Trek to Ratangad fort - the heaven of Western Ghats!

Located in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, the Trek to Ratangad fort is quite a popular one amongst those who seek adrenaline rush. The trek is not a tough one in most seasons, but during the monsoons, it's quite a challenging one and not many go there. Of course, we didn't know about this and went there quite confidently, and came back with some amazing stories - some of fear, but mostly of fun :)

An illustration of the last leg of the trek. Courtesy Vikram Tej :)

Its a random collection of thoughts from an amazing weekend of trekking. The five of us (Manoj, Vikram, Abhishek, Bijoy and me) had the best of our time walking and slipping through the Sahyadris. The following are some tiny snippets from the trip, the first ones that come to my mind, in no order whatsoever. More will follow in the days to come. The pictures are random too, since we could take none during the trek due to the rains...

The only picture of us all!

Part of the gang, Manoj busy clicking us selflessly :)

The Climb to the fort

Bijoy from Bijoy's camera!

Abhishek sliding down fast into us!

As I climbed up the second stairs, I was left confused as the trail led nowhere. There was just a steep hill with a recess and lots of water falling down directly on my face. The guide called back again from behind me and asked me to continue walking. Surely we were not expected to climb up on this steep rock cut! I moved on, having little choice and no clue about how to move forward. It’s great when survival instincts take over and lead you, the mind works independently and leads the body. 

The few tense minutes passed, so did the climb up on the rocky and extremely slippery steps leading up to the fort in constant rain. We were relieved, till it dawned upon us that tomorrow morning’s climb down would be even more challenging. Abhishek flatly refused any further walking and insisted that we call a helicopter for a rescue operation :)

The bonding moments (through the night)

We saw the vibrant colors in the cave only later, the night was too dark to notice anything!

Sleeping comfortably, before Tej and Bijoy also squeezed in!

Lack of preparation ensured that the five us had to sleep in a tent originally meant for only two grown up men. A few clicks and some random jokes later, we were ready to sleep around 8 pm in the cave temple in the fort. Manoj, Tej and me continued talking for a while more, while Abhishek constantly complained about falling water, while Bijoy snored loudly. I was stuck in the middle between the huge frame of Manoj and absolutely unrelenting Tej, and had to wake them both up through the night to even turn! The cold weather, gushing water, pitch darkness and crushed bodies came to define our long night of bonding!

Tej's body hair ensure nothing else is seen in the picture.

The trek

The disappearing falls...

Plastic bags working in the fields!

The dog had no name, but it surely was faithful. It followed us through everything on the way, including some crazily flowing water in the rivers on the way. His faithful partner also gave us company. We were wet right from the beginning as it rained insistently. Soon we didn’t even notice the water, as our eyes strained to look beyond the mist at the hills, trees, falls and each other. The heavy bags too disappeared as our body accepted them as part of our bodies, only to reappear towards the end. The small meadows, the steep climb, the slippery stones, falling bodies and lack of camera was how the trek went. 

The ride to Ratanwadi

Trying to be a dude!

Tej the dacoit!

Bijoy after a close call with a villager's potty!

Tej doing his trademark jump!

Nashik to Ratanwadi is one of the most beautiful drives, especially in the monsoons. The greenery all around rejuvenates the senses, while the constant rains whet them. A punctured tyre, funny raincoats, chai with more than a ton of sugar, and constant jokes set the tune for the trip. Ratanwadi was our base camp and as the trek to Harishchandragad failed to take off due to excessive rains and overflowing rivers, it became the end of our trek as well.

Manoj missing again, we at Bhandardhara

P.S. Almost all images are courtesy our official photographer for the trip Manoj and his D5100 (with 55-200 VR lens). The rest are by Bijoy (through his Nokia), Tej (Sony) and Handu (our guide)...

Note: Do read about our other trip together to Dediapada almost an year back...