his friend in Dombivli to buy tickets for us ( see we did not want to rob CR of the revenue).To CR's bad luck, the guys boarding from Dombivli were late as wel sooooo...
 |
| Lush Green |
Since this trek was for friends of Aashish, he was the common factor among the small groups and he juggled his time very wel, also keeping tabs on who is going to board from where etc etc.After Kalyan we had the quorum completed and all settle down to getting introduced with others and having a small talk.
 |
| Waiting for Vada Pav |
 |
| Fresh n eager trekkers |
So after a head count and contri,we had piping hot Vada Pav and Instead of going by a bus the chief negotiators and bargainers Mr.Aashish and Mayur struck a deal with tumtums ,so all of us 26 trekkers distributed themselves in 3 tumtums for a ride till Ambivli (about 35 km).From the experience of the trek,I would strongly recommend going from Neral instead....
The ride was anything but smooth, thanx to potholed road but it was made comfortable by joyful singing from the occupants.I was pleasantly surprised by their enthu and also by the choice of songs.
at Ambivli,there were already two groups having tea at the lone T-shop cum Hotel cum home.We had a tea and official Intro session.The trekkers were from so many different walks of life...Engineers, CA, Lawyer ,Finance,Sales Tax Officer,Navy,Marathi Professor ,poet,Students etc etc.
Though the weather was cloudy and humid ,there was no rain at all.I was just hoping it does not end like Naneghat where there was no Rain at all..From the Tea shop at Ambivli, one takes the tar road and after about 150 meters,there is a diversion to left which is a kachcha road to Peth village,the Base village of Kothaligad.From here the climb is not very steep as the road is meant for vehicals but I doubt anything apart from a two wheeler would be able to go up..
 |
Its a soft 2 km winding road which opens up to a platou.What a panoramic view we had here...Also welcomed by a short n sweet drizzle...It was official photo break( we had atleast 7-8 un-official photo breaks by now) as the climb would be rocky from here after.....So everyone was clicking photos in different poses to their heart's content...We had to co-axed them to continue trek...but it was fun.... |
| Peak at the background |
We also got a close view of the pinnacle which seem too far away...By this time the different characters in the group had started showing their TRUE colours... So Anusha was hyper energetic and bubbly,Mayur was the official photographer( the job he did to the fullest, organizing photos at every opportunity tirelessly till the end...)Thanx a lot Buddy...I have yet to see a person so much interested in clicking other's photos...Thankfully for him there was no shortage of trekkers who were equally happy getting clicked...and here there was no Gender bias so the pretty girls were equally supported by boys.There was so much bonhomie , leg pulling and even flirting going on that the otherwise tedious climb was no pain at all and soon we reached the Base village Peth. From here the pinnacle is not too high but the path circles around to avoid steep climb.There are few places where you need to watch your steps but the villagers otherwise have made the climb much easier with rock cut steps where required.With ample breaks for photos, Limbu Pani etc. etc, we reached the caves in 2-2.5 hours, but decided to move towards pinnacle .This was the best part of the whole trek.The massive rock is cut from inside to form a tunnel with steps upwards opening to amazing vistas..The last few meters till pinnacle were an exhilarating climb with cool breeze,nice views and possibility of a shower...
The lunch on top was mix buffet kind of thing with lots of variety ,with everyone munching on others' tiffin as wel.Here Om prakash ji surprised us with 'Ghevar'..a sweet delicacy which was amazingly tasty...
With sufficient rest and lots of photos on top we started our descend..On the right side of caves there is a large opening where one can see the ancient canon and fortification (Buruj) revealing past glory of the fort.
The climb down was uneventful and quick as we had a tumtum booked at 1630 hrs.With only one stop at Peth we came down to Ambivli.Generally this last stretch is always the toughest as your energy levels are low and the path seems unending.
Again the tumtum journey was full of songs and this time I was active participants. Again the youngsters floored me with their grasp for Olden Classics.Surprisingly, the choice of songs was automatically veering towards old songs..Such is the magic of those lilting melodies and such is the short lived popularity of newer songs.
Since it was a cost to cost trek and we had some amount left with us,Aashish and Mayur decided to treat us with two spicy indian Burgers with mineral water and "Khane ke bad mithe main kuch Mitha Hojaye" wala Dairy Milk...The vendor was quite happy with us for the big order and served us with piping Hot vadas'.
By the time we reached the platform,train had already arrived and expectedly jam packed. We decided to wait for next train after an hours time and sat comfortably on rain washed cleanliest platform I had ever seen. Imagine all of us with successful careers and in good positions at Offices, sitting merrily on a platform to enjoy a Happy Meal...This is what Trekking does to you..You willingly shed all inhibitions,all attitude and ego behind and just enjoy the day....
After a filling meal we waited for the train and to our utter dismay, the next train also was jam packed and we found our fellow trekkers from "Shikhar Vedh" occupying the seats as they had boarded the train from Neral. smart guys.This is the reason I said above that one should go from Neral instead of Karjat. Anyways, you learn from experience.
The jam packed train meant that we had barely enough space to stand in a hour long journey. What followed after that was sheer enjoyment. With all the possible power in our lungs we sang to our heart's content all songs,marathi, hindi, parody songs etc.There was an undeclared contest between other group who were also in similar situations. Needless to say our lung power outwitted them hands down.This would not have been possible without all my friends and girls in our group.Guys you were ROCKING!! पुरें ट्रेन को हिला के रख दिया ...That was the best one hour journey I had after a long long time..
The biggest takeaway for me was the endless Positive Vibes n Energy from fellow trekkers which shall help us to grind for the week ahead in a highly polluted and stressed out lives.We all departed with a clear resolve in our minds to meet again on some trek and continue the bond....
Thanx again to Aashish and Mayur....
also thanx to all my 25 friends..Dear , I am very bad at remembering names so a general thanx to all... you all made my day...
i was da 1 who was travelling widout ticket.along wid u..from thane...!! then more ticketless travellers joined in from dombivli kalyan..!! hehe..!! nice blog and this line "Imagine all of us with successful careers and in good positions at Offices, sitting merrily on a platform to enjoy a Happy Meal...This is what Trekking does to you..You willingly shed all inhibitions,all attitude and ego behind and just enjoy the day...." is excellent..!! hope to c u in future treks..!!
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