Harishchandragad via Nalichi Vaat

Hello Trekkers...
Warm Welcome...

Was cleaning up my Lappie and came across this set of Pictures. so thought of pen down.

Another experience with YatriSahyadri in my initial days of Wandering, I got an Invite for Harishchandragad via Nalichi vaat. I had always craved for some Long treks.. .and this was it.
Overnight trek that started Friday Midnight. we all met at Kalyan ST Depot... sharp @ 10.30 pm. with all the participants and volunteers arriving after completing their work (Since most of them were from Western suburbs).
we took a jeep and dumped our bags into the jeep. people were starting to doze off in the jeep itself. The chilling breeze of December was starting to take on us.
we woke up at Belpada, the base of Malshej Ghat. the journey was around 3 hrs. 
YS had already made arrangements for stay/ halt. a little nap and all woke-up at the alarm by the Volunteers.
did all the morning chores and were ready with the Breakfast @ 5.30am. "Kande Pohe ani Kaala Chaha".... ummm...awesome. 
@ 6.30 we gathered for a small round of Introduction and "INSTRUCTIONS"...
all were excited... but... when one of the instruction was "It will take around 8-9 hours, to reach the top and next 30 mins to the temple", "Saari HAWA Nikal Gayi", However every fear disappeared when the Leader did a "SHIV-GARJANA", and all were ready with their Horses to Capture the Fort.

The trek started around 6am, moving from the semi green - semi arid regions of Belpada village, we reached a point which seemed to be a Stream, flowing from top till down here. so we were rest assured, this is the path to follow, as no other seperate way was available. since it was december, almost all the water had dried up except for some places.

 moving with the heavy bags behind, maja masti and Nature trail, and Photography all was enjoyment.

we trekked for around 3 hrs until we took a break.
the further area was exposed to sunlight and that literally slowed down our pace by 80%, all were sipping on the water, but we had to be careful, not to empty the bottles as there was more trek ahead, and will need water there.
with all the boulders of medium to Large sizes, we were making our way.
at around 11am, the Volunteers distributed Thepla and took rest for 15 minutes. 

This charged our Batteries and we started moving ahead. 
Now the major area- NALIchi Vaat (Jine laavli aamchi Vaat) A crevice that goes between 2 standing mountains that rose around 300 mtrs+ and our route was to climb through the gaps in between
a steep climb and we were at the 1st Rock Patch.

The Leader Free-climbed and set himself there and put the rope down. 

We were told to do free climb, and take support of the rope.. only. if needed.
after next 15 minutes, another Rock Patch. it was much bigger and was the end of the crevice  between the mountains.

It was approximately 30ft in height and titlted at almost 70degree, and we had to climb that and do a sharp U-turn around the Ledge for the 3rd Rock patch.
3rd Patch was little but Tricky; it took us to a little Green/ Dense vegetation towards the plateau. a walk for 10 minutes and u can rest for some time.

the 4th patch was simple of 30ft, and i did a Freefall from the top, as my shoe lost the grip.
and then i climbed up again....
to our Right was the Mighty KOKANKADA (Since it faces Konkan region)

we reached the Top at around 5pm, when many of them in a Dead Mode ;)

Nothing can be Soothing to the Soul other than watching the Sun set on the Horizon from Kokankada. (My fellow friends ask me.. ek sunset dekhne k liye tu 10 hrs trek kiya?)

They will never know the PEACE u get here.

A View from Kokankada @ 90 degrees 

Our arrangement was made in the nearby Cave (Ganesh Gufa) and under the supercool moonlight, we had Hot Dal Rice, mix veg bhaaji, and Mango Achaar... (ummmm, that taste still tickes me)

the Night rose, and the Temperature started down... it was almost 7degrees in the night with spine chilling breeze outside.

Next morning we had MAGGI for breakfast and marched towards Harishchandreshwar temple, next to it is the Famous Kedareshwar Temple. a 5ft shivling at the centre of the cave, filled with chilled water.

Group Photo

Harishchandreshwar Temple

a small cistern with chilled water. that was our spot to get our Bottles filled for the remaining journey.

a little assistance to travellers from Tolar khind side

Moving ahead, we were to decend via Junnar Darwaja (since it faced Junnar area)

Entrance to the Junnar Darwaja route 

This route is not so used, and at times we had to make way by sitting or sliding down the slippery grass.

