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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