Sudhagad - An Unforgettable Overnight Hike in Summer

Me: Shashikant, any hike planned this weekend?
Shashikant: Yes, we have planned for Sudhagad. We will leave on Saturday around 2 p.m. and come back on Sunday.
Me: Can I join you guys?
Shashikant: Sure. In fact we are four and as we are going by car, we can easily accommodate you..
Me: Great
Shashikant: As you are recovering from hand injury, I didn't invite you for this and earlier treks.
Me: No problem. As I did Torna 2 weeks back, I suppose I am perfectly fit to hike on Sudhagad. :)
Shashikant: Great, see you then. I will pick you up from your home. Send me your address.

It is really amazing how a common hobby can connect people. I have many friends in my social network whom I haven’t met and still a bond of friendship is developed just by chatting, talking about the hiking experiences. Shashikant Patil, a regular hiker for more than 4 years was such a friend in my social network whom I hadn't met and we were planning to do a hike together since a long time. A canceled trek to Rajmachi with other group provided me opportunity to connect to a new set of trek mates.We started around 3 pm from Pune in Honda City, halted in Pali for refreshments and tea before reaching to Daryagaon village around 5.30pm. I never felt outsider even though I was meeting these guys for the first time. We immediately hit off and quickly I was gelled with the group.

We started our hike just at the right time when the hot weather had turned into a pleasant one. You need to cross few small houses from a little hamlet during the start of your hike. You can’t stop wondering the peacefulness of the village against the chaos of the urban life, simplicity of the village life against the complexity of the city life. But as saying goes, grass is always greener on the other side.

Sudhagad was basking in the golden, slanting evening rays as if reminiscing and savoring memories of its golden days.

With the golden landscapes all around with fresh mountain air, hiking seemed no more strenuous or laboring. We soon reached to the ladder installed on the difficult rock patch. Because of the presence of this ladder, this route is called as the “Ladder Route”. Intention of putting up the ladder is to make the life easy for the villages who visit Sudhagad during annual yatra.

Initially we had planned to witness sunset from top of the fort. But I was moving at a snail’s pace as I was capturing many beautiful landscapes along the way. I was getting to photograph in the golden light and I was making full use of it. My other trek mates except Shripad were far ahead of me and they reached on top just before the sunset. I and Shripad were still trudging slowly; I because of the photography and Shripad because he was hiking after a long time and was carrying the extra backpack containing common utility items required in the trek. I also carried the extra burden for some time but because I was just recovering from the wrist bone fracture, I was finding it difficult and sensing it Shripad took it on him to carry it till the end. As we could not reach to the top before sunset, we enjoyed the sunset just before reaching the top. It was definitely one of the most sublime, the most beautiful sunset I had ever witnessed.

It had become darker and we lit our torches and headlamps for our final march towards the fort. We slightly lost our way as we took the left turn instead of the right one at one intersection and we were almost in the woods without any visible trail.  My earlier knowledge of the route came handy to find the correct route.In the first place, I agreed to try the left path as it was looking so distinct but as soon as we sensed that the path was leading us in the woods, good senses prevailed and we retraced our steps back to the place from where we had taken the left turn and took the right turn and soon reached to the plateau of the fort.

We already had exhausted more than half of water we were carrying and it was important to replenish our water stock. So we proceeded towards the water tanks which are difficult to find if you are new to the fort. We filled our bottles and proceeded towards Bhoraidevi Temple, our halting place for the night.

As soon as we reached to the temple, we threw away our backpacks at once and rested for a while. Soon, we gathered small dried sticks and lit a small fire and Shashikant started preparing the vegetable soup. I was amazed to see the stamina and enthusiasm of Shashikant. The guy already had hiked Sinhagad in the morning, drove the car all the way and even after reaching on top of Sudhagad, he was full of energy. Soup was delicious and after a while, we had our packed dinner of Thepla, Gulpoli and Curd.

After dinner, we went into the open area. Millions of stars were twinkling in the sky and it was a perfect setting for star gazing. Shripad Deshpande had Skymap Astronomy Software installed on his android phone to identify different stars and planets and we all joined him. Star gazing was the great end for the day and we proceeded inside the temple as we started getting chilled by the cold breeze outside. We chatted for a long period, Shripad and Vikas being ardent fans of the great Marathi writer, Late P. L. Deshpande entertained us with his humorous quotes.Gradually fatigue set in and everybody went into a trance only to disturb right in the middle of the night by a group of hikers who were halting at Pant-Sachiv palace and came inside the temple in search of water.

Apart from the disturbance at midnight, we had a comfortable sleep of few hours and got up early before the dawn broke. We spotted a vantage point near the temple and eagerly waited for the sun to rise from behind the fort, Ghangad and adjoining mountain range. Just before the sunrise, the whole horizon got adorned with beautiful colors and it was the most exhilarating sight. This was really one of the most spectacular sunrises I had ever witnessed which left me speechless, stunned and ecstatic. 

