My Exploritales: Week-end Fun at Vishraamgad.

At the lovely Trimbak darwaazaa......

I have been trekking since the last three years and now I feel uneasy when I don't trek for over two weeks.I try to trek on alternate weekends at least ,but that does not always happen.Trekking makes me feel alive and I am rejuvenated for another work week or two.So when I read about the overnight trek schedule for Vishraamgad with the Tattva group I made plans with my special trekker pals to go for it.We began with a late night journey by train to Kasara. As decided ,I got in the designated compartment through the first door in the general compartment.I found myself surrounded by the opposite sex with hardly any place even to move.I requested them to move as I wanted to make my way inside but they just refused to budge and acted deaf.There I was, heavy haversack on back,cell phone inside it (so no chance of calling anyone too!)Truly speaking , I panicked with the thought of having to travel to Kasara in this condition and longed to see someone from my group but couldn't though I tried.As a last resort I shouted out the names of three of my trekker pals but the noise inside was deafening and they did not hear me.Fortunately, another trekker from another group saw my plight and came to my rescue like a knight in shining armour.He made way for me and led me inside the compartment and one of his friends offered me his seat.They also helped me put on bag on the rack. I met some old faces like Thomas and Parin and there was total relief on my face on being in known company .Trekkers are all like-minded so in no time we got acquainted and we chatted about different treks and our experiences.My long train ride was not a disaster only due to these wonderful guys.For most of the time the train was crowded and later as the crowds receded I met my group mates.Lesson learnt,I will never ever enter the general compartment when alone.Always better to have a restful and safe journey in the ladies compartment and then meet the rest of the gang at the last station.This time I met the guys from the other group,what if I have to travel alone next time?

Met the rest of the group which was going to Harihar fort and planned to go trekking with them sometime soon.Met Sunila and Hemant for the first time and knew the rest of the small 14 member group. Jaal bought hot and spicy vada-paus for all of us and made them the bane of Sunila as the red hot chutney flew in her eyes and her face turned as red as the red chutney,poor girl!A bunch of bananas was making its way to different hands before it finally rested on the rack.Only non-stop chatting on the way till Kasara. I met another friend Ashay Joshi on the way to the jeep, he was on his way to Kohoj fort.A short jeep ride took us to the Baba da dhaba where we had garam chai and hot veg biryani.It was good to go together in one jeep,not a possibility in a large group.We enjoyed singing songs and laughed out loud when Jeanette complained about the nut in her butt.She duped Pankaj into taking her place and he sat behind in the two hour long ride to Pattewadi,the base village.Most memorable moments were when we alighted on seeing the huge windmills on our way.So warm inside the jeep and so chilly outside,some of us were shivering,me included.It was an eerie sight,the huge fans moving around,the breeze,the shrill sound of the machinery......and to top it all the fog that surrounded us.After that we took turns to sit atop the jeep on our way to the base village,some like Arjun and Khushboo cheated and took longer rides.That ride was truly something I have never experienced before.Long winding fog-covered roads,pitch darkness ,cool breeze and nothingness around......it was an awesome feeling.

Reached Pattewadi by 4.30 am when it was still dark.Most of the gang lay awake chatting and telling ghost stories while some like me preferred to catch a few winks and awake refreshed.Felt so nice to get cozy inside my new sleeping bag,worth all its weight! At six I awoke and strolled around the village for a few clicks while the others had an extended photo and video session on the lush green meadows.Saw the nearby school and had Jaal's mom-made methi theplas with garam chai.There was an introduction round though we all knew everyone there. Pankaj aka Pankhudi gave an outstanding introduction.Set out on our trek after Sai told us something abut the history of the old fort.It was at this Vishraamgad/Patta fort that Shivaji the great Maratha rested for about one and a half months a year before he breathed his last.We saw the hill fort from a distance and also could see the temple at the top.It was well-maintained and renovation and fortifications were in progress.We had to take tickets to enter the fort.A huge elephant statue with two elephant calves greeted us near the entrance,There was also a canon near by.Many stone steps steps led the way up the fort and later it was a climb through green shrubs and rocky patches.The view was sensational as we climbed higher.The fog played hide and seek with us and kept coming and going.At times we could not see anything below us other than the fog.Though it did not rain,the weather was nice and cool.It was an easy trek with a couple of rough patches ,specially on the slippery rocks.Jeanette had her Ganpati Bappa moment but thankfully she did not hurt herself.There were many selfie and posing moments for all.The fort was in good condition and had the statue of Shivaji inside.Also had a depiction of the Shivaji and Afzal Khan episode inside,reminded me of my annual day item where we had enacted that scene,The wall of the fort served as our main prop for the 'Tapori girl gang and the boyz' photo shoot. Kya zamanaa aaya hai, ladkiyaan ladkon ko chhed rahi hai !!!What a great time we had with laughter unlimited.

That done,we began our ascend once again.There were many monkeys on the way up.Also saw a few cows and bulls there as we ascended and remembered Lawrence and his Dostana at the earlier trek. A newly painted temple was also there.We reached the top of the hill and rested awhile.It was hilarious when we tried to do some chanting once there.Lesson learnt-never try chanting with friends around,all you will have is a laughter session.Saw just a few other trekkers on our way to the top where we chatted and laughed a while before going on to the plateau area for lunch.Lunch time again was hilarious with Jaal noticing someone's nasal hair and there was a lot of discussion of hair on different body parts(yuck) and also about farts and other disgusting things.Thankfully all were good sports and laughed at the jokes.We had our snacks and started the descend,was a bit tricky in some patches but we all made it.It was fun all the way down with many photo sessions,specially at the Trimbak darwaza. Soon we were back in the jeep and began our songs session.On the way back we visited a nearby Jatayu temple.There were three to four small temples in the vicinity and legend says that Shree Ram hit an arrow in the ground and there was a flow of water at that spot until date.On a nearby tree were many bats hanging upside down.After that back to the jeep where we had a round of First Impressions where each one spoke about our views and opinions about the other trekkers.A hilarious game of Chinese whispers followed.back at the dhaba we had our fill of south Indian snacks as we were all ravenous.We bid our driver adieu at the Kasara station and once again had a great time chatting in the train our way back to Mumbai.Met another trekker friend Swapnil at the station and realised that I had made so many new new friends due to trekking. Had a session of match-making and fortune -telling in the train and some fell asleep as one by one all the trekkers alighted at their destinations.Made my way through the crowds and alighted at Thane and reached home by 9 pm.

As always it had been a memorable trek with just a small group of friends.Tough or easy,it had been a great fun-filled event.Had a memorable ride atop a jeep on a foggy night and enjoyed to the fullest with the crazzy bunch.Waiting to meet them at another trek soon!The times spent with my trekker pals make life more worthwhile.Those moments bring joy and laughter back in my life and I forget my worries for the time being.Thank God I decided to make time for trekking a few years back, Life has changed so much for me. Being one with nature always has its rewards and I am glad I am enjoying those.There are trek groups and there is Tattva Adventures.Will highly recommend this group for all the new trekkers for unlimited masti and group cohesiveness. I am lucky to have made many awesome friends at these treks.With them I forget my age and feel young again (Not that I am old!Age is just a number,you are as young as you feel)

Some glimpses of the trek with some clicks of my trekker friends.