Mahuli Trek

Mahuli Trek

Date: 29 th June 2018

Planning-

Another long-standing plan. We had planned to visit this fort last year itself but kept on postponing it because of the people claiming it to be difficult. Now we had decided to conquer it. But unfortunately, our plans got scrapped two times at the end moment. Once the night before the trek and once the morning of the trek. So now made a concrete plan with all confirmations taken well in advance!

Reaching Base village-

Messaging once on the group before leaving the house to make sure everyone is coming and woke up. We took an early morning train to Asangaon station. Then took sharing auto to ST depot which costs rs. 15 per person. From here we boarded the 8.00 am ST up to the base village which costs rs 10 per person. On reaching the base village we had some breakfast at a local stall. Some hot vada-pavs and tea, just perfect to complement the weather. Luckily it wasn't raining so we could take photos.

Starting the Trek-

Taking an entrance ticket to the Mahuli Forest Area. We started along a paver block path. Just within a short time, we reached a bridge across a small stream. Then taking breaks at regular intervals we kept moving ahead. We had already started feeling exhausted and were praying for it to rain! Two dogs joined us en route. After an hour of the trek, there was a heavy shower. It was much needed because we had really started feeling exhausted. After the rain, we were feeling refreshed and kept moving with a new energy!

Conquering the highest peak of Thane district-

We stopped by a ridge and took a few clicks while enjoying the beautiful views. From here the peak was visible. The peak of this mountain is distinct and easily seen from a distance too. But during monsoon, it's mostly covered with fog because of which it is difficult to identify how long the trek will be. After trekking next small patch we came across a ladder-Another landmark to identify that you are on the right track!  This was the final ladder that leads you directly to the summit. Of course, the experience of reaching the top was overwhelming and at the same time mesmerizing. The fog movements were just perfect to take timelapses. We enjoyed the cool winds hitting our bodies. We had achieved success again in spite of people scaring us about this place.

Exploring the fort-

After lunch, we headed to explore the fort. We went towards the Kalyan darvaja and an old shiv temple. There was a small kund in enroute.

Then we headed towards bhandargad. We were especially scared of the leopards in the area and hoping not to come across any. We found an abandoned shelter atop.  It was in ruins. Then we walked back to the main flag. There were pristine covers of grass all around. The different shades of green were soothing our eyes. After a few clicks with the flag, we rested for a while.

Descending-

We split into two groups while descending.  One way ahead than other. We took a break at the first spot where we had halted while climbing. Then we trekked down together.

The pool-

Reaching the bridge, we took our t-shirts off and dived into the pool. The cold water was extremely refreshing. It just relaxed every muscle in our body. And we were enjoying the silence in the woods. After a short dip, we decided to go to a bigger waterfall. But it was more 30 min walk from bridge so we decided not to go as we had to catch the bus. And on one of our friends suggestion, we returned back to the pool where we were before. Now there was a huge crowd of boys here. This time we were not in a mood to come out of it but didn't want to miss our bus too. So we quickly dried ourselves up and went back to the starting point of trek where we had our breakfast in the morning.

Catching the bus-

When we had come the bus conductor told us that the last bus would leave at 5.00 pm. We were on time. But on enquiring with a local, she informed us that the timings had changed and we had missed our bus. But we could catch the next bus which is at 6.00. This bus leaves from Mahuli Village which 15 minutes walk from where we had got down in the morning. On reaching there another local told us that the bus comes by 6.15pm. Some said it's at 6.30 pm and some said it's at 7.00 pm. So we just asked when the last bus left to a few villagers. And they all said that it left at 5.00 pm just as the conductor had informed us. But because of that local who gave us the wrong information we had missed our bus.

Note-  It is advisable to ask to confirm the timings with more than one person to not miss your bus.

Finally, after waiting for more than an hour, the bus came at 6.30 pm. And dropped us at the highway itself instead of at the depot. From here via small and narrow lanes between houses we reached the Railway station. We caught the 7.10 pm Train back to Mumbai from Asangaon.

