TrekKing

For trekking, Pune presents lots of alternatives. Natives might argue that there aren’t tall hill ranges or hills in this region lack the luster of snowy Himalayas, however, for someone who hails from Nashik, it presents an exciting prospect. Add to that 5 days a week working culture and there is ample opportunity for organizing a trek!

Last Sunday, it was first time we visited Sinhgadh. I reached our meeting place early morning only to find that I am the only one to make it on time (an experience not alien to me : - ) ). In the early hours of morning, one can drive the bike in full throttle. I relished the opportunity as busy streets in Pune rarely present chance to harness the true power of Pulsar.

The road is straight and fairly smooth. It travels through small villages, greenery and last but not the least it goes by Khadakwasla dam. The dam provides excellent site. We stopped to take a few snaps; but hurried off to Sinhgadh – We didn’t want to climb while sweating under sun rays!

One can either climb the hill using stone steps or one can drive straight to top using the tar road. Like all trekking enthusiasts, we chose the stone steps. We parked bikes at bottom and started climbing the hill. It gets steep. One has to be careful as rubble pieces make the road slippery. If you are really excited about trekking and want to be little adventurous, you can go for steeper climbs which, of course, are short cuts to stone steps.

Villagers living nearby have done their bit in developing the place for tourist attraction. They serve you ‘limbu sarbat’, ‘dahi’, ‘tak’ etc. Dahi is served in special pots.

You see all types of people there. School boys who run there way up in 30 minutes, young people - determined to enjoy but usually lacking stamina (!), few regulars who climb at ease, elderly people who take their own time and frequent breaks…

We occasionally stopped, appreciating the greenery and the view that the altitude provided. Took few snaps and proceeded. 90 minutes for ascending (not bad for first attempt!).

Once you reach the top all the tiredness just fades. There is hardly anything left of the ancient fort (Formerly known as Kondhana). Hoteliers there tell you about where Udaybhanu’s Wada was and eagerly show you the places from where Tanaji and Suryaji climbed up on that historic night.

I was surprised to find out that there is a bungalow at the top. It was owned by famous freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak. It has a special significance as meeting between Lokmanya and Mahatma Gandhi took place there.

If you are pure vegetarian, you get ‘Zunka-bhakri’ and ‘pithala’ in the hotels. It is their specialty. Perhaps, the term hotel is misnomer; they are actually shops in small huts run by villagers nearby. Lunching in the shade of trees is an experience by itself!

We started descending at around 12 and nearly took same time as for ascending.

It was exhilarating experience. Away from daily drudgery, away from pollution and traffic….At the end of the day, it just makes one wonder what we bargained for on the way to our ‘civilization’.

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I don’t question our existence, I question our modern needs.
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