Sadhle ghat-Kaladgad-Sadhle ghat trek

Well, some things are just meant to be messed up and nothing in the world can help! So just let it be!

That is exactly what our hike turned out to be: A mess! But let me tell you, everyone would love to mess it up the way we did, everyone would have enjoyed every single steps of the lakhs we took, every one would have enjoyed the moment we lived out on this hike.. ‘ A mess-iah trek’.

A lot of things dawned upon during these two days. Firstly, we acknowledged the fact that temperatures in Maharashtra can drop down to spine-chilling degrees ( and that is not an hyperbole friends), I am still bearing the heat of the cold! This is when we were sleeping in the chills at Peth chi vadi, at the base of Kaladgad. The place was open from all the four sides, and if that was a bit less, it left a big enough opening on the top of the roof too. The shivering bodies is all that I can recollect; Frozen!

Another thing that dawned upon me, is that even the most comprehensive (or atleast considered by many to be so) book, Sahyadri Companion, can be quite tricky with its descriptions of every single cattle trail. Also, the book is not totally comprehensive, Villagers have hordes of new lines to draw on their indexed maps.

Third thing, that affected me most and left me wondering is, “If cramps could kill”. Ask me this, and I would stand up in agreement, it can. Sujay nearly mistook it for a fatal heart-attack, had it not been for me holding on to my calf and wriggling in pain.

It all began on a chilly winter night, just a day before our Republic day. We reached Savarne, after a nearly 2 hour standing journey at around 1 AM. Hemant and Deepa joined us sooner and we slept quietly in the school yard. Glimpses of the chill that the weather beholded for the next day were quite evident with out cuddled bodies grappling on to gather some warmth from somewhere, but in vain.

Starting, not so early and further wasting some invaluable time doing some tea-time business and warming up, we managed to efficiently fall good 90 minutes behind schedule, even before starting our trek. I was still coping with the increasing redness of my eyes. After all the royal beginnings, we finally decided to march ahead and a steep climb on the hill standing behind Savarne was responsible for all the sweaters and wind-cheaters behind packed right away into the sacks. The climb was a good warm-up and Belpada now graced our sights. A quick short descent took us to Belpada within 45 mins from Savarne.

A good time coverage was again frittered away, with individuals popping out and doing their dabba-rounds one after the other, as if we all were waiting and queued up for a Sulabh or something. Sujay, was after some Parrot and very much excited seeing its green colour it seems. He would not let it escape the zoom of his Olympus. It was lousy wastage of time and I was constantly nagging at Vijay, who was with me, about the time loss. One reason I was so very particular about timings was the tight schedule that I had planned. Did I mention, we had planned to cover three far off forts. Oh, poor me!!! That was a far fetched-dream on this outing, not many seemed in the mood to do that.

After all the dabbas, we moved on towards Sadhle ghat. All were new on this paticular trek and no one had the clue what Sadhle ghat looked like or where it is. It was a total anticipatory business going on and the guess work seemed right to us. We moved on and decided to skip Kelewadi and directly move towards Sadhle. I still rue this decision. Kelewadi would have given us a clearer approach rather that going in for a direct cut, especially when we all were out there for the very first time. Sadhle ghat is a steep ghat climbing up between extension of Nakta hill and Harishchandragad massif. We crossed Belpada village and instead of heading straight, which would have been the right track, we took an early right. Life would have been much simpler for us, had we gone a bit further and then taken the right. Still, its all very easy to think otherwise now. So, the fact remains that we took an early right and climbed up the plateau. There were cattle trails scattered all over and we were quite confused by now. I had to bloody ‘THINK’, but more importantly I had to ITCH my eyes and that’s all that consumed me. I was already beginning to feel the pinch. Eyes red, swollen, burning, irritating and paining, with an overloaded sack on my back, I was already drooping.

So the search for Sadhle continued. Scrambling our way through those often misleading cattle trails, we managed to find a paay waat and reached a level, from where the topography cleared up a bit. The route coming from Pachnai joined us here on thi plateau and the way towards Sadhle ghat was clearer from this point. Did I tell you that reaching this point wasn’t as difficult as Raj made it for himself. Yeah, We all managed to reach this level via a relatively simpler scramble, but for Raj. He somehow manages to get himself in a tangle and then screams out of nowhere, only for all of us to find him some good 20-25 feet below, managing to hold on to crumbling pieces of earth and a steep way to make up to where we were. And yes, his bag was being taken care of by poor Sujay, who is still cursing Raj; not for venturing in troubled waters, but for venturing without taking his bag!!!

A steep scramble, heavy breather and holding on to his dear life, he made his way up. Sujay had his share of crack at Raj and so did we all..lolz. Some fresh breather here and we marched towards Sadhle’ which was still very elusive. We were all hitting in the dark, with most targets missed, some hit accidentally. But the point was, Sadhle ghat was definitely nearer that it was around 4 hours back!!!

