Monsoon, Sahyadris And Treks

I could see them changing shades. At 37,000 feet, sitting by the window and flying through them as the airplane sashayed above the Sahyadris. My lips curved into a broad smile. The clouds had started loitering all over Sahyadris, ready to defeat the gory summer heat. Its time. Time to go trekking and soak in the resplendence of the Sahyadris.

So what’s so special about those short weekend treks during monsoon?

The best part is, you don’t need to sulk and worry about unavailability of leaves. You could just hop around during weekends. Plus, there are couple of more reasons. 

Firstly, if you are a pluviophile, you won’t need to hunt for reasons to get drenched. Secondly, treks are one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy (both mentally and physically). That takes care of your obsession of shedding those extra pounds gained while you gorged on all sinful stuff throughout the week. And lastly, you get to explore the unexplored; you come to know about places that might have been a trivia for you until today and places you thought never even existed.

View From Andharban Trails

If you thought trekking was for some aliens and people from different planet altogether, give your thoughts a strong shudder. Look around when you go for those romantic long drives during monsoon, crossing the valleys, glaring at the waterfalls and wishing, if only you could touch the water or bathe under one.

Why only wish? Why not live those wishes?

There is much more to Sahyadris than usual visits to those dams and waterfalls (from distant) on weekends when people from every nook and corner of the city are hopping towards the quotidian. Instead, do things that you might not have dreamt of doing and feel the rush of adventure in your blood.

The Horse-Shoe Waterfall

Get mesmerized by view of Duke’s Nose, The Horse Shoe Waterfall, The breadth of Lonavla from Rajmachi. Submerge yourself under the waterfall by Kondane Caves. Revere the beauty of dark while traversing through the dense Andharban forest. Experience the quiver of elevations while climbing the 80⁰ steep rock cut stairs of Harihar fort.

The Thrilling Harihar Fort

Stand atop Korigad fort and have a look at the green lawn spread across Pune. Hop on to the peak of Kalawantin Fort and take a look around, spot Irshalgad, Shrimallang, Matheran, Vikatgad and Mahuli among various other forts.

Kalawantin Fort- View from Prabalgad

The trail to Naneghat would never fail to enchant you with it's most distinguished charm. Consider yourself lucky when you get to see "The Indravajra" from atop Konkankada (a rare phenomenon called Brocken Spectre) when you trek to Harishchandragad. 

Trail to Naneghat

Trek to Bhimashankar and you earmark your endurance levels. Meditate under the waterfall of Gupt Bhimashankar. Summit Mount Kalsubai and you can brag about conquering the highest peak of Maharashtra. 

Meditate under Gupt Bhimashankar Waterfall

Save yourselves from getting blown away by the fierce wind while traversing through the ridges of Ghanchakkar and Bhairavgad. Wake up early, sit by the caves of Ratangad and if you are an ardent artist, you get to view the most beautiful portray of Bandardhara presented by nature herself.

View from Ratangad Caves- Just before Sunrise

Drink from the water cisterns, bathe in the fresh water streams, swing along the giant creepers and walk through the clouds. Rappel down the gushing waterfalls of Vihi and Bhivpuri.

Waterfall Rappeling- Vihi Waterfall

Go south and trek along the railway tracks of Goa to behold the might of Dudhsagar waterfall. Traverse through the jungle and take a dip in the Tambdi Surla Waterfall near Kulem, Goa. Beware of the leeches, they can get inside your shoes anytime. However, that's the last thing you should worry about.

The mighty Doodhsagar Falls- Goa

Pondering upon the thought on how to go ahead for these short and worry-less weekend trips? Well, all you need to do is, visit the websites below and you won’t need to ask for more. The trek groups mentioned below would help you out. You may select a group based on the convenience of your location.

Bhramanti 365

Dark Green Adventures

Giridarshan TrekkingClub

Mask Group

Mumbai Rangers

Pune Trekkers

Shikhar Vedh

TattvaAdventures

TrekDi

Trek Mates India

Travel Trikon

Yuvashakti

Monsoon is at its peak and before it bids adieu, gear up, pack your bags with monsoon essentials, grab good trekking shoes and voila, you are all set.