Pimpalgaon Dam, Khireshwar

after 4 hrs of decend, we were at HOTEL AISHWARYA, Khireshwar, 
"garma garam khaana = Aatma Shaant"

the menu was not great - plain roti, dal, rice, bhaaji, onion, achaar, and papad

By 2pm we were done with the food and were resting. we were waiting for the Jeep to come and it arrived by 3.30pm & by 5.30pm, we were at Kalyan Station.
till every1 reached their homes, i had already uploaded the pics on FB. 
(They always Tease me, "Hum log ghar pohochne tak pics aa gaye honge") ;) :D

Harishchandragad is situated on the intersection point of Thane, Pune & Nagar districts. hence there are many ways to reach here.
From Thane: Kalyan- Murbad - Malshej ghat - Khubi Phata - Khireshwar ( 96 kms)
From Pune: Pune - Bhosari - Chakan - Manchar - Narayangaon - Kotul (Take Left) - Pachnaai (161 kms)
From Nashik: Nashik - Ghoti Garden (take Left) - Take Right @ Bhandardara Ghoti road - Rajur (Take right) - Pachnaai(110 km)

Hope you liked this trek... feel free to comment

The Wanderer Trekker - Sumeet Rao (Sumya)

Mesmerising Trek to Bhimashankar via Shidi Ghat with YatriSahyadri

Hello Folks...

Since Time has permitted... i am hereby going ahead with one of the Memorable Treks with my Group - YATRISAHYADRI. I really feel "Proud" to be an Active Member of such a Magnificent Group. 
YatriSahyadri has and will always strive to preserve NATURE at any cost.

Going back to 2010, A Trek was announced for Bhimashankar. Fortunately the rains had taken a break, but little drizzle was ongoing.
we started from Dadar towards Karjat by the "Last local to Karjat". Participants boarded the train as per their convenience.
we reached Karjat (KJT) at around 3.00am. moved towards the KJT ST Depot nearby. took rest for about 2 hrs. had our breakfast and moved towards Khandas (base village) by Tum-tum.
once we reached Khandas, a walk of 30 mins took us to a point where the route diverts.
The route on the Left goes for the Shidi ghat and the Right goes to Ganesh/ Ganpati Ghat.

Note: While ascending via shidi ghat, you save around 2 1/2 hrs as compared to Ganesh ghat, BUT. Decending is 100% "NOT RECOMMENDED"

So we walked and reached a small WELL (Vihir/ Kuwa/ Baavdi) and decided to have a small round of Introduction and Instructions. 

Once done, the Batch was divided into 3 groups. Lead - Middle - Trail

with all the Greenery around, all were busy with their Camera searching for a Better frame of picture than others.

Enroute there is a small waterbody with varying flow. so the Volunteers built a bridge by holding hands and asked the participants to move forward taking our support. some of them decided to enjoy and sat there itself.

after such enjoyment, the jungle started to look scary as the denseness of the forest increased. one has to keep in mind to keep walking on the trail towards the right, and in next 5-10 mins, our eyes spotted the ladder. initially it was just a single ladder that is been used on building rooftops, but later on, taking into consideration the amount of Treks people do, the ladder is been upgraded to a better & Strong one. 

a few tricky rock patches and you reach a spot where you can have a breath taking view of the Sahyadri's and Padargad... 

following the route we reached the junction of Ganesh ghat and shidi ghat. from here the route is just zig-zag. and in monsoon, the route gets too slippery. for around 2hrs it goes the same and then leads you towards the Dense forest atop the mountain. 

Now at this point there is no Rain, but the Fog & Mist blocks your way. while walking, the fear in you is ready to pop out with scary voices of birds and animals around and creepy looking trees. 
since this forest is the only way to go round the mountain to reach the top.
here there are few stalls of 'Bhutaa' (Corn) beside a small pond. the Water here is ICE-CHILLED. 

Wait.. we are not there yet.! another walk for 10 minutes is still left. 
you really feel relaxed to see Civilization around you after such a long trek.

We moved towards the Temple of Bhimashankar, but were not able to go in due to time constraint. (Best time to visit is before the month of Shravan)

After having lunch, we moved again from the same route to decend, as we had to hurry to reach the base village before dusk. and you won't believe, in a matter of minutes, it gets dark here.
We managed to reach the base village, where all arrangements for dinner and travel was done.
It was one of the AWESOMEST Trek with these guys, and this tempted me to join them. and today, feel proud to be one of them.

Hats off to YatriSahyadri....!!!!

Route:
1. Mumbai - Karjat - Khandas - Bhimashankar (93 kms)
2. Pune - Chakan - Rajguru Nagar - Bhimashankar (110 kms)
3. Nashik - Sinnar - Sangamner - Narayangaon - Manchar - Bhimashankar (204 kms) 

Introduction:

Hi Everyone....
Thanks for Visiting my Blog.

