Scaling new heights

They say that the likeliness of a plan being executed successfully, increases with the degree of unpreparedness involved. The six of us experienced this first-hand, on our trek to Harishchandragad, the 3^rd tallest peak in Maharashtra.

You know how the meteorological department forecasts heavy rains on a particular day, yet you wait for it to actually start pouring before believing the Met department? I had a similar outlook towards the fate of this trip despite the repeated assurances of the Met department (Vineet and Ajay in this case).Turns out my scepticism was not completely unfounded; because a couple of hours before we were scheduled to leave, I found myself a part of the emergency team put together to convince Chinmayi to join the trip-we didn’t have enough people (that reminds me, I need to conduct a survey on the percentage of people who back out of a plan at the nth hour).

While I was unleashing the power of my emotional blackmail skills to convince an already semi-convinced Chinmayi, I happened to witness another masterpiece at work. I wasn’t aware that the Met department’s repertoire of skills included the power of persuasion and convincing. Neha couldn’t not come, not after listening to the picture they painted of Harishchandragad-camping under the stars adorning the clear skies with the dying embers of a bonfire provide warmth in the wintry night, I think even I got slightly dreamy-eyed. Neha, who by the way had no idea about the trip till about 5 minutes back, agreed to come, and our group finally had six people(the 6^th is yet to make an entry)

Next day, early in the morning, we set out for Harishchandragad. Before I dive into the details here’s some trivia about the place-Harishchandragad is a hill fort located at a height of 4665 feet in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district. It is said to have been built in the 6^th century during the rule of the Kalachuri dynasty (the same people who built the first few cave monuments in Ajanta and Ellora). Since its creation, this fort has been a meditation place for the great sage Changdev who was known for his ability to control the five natural elements; has been coveted and controlled by both the Moghuls and the Marathas and now of course, I’ve been there: D. There are multiple ways to get to Harishchandragad, we took the Khireshwar route which is supposed to be the toughest one.

Back to the actual trip, so I was picked up by Chinmayi in the taxi that we had hired for the trip. Vineet, Ajay and Rahul (Naam to suna hi hoga) were next on the pick-up list.  Within 15 minutes of sitting in the car all of us realized that the driver was even more geographically challenged than I am; we were at the mercy of Google Baba; and none of us had power banks so conserving the phone battery was added to our basic needs of roti, kapda and makaan. That reminds me, do you ever feel like your phone battery drains faster when you’re trying to conserve it? I can’t count the number of times I’ve been yelled at, because my phone battery went ahead and died on me (The ultra-power saving mode is a sham I tell you).

Where was I, yes, then we picked up Neha, and set on our course to Harishchandragad.

The car journey was punctuated by small talk and good-natured leg pulling. And just like that, some kaande pohe and chai, a few missed turns, scenic views and stories of wild animals chasing honeymooning couples (check quora) later, we finally reached our base camp at Khireshwar.

The road leading up to the base camp is flanked by a beautiful water-body on both the sides. It gives you the illusion of floating on water. I still remember sitting in the car, with my mouth slightly ajar, and the song Yu hi chala from Swades playing in my head, while the others were clicking pictures.The view filled me with absolute contentment-I think that’s the moment I realized how much I needed this break from the hustle and bustle of the city and my daily routine.

 On reaching the base camp we spoke to a few locals and their responses to our questions only confirmed our suspicions that the journey ahead was not going to be easy. Imagine being under the sweltering heat of the December sun (GLOBAL WARMING ALERT!!!) without adequate UV-ray protection, discovering that one of you has worn sandals and not shoes, and being told that the trek to the top would take four hours at least. Unfortunately we didn’t just imagine it, we went a step ahead and invited the situation upon ourselves. (P.S. If a local says you will take n hours to complete a trek, automatically assume it’s n+2. Those guys have superfeet)

We were slightly panicky about climbing in the present circumstances. “But why fear when the Shivaays of trekking are here” said Ajay, Rahul and Vineet. I think they said it to be reassuring, but given the fact that the original movie was so amazing (please note the sarcasm) the humour was lost on us. Regardless, we decided to go ahead with the trek.

We were waiting for our guide to show up, when a boy of about 13 came up to us and said,”Chalo”

We asked him,”Bhaiya guide kidhar hai??” He replied with a “Main hu guide tumhaara” with so much heropanti that I almost burst out laughing. After some haggling over his remuneration we proceeded to start climbing. With Chinmayi and Ganya( our guide Ganesh) leading the pack, Neha and me in the middle followed by the Shivaays themselves we marched ahead to what was about to be a very exciting trek.

Narrow passes dotted with big boulders, rocks and pebbles, surrounded by trees on both the sides, we walked on trails that looked like they were used as conduits to carry rainwater to the people residing at the foot of the hill. Pathways with the hill on one side and a drop to the bottom on the other, a natural canopy created by the trees offering intermittent shelter from the sun; with every step we took, we witnessed the marvels of Mother Nature and the profound beauty that she has blessed us with, all we need to do, is reach out.

