Torna - Scaling Highest Fort in Pune district

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Mark Twain

Explorer inside me was anxiously waiting in the wings for the difficult period to pass. My fractured wrist bone forcefully kept me away from the full-fledged hiking for more than 2 months. Though I did simple hikes during this period, I was itching to resume strenuous hikes soon.

  

If breaking wrist was painful, healing period was even more painful. I was very happy when my plaster was taken off and was hoping for the fully functional left hand soon. But alas, I was wrong! Putting the plaster on the hand for 6 weeks had made muscles stiff and even a slight movement of the fingers, rotating the wrist was causing a lot of pain. I was advised physiotherapy for the coming 2 months to gradually gain back the strength.Climbing the difficult terrain was out of question and wait to begin full-fledged hiking was agonizing.

Gradually pain in the hand subsided and I decided to resume my hiking with Sinhagad. I hiked with the wrist band to protect the injured hand from further injury. Hike to Sinhagad went uneventful which boosted my confidence to join TrekDi group for the night hike to Torna, the highest fort in Pune district. Though I hardly had any strength to climb using my left hand (even lifting a water bottle was painful), I took the calculated risk to go for this hike.

Amol More, the certified mountaineering expert was the assigned trek leader to lead a group of total 8 trekkers. We all assembled in front of Fergusson College around 11 p.m. and started our journey towards Torna in a comfortable mini bus around 11.30 p.m. Umesh Sharma was the trekker sitting next to me and Amol and we struck up a conversation to get to know each other and our trekking and mountaineering experiences. Ice was broken and we instantly formed a nice rapport. We didn't realize when Velhe, the base village of Torna arrived.

It was pitch dark when we landed in Velhe, There was absolutely no sign of moon. I was under the impression that we would be trekking under the moonlight but it turned out to be the night of no-moon. We were submerged in the utter darkness after switching off the lights of our bus, . We even could not see the silhouettes of Torna fort . Fortunately, all of us were carrying torches. There were two routes going from the place where we had parked our vehicle and we were slightly confused which route to take. Depending on the consensus, we chose the route falling on the right side and started our march towards the fort.

As few of the trek-mates were hiking for the first time or after a considerable gap, we took frequent breaks to make sure that nobody was left behind. After a hike of 1 hour or so, we reached to a ridge with the steep slope on both the sides. A cool breeze was blowing caressing our faces and we decided to rest for some time and experience the tranquility by switching off our torches.Sight of millions of star in the sky and experiencing  utter peacefulness rejuvenated our mind, soul and body and after a while, we started our final march towards the fort. There were few rock patches in between where both the hands were needed to haul yourself up. As I was just recovering from the broken wrist, I was finding it difficult to negotiate few patches. I somehow managed to negotiate these patches with one hand. Finally, we reached to the first entrance of the fort where we again waited for few other members to join us.

Finally after hiking for more than two hours, we reached to our halting point - temple of goddess Mengai around 4 am. We were drenched in the sweat and were unsure whether to sleep inside or outside the temple. There was already a group sleeping inside the temple and we decided to spend the remaining few hours before the dawn outside the temple. We were quite hungry and wolfed on the snacks we had with us. Soon I tucked myself inside the sleeping bag at the backside of the temple. Some of the trek mates were reluctant to sleep and lit a small campfire and started chatting around it. Many of the trek mates shared some weird and interesting experiences – inclining towards the horror stories and it was a good fun. Though my eyes were closed, I heard each and every amusing story that was being shared.

I didn't want to miss the sunrise and came out of my sleeping bag just before the sunrise. As there was still some time for the sunrise, I went around the temple to click few pictures. This temple of Goddess Mengai is very spacious and beautiful and a good halting place for the trekkers.

Exploring fort with our group was planned after breakfast. During the free time, we decided to catch the sunrise and explore some parts of the fort on our own. Watching the sun rise from the far away mountain was an exhilarating experience and we just marveled at its sight. These are the moments when you feel so connected to the almighty and you feel blessed with the beautiful life God has given to you.

After the sunrise, I and Umesh decided to visit Zunjar Machi. You need to go down by the ladder installed and take a traverse along the narrow dirt route to reach to a point from where you need to negotiate a rock patch to reach to Zunjar Machi.



As I was unsure of negotiating the tricky rock patch with one hand, I decided to wait till Umesh’s return. Watching the marvelous architecture of Zunjar machi was a stunning experience and one can’t help wondering how on earth these kind of structures were built without the modern tools and technology.

