GIRIVIHAR

Wednesday Walk-in: 1930 onwards at Café Colony, Hindu Colony, East End of Tilak Bridge, Dadar (E)

On behalf of all of us in the Managing Committee I wish all of you

a Very Very Happy, Prosperous and Adventurous

New Year 2003.

The cool breeze have travelled all the way from the North & reached the Sahyadri. Its winter! The perfect time to trek the Ghats. The Sun has already touched its southernmost limits and is headed back to the Tropic of Cancer. Relax, it will quite some time before the summer heat sweeps the subcontinent. Till then, we have plenty of time for grand hikes, some rock climbing or just wander the mountains. The next line up ensures that we make the most of this winter season.

· The 15th Annual Adventure Camp of Girivihar at Sudhagad was a great success. This year we enrolled 51 young enthusiasts much before the closing date. We ventured into a tie-up with yet another school this year. There were as many as 19 trainees from Shree D. J. Doshi Gurukul, Ghatkopar (East). Thanks to the special efforts taken by our member Balasubramaniam and Mrs. Arora, Principal of the school. The kids from the school not only participated wholeheartedly in the camp but also created beautiful memories The kids had a heady dose of adventure mixed with fun.

· The slide show on Girivihar organised expedition to Barari Nala in Zanskar was held at Poddar College, Matunga on 27^th Nov 2002. The grand yet sublime beauty of the Himalayas was very evident in the slides of the Zanskar expedition, presented by our President Franco Linhares. The expedition team members shared their experiences with the people present & we heard Arun Ullal’ s brave story of walking for ten days on a wounded leg before getting help.

· The last few slides were the lime light of the entire presentation. One of it was a stunningly beautiful landscape shot, almost ethereal! It had a cold bluish grey foreground with a dull sky. Amidst this gloominess stood out a solitary peak bathed in bright golden rays of the setting sun. Franco quoted to a speechless audience ‘its moments like these that make the expedition worthwhile. These are your rewards after a gruelling expedition.’

If anyone has illusions as to why mountaineers do what they do, then this slide would have answered it all & dissolved all the qualms.

This was followed by another slide show of a leisurely trek to Ravlya, Javlya & Dhodap in the Nashik Region. Presented by Rajneesh Gore, the slide presentation was a visual treat.

· The photography competition held by the Pinnacle Club & Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan Navbharat Yuva Andolan had some exciting snaps on display. The exhibition was held from 6^th December 2002 till 8^th December 2002 at the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan’s Art Gallery. Crisp, fresh images of the mountains & nature, worth a visit!

· Unfortunately, our Rock Climbing Camp to be held at Kanheri Caves from 25^th December 2002 to 29^th December 2002, was cancelled because of very poor response. Initially we had hard time in getting the bungalow in Kanheri as the Forest authorities have stopped giving all bungalows for overnight stay. The increased number of leopards in the small little forest patch and their increasing attacks on human beings is obviously the reason for this ban. Later it was a bit too late by the time we could manage to organise the accommodation and gather enough number of trainees. Nevertheless, we would continue our efforts in future too, to keep one of the oldest activities of our club alive, with various other alternatives in mind.

Britain’s Alison Hargraves was a woman, a mother, and one of the most tenacious mountaineers to grace the Himalayas, till she lost her life on K2 in 1995. Alison was the first woman to summit the planet's two highest peaks without supplemental oxygen. In the anthology ‘30 years of Climbing’ (Published by Climbing magazine, Colorado, US) writer Greg Child notes that in the summer of 1995, when Alison was attempting Everest from the North Ridge in "unsupported style," an "independent and style conscious" Alison "wouldn’t even accept a cup of tea from me while on the mountain, lest it be interpreted as support." And as Child points, Alison carried her own gear, established her own camps, had no Sherpa support and summitted Everest. Unfortunately, Hargraves perished on K2, while returning after a successful summit. Alison was idolised by mountaineers both men and women, not just for her accomplishments, but for her ambition, drive and willingness to take risks. A Hard Day's Summer,’ the only book authored by Alison Hargraves, dwells on her successful solos of the six great north faces of the Alps in one season, in the process, becoming the first person to do so. Her writing style may come across as dry, bland as it is by the metaphors and drama that characterise penmanship in mountaineering. Yet, is a practical, gritty and hard chronology of her successes, and if one reads between the lines, her acclaimed boldness and tenacity are there to see. If you want to learn about a woman, who was counted among the finest alpinists of her generation, this is a good book to start with.

Place : Ambivali Caves (Children’s Hike)

In Brief : A small stroll to a beautiful enclave before ascending to Peth (Kothligad) from village Ambivali. It has a beautiful cave next to a small pool in the river.

Train / Bus : Karjat Local leaving Mumbai CST at 05:20, Dadar at 05:38, Thane at 06:17, Kalyan at 06:46 and reaching Karjat at 07:45 hrs. We will take the Karjat-Ambivali ST leaving Karjat at 08:15 hrs.

Assembly : On the Platform, Karjat Station, near the motorman’s cabin of the train at 07:45 hrs. Proceed to the Karjat ST stand after assembly.

Invitation

Prasanna Joshi takes pleasure in cordially inviting all of you to celebrate the 3^rd Birthday of his daughter Karvi on this hike on the 12^th January.

(For prior information call Vijay/Asmita Athavale on 95251-2321092 or Saurabh Pathare on 24445380)

Place : Bhimashankar (Moonlit walk)

In Brief : A special nocturnal trek through a dense tropical rain forest with the moon to guide us through. Get your torches & be ready for a gruelling one day trek.

Assembly : For details contact the leader on 25906713, or Rajneesh Gore on 26115869 or Santosh Phansekar on 25234052 after the 5^th of Jan 2002.

Place : Parnera Fort (SSG Special)

Place : Mumbra Nursery (Rock Climbing)

Place : Manikgad (Children’s Hike)

In Brief : An isolated mountain amongst towns & industries sprawled at its feet. Manikgad makes a good one-day outing.

Place : Mangalgad, Raireshwar via Aswal khind & Kenjalgad

In Brief : A long gruelling hike through remote spots & forests. A good long winter outing.

Registration : Attend the Wednesday walk-in at Café Colony on the 5^th February 2003 between 8:00 pm and 10.00 pm. Interested members will have to pay a registration fee of Rs.250/-. This fee shall be non refundable. Assembly timings & other details will be hammered out at the walk-in.

v For all stay hike, registration is a must. Last minute entries will not be entertained.

v For all one-day outings, a pack lunch, warm clothing & a water bottle are necessary.

v For monsoon outings a spare set of clothes packed in a waterproof plastic bag is essential.

v Join the “Girivihar Yahoo group” at [email protected] and get regular updates.