Trek experience-

This was the cheapest trek which we had ever done. The total came up to just rs. 60 inclusive of all traveling! It was a day where my friends from different treks surely made new friends and those who came for the first time enjoyed this trek to the extent that they don't want to miss treks in future that I'll organize. The monsoon season just added the cherry to the cake making our experience more memorable.

 

Our framed Plan-

*Mahuli Trek*

Monsoon clouds Special
( _Organised by *The Passionate Souls*_)

 Get ready to welcome monsoon clouds from Highest point of Thane District! Come and explore this mystical Mughal fort!

*About Mahuli:*
Mahuli is at 2815ft above sea level. It is the highest point in Thane district. A popular trekking choice and a paradise for rock-climbers because of its pinnacles. This mountain complex is actually a group of two or more hills with common cols and pinnacles. The forest surrounding Mahuli has been declared as a sanctuary. The fort has been declared as a protected monument by the Archaeology Survey of India.

* Date: 29 June 2018*

*Train:*
5.30am-dadar
5.50am- Vikhroli
6.02am-mulund
6.07am- thane
6.29am- Dombivli
6.44am- shahad
6.47am- ambivli

*Note-*  See this train timing from your place accordingly to reach asangaon. If you miss the train you miss the trek.

*Bus-*
8.00 am from shahapur to mahuli village

*Difficulty level:* Medium

*What to carry-*
1.COMPULSORY 2 L OF WATER(PREFERABLY  1L NORMAL WATER AND 1L ORS WATER)
2.LOTS OF EATABLES(BISCUITS CHOCOLATES SNACKS)
3.SEMI HEAVY LUNCH(THEPLAS, SANDWICHES, etc)
4.SWEAT TOWEL OR NAPKIN
5. WINDCHEATERS AND UMBRELLA
6.ENERGY DRINK IF POSSIBLE
7.CAP
8.MOSQUITO REPELLENT AND BAND-AIDS AND RELLI SPRAY(JUST AS FIRST AID)
9. COMPULSORY SMALL PACKETS OF TANG OR GLUCON D
10. CARRY BAGS AND NEWSPAPER
11. POWER BANK AND CHARGERS

*What to wear-*
1.COMFORTABLE TRACK PANTS/SHORTS
2.T-SHIRTS
3.CAP
4.GOGGLES
5.GOOD (GRIP)TREKKING OR SPORTS SHOES

*Event risk-*
Please take care of your own safety and other fellow trekkers. Everyone joining for the trek abides by that he his responsible for his own safety and any mishappening during trek.

*Trek cost:* 300 Rs.

*Contact :*
Rushank - 7710920070
Ajinkya - 7506160981

Kalsubai Trek

KALSUBAI TREK-EVEREST OF MAHARASHTRA

Date: 17th December 2017

 

Planning phase:

Exams just finished and I was ready with different plans. I chose the kalsubai trek as my first trek of winter. So simply asked, if everyone was ready. Received some affirmative replies from friends. But some of my friends were not comfortable with dates. In the meantime, my building friend sent me a stay plan of rajgad trek. It was good as I wouldn't have to plan anything. Also if I postponed my plan of kalsubai more people would have joined later. But then, unfortunately, my friend’s plan got canceled and even I had dropped my plan of kalsubai. So I taught to keep my plan of kalsubai on since more people were taking an interest.

Within a night I gathered all info, watched videos, took info from friends who had already visited and made a concrete plan.

Actually, we were planning for a night trek but it would have been difficult because of transportation and wild animals. So decided one day trek only.

Starting with the day of trek:

All of our bags were packed. We confirmed small details and I slept early to get up early. In fact I was so excited for the trip that I woke up before my alarm.

Train journey:

We caught the first train from Mumbai towards kasara. Everybody was on time which was a good thing. In spite of suggestions from my mother to take my sweater, I didn't want to carry extra weight so didn't wear it. But after crossing Kalyan the temperature started to drop and I was shivering. We locked all the doors of the train to avoid the freezing winds. After crossing Asangaon we experienced a beautiful sunrise.

Chatting in the train and after an ice-breaking session with new friends Sham and Sahil we didn't realize when we arrived Kasara.