After a while we returned to the plateau from the Zunjar Machi. Trekking route from the Velhe village was clearly visible from the top of plateau and we luxuriated in the panoramic views of the river and mountains around.

As we were returning back, I looked back and clicked a zoomed photo of Rajgad with monkeys in the forefront.

 

There is a water cistern named "Mengai Tank" near the temple. This water can be used for drinking purpose.

After a while, we returned back to the temple. The guy who was going to prepare breakfast had not arrived yet. This guy was supposed to come from the base village but there was no sign of him. We were becoming hungry and decided to have a breakfast of Tea-biscuits rather than waiting for the guy. 

As tea was getting prepared, I struck a conversation with a group of elders; all looking above 60. They were brimming with a lot of energy and I was so eager to know more about them.

Me: Uncle, from where?

Uncle: Pune

Me: What’s your age?

Uncle: Guess?

Me: 65 yrs

Uncle: No, 55 yrs. ….After a smile, it’s 71 actually

Me: Wow, uncle! What a fitness! What’s the secret?

Uncle: Climbing Sinhagad on Thursday and Sunday for last 14 yrs.

Well, fitness doesn't come easily. It requires discipline over the years but the fruits are worth of it! I couldn't have witnessed a better example than this coterie of senior citizens – so fit, so energetic, so radiant and so happy! It was a choice that they made many years ago and they were reaping the benefits of that choice years later on. From the look of uncle’s fitness, I wouldn't be surprised if he scales the mountains for another 10 years.

Soon, tea was ready and we gorged on biscuits with the tea. Once we had stuffed ourselves, we all went to see Budhala Machi. 

Konkan Darwaja with Budhala Machi in the background:

As we didn't have much time and it was becoming hotter, we just had the glimpse of Budhala Machi from the distance. 

I couldn't resist the temptation of getting myself clicked on the backdrop of the stunning Budhala Machi.

After spending few minutes and having a group photo and bit of photography, we decided to return to the base.Along the way, we came across a small snacks joint and there was a guy finally arrived. He apologized for coming late and offered to prepare the breakfast for us. But as it was almost 10.30 a.m. and sun had started to beat down, instead of waiting for the breakfast, we decided to gulp down few glasses of Lemon Juice and started descending.

Kothi Darwaja: This is the second entrance while climbing.

Bini Darwaja: This is the first entrance of the fort while climbing.

As we were descending, we came across a lady who was distraught and seemed to be in a lot of pain. She seemed to be amateur in the trekking field and was utterly exhausted after climbing Rajgad earlier night, walking to Torna for more than 6 hours on the ridge and now descending not so easy Torna. She already had slipped 3-4 times bruising herself and was almost in tears. “I quit, I quit. I can't take it anymore”  and she was sitting helplessly right in the middle of the rock patch obstructing the path for other trekkers. We tried to motivate and encourage her but she was in no mood to listen. Gradually, her group leaders who had gone ahead again trudged back to assist her.Well, trekking is definitely not a picnic and you need to know your limits before venturing into the inhospitable terrain.

While descending down:

A group of trekkers came from behind and overtook us  They were literally running under relentless sun. Probably they were preparing themselves for some kind of endurance competition.

At last, after trudging for almost two hours, we reached to the base.

We soon reached to the place where we had parked our vehicle. We gulped on the water before proceeding for the lunch in Torna Vihar restaurant which is known for its great food as well as great hospitality. Hotel owner personally attended to us and served us sumptuous food till we got fully satiated. During the lunch, I met Snehal Dongre, an adventure freak and the core member of "Man Vs Miles" group and we chatted for a while on different adventure related topics.

Torna Vihar Restaurant:

Soon, it was time to bid adieu to Velhe. Umesh Sharma requested to return back from the shortcut via Pabe ghat as he intended to visit it as part of his cycling expedition later on and we all unanimously agreed. It was indeed very scenic and we saved a lot of distance and reached Pune earlier than expected.

All in all, a memorable night hike in the pitch darkness, witnessing the spectacular sunrise, wondering at the marvelous architecture of the Zunjar and Budhla machis made this hike a treasured one. I would love to visit Torna in the monsoon season to experience the lush greenery and soak under the waterfalls.

Torna, pride of Maharashtra is an important part of the history and every proud Maharashtrian should visit it at least once in lifetime.

