The day - Friday the 6th, July 2001. The trek destination – Manekgad! The team – Hari, Pinto, Sunil, Sesh, Nigel and myself. Manekgad is a fort built by Shivaji Maharaj and is on a hill nearly 20 Kms. from Karjat railway station in Maharashtra, India. It's at a height of 592 meters in the Sahyadri mountain range. None of us was a professional trekker or rock climber nor had been in those parts earlier. Nobody knew the route or any of the villages on the way. A rough map was all we had to help us. We'd carried enough food & water to last 2 days.

          The team gathered at the rendezvous (Dadar Station, in Bombay) at around 11:45 p.m. From there we took the last train going to Pune and reached Karjat at 2:30 a.m. According to the map, we had to go to a village called "Chowk". Upon enquiry, we were told that Chowk is 10 km. away to the west of Karjat station. We started off, with our rucksacks on our backs, in the middle of the night with just a torch to help us. Fortunately, it was just around full moon and there was a good amount of moonlight. Jolly good fellows that we are, the walk seemed pleasant. It was the middle of monsoons and the whole atmosphere was damp. There were clouds in the sky with the moon playing 'hide 'n seek' between them. We walked for around 1.5 Km. singing/whistling along.

          After we had walked for about half an hour, we heard a Jeep heading towards us from behind. We turned around and made the hitchhikers sign. The next second, we were all squeezed into it. It was really kind of the driver to take us on a free ride, especially when it was already nearly full. Though not very comfortable, it was better than covering the distance on foot. About 4-5 km. from where we got the lift, we saw a board with something and the word "Chowk" written on it in Marathi. We got down, thanked the people in the jeep, and looked around for help. It was 3:30 A.M. in the morning. There was nobody around to guide us. We looked around and read a few more signs, only to realize that we had taken a wrong route. We had to walk all the way back to a fork near where we took the lift. Now we had to cover an additional distance on foot - 5 km. maybe more! The very thought of it was discouraging. We were nowhere near the fort.

          We pacified each other and started walking back. Luckily, a small truck came up behind us - to our rescue! Two of us sat inside with all the backpacks and the remaining four sat on top of the cabin. The ride on that nasty road was very thrilling. Ah! The guys hurdled on top of the cabin had a great time. We got down at the fork. The milestone there indicated "Chowk 7 Km". We were back on foot. The road was good with frequent traffic even at that unearthly hour. Many vehicles passed by us, but we never managed to hitch a hike on them as none stopped. We later came to know that that road was often raided by Dacoits. So no one had dared to stop.

          By the time we reached Chowk, it was dawn. We could hear the Cocks crowing and the birds chirping. About that time we heard the first bus come by, and we did the last Km. by bus. We got down at Chowk and walked from the bus stop to the village. On the way we stopped on a bridge on the river Patalganga. It was nature at it's best. Early morning mist, with lush greenery all around, a clam river surrounded by mountains all around - Paradise! Our next destination was Vadgaon - A village at the foot of Manekgad. We took a rickshaw from Chowk (all six in a three wheeler was not exactly comfortable). By 7:15 AM we were at the base of the mountain.

          We had our breakfast at a bus stop there, and by 7:40 AM started walking towards the mountain. We had to pass through a small village while climbing up. It was a typical village with thatched huts, big fields, cows, buffaloes, and dogs and of course villagers. They were all staring at us, buffaloes too! (We must have looked pretty funny in that attire). Children and Old women folks were peeping through the small doors lined up one behind the other. The adults were mostly working in the fields. It was a wonderful sight. At length the thin winding tarred road ended abruptly, and from then on we were off road.

          On the way we happened to meet a young villager, named Chandrakant who offered to help us. He was going up hill to collect some vegetables. From that point, he became our guide. We introduced ourselves and started talking. Pinto casually put forth the question "Does any one come here for trekking?" To this he replied, "Earlier people used to come. Even the villagers used to go uphill. However now it has all stopped. A young boy slipped and fell to his death. Only the military comes here now for trekking". This was the first shock! We stared at each other, took a gulp, and walked behind him. Nevertheless we were all determined to make it up to the fort. He was leading us. But we certainly were not prepared for what was in store ahead.

          Soon the fields ended and we found ourselves walking into jungle. The path we were walking looked as if no one had ever walked that way before. It must have been the monsoon rain. The forest was emerald green. We were going crazy admiring the beauty of the place (and also avoiding the thorny bushes). Very soon we were standing at a small stream. We took a break there, washed our face, hands and feet. It felt pleasant. It was a beautiful sight, full of greenery, fresh air, and birds chirping around, cool water brushing past me and no insects! Felt like sleeping in the water. It was a welcome relief and we refreshed ourselves. Then Chandrakant broke the great news - apparently we had to cross the stream to the other side. So much for my pair of woodlands! The water was cool. It was just knee deep but the rocks at the bottom of the water were rounded, smooth and slippery. After walking around a bend in the stream, we had our first glimpse of Manekgad. Soon we were climbing the slope towards Manekgad.

                      The initial climb was not all that steep. Looking at it, we thought that the climb would be pretty simple. The land was marshy though. It was drizzling. The path was becoming more and more slippery. We could see mountain crabs scurrying about. We soon hit the dense forest. We had to cut away the small shrubs and wines that came our way. Some of them were thorny and were hurting us. As the vegetation grew thicker, we were attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes. They were grayish and tiny, but they had a stinging bite. They seemed to be starving from the moment they were born. (There was no sign of any human habitat there). Thanks to us they had a sumptuous meal. We also came across some small fleas that hurt as they sucked blood. Stopping at that place was impossible because of them.

