Monday 8 October 2012

When 686 muscles in your body scream ADVENTURE !!


This is where I was  just 24 hours ago.. Look again.
I, now understand , how Neil Armstrong might have felt stepping on the moon. Ofcourse he didn't have to deal with 4 hours of a dangerous climb , 2 falls & 1 serious case of fatigue attack to get up there.

This peak where i am standing, is Kalsubai,1646 meters above the sea level, the highest in the Sayadhris. Named after a woman, whose story was never explained to us. Believe me we tried getting into the bottom of the "i won't wash the dishes" lady time and again. But in vain.  Along with sore muscles we came back with doubts, " why was she considered GOD ? "  "why won't she wash the dishes ? "  "if she aint a GOD, then why the temple right at the top ?"

{BGM: Rocky}
An actor, a director , a media guy , a dancer , an assistant director, a banker and I decided to climb Kalsubai. Started of our climb at 3.30 am. Now there is something about us, our online research gave us lot of info about climbing this mountain but in the Day. Now , the Rajnikant in us made us start in the night !
Since , none of us one was familiar the route, we had to find a guide. Time was spent googling , just dialing, researching contact numbers of guides. Apparently ,we got a few, but none of them agreed to trekking at night. [hmm.. now i know why] We did not take this as a sign at all. All hell bent on climbing at an odd hour with no natural light, we spent time on getting extra batteries for our torches. The guide's refusal got me thinking , a person who can probably do this blindfolded refuses to climb at night.  So when we got to they foot of the hill, we had no guide and perhaps no idea what we were to go through. 

A sleepy chap woke up as we contemplated what to carry and what should be left in the car. And agreed to be our barefoot embodiment of a mountain goat. 

Four hours, 2345 breaks , crossing of streams barefoot, 2 litters of water & gatorade later we caught a glimpse of the top. 

The sun rose at 6.12 am. The colors of the skies were magical.  The cold breeze livened up every cell in our body. And why not , after all we were standing at the top most point accessible to human kind in the state of Maharashtra. [yeah baby] The clouds below you look like cotton candy, the lake was calm... A sight i will always cherish. 

It felt amazing. My body aches as i type this post, but the pain has not made my ear-to-ear smile vanish.

I promise, every hardship you endure during your way up there and descent will be forgotten.  Pack you bags now.. and head to Bari. 

My Tips to Kalsubai Trekkers

Please Note : I am no Milkha Siingh, no sportsperson, not a brilliant swimmer and not a GYM freak.

If you are any of the above, then this trek shall be a cakewalk for you..

These are tips that the other blogs miss out on. 
  • First and foremost, DO NOT believe all the other blogs / websites that state that Kalsubai's rate of difficulty : "Simple and Easy".
  • When you reach Bari Village at night , make some noise, until a local wakes up and asks you if you whether you need a guide. Trust me you do.
  • You will FALL. once maybe even a couple of times.
  • Do not lose focus when you see a little girl half your size, thin , barefoot  trek up the mountain  and with a giant nimbu paani can over her head.. DO NOT. Your morale will be crushed, you will hold your breath until she is out of sight to not let her know of your panting. So , my advise, when you spot someone , look the other way, admire the flowers ,  distract yourself, sing a song.
  • If it rains... Its your BAD KARMA. Trekking up the dried up water streams is as it is difficult. With rains this shall be highly dangerous. So before you head off to Kalsu, feed the poor, help a blind man cross, or atleast respect your elders.
  • You will TAN. [Psst : Fair and Lovely ke naye offer main ab milega 40% extra. HURRY !]
  • every time you see a giant boulder at a height and you think  'thats it.. that has to be the peak' .. you will be deceived. This will happen 3 - 4 times. Keep Calm , and keep Panting.. 
  • You will be BITTEN by some exotic insects. once twice maybe even a couple of times. Take those friends along who will give you some sympathy for it. ;-)
  • It takes ages to get to the first metal stairs.. and i have reasons to believe that these are the ones that must be in HELL.
  • if going up is a BITCH , then mind you getting down is a Super BITCH.  [Reasons: Mention 'Please note']
  • Having 3 glasses of wine on the night of the trek will make Nausea your new best friend.
  • Wear a t-shirt which has name of your home city printed on it. Every stranger takes keen interest on where you are coming from. It is just something they ought to know or else their life will not function as normal. And while all your concentration is on avoiding moss laden rock, questions are not well received. 
  • You will not be able to go to work the next day. Take two days off.
  • Spot the 'mountain goat ' of your group. ADMIRE THEM.
  • Travel with friends you love. Fatigue is worthwhile when shared. :-)


2 comments:

  1. I am jealous of your adventure and proud that you did it! I will probably need 2346 breaks if I climb it.

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  2. Ellie, you are the MOUNTAIN GOAT.. All that biking , trekking , hiking has made you Maryland's Milkha Singh.. [India's famous athlete].. You need no breaks baby !

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