Tips for the hikers

• Grade of hike (Medium for seasoned trekkers; tough for beginners)
• Time of hike: 2 to 3 hrs from the base depending on your stamina
• Stay can be made in the temple of goddess Mengai
• Long hikers can combine Rajgad-Torna which can truly test your stamina
• More information on the fort can be found here.

Thank you for reading the blog!

Do visit my home page to easily navigate to my other blogs.

Happy hiking!

Appeal: No litter; no plastic; no wrappers; keep the mother nature clean!

Sarasgad - First Hike of Year 2014

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." -- John Muir

2013! What an incredible year! Hiking almost each weekend; exploring more than 20 new forts ; discovering a writer inside me; learning basics of photography.

2014! A start of new year! Still many forts to conquer; many peaks to summit; many regions of wilderness to explore. Onus to carry the same momentum, set new goals and continue living a non-trivial life!

I intended to embark on my first hike in the year 2014 on an auspicious note and zeroed in on the land of Ballaleshwar Ganesh – Pali which hosts a beautiful fort, Sarasgad.

As I was going to lead this hike, I researched information of the fort on the Internet, called up few friends who had recently visited this fort and finalized the plan for the hike on 11th Jan. With few facebook and whatsapp messages, I was able to gather four more trek-mates – Sandeepak Phadke, Ajay Deshpande, Chinmay Kirtane and Vishwanath Amonkar. As Sandeepak and Ajay had scheduled Chadar (Frozen River) trek in Leh-Ladakh region in the first week of February, this trek was kind of little rehearsal for them to prepare themselves for the grueling challenges ahead. 

Everyone assembled at my place around 6.30 a.m.. As I needed a break from my regular duty as a chauffeur, Sandeepak took over the responsibility and brought his car. We started our drive towards Pali on a beautiful winter morning. We reached to Khopoil after driving for more than an hour on Pune-Mumbai expressway along the way enjoying the sights of Tung-Tikona, Lohagad-Visapur, Manaranjan and Srivarshan citadels of Rajmachi. We indulged in a nice breakfast before resuming our journey to Pali.

After reaching to Pali, we parked our vehicles in the parking area of temple premises. As we entered the temple premises, we were thronged by vendors selling garlands, flowers, coconuts and puja thali to please Lord Ganesha.We ignored their pleadings and entered the temple. It seemed to be off-season for pilgrims as temple was almost empty and without any waiting in the long queue, we were quickly ushered inside the temple and after offering our prayers, we came outside within 10 minutes. 

We were guided by the locals to reach to the starting point of trail. It was quintessential late morning in Konkan – warm and humid when we started our hike. Trail starts from the wheat flour mill and passes through few small houses and after a while, it turns right and takes you further in the direction of a small plateau.

Plateau wore a carpet of burnt grass – probably recently burnt. It added to the dry and rugged look of all the terrain devoid of any greenery. Sarasgad was looking very intriguing, inviting yet intimidating from this plateau. There is a small shack on this plateau which seemed to be deserted at the time of our visit. Dirt trail was looking very clear amid the burnt grass. We stopped for a while, exhausted with humidity more than a climb, sipped some water and proceeded on the dirt trail. 

Shortly, we reached to a small, slanting rock patch with tiny steps engraved in the rock. These steps become very slippery in the monsoon and pose challenge to hikers. We didn't face much of a difficulty while negotiating this patch. Only reaching to the first step requires some stretching; rest of the patch is easy.

Shortly, you reach to a small cave like structure. This cave is said to be spacious from inside but you need to crawl inside it. As it was very dark inside and we were not carrying any torch, we just peaked inside and returned back to join the flight of steps carved in the col between the two bastions. 

Ascending these stairs was exhausting because of all humidity and we were soon drenched in the sweat.

Dindi Darwaja (Main Entrance) welcomes you once you negotiate these steps. 

There are some devdi as you enter through the gate.

After crossing the gate, you come across a small plateau.

On the left after entering the gate, there is a water cistern.

After climbing few more steps, you come across many caves carved at the bottom of the gigantic rock of the citadel . One of the caves hosts a small Shiva-ling. Other cave hosts a small shrine.