From early AGE i have always craved for Nature... may be this hinted me to do something for the Nature. and no one can be as close as a TREKKER.

Working as an HR- Executive with a private firm, weekends were always a boring time for me with less friends that could gel up with my hobby of trekking.
So Joined a Group that later became my Family and have been associated with them from last 4 years.

I have done major & Minor treks ranging from 1 day to 3 days.

Thus.. a small platform to share my experience with all of you, that may be helpful in the future. and try not to disappoint you.

Thanks again....

I wish to meet you in our further upcoming treks...very soon.

Peb Fort / Vikatgad Trek

Hello Everyone...Greetings from Sumeet Rao…(Sumya)

Since Monsoon has had its Quota of Rainfall… we decided to fulfill our Quota of Treks.

September: a super pleasant month, where all the festivals are almost done, Monsoon is almost approaching its end, Winter slowly trying to peep in, Flowers in blossoming mode… A perfect time for a Small Jungle Trek.

We were planning for some Small-time. Less tiring trek. And it Struck…Lets try Peb, also known as 

Vikatgad Fort.

About:

This fort lies in the Sahyadri’s connecting to Matheran. Vikatgad is a small hill type fort with numerous adventures enroute, we will get drenched in Waterfalls, walk on Grassy plateaus, climb rocks patches, get on to a Ladder, enjoy the breath taking 360 degree view of Matheran and adjacent areas, again walk on a ledge with cool breeze feeling all over your body, move ahead onto the Toy train route.

A Medium grade trek, but full on thrill & Adventure and most important: Heaven for First timers.

The day arrived and My old fellow colleagues took the Karjat bound train from their respective station.

Getting down at Neral, we had a pleasant Misal Pav breakfast with Cutting chai. (Nothing can match this Deadly Awesome combination)

Moving ahead we started the trek… Sun god was all set to hold us back from doing it, but all were so excited that they ain’t gonna listen.

With a short round of Introduction and Instructions the true TREK starts. Walking along a trail through overgrown bushes and shrubs.  “FLAME FLOWER” caught our sight and amazed us with what powers nature possesses.

A short break of 5 mins on grassy plateau and a Group pic, 

we continued, now the trail was getting a little tougher since it was from dense jungle where there are frequent chances of getting Mis-route, 

However, we had a clear picture of the route in our mind, but just for thrill, we intentionally led the group a little onto the dead end way. We had hardly walked for 3-4 minutes and the group was really frightened, so we calmed them by taking them ahead onto the rightway (which was glued in my mind and not even 0.5% of getting misroute). Finally we reached the Spot – a WATERFALL. Much to our dismay, there wasn’t much waster but was enough to charge ourselves and fill up our Waterbottles.

Then the tough part starts with boulders and to climb them alon the route. Some girls were hesitant, but managed. Cripping started when all started sweating…. But it was short lived. We reached the mid spot on the Ledge that divided the mountain range. Cool breeze and shadows refreshed our mood and started to climb the Rock Patch. Girls were unknown about this and when they heard that “this is the route”, they almost abandoned the trek there itself. So we gave them a little “Gyaan” and then informed about we running behind the schedule. So they gathered up their might and climbed the patch much easily than their expectations… within next 10 minutes, we were at the Cave “PEB KILLA” (PEB fort).

It is said that this cave was built by the Saints that used to travel frequently and used this cave for resting. The cave here can accommodate around 70-80 people. We had carried our lunch and had it here.

Furthermore moved towards the Ladder which is held along a straight wall of around 40 ft. Next 10 minutes of Walk took us to the Top of Vikatgad. Little Photography sessions and Personal Clicks for Facebook/ Whatsapp DP (Display Pic) we moved to-wards another ladder that joins 2 cliffs.

Getting down was easy but tricky and led us towards the famous “V” Ledge which joins Vikatgad to Matheran. Alongroute we clicked many pics of Flowers without plucking them and preserving them in their Habitat.

We trailed for some 20 minutes and were on the TOY TRAIN route. We halted for all the group to come and moved towards Dasturi Naka onto the Tracks.

“Ohh no… the Train is coming, what shall we do Now?”… panicked the girls, but it was way too far from them as they were away from the tracks.

Note: This train is not for passengers, it’s for the Railway staff that works along the route and in Matheran.

Reached Dasturi Naka, took Taxi’s and reached the Hotel in just 15 minutes.

As soon as we got onto the train to CST, those who got the seats were almost asleep even before the train started. All were tired, but did enjoy a lot.

“All’s well… that ENDS well”

More such treks to come that had been done earlier but still afresh in my Mind

-     Regards,

Sumya (Sumeet Rao)