After reaching Kasara:

I wanted to shoot for my vlog in order to help people with information which I didn't find on the net. So after getting down with the help of my friend Ashish Barik I started the shoot. But when we went out to catch the local transport to Bari(base village) we realized that we missed our st bus due to our shooting for the vlog.

Note:

The ST bus frequency is less. The first ST leaves from Kasara to Akola at sharp 7 am which will drop you at base village. So after you get down at Kasara rush towards ST stand. 

The next ST leaves at 9.30 am.

ST ticket price is 60 rs.

Traveling towards base village:

Since we missed our ST bus we decided to take a van on sharing basis. The drivers ask for any fare according to their will but we bargained and came down to 80 rs. This van can accommodate 12-14 people. It took us 1 hour 15 minutes to reach the base village from Kasara.

On our way, we had some so special wai wai noodles from Nepal which my friend Ashish had brought. After reaching the base village with relaxed for while. My friends had tea and snacks and started our trek from the main road at 9.30 am.

Note:

If you want to have some lunch or dinner there after trek you'll have that option available after giving a preorder to locals. Also, a facility to stay is available at the base village at nominal rates. The villagers are really helpful.

Starting our trek:

Just at the beginning, Dhairya’s shoes sole came out. So on our way, we found some old thrown shoes and took out their laces and tied the sole. We Indians are always good at finding a jugad.

We were about to take a wrong route but a villager noticed us and guided us towards the right path. Just within half hour, we took a break. My friend Dhairya was feeling giddy because our journey on ghat while traveling from kasara to base village. Luckily I had kept vomiting tablets with me. But they didn't help him. Still, we kept on moving.

After an hour we took our second break at a stall. Now Dhairya was on Verge of giving up and told us that he couldn't come ahead and asked us to complete the trek. But we wanted him to come with us and didn't want to leave him behind. So took a 15 min break till he felt a little better. And started our trek again.

Halfway through:

There were many people who had come to conquer the highest peak of Maharashtra including people of all age, class, and religion. Right from small kids to senior citizens. We were feeling exhausted within the first half our trek. There were many tribals who were climbing barefoot and effortlessly. It was such a perfect example of antithesis between metropolitan lifestyle and that of the tribals. Taking inspiration from them we also kept our feet moving. Then again after one and half hour, we took our longest break of about 30 minutes. We were informed that half trek still to go.

Note:

If you are visiting on weekend then you'll find many stalls right upto the top, just within a short interval which have everything from water, lemonade, snacks, etc. During weekdays there are few stalls compared to weekends.

Stairs:

There are iron stairs provided at steep places which make the trek easier. These are used two way and can be crowded on weekends.

Reaching the top:

Actually, the summit is visible from the base. After a while now  it seemed that we were about to reach, but the trek was just never ending. After a final break from 30 min reaching up, now we climbed our final staircase which was almost at 90 degrees. We reached the summit at 12.30 pm.

On the top of Kalsubai peak:

And we were there….. mission accomplished…. Captured the highest peak of Maharashtra- Everest of Maharashtra. Its was such an overwhelming experience and the sense of achievement was beyond words. We decided to pay tribute to kalsubai goddess first and then have our lunch and then click snaps. But we did exactly reverse. The view of the  pristine covers of majestic Sahyadri range was truly unbelievable.

The vastly spread out backwaters of Bhandardara attracts ones attention from the top. To the north of the mountain range lie the forts such as Ramsej, Harihargad, Brahmagiri, Anjaneri, Ghargad, Bahula, Tringalwadi, Kavnai can be seen. To the east one can spot Aundha, Vishramgad, Bitangad, to the west Alang, Madangad, Kulang, Ratangad (south west) and to the south Pabhargad, Ghanchakkar, Harishchandragad can be seen.

Sitting in a shade besides the temple we unpacked our lunch boxes. Everone had more than enough lunch: theplas, sandwiches, thalipeeth, parathas, chapati bhaji, puranpolis and we had enough snacks and biscuits too. In Fact, we were unable to finish our lunch as were full.

It was peak afternoon but the winds were extremely chilling. I again regretted my decision of not taking a sweater. We then visited the temple which was really small. We took rest for 2 hours on top and after clicking many snaps we started our descend at 2.30 pm.