Caves carved at the bottom of the rock:

A small water cistern:

Shiv-linga inside one of the caves:

There is a small tomb named "Shahapeer Tomb" inside one of the caves. On Vaishakh Poornima (full moon day), the villagers celebrate the festival of Shahapeer. (Info source: Trekshitiz)

After visiting the caves, we started our climb towards citadel (balekilla). You need to traverse the length of the citadel to start the climb. We witnessed hornet’s nest with many flies around it and it was a bit scary considering many past instances on different forts where flies stung trekkers injuring them seriously. Fortunately, we passed them without any untoward incident. Shortly, a group of college girls and boys passed us making a lot of noise. Few of them seemed to be pranksters and I warned them not to stir hornet’s nest, waited till they went out of sight.

Along the way, we got great views of the adjacent mountains. On a clear day, you can spot many forts - Tailbaila, Ghangad, Korigad, Sudhagard. Unfortunately all the forts were barely visible because of all the haze around. After a lot of concentration though, we could spot faint looking Tailbaila at a distance. Its faint glimpse was enough to make us elated.

Another water cistern at the start of climb to citadel:

You need to negotiate few rock patches (Grade: Easy) in order to reach on top of citadel. 

View after reaching on top of citadel:

You need to follow a dirt path on the right side which will take you to Kedareshwar temple situated on the banks of a lake swarmed with beautiful lotus flowers. There was not a soul around except five of us and we experienced some moments of solitude inside the temple.


Trail leading to Kedareshwar Temple:

Kedareshwar temple and a lake:

Resting outside the temple:

Inside the temple:

It was post 12 in the afternoon and had become very hot. As we did not have the packed lunch with us, we wanted to get down by our lunch time so as to have lunch in some restaurant in Pali. We had the option of following the same route for our descent but we wanted to explore the alternate route from the North side; so we started our descent from the North side entrance of the fort. Because of the ill-maintenance of the fort, Northern entrance is almost hidden amid the tall grass and different plants.

The route to descend was steep; going through a lot of boulders.  At some stretches, there were few grooves carved in the rocks to help you descend.

You come across a large cistern as you descend.

Soon, we were half way down. It was becoming hotter and hotter and there came a sudden realization that descending route was taking us farther and farther from the Pali village.

We were incredibly famished by the time we reached to the half of our descent and we spotted a short-cut which was entering the woods which seemed to have taken us close to Pali village. We took our chance with the shortcut and ventured into the woods. This short-cut seemed to be the route for the cattle and not frequented by humans. Still, we continued to trudge along the same route. As the route was going through the thicket, we were not able to see anything but the trees. Only consolation was that the route was not coming to an end and it was leading us closer to Pali village. Finally, we were relieved when the route though the thicket was over. Still, we were not sure where this route would take us further.

There was a cricket match being played in the ground below and we were able to hear a lot of cheer.

Finally, the route joined to the plateau from where we had ascended and we heaved a sigh of relief. We had taken the unusual route and had traversed the whole length of the fort for more than an hour. We came across few villagers and told them the route that we had taken and they just laughed about our ignorance of the terrain and confirmed that we really had taken the unusual route. Well, we were not complaining and a thought of coming out of the unusual route successfully provided a sense of achievement.  In hindsight, we had taken a calculated risk that came off. 

As we descended and passed though little houses, some of the villagers were resting in the cart.

We were incredibly hungry as it was past 2 p.m. We asked few shop owners regarding the best restaurant in Pali and proceeded towards it. Restaurant owner took great care of us after hearing that we were back from Sarasgad hike and served us great food. Finally, after feeding ourselves squarely, we returned back to Pune carrying a lot of sweet memories of the hike.

Overall, Sarasgad was a great addition to the forts I had visited. First hike of 2014, warm and humid weather during the hike, great sights of the rugged mountains from the top and unusual traverse taken while descending made the hike worthwhile. I would love to repeat this hike in monsoon to experience the greenery and wet rock patches.

Perched on the holy land of Lord Ballaleshwar Ganesh, though offbeat in nature, Sarasgad offers a great escape from the mundane life.

Tips for the hikers

• Grade of hike: Medium in monsoon; easy in winter/summer
• No food facility available on the fort
• Stay can be made inside the caves at the base of citadel.
• Carrying your own water is advisable.Water in the cistern near the Shahapeer tomb can be used for drinking purpose in case you are not carrying your own water.
• For long hikers, this hike can be combined with nearby Sudhagad.

Thank you for reading the blog!

Do visit my home page to easily navigate to my other blogs.

Happy hiking!

Appeal: No litter; no plastic; no wrappers; keep the mother nature clean!