There were stretches where we struggled to climb, sometimes using both our hands and feet and wielding sticks to navigate particularly treacherous bits for extra grip. We walked in pairs so that we could help each other out. All this while, Ganya walked ahead on two feet with no care in the world. One interesting thing about the trek was that whenever we’d reach a point where we were too tired to move any further, we’d encounter a nimbupaniwalla. After one drink of the energy elixir we’d be recharged and move further.

After finishing a particularly tricky portion of the climb, we reached a plain landing. There, we were greeted by the vision of the seven hills looking at us like we’re their equals and the villages below now appeared as tiny specks in the vast area of land. Beyond the tiny specks we could see an expanse of water with a narrow crack in the middle. That a while ago, we were but riding through that crack was heartening. Looking down at the beautiful view I learned an important thing -sometimes you need to pause, and look back; it gives you time to look at something from a different perspective. It teaches you to appreciate the distance you’ve covered and the things you’ve accomplished so far. The road ahead is guaranteed to be difficult and riddled with an assortment of tricky climbs and beautiful meadows, but your strength and spirit are all-enduring.

Six hours of climbing (one hour without our baby-sitter Ganya) later, we finally reached Harishchandragad, just as the sun was setting on the Harishchandreshwar temple. The temple, made wholly of black rock, seemed to be unveiling the darkness of the night through its walls. I was completely famished, but filled with an extreme happiness, the kind that takes you back to your school-time summer vacations.

I think being tired numbs down your feminist sensibilities. And I was far too tired to care when the guys told us girls to sit down, while they went and made tent arrangements (I can see a couple of guys smirking as they read this) By the time we were all settled in our tents, it was pitch black, with a distant bonfire and an electric bulb fixed in the tent-owner’s settlement, the only sources of light in the vicinity (yes, we forgot torches too). After scarfing down chaklis, biscuits and piping hot chai in the confines of our respective tents, all of us congregated in a single tent and engaged in a real conversation unmarred by interruptions of ringing phones and whatsapp texts. Oh by the way the only way you can get a signal there is if you have an Idea connection and stand in a specific pose in a specific direction.

So that evening saw the six of us deep in conversation under the millions of stars that sparkled in the sky. Spooky stories and philosophical discussions galore, our chats continued long after the simple meal of dal,chawal,bhaakar and aloochi subzi served to us by our generous hosts. This was followed by a game of antakshari played sitting around a bonfire. As clichéd as it sounds, the entire “Antakshari in front of a bonfire” trope is as fun as portrayed in popular culture. Finally when we ran out of songs that begin with na,la and ya we realised that we were probably disturbing the people in the other tents and that we should retire to our respective tents.

After a night of tossing and turning inside a tent that had minimal insulation (It was freezing) I woke up to a beautiful sunny morning the next day. There is a cliff with a large overhang some distance from where we were pitched. Visiting Konkan Kada (Kada is cliff in Marathi) was on our agenda for day followed by the descent back to civilization. So after freshening up (the nature’s call logistics are tricky up there, especially for girls), a quick breakfast of chai poha, we quickly trekked up to Konkan Kada. There we were greeted by a panoramic view of the world below. Calling it a breath-taking view wouldn’t even scratch the surface of the actual beauty. There was a small pit at the end of the cliff. Climbing into the pit, you get a vantage point to the magnificent view below. Standing in the burrow, a few inches from an endless drop to the bottom gave me a semi-adrenaline rush: One wrong step and a spiralling fall to the bottom (that got slightly morbid, didn’t it?). After clicking a few pictures, ok many pictures, we walked back to our campsite.

Do you know that every hill, mountain or fort has a temple at the top? The temple is said to protect all the people who scale it, from harm and it is said that you should always pay your respects at the temple to ensure that you return safely. Keeping up with this edict, we paid our respects at the Harishchandreshwar temple and set on our climb down to Khireshwar.

Climbing down, the time flew by for a major portion of the trek as we played word games to take our minds off the distance. That doesn’t mean the return was smooth. As we finished the difficult stretch of the trek, we heaved a sigh of relief thinking that the rest of the descent would be a cakewalk. Apparently the difficulty level of the difficult stretch had distorted our memories of the initial part of the climb. Walking downwards on a path with large boulders requires twice the attention on the foot placement or you could end up with a twisted ankle. The best part about this trip was the kind of bravery and persistence Neha showed all through the trek-she completed the entire trek wearing plain sandals and a part of it barefoot. I think I’d have lost hope midway through and given up. So while this trek was a lot of fun and games, it also brought a renewed vigour in me and taught me a couple of important things that ultimately matter in life. Before I veer off into a philosophical discussion and bore you any further I’d better wrap this extra-long post up.

So after two days of exposure to the organic and natural way of living, lots of walking, trekking and eating some honey fresh off the honey comb, we reached our base camp hungry,famished and with a bagful of memories to last a long, long time. We desperately gobbled up two plates of lead laden Maggi at the small thela near the parking area, clicked a few victory selfies and sat aboard our Innova on an incident-free trip (if you don’t count a flat tyre) back to reality and home.