After the sunrise, we returned back to the temple. Shashikant, Vikas and Vinod left to fetch some water from the water cisterns. Shripad was still sleeping peacefully inside the temple oblivious to any worries in the world.

As I had nothing better to do, I decided to explore few parts of the fort on my own.

Twin-walls of Telbaila fort:

Some ruins on the fort:

Mahadev Temple:

There was not a soul around when I visited Mahadev temple which still had the lush greenery around even during the summer. I just enjoyed few moments of solitude before visiting Pant Sachiv Palace.

Soon, I returned back to the temple. Shripad gradually came out of his slumber and realized that he already had missed the sun rise but he seemed content after having a long and peaceful sleep.

Soon, I saw happy faces of my other trek mates returning from the mission of bringing the much needed water. Soon, it was time to prepare the tea.

After tea, we started exploring the fort. As it was soon going to be very hot, we decided to visit areas first devoid of any trees and proceeded towards the Takmak Tok. During my last visit in monsoon, I rarely was able to see anything except the clouds but this time, everything was clearly visible. Gigantic, grey mountains spread across the horizon were looking mystic and I got a feeling of getting dwarfed in the presence of these mighty mountains. These kind of places have a profound impact on your psyche and you come back as a better human being - more humble, more grounded and more equipped to face challenges of the world. These are the places which teach you more philosophy of life than any human or any book can do.

Soon, we proceeded towards the Gomukh Take. It is rarely visited by the trekkers since it is not easily accessible. You need to descend on the Southern side to reach to it. As nobody of us had visited it earlier, Vinod and Shashikant went ahead to check it out and we followed in suit. After some searching, finally we heard their happy shouts and finally we all reached to Gomukh Take only to find it dry because of the summer.

As we had descended for quite a distance, we were reluctant to climb the same distance again to go to fort’s plateau. So, we decided to continue further through the thicket assuming it would join somewhere to the well-defined trail on the fort. We had to make our way through the thicket and after about 15 minutes, we found ourselves on the path going towards Maha Darwaja on the Dhondase route.

Maha Darwaja/Dindi Darwaja: The construction and arrangement of this door is of the type called “Gomukhi” (in shape of cow’s mouth). This door is well protected since it is hidden in between two huge bastions.

After visiting Maha Darwaja, we proceeded towards Chor Darwaja (the secret door). There is a very small opening to pass through this secret door and you have to pass through it almost squatting. There were many big spiders on the floor and we had to rush through the opening quickly to avoid spiders clinging onto bodies. We had to repeat the same ordeal while coming back from the same passage. 

Few trekker from other group found a novel way to avoid the passage and they used roots and branches of a tree to climb.

After exploring almost each and every nook of the fort, we had a breakfast of Dry Bhel. We rested for a while in front of the temple. As we were resting, Vinod Dhamanna, an avid bird enthusiastic, spotted a falcon or vulture nearby and rushed with his camera. He was photographing the bird for a long time and we patiently waited for him to finish. Once he was satisfied and contented with his clicks, we decided to descend. Before descending, we again replenished our water stalk from the cistern. This water cistern is really a boon for the trekkers and without it, it wouldn't have been possible to stay on a fort for a long time. Though the color of the water was greenish, it was clean and cool and tasted like a fresh mineral water. The fact that nobody suffered from any infection afterwards prove that the water is really potable.

We took few breaks to finally reach to our parking spot after trudging for an hour. We stopped at a restaurant near Adlabs Imagica to gorge on the well-deserved lunch before proceeding towards Pune.

In hindsight, this was a hike where everything fell in place superbly. Ascending in the golden hour of the day, witnessing a stunning sunset, few anxious moments after losing our way in the falling light, star gazing at night, witnessing a spectacular sunrise and exploring the fort at our own leisurely pace provided immense satisfaction to the mind and made this hike one of the most treasured ones. 

Not to mention, I got new trek mates and friends after the hike. Who doesn't want to have friends who are inspirational and exhibit plenty of talents? If I ever decide to participate in Marathon, I have a coach in the form of Vivek Deshpande who is a regular marathon runner. If I ever decide to try the bird photography, I could anytime accompany Vinod Dhamanna. If I ever have the urge to climb on Sinhagad, Shashikant who climbs Sinhagad twice a week is just a call away. And if I get bored and want to get entertained with funny quotes of P.L.Deshpande, Shripad would be more than happy to oblige.

Sudhagad, which lost to Raigad in the race of capital of King Shivaji's Maratha empire, is an astonishing place to savor the history, to get lost in the moments of absolute solitude and to witness the stunning panoramic views.

Tips for the hikers

• More about the fort can be found here.
• To get the feeling how fort looks in monsoon, visit my earlier blog on Sudhagad.
• No food facility available on the fort without prior notice.
• Water is available in the water cisterns on the Western side of the fort.
• For long hikers, you can combine Sarasgad with 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!

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!