Wonderful Trek to Harihar Garh
Harihar aka Harshgad, almost 80 degree standing, stone staircase (Katal Jina) I was confused, whether can I would be able to climb it? (or can I descend further??); ultimately I decided to go.(Recently I had done the difficult trek to Phugtal Monastery in Zanskar Valley, so the confidence was boosted; another reason; more on that in my next blog!)
Finally, through the organization Trek and Trail, I and my classmate Dr. Hema and neighbor friend Jagdish and his wife Renuka , four of us decided to join the big group.
We reached Kasara at 12:30 pm, by a slow 10.22 pm kasara local, from Mulund.
Most of participants had arrived by the same train. The average age of all was 22 to 30. I (and Hema) was the eldest i.e. 61 years old and the youngest was a sixteen year old boy.
From there, we freshened up at Baba's dhaba(eight people in a jeep), we reached the foothills village of Nirgunpada after about two hours in two jeeps.
(On the Kasara-Khodala route, 1 km from Devgaon, if you take the Khodala-Take Harsh route on the left side, Niragudpada is a village at the foot of the fort. The first route is from Nashik to Trambakeshwar and the second route is also accessible from Harsh Wadi)
We were accommodated in the long porch of a house in the village.
We reached before time and rested for a couple of hours. Even though I was awake all night, I didn't feel tired, it was very cold there. The biggest problem is the morning ritual!
I thought that we have to go to the field . Fortunately, there was a well-built but Indian-style toilet in the distance. Meet in the dark in the mobile torch; When using it, I was not used to squatting and it was very difficult. But somehow I managed it (thanks to my yoga and gym.)
On arrival, a four and a half foot venomous snake lying dead on the road was shown by the accompanying villagers. It was really scary!
At 4:30 am, the landlady got up and made excellent onion poha. Although I am not used to breakfast so early, I took it for energy (with very sweet jaggery tea). Taking it, we set out through the Nachani field in the light of mobile torch and headlamp. A farmer uncle came to show us way to the base.
Later, I got tired while climbing the hill which had a high gradient from the beginning. We were climbing in our style, stopping in between.
I remember my MBBS days. From first MBBS we used to do many treks with our professor Deodhar and Bharadwaj sir.
And after about one and a half hours, that scary staircase of stone, stood in front of us. The way to get to its first step was very difficult (almost rock climbing). But actually climbing the steps was easier than anticipated. After entering through the upper Kesari gate, I felt rapturous as if I had ascended the fort and the panoramic view of the valley was delightful. There was a cave with a stone roof and one side open. There were many steps to climb again (177 steps in total).
The sun had just risen, so even though it was cold in the fort, the atmosphere was warm.
There is a Vetal temple on this fort. (If it is the month of May, you can eat the wild fruits of Karvanda.) After the climb, there is a small lake to the east. There is a temple of Hanuman on the bank and a statue of Mahadev and Nandi on the side. There are 4 to 5 water-filled water tanks around. Kapdya Hills and Brahmagiri can be seen in the east. To the south is the Vaitrana Valley. This fort is 3676 feet high. It was built in ancient times and was under the control of the Nizamshah of Ahmednagar. When Shahaji Raja restored the Nizamshahi in 1636, he also won this fort along with Trimbakgad.
Seeing the ranges and mountains of Sahyadri reminded me of Shivaji Maharaj, I felt a thrill and it felt worthwhile to have taken such a risk.
But ....... we didn't know what crisis was ahead.
After eating a little, I started going down the stairs.
When one of us went ahead, she was attacked by monkeys and checked all her pant pockets, opened her bag! Another girl who went after her was similarly attacked. I was also attacked by three monkeys. Monkeys opened the chain of my backpack and took out the toothpaste and brush (I think he didn't like the brand and threw it away.) Three monkeys sat on my back and started pulling me. All T-shirts and soft drinks, water bottles in a girl's bag pack were thrown away. Then some boys brought sticks and they chased the monkeys away.
The experience was very terrifying, as the monkey held us up on that difficult vertical ladder like a pass. So they thought that if the bag is gone, some people threw the bag down and gave it to their friends standing below.
(Organizers should have said not to carry bags on the way up)
There was a lot of trouble while coming down because of the very sleepy trail.
At 61, the entire group felicitated us both with flowers for seeing our guts and inspiring everyone; it felt worthwhile.
After coming down, delicious food like fresh fenugreek and flower vegetables from the field, polli, dal rice, was served in the house where we stayed in the morning. Even five star food would have paled in front of it.
Now seeing the photos and videos of this trek, many people; Why go after this issue?
Why?
I said why not?
It is a very valid point to observe complete security. (It is dangerous to make a selfie or reel in a difficult place).
There is no such indescribable joy unless you finally venture out of your comfort zone.
Ultimately it's all personal choice.
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
@Henry David Thoreau
@Dr. Vijay Athalye.2024 Blogs
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