Happy Monsoon. Aloha.

The pictures are sourced from Arun Kumar Dash, Sandesh Chalke and Google.

Share your thoughts with me at dipanwiita@gmail.com

Harishchandragad- Through The Daunting Gorge (Nali Chi Vaat)

Some risks in life are worth taking. Some fears are worth facing. Some trails are worth following. And, all peaks worth climbing. Because, the view from top is worth all risks, fears, perturbations and pain.

Harishchandragad. Mention of the name evokes muddled responses and few of the first things that come to one’s mind are the mighty Konkankada (Konkan Cliff), the 5 feet tall Kedareshwar Shivalingam and the many routes to climb to the top.

I have already mentioned about Harishchandragad in delineation in my previous post. You may like to read through about the architecture, facts and history here. 

Harishchandragad is a hill fort famous for it’s accessibility via multiiple routes, the most daunting one being Nali Chi Vaat. The literal translation of Nali Chi Vaat is “The Gorge Path” where “Nali” in Marathi means “Gorge” and “Vaat” means “Path”.

Nali Chi Vaat is the toughest route to climb Harishchandragad. The name itself is sufficient enough to scare the living daylights out of someone, let alone going through pictures. The entire route is a rocky terrain with a combination of small to colossal rocks of heterogeneous geology.  The climb is almost 80 degrees steep with 4 rock patches to be covered in all. On top of everything, the rocks are loose, even the biggest of them can come tumbling down any moment. The smaller ones form heavy talus which makes the trail more treacherous. Hence, one has to measure his / her steps before trying to get proper foot and hand holds.

The Ascent- Via Nali Chi Vaat

With winter at it’s peak, we decide on going for another adventurous trek to Harishchandragad - ascent via Nali Chi Vaat and descent via Rajmarg aka Junnar Darwaza, the two most thrilling routes.

Christmas night, 25 souls bitten by adventure bug, start their journey from Mumbai towards Belpada, the base village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, India.

Vikram Singh led the trek.

We reached Belpada around 3:00 AM. The intensity of the wind with supremely chilled temperatures made everyone shiver. We took a nap till 6:00 AM and were ready to start for the trek by 7:00 AM post breakfast and tea, followed by the introduction round.

Ayush and Mahesh turned up to be the surprise elements, first time trekkers opting for HCG via Nali Chi Vaat as their life’s very first trek. A grand salute awaited them.

Ayush and Mahesh- The First Time trekkers

We were informed that the entire trek would take around 6- 7 hours to complete.

We had a smooth start. The first patch, 30 feet high, climbed with the help of safety ropes tied as bowline knots around our waists. The first patch was done without any hitch.

The 1st Rock Patch

The second patch was most menacing since the entire patch had free rocks. We were fore-warned by Vikram about the same. The trick was to maintain distance between each other while climbing and the call of “watch-outs” to save your trekmates from being hurt by the rocks falling off. Well, I wasn’t among the lucky ones to be spared. While I was waiting for my other trekker mates to move ahead, a rock came tumbling down and within fraction of seconds, before I could move away, it hit my leg just above my ankle and BAM… a loud scream escaped my throat. After a quick first-aid and a few minutes of rest, I was once again ready for the climb. One more climbing patch completed.  The Nali ends after this patch.

The 2nd Rock Patch

The 2nd Climb

The Helping Hand

The third patch was traverse through the forest with complete package of scree and talus. A smaller climbing patch towards the end and we reach the plateau. Lunch break after completing the third patch. A much needed long break.

The 3rd Patch

3rd Patch Completed

The last and final leg of the ascent comprises of ascent through the forest for 40 odd minutes.

