Trekking

Trekking related information.

Dhak Bahiri

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January 2007: Dhak Bahiri Trek – धाक भहिरी

Why do you need to visit Dhak Bahiri?
Dhak Bahiri – Authored by my friend: Ruturaj Vartak

Standing at the top of hill, looking down the crevice between the two mountains, there was nothing I could see but the vast valley ahead hugged by other mountains, one of them the Rajmachi. Down there I could see no terrain. The valley dropping more than 2000 feet or so. And that is where we’d to climb down ! Sounds like a nightmare, but unfortunately was not. That precisely coincided with the talks, blogs, info that I and Vj had been reading all long the week.

The excitement kept mounting as the Thursday night turned into the Friday morn. I’d to ensure that everything is ready for the trek, for which we’d start in the night towards Karjat. As the day progressed in the office, there were few talks with Vj and other colleagues about the talk, but much of the passed with a normally hectic work schedule (that was a bit exaggerated!). And it was almost 7.00pm, Vj called Ankush to confirm where we shall be joining our journey. There was one more friend of Vj, Vikrant कोर्डे (who is never dry on jokes). They both were supposed to meet us at Thane stn.

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Sudhagad

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January 2007: Sudhagad

Why do you need to visit Sudhagad ?

Sudhagad – Authored by my friend: Ruturaj Vartak

It all started with our incessant talks of treks. Me and Vijay always trying to find a Saturday, Sunday home amongst the lovely Sahyadris. And fortunately those who were interested in our talks and plans were the HR. From HR, Gauri who is an experienced climber was assited with Mukti, the ever excited, chirppy girl. All leading only to one result, a big unofficial company trek.

The first aim after 4 of us were in the plan were to gather more guys for the trek, and astonishingly most of the Engg. guys agreed with a few exceptions. Almost 12 guys from the company and another friend of ours Ankush raised the roster count to 13. Now that the enthusiasts were ready, what about the venue, the location, … ? Since most of us were first-timers, it was decided by HR that the trek must be for a beginner. There was a lot of chat, contradictions, etc after visiting http://deepabhi.tripod.com , a very helpful site for as#$% like us. finally the plan was pointing towards Sudhagad, Pali. Gauri had been there once, and said it was a straight-forward trek, good for beginners. !!! HR’s word is final.

While we were trying to figure out the transportation, Gauri had an idea,

Why not hire a tempo-traveller or bus like that.

The idea didn’t go well with Vijay, which made us feel we were planning a picnic, instead of a trek. Official trek transportation is State Transport(S.T.) and Local Trains, and Bus #11.

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Mahuli

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October 2005: Mahuli

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Why do you need to visit Visit Mahuli? Mahuli Fort: A history Located around four miles from Sahapur in Thane district, the fort is around 2,815 feet above sea level. It is the tallest fort in Thane. In the year 1485, the Nizams of Ahmednagar had captured several forts, including this one. In 1636, Shahaji Raje Bhosle along with a young Shivaji and Jijabai did his best to defend the fort against the Mughals but failed against Mughal chieftain Khan Jaman’s army. The fort almost became a witness to the fall of the Nizamshahi regime. In 1658, Shivaji conquered the fort from the Mughals but in 1666, it was won back by them. Its the highest point in the Thane district. The forest surrounding Mahuli has been declared as a sanctuary. Once Shahaji Raje, father of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had this fortress under his belt. Precautions: Its better to take sufficient amount of water stock from temple itself since there isn’t water source in the way. Its better to have someone with you who had already been here because the area at the top is very confusing. Make an inquiry in the temple whether the informative booklet of Mahuli(with the map) published by Nisarga Giribhraman Sanstha, is available. After reaching the top search for the caves only on the right side. Avoid going in months of March, April and May (water scarcity).

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