         
          There were very nice sights to see also as we climbed along; the breathtaking view of the plains below, the waterfalls, the tall magnificent trees, colorful mountain crabs, snails. There were these particularly interesting looking anthills that we saw from time to time. The anthill was about the size of a palm, and shaped like a Rose.

          We had climbed about 200 meters now. The time was 9:45 a.m. Time was ticking away. We needed to move ahead. Still 400 meters to climb! Chandrakant was leading us all the way. Had it not been for him, we'd surely have got lost in that jungle by now. We followed him. By this time, most of us were pretty tired. We hadn't slept all night and all of us were at work in the office the previous day. Moreover we were all carrying a moderate weight of luggage on our backs. It contained food items for a day, clothes, umbrella etc. It was becoming increasingly difficult for some of us (read me!) to climb with all the stuff on their back. We helped each other with carrying the stuff in turns. Pinto found a strong thick stick, and used it to clear the way as we went ahead. We climbed for another hour and half. We had done almost 400 meters, 200 yet to go.

          The climb was steadily becoming steeper and rocky. The rocks helped us a lot. It was 11:30 a.m. by then. Thanks to all the guys, and Chandrakant’s help, I was slowly making my way uphill. The adventure had turned into a test of endurance for us. There had been small drizzles on the way, but now it started raining heavily. We had reached a rocky ledge. We couldn't see anything ahead and were totally surrounded by clouds. We didn’t realize we had reached the base of the fort. We decided to take a short break. We all sat there and had our lunch waiting for the rain to stop. As the clouds cleared up, we realized that we were sitting at a terrific place. Ahead of us was a huge rock with a near vertical face about 70-80 meters high, while behind us and on both sides was a dead fall for about 150 meters or so. The climb ahead was very tricky - steep, narrow and dangerous. On one side was the rock while on the other was a valley with a waterfall about 150 meters below, with not a single tree to hold on to if someone slipped. One slip and even god couldn't save you! The scene shook up our nerves. To move ahead, we had to circumvent the rock on this path barely one foot wide that first went down in a curve for 25-30 meters, then went up for another 100 meters or so.

          This place really tested our nerves. Finally we decided to go ahead as there was no way we could return the way we had come up. But not before remembering the almighty one! By this time, Pinto had gone ahead with Chandrakant to scout the steep climb ahead. As we moved ahead, the trail was quite dangerous but the view was out of this world. Halfway on this path, we came to a broader landing with the rock overhanging above, nearly 2 meters wide. There I saw a wonder. In the rock face was a perfectly rectangular tunnel about a meter wide and a meter and a half high, that could not possibly be seen from anywhere (unless you stood on the opposite hill face). A secret entrance to the fort, Chandrakant informed us! It was never explored for the fear of serpents and wild animals.

       At around 12:40 p.m. we were almost up to the fort. After all the experiences that we had, we decided not to climb up, but to climb down from another, easier side. Chandrakant promised us there was a State Transport bus stop down there and a bus to Panvel. We rested for a while & then proceeded for the descent. The descent now seemed much simpler. The slope on the other side was thickly wooded, but much better to walk on. There were fields on the plateau halfway down. We could see the Pen valley ahead of us. After walking for another hour, we came to a flat terrain from where the rocky fort above was visible in its full glory. Sunil and I went trigger-happy clicking photographs.

     Manekgad fort is not a fort of likes we are accustomed to see. Rather, it is a large dome shaped rock with collection of small tunnels carved into the rock faces. The Marathas may  have used it as a hiding place when attacked by enemies. Ideally suited for guerilla warfare!

          We could not spend much time up there, because it was already 1:00 PM, and we would soon have to end the trek. On the descent, all of us had by now regained confidence and were pushing ahead. Our feet were killing us and some of us who were wearing tight shoes were having severe shoe bites. We took the alternative long but easy route for descent on the advice of Chandrakant. The route was longer also since we had to go around the freshly ploughed fields. We kept climbing down for almost 7-8 Km. On the way, I remember turning around to have a last look at the fort. It was magnificent even from that distance.

          As we climbed down for another two and a half hours, we passed by a couple of small tribal hutments. Slowly, the ground came into view, then we could make out the villages and fields down on the ground, then the roads. Now we were sure that the long walk was going to come to an end. Finally at around 4:15 p.m. we reached a roadside tea stall in a village. There were smiles on all the tired faces. There was a feeling of accomplishment on our faces. We had done it finally. Now as we look back we feel that it was the dogged determination, team spirit and camaraderie that saw us through.

We had the all-time favorite Indian fast food of  Vada-Pav, Bhaji and tea there and changed our clothes. The dry clothes felt really great after being wet for nearly 8-10 hours. By now every one of us was dead tired. It was painful to even move a finger.

Today, the whole thing seems so simple. I feel like laughing at some of the incidents that happened that day. But, I know surely that at one point we had nearly reached the limits of endurance and survived only because of team spirit. One of these days, I plan to go back to Manekgad again. Only this time, I intend to climb right to the top. Anyone wanna join in?

By the Manekgad trekking team- Sunil Phatak, Ryan Pinto, Harihur D’Silva, Mohanoor Seshadri, Nigel Dsouza & Lionel Lobo. Thanks to Sunil for writing the bulk of this article!

A few memorable  pictures we clicked during our descent -