Mission Accomplished

The Mighty Konkankada

Walking- hopping- climbing- crossing- escaping falls- panting- resting and repeating, we finally completed our trek and reached Konkankada an hour earlier than the time that Vikram had anticipated at the start of our trek. Refreshed at Bhaskar Dada’s lair and went back to Konkankada to view the sunset.

The Spectators, The Melting Sun and The Mighty Konkankada

Sitting on the Konkankada, facing the valley with fiercely chilled air brushing against the face and to see the sun melting beyond the horizon, splashing colors across the breadth of the sky is the most beatific view one could experience. I turned speechless and could not help myself from drowning in my thoughts. 

Waiting for the sun to go down

The Sunset

Post dinner, some of us decided to get cozy inside the tents and the rest went ahead to enjoy the bonfire on Konkankada. Vikram showed the Konkan Darwaja route. Coming back to Konkankada, everyone settled around the bonfire to keep away from freezing. Countless mind boggling spooky tales were the major attraction of the night.

The Bonfire

All The Masti

The Descent- Via Junnar Darwaza aka Rajmaarg

The Junnar Darwaza was used as the principal entrance to Harishchandragad and hence the name Rajmaarg (The Principal Route). This route had proper stairs carved on the rocks with fortifications. With continuous water flow during the monsoons, the rocks started to loosen up over a period of time which led to discovery of other alternate routes (Pachnai and Khireshwar) to access the hill fort.

The Descent- Rajmaarg- This patch used to be a proper rock carved staircase 

After surviving the super windy and chilly night, we woke up early morning. Done with breakfast and tea, we started off for temple visits and the Kedareshwar Shivalingam. The earlier plan to trek to Taramati Peak was deferred due to time constraint and we started our descent via Rajmaarg. This route is quite steep at the beginning and covered with talus.

The Ghanchakkar Range, The Kalsubai Range (AMK – Kalsubai) and The Ajoba Range are very clearly visible from the top of HCG.

Additionally, the entire Malshej Ghat Range till Bhimashankar can be viewed when descending via Rajmaarg.

Everyone completed the descent without major glitches. Ayush and Mahesh were given the grand salute to have accomplished their goal. Lunch at Khireshwar. The return journey till Khubi Phata was a bumpy and thrilling ride on a tractor back. After having failed to stop any vehicle on the highway, we decided to have a long tea break till our vehicles arrived.

All smiles

One more adventure came to close with all smiles. Thank you all for being a part of such an amazing experience. Re-living the moments while accounting my treks is a wonderful way to time travel. 

• Ammu, Ranji, Digvijay- Thank you for taking care of me after I injured my leg. 

• Vinayak, Yogi, Banjara, Kailesh, Hitesh, Arun, Kaustubh, Babaji and Vishal - You guys are real fun. 

• Digvijay, Yogi and Vaibhav completing rock patches without ropes. (Safety measures were kept in mind. Please don't try to imitate them)

• Shweta's beeeeeeg and heavy sleeping bag like- 1 BHK terrace

• Vinayak mimiking Ammu on her "Watch-out" calls was hilarious 

• Vinayak and I trying to salute the Konkankada with our feet up. We could finally succeed after many failed attempts.

• The food stall inside Abhishek's bag. I hope he still had some stock left till evening.

• Arun and Vinayak - Our DJs playing songs on public demand

• Hitesh's jingalala get up to entertain everyone

• Ayush completing the trek even after many falls and wardrobe malfunctions (wink) - Kudos my friend

• The grand roadies salute to Ayush and Mahesh

• The hilarious and bumpy ride on tractor back

Few GK Points:

Location: Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, India

Base Village: Belpada

Elevation: 1,422 meters (4,665 feet)

Difficulty Level: Medium to Tough

Best time: Best time to trek to HCG via Nali Chi Vaat is November to February because of the fairly low temperature. March to May and September to October are pretty hot and humid and since this route is a longer one, it could turn too tiring with higher levels of dehydration. Monsoons are again not a good time to trek through this route due to heavy water flow. Only expert trekkers can trek through this route during monsoon that too after all safety measures are taken into consideration.