Kalavantin - A Night Hike to remember

'To those who have struggled with them, the mountains reveal beauties that they will not disclose to those who make no effort. That is the reward the mountains give to effort. And it is because they have so much to give and give it so lavishly to those who will wrestle with them that men love the mountains and go back to them again and again. The mountains reserve their choice gifts for those who stand upon their summits" - Sir Francis Younghusband

As year 2013 was coming to an end, I was yearning to end it on a high. I was mulling over an idea to climb Lingana with my friends of Wild Trek Adventure (WTA) Group. Lingana is supposed to be one of the most strenuous climbs in Sahydari mountain range and you need to have technical expertise to climb the same as approach to its summit was destroyed in the past. Unfortunately, my wish was nipped in the bud as my wife vehemently opposed the idea of scaling Lingana calling it as insane and urged me to look for simpler option.I tried to convince her citing WTA's technical expertise and safety precautions to make this climb successful but to no avail.  Humorously, I even tried alluring her with the amount of insurance that I had for my life in case I wouldn't return alive but still it bore no fruits.I was disheartened but understood the concern of my wife and decided to look for other options and zeroed on hike to Kalavantin pinnacle near Panvel which also involves rock climbing but is many times undemanding, safer as compared to that of Lingana.

I joined TrekDi group for this hike and we started off around 10.15 p.m. from Pune. We had a group of 8-9 trekkers with 2 trek leaders - Vikas and Shubham. TrekDi had arranged a comfortable 17 seaters for such a small group. Apparently, this trek did not get much of a response but fortunately organizers did not cancel the trek and went ahead with the small available group.

Hiking with strangers has its own advantages; you get to meet a lot of new people from the varied backgrounds, you forge a lot of new friendships, you meet lot of inspiring people who fill your life with so much of positivity.

Our target was to reach Thakurwadi village, starting point of our hike, around 1.30 a.m.. Journey to reach this village was eventful. As we were on the way to Thakurwadi, it was post-midnight and we came across a village bustling with a lot of activity and where many cars were parked. Food stalls were open serving tea and food. I was surprised to see so much of a rush at such an unearthly hour and surveyed in the other direction to notice that there was night cricket tournament being played. It felt wonderful and brought back some nostalgic moments of my childhood where we used to play such night cricket tournaments in our village. After asking the direction to Thakurwadi to one of the stall owners, we carried on further.

After driving for 10 minutes on a straight road, we came across a diversion but our driver drove straight ahead instead of taking a turn at diversion. Soon, we reached to the dead end of the village only to realize that we had lost our way. As there was nobody awake in the village, only practical option was to return back to the diversion and hope that the other road would lead us to our destination. Fortunately, it turned out to be the correct route and we saw the board indicating the direction to Thakurvadi village. We soon reached to the village only to realize that we again had come in the wrong direction. We were supposed to reach to a big banyan tree which was the starting point for the trek but there was not any banyan tree in the near sight and the route was going farther from the Kalavantin peak.

It was already close to 1.30 a.m. and villagers were sleeping like a log. We experimented with GPS but it deserted us at the wrong time because of some network issues. We desperately needed to get hold of somebody who could guide us. Fortunately serendipity came our way in the form of a man sleeping in the temple. We tried to arouse the man from the sleep indirectly by making some noise and chiming the bell in the temple but the man didn't move an inch. As we were in dilemma whether to wake up this man forcefully, he finally seemed to have opened his eyes. Ceasing this golden opportunity, we politely asked him way to the banyan tree - starting point for hike to Kalavantin. He gave details regarding the correct route and even offered to accompany us till the banyan tree. He said that he would sleep in other village and it would not be a problem if he accompanied us. What an amazing fellow! 

We happily took this man along and soon reached to the banyan tree. After expressing gratitude to this god sent man, we began our hike in the direction of Prabalmachi, the base village of the fort. There is no road connectivity to this base village and you have to hike for 2 hours to reach to it. You can imagine the plight of the villagers who still haven't been provided with the basic amenities in the 21st century where India is believed to be shining. Fortunately, our government seems to have woken up from the slumber and seems to have started some kind of work to make this village connected by road. Hopefully, in few years’ time, the road to this village will be a reality making the life of these villagers much easier.    