So after some searching and scrambling, and some directions from some voice behind the bush (fikar not all those super-natural believers, it was a shepherds call from behind the bush), we deciphered the puzzle named as Sadhle ghat and finally for the first time in this entire hike, knew what our immediate next target was. The sharp V shaped col between Nakta and the hill, on the slopes of which we were standing , was the Sadhle ghat col. So we had to traverse left to reach the col and then ascend. We traversed, through the bushes and some confusing maze of trails, until we reached a dried stream and the end of our traverse. I was exhausted by then, mentally and physically. And dare I say my enthusiasm to find the route up was diminishing.

We descended quite a bit, and all the height gained so far was lost in 30 mins quick descend. We reached a flat opening and the route to Sadhle ghat was mocking at us. At this point we were right at the base of Nakta and the path straight from here would have led to Kelewadi in 15 mins. All the merry-go-round in the end brought us on the right track that begins some where from near Kelewadi, the village we decided to give a skip in the pursuit of short cuts.

So the Sadhle ghat ascent began and I was further downed by the heavy baggage I volunteered to carry. Shirish was a good company at the pace that was manageable for both of us. Vijay, kep us company and egged to be a bit quicker. The rest were quickly gaining the height, as we struggled with cramping legs, aching heads and tiring breaths. A villager from Peth chi vadi, met on the way and agreed to come along with us. The climb got steeper as the trail slipped past and I was further fatigued. On the way a small brook crosses the path. This is where we had our lunch and some energy replenishment. I was surviving. A quick snack session and we moved further.

The steep route reminded me a lot of Nali chi vaat route. The slate rocks on the way crumbled quite a lot similarly and the steepness the we countered is comparable as well, in some parts. We were nearing the col, as the breeze begin to get stronger, gradient steeper and my head a bit heavier. The crumbling lime stone gave way to loose mud, and the col was reached. We all breathed relief.

The villager and we had some Theplas and Puran polis. The meal was tasty and much needed. The villager bluffed a lot on the way and he had no clue what so ever to where exactly Kaladgad was. At one point, he even denied the being of any such fort. Aahhhhh.. that was a bit much to take, considering all the efforts that went in to reaching the point, where we were then. We moved on. The walk was over a flatter terrain. If one moves to their right,from here, one can approach Harishcandhragad. This was not our destination and so we continued to keep left. A well marked trail was quickly slipping under our feet and we were inching near Kaladgad. At a bifurcation the villager bade farewell, and we moved to our destination. And the it struck, like a bolt of lighting and I crashed, thud on the floor, screaming and wriggling in the writhing pain. The cramps had got all over me. In both calves, thighs and the waist. I could barely move. My expressions suggested the gravity of pain and Sujay and others were left clueless. They were all a bit scared seeing me behave the way I was and only Vjay could understand the situation. I asked Vijay, to hold my leg and do the needful. Vijay, because he knows what severe cramps are and how killing can they be in terms of pain. After minutes of unbearable pain, I managed to calm down and tried to get up. Sujay came forth to unload me and take my sack.

With every single step that I took further, an impending cramp threatened to strike me again. It was at this point, seeing my inability to even limp properly, that Bhairav and Kunjar were definitely dropped for the day. We reached a point on our way, from where Vijay, Hemant, Deepa and Sujay bifurcated to see Kaladgad. Raj and Anil headed to Peth-chi wadi for dinner arrangements and myself and Shirish stayed back at the base of Kalad to keep over the belongings and sacks.

They took their time and the Sunset, which was amazing as it is from where we were, would have been doubly beautiful for these four who were atop Kalad. Shirish and I started to feel the chill as were were motion less for most of our stay. We lay on the cool grass beneath and chilly breeze blowing on the plateau further lowered the temperatures. Cold was rapidly building in our bodies and Shirish woke me just at the right time to wear the wind cheaters and monkey caps. The woolen provided some temporary comfort. The sun faded away, darkness crept and the chill accentuated. These four gradually descended as I and Shirish were on our heels to make our way back to the village in search of some warmth.

They arrived and a good 30 mins walk brought us to Peth chi wadi. This is where we were to stay for the night. The plan was charted out and without much corroboration, tracing back the same route to Savarne was decided. Reaching Savarne was inevitable for us, since Hemant had parked his two wheeler in the village and had to get back there. SO we were not left with much options. The village was dark and MSEB load shedding is double effective in these interior parts. Some how after reaching there, a bit of energy was infused and I volunteered to serve hot tomato soup. The hot soup would have been a perfect complement for the winter chill and it did. Within 30 mins the soup was served and everyone savoured a glass of it.

Anil had ordered chicken to be made and bhakris with some dal rice, for a sumptopus meal. I and Shirish were the only veggies out there. We had our bhakri with the dal and some rice to top it. Others were licking on the delicious chicken served out to them , a bit spicy though. After the dinner, everyone was quick to clean up and lay their sheets on the ground for a good sleep. Good night wishes did not last much long as the cool breeze interrupted the warmth of our dreams and the knitted blankets and carry mats were rendered plain ineffective. Everything said and done, we were shivering the entire night.
The morning 6 AM bus left at 5 and so we kissed the ride till Sadhle ghat too. So we extended our cozy sleep till 8 AM. Later we all slowly crept out of our blankets to find the village up and alive. We helped ourself with tea and biscuits before moving on. On some suggestions, the villager showed us the short cut that would have allowed us to escape the long circuitous route round Kalad that we took the earlier night. So we headed along the shorter route, that was supposed to join the Sadhle ghat somewhere in between.