Couple of hacks to survive through:

• Carry minimum 3 ltrs of water plus ORS / Glucose / Tang
• Travel light- Try to keep your bags as light as possible
• Good trekking shoes are a must
• Start early so that you could watch the sunset from Konkankada
• Carry warm clothes. It gets fiercely cold atop Konkankada during winters

The Nali Chi Vaat Group

With sheer perseverance, discipline, faith and belief in self one can certainly conquer the unconquerable. At the same time, it also makes us realize the supreme power that nature holds against all odd perceptions that we humans have about subjugating it. 

Dear trekker buddies- Keep Trekking, Keep adventuring and Keep smiling.

Picture Credits- Vinayak, Digvijay, Vaibhav and Kailesh

Share your thoughts with me at dipanwiita@gmail.com

Following The Shadows Of The Ravine- Trek to Sandhan Valley

"Nature never misses any chance to leave us spellbound by it’s magnificence. All we need to do is, sit back and live the moment with it. Take pleasure as it unravels each layer of it’s virtue and enigma".
- Dipanwita Chakraborty


Ever thought of paying visit to the valleys where shadows reside? That too in the pitch dark winter nights. Come winters and the camping season starts along with long treks, a boon for all nomads bit by adventure bugs. Yes, you got it right. We did it all during our recent trek to Sandhan Valley.

Crossing pools of freezing water with water levels nearly chest deep at places. Admiring nature’s spellwork after crossing each surprise rock patch, some easy, some difficult, some scary, some cumbersome. Rock-hopping throughout the valley. Sleeping under the naked sky freckled with stars. Making childish wishes each time one spotted a shooting star. And last but not the least, that bunch of crazy friends who tag along each time I head for any madness rush. Every experience is way beyond expressions and words, which can only be felt and lived.

Sandhan Valley, also called “Valley of Shadows” is located in the west of Bandhardhara region, Samrad being the base village. Entire valley is surrounded by the majestic and beautiful Sahyadri ranges. These include the mighty Alang-Madan-Kulang(AMK), Ratangad, Ajoba range and Kalsubai. This mesmerizing valley can make anyone fall in love with rocks and boulders. Sandhan is also named as the “Grand Canyon of Maharashtra”, a 300 feet deep and 2 kms long valley carved by water.

Source- Google

The rock bedded ravine has widths less than 3 feet at several places, which blocks the sun-rays from entering inside and hence is called “Valley of Shadows”. 

Sandhan Valley trek is one of the most popular treks of Sahyadris. The reason why this valley lures hundreds of trekkers every year is due to the transfiguration it undergoes each year post monsoons. Being water carved valley, the patches keep changing every year, not all of them though. The trek is a full descend trek unlike the usual ones where one has to complete the cycle of ascending to the top and descending back.

The Trek:

This was my second visit to Sandhan and I was super excited. With a bunch of 47 trekkers, some first timers and some regulars, we started off for the most awaited trek of the season. The trek was organized by Trek Mates India. Nilesh Patil was our lead with Nishank, Ranjita, Kushal and Shilpa as co-leads.

The Start- The entire compartment was crowded by Trekmates

We reached the base village by 4:15 AM. The plan was to start right away to avoid trekking after sunset. Introduction done way before dawnbreak, in the dark, with the only sources of light being our head torches. 

At Kasara

Headed Towards Samrad

The Introduction

The Leader

All set

Sandhan is always thrilling from beginning till end. There is surprise at every turn as the patches keep unfurling. After walking for around 10-15 minutes, we come across a water pool with water levels chest deep. One has to carry their bags over the shoulders and cross the pool. Thanks to people gifted with good height for carrying all the bags to the other side of the pool.

Getting Started

Helping Hands

Ammu in Awe

The Freezing Pool

Height Ka Faayda

Together we can- Together we did

We reached the first rappelling patch after trekking for quite a while. The first rappelling patch is a 70 feet patch. Rappelling down was fun. We were among the first few to rappel down and waited for others to complete. The valley had absolutely changed it’s semblance compared to what I had experienced last year. The patches where we had a little support to climb down had no support at all. We had to climb down with bowline knots tied around our waists. Absolute thrill I must say. The second rappelling patch is much smaller one, of around 15 feet but more adventurous as it is an overhang.