Moving down:

Walking slowly on stairs we were carefully moving back to the base village. On our descend Sham, Sahil and Ashish were always way ahead of Ankit, Dhairya and myself. We used to meet at points were we had taken breaks while climbing up. Ashish taught me some techniques and gave us some tips for moving down. Moving down was easier, just had to keep control on our legs.

We reached the the main road back by 5.00 pm. It took 2 and half hours to descend. But now we had to wait for 1 hour for the bus over there. We enquired about options available to travel back to Kasara.

Note:

The last ST from Akola to Kasara arrives at Bari by 6.00 pm.

You can also catch a van back to Kasara but they charge you return fare i.e approx 180 per head.

ST travel back to Kasara:

We didn't even realize how did that waiting period passed by. The ST arrived at 6:30 and was extremely crowded. But being a Mumbaikar crowds don't scare me. I found a comfortable place to stand besides window and because of my height i was able to fit there just perfect. The ST had wifi service. So i utilized that and enjoyed big boss season 11 behind the scenes. Also, I went through the pics and videos that we had shot for the vlog. Dhairyas health again deteriorated in the bus because of his motion sickness problem. He was given a special place to stand by the door.

Reaching Kasara:

We reached Kasara at 8.15 pm exact and getting down of bus we ran towards the train which was scheduled at 8.15 pm. We managed to get into the train and found fourth seats to sit. Again chatting about varied topics and making new plans we  reached Mumbai.

Experience:

It was a quick plan made by me and executed perfectly.

It was a wonderful, thrilling and adventurous trek. It was good for making new friends. This trip will definitely keep us motivated in our hard times in lives reminding us of what we can achieve. And the best part was it was a budget trip. Total cost incurred was within 250 rs.

My framed plan:

This plan works perfectly for one day trip. You can follow it.

*KALSUBAI TREK*
Kalsubai Peak is the highest peak (1646 meters) of the Sahyadris in Akole Taluka, of Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, an Indian state. It is an easy to moderate hike, but parts of it are quite steep in places and your core enduarance is tested. The vastly spread out backwaters of Bhandardara attracts ones attention from the top. To the north of the mountain range forts such as Ramsej, Harihargad, Brahmagiri, Anjaneri, Ghargad, Bahula, Tringalwadi, Kavnai can be seen. To the east one can spot Aundha, Vishramgad, Bitangad, to the west Alang, Madangad, Kulang, Ratangad (south west) and to the south Pabhargad, Ghanchakkar, Harishchandragad can be seen.

*DATE:*
17th December 2017

*COST:*
400 rs(approx)
inclusive of transportation from mumbai to kasara and base village and return and one time meal.

*TRAIN TIMING:*
4.53 vikhroli
5.05 mulund
5.10 thane
5.32 dombivli
5.43 kalyan
6.56 kasara
*no one must miss this train otherwise schedule will be disturbed*
return train
8.15 F-mulund

*ITINERARY:*
travel to the base village via local transport (1.2 hrs)
start trek from the base village(3hrs)
descend to the base village to catch return bus at 6(last bus)

*WHAT TO CARRY*
1.COMPULSORY 2 L OF WATER(PREFERABLY  1L NORMAL WATER AND 1L ORS WATER)
2.LOTS OF EATABLES(BISCUITS CHOCOLATES SNACKS)
3.SEMI HEAVY LUNCH(THEPLAS SANDWICHES)
4.SWEAT TOWEL OR NAPKIN
5.DSLRS IF YOU WANT TO AND CAN
6.ENERGY DRINK IF POSSIBLE
7.CAP
8.MOSQUITO REPELLENT AND BAND-AIDS AND RELLY SPRAY(JUST AS FIRST AID)
9. COMPULSORY SMALL PACKETS OF TANG OR GLUCON D
10. CARRY BAGS AND NEWSPAPER

*WHAT TO WEAR*
1.COMFORTABLE TRACK PANTS
2.T-SHIRTS
3.CAP
4.GOGGLES
5.GOOD (GRIP)TREKKING OR SPORTS SHOES

*CONTACT FOR CONFIRMATION*
RUSHANK