Panchgani : The first attempt at Night Camping

Saturday, 19 MAY 2012

Panchgani : The first attempt at Night Camping

Travel: Panchgani

Place : Panchgani / 112 Kms from Pune

Mode of transport : Four Wheeler

Trek Difficulty level : 3/10

As a student I always fantasized of going on a night camping, which eventually churned out into a strong and impregnable desire to make it a reality. Parents had never approved my plans and dismissed my proposal as a kids wish. It was tough to find crazy people who are ready to sleep in a forest or a cold hill-top inside a tent rather than be in the cozy and warm bedroom, but the odds were evened out when I met Surajit da, Jaspal and Abhinav.

We started off at 22:00 on 18th May from home and were en-route to pick up Abhinav before heading out of Pune. Preparations were brief and to the point with some drinking water, loads of food and drinks, plates and glasses, bottles of Old Monk and Smirnoff, other necessities for camping. Picking up Abhinav took us 2 hrs and 30 mins for a distance of 18 Km; thanks to Jaspal for leading us astray :P. After picking up Abhinav we were nearly running out of fuel and ran for the nearest fuel-pump.

Finally we set forth for Panchgani at 1:30am. The summer night was cool and the breeze was partly chilling at the high altitude. We parked the car on a safe location and trekked downhill for about 200m and arrived at a table-top overlooking the Dhom lake where we set-up our tent for the night and settled down for the party. It didn't take us too long to unpack our stuffs and get ready with the food and drink. A few pegs and a lot of chicken and other food stuffs under a clear sky full of stars coupled with the great company of pals was as good as it could get.

After some eating and chit-chatting it was late and cold enough to sleep off the night and we finally settled into the tent by 3:00am  and were soon off to sleep. The next morning awoke us with an awesome panorama of the Dhom lake and the scenic beauty of the surrounding areas. Peeping out of our tent to re-discovering the place we were in etched an amazing memory with an unfathomable amount of joy and satisfaction that can never be erased. The Sun ray’s projecting over the edges of hillocks and vast vegetation surrounding thousands of acres of sprawling greenery was one of the most amazing sight I had ever seen. Thanks to Surajit Da's Cannon EOS and Abhinav's photographic skills that we have some great snap-shots of our wonderful experience.

The Summer Sun gave us no time and it was only minutes before we could feel the scorching heat. We packed up our belongings and quickly scampered back to the car, quickly loaded things up and headed homewards, leaving nothing but footprints. The long drive took us home at around 10:30am.

As I settled for the afternoon nap my heart was content with the realization that I finally made it and that this trip was the first and not the last of its kind. Some feelings can only be felt and not expressed, while the rest may be observed in the photographs below :

The moment we peeped out of the tent.

Coming out into the brand new world.

Surrounding of Dhom lake.

The brighter side of life in non-pragmatic fun.

The last pose for the day.

Attempt to beat the time and heat, packing up of all belongings to

ensure that we left nothing but our footprints.

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Korigad : A daring endeavor

SATURDAY, 4 APRIL 2012

Korigad : A daring endeavor

Travel: Korigad Fort

Place : Korigad Fort

Mode of transport : 2 wheeler

Difficulty level : 8/10 (Un-necessarily complicated things and had a tough time.)

Initially planned for a visit to a temple at morning got scrapped off when we moved out of Pune at 2:45am on April 4th 2012. Before we decided where to go, we went to the 24 hr Petrol pump near Pune Railway Station. Once done we decided to make our move towards Lonavala.

 After a long ride of 1 hr we reached Vadgaon. There we had a tea break for 15 mins and then moved on towards Lonavala and finally reached there at 4:30am and then found our way towards Kusgaon. 

Reached a tabletop 2 Km South of INS Shivaji and started a Bonfire. It was too cold to ride any further without gaining some heat. The hunt for firewood was easy in the early summer and we soon had a strong fire to get us enough warmth. With the rise of the sun we started moving southwards and finally reached the foot of Korigad.

After parking our bikes we started to climb up the hill, got misled and took the wrong (right) turn after reaching the first tabletop, some 300 meters from the start of the climb, and went to the wrong side of the hill. Finally after a very determined effort to climb up in any means necessary 4/6 of us reached the North side of the hill after 2 hrs of struggle through dense bushes and undergrowth and scorching heat. When we reached the North-West edge of the hill, we were about 30 feet from the top wall, but were in no position to climb any further and started sliding down the loose gravels and stones and finally reached the boundary wall of Amby Valley. After a brief enquiry we went inside and were lead out to the stairs to the fort.

At 12:30 we had climbed some 100 stairs and really needed some rest. After 10 mins of break we went up and finally made it to the top. With the scorching heat and not a drop to drink, our stay on top was very brief and we finally came back to the parking lot at 2:00pm.

Exhausted with the efforts, we had lunch and had an afternoon nap under a tree-shed till 4:30 and then started our return journey. After a 92 Km long journey we reached back at home and were bewildered with the memories of what we had done. Nothing went as planned, yet we enjoyed every bit of this crazy trip. No one would ever have gone to Korigad in Summer, but we did. We reached there unplanned.

Here are some of the snaps of this trip :

On the way to Korigad : Dyanes and Santosh

A small Bonfire to warm us up before sunrise.

  With the rise of the sun it was time for Motorzündung 

9 Km from Korigad

 Reached the foot of Korigad at 9:30am.

Amazing flower in summer.

The climb was made tough by the unforgiving heat of the sun in summer. Had no choice, but to take a break.

Scorching heat left a blanket of yellow turf on the South-East side of the fort.

 Amby Valley as seen from Korigad

 Victory : Finally we made it.

This trip was the first of its kind for me and hope that many more follows this Crazy Night-ride. Thanks to Amit, Dyanes, Gurpal, Phanee & Santosh for your company.