The pictures below would tell the thrilling Sandhan tale in a much better way.

Rock-Hopping Across The Valley

Amrita's first ever rappelling attempt- She had mixed feelings

Rappelling Down the 1st Patch

Climbing down with bowline knots tied around waists

Bowline Plus Stop Knot Support

Show Me The Way

The 2nd Rappelling Patch

Done For The Day- Our Campsite

Dinner Being Cooked- Yum

We almost complete our trek after the second rappelling patch. In all, this year, Sandhan offered 5 thrilling patches to cover.

The Camp And The Spook:

We camped by an open space just above the pond. Dinner was delicious vegetarian food cooked by the villagers from Samrad. So, the rule of camping, as it goes by, no one is allowed to sleep. Dinner followed by antakshari and ghost stories. I was the first one to fall asleep.

What's Brewing?

It was around 3:00 AM when all of us suddenly woke up with Amrita’s shriek. Nishank felt something fall on his face from top. All torches lit up and we started searching around and inside the sleeping bags however, could not find anything out of the way. Some of us thought of the possibility of monkey attack too. We waited for sometime and went back to sleep.

After a while, Nishank experienced the same spooky feeling once again. This time, he got hold of whatever had fallen on his face only to discover it to be Vaibhav’s hand. He got up and revealed the source of fear which had, a few minutes earlier freaked everyone out. Everyone was in splits. Now that we were completely awake at 3:30 AM, we started discussing the stars and constellations. We spotted quite a few shooting stars too. We went back to sleep only after being reprimanded by Nilesh. 

The Morning Tea And Chidiya Udd:

Morning started early with the usual Nilesh special ginger and lemongrass tea. We had poha for breakfast.

Nilesh Serving His Signature Ginger-Lemongrass Tea

The Breakfast

Started our journey towards Dehane after prolonged session of photos. Stopped by another water pool for some more fun. 

Kahin Pe Nigaahei- Kahin Pe Nishaana

The Fight For Being Clicked

Ladaai Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost

Further, on the way, we spotted Giant Wood Spiders. Nilesh apprised us about a typical behavior of the females of this species. The females kill their male partners after mating. Typical cannibalism. When researched about the same, I came to know that this is a very common behaviour among many species of spiders wherein the female eats up/kills their male partners after mating.

Giant Wood Spider

We decided to take another break at an open space after crossing the jungle area. Another round of fun and games with “Sheep and the Sheppard” played among 4 groups. The losing teams danced on old bollywood songs (songs included the likes of "pyaar kiya toh darna kya" from the movie "Mughal-e-Azam" and many others) with their eyes blindfolded.

The moment we reached the base village, we jumped upon the stock of pepsi-cola squeezies, grabbing as many sqeezies as possible.  After having squeezies to our heart’s content, we headed towards the seating area. Lunch comprised of authentic Maharshtrian food. The lunch was absolutely delectable.

A round of hilarious “Chidiya Udd” game between Nilesh, Kailesh, Vaibhav and Ansh kept everyone glued till the end. The only difference in this game was that the rules were bent as per our craziness quotient. So, the person who fails to raise or not raise his / her finger would not go out of the game but have to face bashes from other members in the group and re-join the game. And, the most important rule- You cannot quit the game. (wink wink)

Chidiya Udd

Looser Gets Bashes

We started off for Mumbai by 4:30 PM after a round of evening tea. Bid goodbyes with heavy heart but with plans for the next trek together.

The Sandhan Family- Batch 3- 2015

Trekmates- keep trekking, keep smiling.

**Click on the pictures to get better resolution

Picture Credits- Vaibhav, Mahesh and Shreekumar

Share your thoughts with me at dipanwiita@gmail.com