As we commenced our hike, Kalavantin Pinnacle and massive Prabalgad were glowing in the resplendent moonlight and it was sight to behold. It was moment to take the first photograph and I took out the camera and pressed "click" button only to realize to my dismay that I had forgotten the memory card at home. Though I made sure to fully charge both the camera batteries, I forgot to check whether memory card was inside the camera. I felt wretched to come to term with the fact that I had to do this trek without clicking any photo. As luck would have it, my trek-mate Rishi Kasne, who also takes keen interest in photography was carrying extra memory card and he offered it to me. With the borrowed memory card, my mood sharply turned  from somber to ecstatic. By the way, I still have to meet Rishi and copy the photos that I took in his memory card. 

It was a wonderful night with the full moon. Moonlight hikes are absolutely fun. Hiking amidst the serene surrounding with soothing moonlight guiding your way, at a time when your part of the world is dreaming, is absolutely a divine experience.  I was expecting a chilly night and was wearing a full sweater but as soon as we started our hike, we were drenched in the sweat and most of us, removed our sweaters. We took occasional breaks and reached to the plateau of Prabalmachi around 3.30 a.m.. There was already a group of campers camping just outside the village; some sleeping, some chatting. I struck up a conversation with them; the group had come from Mumbai and one Puneite from that group felt happy to see group belonging to his city and immediately waved and shouted to inform us him being Puneite.

On entering the village, we were greeted by the cacophonous barking of lots and lots of dogs. Their noise was frightening to the core and we were feeling like thieves surreptitiously sneaking into the village but we just moved on ignoring these dogs. We were searching for the shelter to spend remaining few hours of the night. We didn’t want to sleep in the area open to sky to avoid our mats and sleeping bags getting drenched on account of the due. Soon, we spotted a small house with the shade in front and we decided to lie down under the shade. 

Few of my trek mates were already hungry because of climb and chose to munch from the packed lunch; I just tucked myself inside the cozy sleeping bag and tried to get as much rest as possible. It was almost 3.45 a.m. and we hardly had time for 2-3 hours of nap. All the dogs in the village were active throughout the night barking unnecessarily and it was irritating to the hilt. As if it was not enough, roosters started crowing vociferously around 4.15 a.m., almost two hours before the dawn. It is amazing how internal clocks of these roosters make them crow few hours before the dawn.

Few of the trek mates had not prepared well for the chilly night and hadn’t brought anything to pull over. It was becoming very freezing and they just could not lie down and got up to see whether they could light some fire to get some warmth. I sympathized with them; actually I was also shivering inside the sleeping bag as I was not wearing sweater and socks and somehow cold already had penetrated inside the sleeping bag. Cursing the sleeping bag manufacturer, I got up again, wore the sweater, monkey cap, socks and again tucked back into the sleeping bag. At last tiring body felt warm with this extra cushion of clothing and stopped paying heed to external noises and went into the trance. I had a sound sleep of 1-2 hours before I was awakened by a sound of “tea is ready”. Apparently, our trek leaders had already woken up and finished with preparing the tea and started cooking the Maggi. I was not willing to get up but the thought of hot tea and the prospect of amazing early morning hike washed away all the lethargy, tiredness and I gradually came out of the sleeping bag to join my other trek-mates who already were warming themselves near the fire.

After breakfast, we set off for the climb after confirming the direction from the villagers. Once you start your trail correctly from the village, it will automatically take you to the col between Kalavantin and Prabalgad. Ascent till the col is steep and it will take around 20-25 minutes to get there. The route passes through the small rocks and boulders and you need to be careful to avoid any slip. It is dreadful to twist your ankle on this way with careless hiking as real magic awaits you further which you just don’t want to miss because of the twisted ankle.

Once you reach to the col, you get nice views of Matheran plateau  which is hidden from you as you are climbing. You can easily distinguish Matheran plateau from other mountains because of towers erected on it. The whole view of the giant mountains on all the sides is just breathtaking and you feel rewarded for all the toil and efforts that you have taken to witness such a grand vista.

