It was the month of October and the heat was menacing. It was one of those phases where winter was round the corner but not yet there. I was in my freshman year and I had decided that I will be exploring the treks in the Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra. It stretches 1,600 Km in its entirety from Gujrat to Kerala.
Jayesh one of my friends from the school called me “Let’s go for a trek to Chanderi Fort.” As I was in the groove for adventure I said, “yes!” though unsure of what was coming. But to have a complete experience I did my homework. I found out a few nuggets about the trek. Chanderi is a rugged black massif that is 800 meters high. Adjoining it is a group of four pinnacles called Mhasmal.
Once an impenetrable fortress with strong walls. Today it finds itself in ruins due to the ravages of time. In May of 1656, Shivaji Maharaj had captured it from the Mughal Rule. The approach route is difficult with dense jungle and steep waterfall in between. With an average endurance and less than a trek’s experience, I decided to climb the trek.
The outside was still dark as the alarm buzzed at five. Without wasting a single minute I got up and quickly got ready with a packed knapsack. taking down my hunter shoes from the almirah, filling up water in the bottle I left my home for the station. We boarded the train bound to Karjat. The train was filled with lots of passengers most of them where heading for a trek. One guy was wearing a Trekfriends T-shirt. “Hi I am Sanket and he is Jayesh. I have booked couple of seats for the Chanderi Gadh trek.” I said. “Hi! I am Vishal leading the trek, meet Shruti, Jayshree and Akash.” Vishal said.
We found our place in the already filled boggie. The rail tracks were gleaming as the morning Sun shone brightly on them. Slowly and steadily the train passing every station reached Shelu. The station was deserted, with only an office for the Station Master and a waiting room. Shelu is one of the small sleepy towns on the Central Railway line. Nobody got off the train accept us. Vishal called his co-leader, “Where are you? We have got down from the train at Shelu.” Vishal said over the phone. He turned towards us and we realised that we have got down at the wrong station.
We had to get down at Vangani. The next train back to Vangani was an hour later. Waiting for the train was a fool’s errand. Following the rail tracks we started walking towards Vangani. The heat was sweltering and I was perspiring by the litre. “You studied at the same school?” Shruti asked. “Yes we were batch mates since the fifth standard.” Jayesh said.“This is my first trek expedition.” I said. “Oh, its a first for me too.” Shruti said. A fast moving train was approaching as we could feel the tracks rumbling. We saw the train coming our way and seeing it we quickly leapt on the other track and witnessed the mighty locomotive whizz past us.
Vangani seemed to be miles away and there was no sign of any station. But we could see a tempo driver was waiting at the railway crossing for the clearance of the signal. “Where are you going?” He asked. “We are going to Vangani.” Vishal said. “I am going to Vangani as well, Hop in.” Driver said. He drove us through small alleys. The tempo leaving behind a trail of dust passed many a shops and houses. Finally we reached Vangani railway station. We heaved a sigh of relief after alighting with the group.
It was ten and we were getting late for the trek. But trek couldn’t be started without having breakfast. Everyone was hungry. We entered a Hotel and gorged on to some Vada pav and Kanda Bhajiya and washed it down with Nimbu pani. We started off our trek at eleven in the morning after a round of Introduction and Prayer. A path led into the jungle beyond the last triangle roofed hut. It was thick, dense forest with mesmerising and pleasant greenery. We kept walking in the shades of many a tree. It was a pleasant setting for the trek. I could see the dark black peak of Chanderi Fort. We were about to experience the dark, rugged side of Sahyadri Range.
The trek was easier said than done. It tested one’ endurance and stamina at every turn. Resting a while and keeping ourselves hydrated was of utmost importance as we kept climbing. The sun was completely above us blazing all guns. Climbing the boulders, crouching and getting up, we kept walking through the bushes and the thorns. I saw a palm-sized spider perched on his web. I understood that nature is a beautiful painting of the Great Creator.
It was two thirty in the afternoon. We reached the top of the pinnacle. The dense jungle was spread across the deep valley. The city could be seen expanding beyond the horizon. Opening up the packet of crisps, biscuits, and wafers we took our lunch in the cave atop. After resting a while we began our descend. As we got up Jayesh started wincing in pain as his leg got cramped. I took him by the shoulder and started walking.
Taking regular intervals to keep ourselves hydrated, We kept coming down. But it was getting darker by the second. The sun was setting in the sky leaving behind a crimson hue. It was the onset of winter the days where shorter than the nights. We could feel the darkness beneath the canopy of the forest. We hadn’t carried a torch, but we kept walking down in the glow of our mobile phones. Two villagers who had accompanied us along the way were leading us out of the woods.
It was seven in the evening when we reached the base village. It was too dark and all I could see was stars spread across the open sky. We were grateful that we came down with our essentials together. On reaching the base village we entered a Hotel and gorged on to Misal Pav to satiate our hunger. Boarding the train to Thane I was trying to relive the moments and I felt gratified by the exhilarating experience of my first trek.
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