The only thing that I can plan and execute too well is what to do on the
weekend coming up. I have had pre-planned weekends for months in advance. It is
said that a life is well spent if it is full of experiences. Every minute of
our life is important as once it is spent, you cannot reclaim it. It is said
that time is money and one should invest it wisely. For quite some time I had
ignored this principle and wasted my time in doing things which gave me nothing
in return. It is time to put things in right places and get going.
It was almost a chaotic half year since I had stopped to smell the
flowers, to count the stars. The urge to reconnect with nature was becoming
irresistible. So when my trek buddy asked me if I was up for a moon light trek
from Katraj to Sinhgad, there was an impulsive agreement. This
is a rigorous trek from Katraj to Sinhgad and trek involves a hike across 15 to
16 hills for roughly 12 – 14 kms. The experience of trekking this terrain twice
was telling me that this time it won’t be easy.
This trek is bench mark for every trekker, in and around
Pune. It is an experience of life time, which involves great physical and
mental strength. Many have said to trek here as a part of their training
programs for Himalayn Expeditions. Once you cross first two hills, there is no
way to come back. The most important part is, this is where you
experience total isolation from city, though its view keeps you company through
out... For the entire route, one would not find any third person; it’s only you
and your trek-mate.
This route being so isolated, you need to carry enough
water, food, first aid and emergency safety gear. So there it was, a backpack weighing around
8kgs which included about 4 liters of water. I was only getting stronger in mind
to achieve this.
We gathered at Katraj Snake Park and took a local
transport bus to the tunnel. The trek begins atop the tunnel. We started
walking at about 11 in night from the Waghjai Temple. The first two hills - Vrindavan and Gokul are the ones which test
your will to complete this. After these two hills there is no turning back. All
you can do is, hold on to yourself looking at the blinking red light of TV
tower on Sinhgad and keep walking.
The hike is as good as journey of one’s life, going up
and down. However, soil corrosion is killing mother earth! It’s only March end,
and the plants already seemed dry and soil looked cracked. This was not a
pleasant view on a cool night.
The group consisted many first time hikers. Hats off to
their enthusiasm! Another trekking buddy was here to prepare himself for Mount
Everest Base Camp. The most inspiring was another trekking buddy who
participates in Marathon all over the country. He had recently completed this
trek in less than 8 hours and that too during day time.
The walk continued with several breaks. The water bottles were emptied and the
backpack was getting lighter only technically. One has to be careful about not
harming the nature, yet the rightful residents of the terrain like serpents and
scorpions may make their appearance occasionally.
The second last hill is known as one tree point. The
single tree atop the hill marks it territory. If the pace is right, by sunrise
you should be beyond this hill.
You may choose to climb the last hill or traverse and
reach the tar road. We had arranged for local transport from the junction to
the city.
For Statistical purposes & records:
The highest altitude touched was 1180 Mtrs and lowest was
815 Mtr. Minimum temperatures recorded was 20 C. And total distance covered
was close to 12 Kms. (These are approximate values)