We quickly moved past Kalad and its Anghtha and on the way crossed Dhom cha dongar. A trail descending on our right leads to Kumshet. We moved further ahead till we reached a steep drop in excess of 1000 feet in the valley lyiing in front of us. A small scree patch to our left led to the gully which we were to descend. High steep kada to our left, a small scree scramble to reach the gully and a deep valley in the front gave us enough clues about the route that was in stiore for us. These short cuts really cut short!!!

So carefully we marched. The first boulder descend posed enough problems for the villagers and hence a forked wood is placed for rendering the job easy. We used the same to descend down. Sujay already gave enough evidences of the rising apprehension within him. Shirish’s knees were hurting him bad and I was already consumed by the cramps that held me on the gun point the earlier day. The steep descent through the gully continued. We were constantly looking for some left bifurcation that would lead to the conventional Sadhle ghat, but in vain. All we could see to our left was some scree and fall.

We continued over some really troublsome boulders to descend and some rough terrain. The descent wasn’t rendered any easy with the intervening thick bushes crossing all our way. We continued. Some patches took a bit time for some to negotiate. Slow but we continued. Sadhle eluded us and the ardousness of the route instilled enough doubts of the authenticity of the route. Did we miss a left bifurcation? Didn’t look like it though.

At one point, as I and Vijay followed from behind, the one in the front told us of the dead end. They were all pretty sure that this is the end of the route and were talking of some fall in the way. Myself and Vijay went a bit up and looked for some left turn that we could take or scramble to reach Sadhle. Nothing was feasible, all the left turns seemed to end down in a deep valley lying between us and the Sadhle ghat route. The possibility of climbing up all the way back started dawning amongst the already fatigued minds and souls. Some disgruntled and voices like, ‘Short cut lena hi nahi chahiye that’ started to raise their decibels. Well, these things really put off friends! There was not a soul who could be held for this and not one did defied the short cut, until a dead end crossed the way. So what next???

Well, situations like this seems to squeeze energy out of me it seems. I went down to see the said dead end and was astonished to find that I was no dead end at all! Just a steep descend that required some protection. Ropes were out, a open-clove-hitch to the rock, bow-lines around the waist, sort of round the waist belay and every one was now at the other end of the patch. Even though the process took some time, it was 1000 times better then the idea of climbing all the way back. I couldn’t have managed to do that thiing then. So we did managed to reach there and the path now seemed much more simpler and simpler it was. Some quick descend over simpler terrain saw us joining the Sadhle ghat track near the water source. We quenched our thirsts here and moved further.

There was a spring in our steps hereafter and the zeal to return to Savarne was very much evident. We reached a flatter terrain and within hours time, we were at Belpada. With the magnificence of Kokan Kada seeming better than ever in the near perfect inclination of the falling rays, the scene was a visual treat. We spent some while filling our sights with the ever amazing kokan kada before realising it was getting darker. We quickly moved past Belpada, climbed the hill and on the other side reached Savarne. Some searching in the dark took us to the house where Hemant had parked his bike the other day. All hisak-kitab looked after and the final cash settlements done, Hemant and Deepa bade adeiu. The rest of us marched towards the highway, hoping for some bus or truck to stop at our waving hands.

Once it gets dark, it is very very difficult to get a vehicle stop for you in these parts owing to spiraling incidents of dacoity and thefts of travelers. So, we were just trying our luck. Luck did not down played us this time, and some guys from a group, Nature Lovers from Malad managed to stop a truck carrying some log of woods. We all rushed and boarded the vehicle too. We were on top of the truck, and the chill in the wind seemed rising again. All through out this trek we couldn’t escape the cold that weather catered us and we some how managed to cope with it. All through our journey till Murbad, we munched on some sev and confectioneries before retiring to doze off for a while. Alighting at Murbad and quickly finding ourself dumped in a jeep we set off towards Kalyan. The jeep reached Kalyan at quarter to twelve. I alighted just in front of my apartments and was amongst the first to reach home.

The trek did not go as planned even for a moment. Everything and every moment was out of the blue, unprecedented and something unexpected for us. None of the planned route was done and every route, just when it seemed had hit the right track, revealed the incorrectness of itself in truest way. However, this trek gave us one thing, “The JOY of DISCOVERING things for oneself” without any well beaten track, without any pre-conceived images in mind, without any guide and without an iota of pre-planned chart. One thing that stood out in this trek was the Spontaneity and our ability to react to it and if I am robbed of vocabulary and allowed just one word to describe the trek, I would love to term it as RAW!!!