I had listened to and read a lot of interesting stories about the steps of Kalavantin fort and as we were about to start the actual climbing, I was thrilled at the prospect of climbing these much talked about steps. At the very start of the climb, you need to climb a small, slanting rock patch with proper grooves. This can unsettle few especially in the rainy season when the rocks get slippery. In the winter, it is not such a big deal and you can easily do it. You have a zigzag route to follow and you soon reach to the steps carved in the rock. Sometimes, whenever steps change the direction, they become too narrow to your comfort as there is a steep fall on the other side. You need to keep your weight on the right side; proper shoes and careful steps can make this ascent easy. You can have testing time if you do the same hike in monsoon when there is a moss and steps are slippery. I even noticed some bolts on these steps which I assume are used to tie ropes in the monsoon so as to ensure safety. As you climb the steps to reach the summit, massiveness of Prabalgad on the other side just make you spellbound. Overall, all of us did quite well and negotiated these steps without any hiccups. I would say that with proper precautions, this climb is straightforward in winter.

You need to negotiate a small rock patch (Grade: Easy) to reach to the summit. Some people climb it without any ropes but it is advisable to take safety precautions if you have non-climbers in the group. As most of the trek-mates were novices in the field of rock climbing, our trek leader, Vikas ascended ahead; tied the rope to a big rock and suspended it down where other trek-leader Shubham tied the ropes along the waist of the trekkers and soon, one by one everyone reached to the summit. Only 2-3 steps in the rock patch were tricky; otherwise it was an easy climb.

Once on the top, we just reveled in the beauty around. The whole forts of Matheran range – Haji Malang, Chanderi, Navra-navri, Peb were looking breathtaking. The whole Matheran plateau was also clearly visible with the towers on it clearly making it distinguished from other mountains. Also, on the other side, Karanala was looking very inviting with its thumb like peak and Manikgad was standing prettily with its hat like plateau. We just luxuriated in the sights of these majestic mountains.

As we were spending few sublime moments on summit, coterie of hikers joined us comprising of three kids aged 7, 8 and 10. These innocent looking kids were trained rock climbers and two of them already had climbed Lingana summit once under the supervision of adults. I was dumbstruck to hear this incredible piece of information.

There was nothing much to explore on the summit. Though Kalavantin was built as a fort, it was mainly used as a watch tower in the past. Therefore, after getting rejuvenated by the cool and fresh breeze striking our faces, immersing ourselves in the picturesque views, capturing adjoining stunning mountain ranges in the lenses of camera, it was time to descend - to transport ourselves back to the practical world.

Everybody climbed down using the rope one after another. Descending was easier because of all the safety precautions. Vikas, our trek leader descended only after ensuring everyone came down safely from the rock patch. We soon started coming down towards the col. One of our trek mates had very slippery shoes and he had to climb down slowly, sitting with the support of both of his hands. As we were coming down, other group had arrived at the col and they waited for us to descend. Shortly, we reached back to the col and other group started their climb.

Once everyone from our group reached to col, we started our way back to the base. Shortly, we arrived at the house where we had left all our rucksacks. We put our feet up for a while and ate a packed lunch. After thanking the villagers for their help, we set off for our further descent to Thakurwadi village around 12 in the afternoon. Sun had started to beat and along the way, we took one to two breaks in the shadow of the trees to get some respite from the heat. 

Reaching to the base was relatively uneventful barring one incident where one of our trek-mates, an orthopedic doctor twisted his ankle while descending. I offered him the muscle-sprain spray that is always part of my rucksack to relieve him from the pain. Orthopedic doctor being offered help from an IT professional for an ankle sprain, what an irony!

We finally reached to our parking spot around 1 p.m.. When we reached down, we were approached by couple of mini-bus drivers who were hungry and did not get any food in the near vicinity. We offered them whatever was remaining with us and they happily accepted and expressed gratitude towards us. We refreshed ourselves, changed the clothes and started our journey back to Pune. We halted at Malavali to have tea and cold drinks and reached back safely to Pune around 5 p.m.

On the whole, my initiation to the world of technical rock climbing, stunning panoramic views of mountain ranges from the top and chilly night spent in the outdoors made this hike one of the treasured ones.

So, what are you waiting for? If you have strong legs to climb and are willing to come out of your comfort zone, hike to Kalavantin in the Panvel region will fill you with absolute joy.

Tips for the hikers:

• Hike to Kalavantin can be combined with that of Prabalgad. It requires 2 days though.

• Reaching Kalavantin summit requires basic rock climbing. If you are a non-climber, it is advisable to go with experts who provide safety equipment for climbing.

• Prabalgad has many misleading paths. So take help of guide or join a group who have done this trek earlier.

Thank you for reading the blog!

Do visit my home page to easily navigate to my other blogs.

Happy hiking!

Appeal: No litter; no plastic; no wrappers; keep the mother nature clean!