Date : 25th August 2007
Lo and behold ! After completing just 3 treks, which wouldn't have been possible without the help of other senior members, I was made a leader / organizer for the Peb Fort trek. And I didn't have a say in it either. But I am not someone who backs away when given the baton. This trek was special for more than one reason - Kunal, my roomie was coming with us !
So researched as much as I could, and stalked up on the ration. We were planning to make our own lunch and tea on top, and getting the ration for the same was my first assignment. Went to Magnet and shopped, mostly in excess, in hindsight. As I wasn't very sure how it would go - stuck to the tried and tested Maggi Noodles.
The plan was to take the last train to Karjat from CST, stay the night at Neral station, and then start the walk / trek early morning। Kalpess bhai honored us with his presence at the station, wearing a "I hate Morons" t-shirt; I guess it was to attract our attention! There were 26 of us for the trek in total - a total जलसा of sorts. The train was packed with people, so the girls took to the ladies compartment. We reached Neral at around 1:30. Most of us didn't want to sleep, so we started off with playing cards (I had stocked up on every possible thing that could make the trip more eventful). Nachiket and Kunal showed their skill at bluff, while I showed how bad I am at it ! Pam, Vj and others were meanwhile taking a nap on some defunct wagon.
Everyone wasn't involved in cards, so next Dumb Charades ensued. There were a couple of really memorable moments during the game. First up is Brownie's नामकरण . Here it goes:
Brownie all smiles (He was playing DumbC for the first time)
1st Clue: *Holding Pants* - We guessed pant, trousers, fabric, ... which bewildered him further.
2nd clue: *points to a stray dog* - we were clueless by this time so guessed random things, dog, animal, ...
Our opposition team was in splits, and we were flabbergasted
Finally both sides gave up. Now what exactly was he cluing - "The Bourne Identity". Which he misinterpreted as "The Brown Identity". Fortunately he was wearing brown colored pants, so he pointed to them. But being awful at cluing, he had to resort to other means. Next he noticed a dog lying nearby. Voila he thinks, from dog to dog's name "Brownie", to Brown - haven't heard of a stranger connection in the history of DumbC. So from that day onwards, he was our own Brownie :D
Now I was embarrassed about this fiasco, considering we had "Baba" (Kunal's nick) the Lit king in our ranks. Next up was Kutty. I gave him "Memento". Kutty showing his presence of mind clued "Gift" and "Mentos" to their party. Still being brain dead at around 3:30 in the morning, none of them could get the word. Then Kutty clued to them the story. Now Janaki got excited. She had seen the movie - the Tamil version of it ! So she told to the utter amusement of everyone else, and to the complete chagrin of Kutty, the entire plot of the movie. And yet they couldn't guess the name. Fortunately Kutty didn't have any hair on his head to pull out !
After dumbC, most of us took some rest। In the morning, we went to a nearby restaurant for breakfast। There Rahul Kumar and Vj grossed out Pam with names of exotic dishes made of what else "crap". Lets leave it at that. End result was Pam went without breakfast. After everyone was satiated, we started our walk. First on tar road, and gradually shifting towards the greener pastures. Rahul Barve was leading us, and I was the rear guard. He managed to make us trespass private property. It was a walk till now, so all new comers were happy. We had amongst us Nitin (a music composer), who was anxious about whether there would be a loo on the fort, and whether we would get mineral water up there ! He seemed to be happy with the walk.
A little later we could see the col in the mountain, and we started the climb. 15 minutes later, most of the new comers were panting and taking breaks. I was at the rear and was thankful as well, for I was carrying a 20+ Kg sack for the first time. The climb was no too steep initially, and we reached an electric transmission pole standing on a plateau, and took a snacks break. Those of us with prominent ancestral traits (read me, Vj, Venky and Rahul Kumar in no particular order) tried conquering the pole and were captured in the process.
After the break, the hike got tougher, as we were to come up to the col. And there was no breeze. The atmosphere was muggy and cloudy.I was sweating like a dog. So was everyone else. Pam was totally exhausted, and was cajoled by Amol and Vj to move ever so slightly. Janaki meanwhile, was busy clicking pictures and Macro shots. Kunal and Nitin realized that it wasn't that easy after all. We reached the col with some slips and minor bruises. I still had energy in me to try scaling the other side of the col. Finally sense prevailed in me, and I came back to the original path.
From the col, it was a traverse, with a couple of rock patches. I had time to rest, and I gladly put down my bag. Finally we reached the cave. I dumped the bag there, feeling so light !
Now we were supposed to ascend the fort wall using a ladder, and then explore it. Being rid of the heavy burden, I decided on taking the shortest path, where there was none. However, I realized later that I was the one on the right track, and so shouted to everyone to follow me. I was already on my way down by the time everyone reached, and was going at double speed because I had to cook lunch for all. Left the 5 others who were coming with me far behind.
The others were taking a different less steep route. But they managed to get lost and almost went halfway to Matheran. On the way they met a few bulls grazing silently. Kutty, the "bull dodger" tried to shoo them away, to which the bull replied with a nasty glare and a shake of the horns. The sight of Kutty sliding down the slopes frightened was a sight to behold - sadly I wasn't a witness to this and just heard the narrative!
By the time everyone came down, Maggi was ready ! But I had forgotten the ladle. So I used a cleaned stick for the same purpose. At this point I was to have a revelation. Uma, the silent one, who had come with Nachiket, took a liking to me. She started taking my case about how irresponsible a leader I had been. Arguments are not my forte, and with stupid girls its doubly difficult, for you can't shout at them to shut up. So I took everything hands down. She went on and on, till everyone around had had enough and came to my rescue. I made up my mind to never cross swords with that little witch again !
The climb down was ridden with many of us slipping and falling, getting their bums scratched. I was thanking my newly acquired Northwest shoes, which had avoided such mishap. We came down in rather quickly, and I was in the lead this time, scampering over boulders, as my sack was now light. Janaki was the last one to reach the electric transmission pole. She and Rahul came running to join us, slipped in the process and landed flat on their bums, their legs pointing heavenwards. At this she cheekily said - "I can see all of you between my legs". Everyone was laughing their guts out at her behest for sometime, including her. After a few "Bum Pics", we continued our downward journey. There was a rush to get the local, and everyone was thankful to their leader as he bought them tickets as they rested.
We learned a lot on this trip, least of all that carrying weight uphill isn't easy and needs extreme endurance and strength. Kunal vowed never to be fooled by me, when I told him to come along for an "easy" trek. He was battered and sapped of energy. Nitin was surprisingly upbeat despite the numerous falls, and promised to join on upcoming treks. I guess he was battle hardenend! Pam was still haunted by the Rahul syndrome, in Tikona it was Barve, now it was Kumar. Also, it dawned on me that monsoons doesn't always mean a cool trek with breeze all along.
The trip made me stronger and more determined to undertake more such endeavors in the future, as organizer of trips.
For more photos, check the following link :
Peb Fort Photos
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