Kalsubai –Heights of Trekking!

The moon

Pun intended in the title! We gathered at Kasara railway station at 4.30 PM. The plan was to get to the base village called Bari, rest for the night, and start the climb early next morning. There were nine of us reminding me of ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’. We got into a cab, which would seat nine, to reach the village. It took us two hours to reach Bari, and we started to settle into the place that would be our home till our return the next day.

We freshened up and went for a walk around the village. The house opposite to ours had a beautiful graffiti painting, done by someone who had also visited the place for the trek. We went to the village temple, where kids were singing bhajans, and it was a wonderful experience to watch them at it. I wouldn’t know if they understood the words of what they sang, but the joy on their faces, as they danced with the little cymbals ringing was pure emotion!

Dinner

We left the temple after a while, and returned to our home, where dinner was ready to be served. It was simple, but delicious! We had a bonfire lit up, and we sat down around it for a while, talking. ‘Ghost stories’ was the topic for the night, and everyone had something to share. After the story-telling session, we went in to catch some sleep before starting our trek the next morning. But no one really went to sleep till late night. It was cold, even though summer had begun.

In the moonlight

Next morning, at 4 AM, 4-5 alarms went off simultaneously on everyone’s phones. It was impossible to sleep through it! We woke up, freshened up and had a breakfast of poha, followed by tea. And we started the ascent at 5.30 AM, when the moon was still high in the sky and stars were still twinkling, while it was dark all around. We had a local guide with us named ‘Eknath’. He played loud music on his phone, as we walked in the dark, through the wheat fields, into the woods, guided by the moonlight and torches. I later realized that the loud music was more to keep everyone aware of his location rather than the entertainment!

Sunrise

It was little cold, but bearable, and we were able to reach a decent spot to catch the sunrise. The climb had just started to get tiring, as the temperature started to rise. We took breaks at will, and by the time we reached the top, it was 9 AM. There was a small temple at the top, built as tribute a maid named ‘Kalsu’ who escaped the family she was serving, went to the top of the hill, and stayed there till she died.

The climb took us three and a half hours, and it was one of the most grueling treks I’d done. And hence, the feeling of accomplishment when I got to the top was unparalleled! And the view from the top was mesmerizing! The minuscule trees, roads, villages and everything that formed the landscape looked like a huge Lego structure. The Bhandardara Lake was visible from here. And so were a lot of other peaks. So this is what it felt like to see from the highest point in Maharashtra, I could look down on so many mountains around! And after resting for a while, and a photo session later, it was time to return.

Kids, posers

It was hot now, and the descent was somehow even more tiring! And it was a relief to reach the wheat fields that we had passed through when we started. We reached home at 1 PM, freshened up and had our lunch.

While the others slept, I went off to click a few pictures of the village where the kids gathered around and demanded that I click their pictures. I was happy to oblige, and they posed willingly! It was a fun session, and I didn’t even feel tired anymore.

The Fellowship of the Ring

By 3 PM, it was time to leave, and I bade good bye to the kids. They smiled and waved back! Everyone was feeling tired now, and we reached station in time to catch the next train home.

When I look back, there was a realization that I had just climbed the tallest peak in Maharashtra. But mountains cannot be conquered; coz Mountains are gigantic, and old. You never win against a mountain, even though it doesn’t fight back! All you can do is get to the top, and enjoy the view.