A Monsoon trek to Mount Kalsubai, highest peak in State of Maharashtra. in India.

"Kalsubai-D Vertical Limit of Maharashtra":- Group photo of "Nature Unplugged trek group" that  trekked  Mount Kalsubai.

A part of "KALSUBAI MOUNTAIN" as seen from Bari Village highway on a cloudy rainy day.The sky had just cleared at the time of this photo.

Began my  wild-life nature tours  and trekking   hobby  since 2006  with "B.N.H.S(Bombay Natural History society)" group after voluntary retirement as a "Marine Engineer" in the "Mercantile Merchant Navy". Mr Pankaj.Joshi, a marine-engineering  batch-mate  and friend of mine was an avid trekker in his youth, having trekked most of the peaks and hill-forts of Maharashtra State in India.On learning of my  recent interest in hill-fort treks he once casually spoke of having trekked  Mount Kalsubai  inspiring an interest in me  to scale this  mountain before  age took its usual toll on my fanatical physical fitness regime.

Kalsubai Trek Organizers(Lto R):- Mr Snehanshu.Bhaisare,Mr Amber.Deshmukh, Mr Vighnesh.Bhopatkar and Mr Nikhil.Malankar 

As a "Freelance hobby trekker" i scouted the internet for local trek groups conducting treks to Mount Kalsubai and came across "Adventure Aim" group intending to scale  Mount Kalsubai on 15th August 2012 , India's Independence day.  Contacted  the organizers of "Adventure aim" and confirmed my participation, also paying my trek fees in advance.Bizarrely, the trek was cancelled on the penultimate day, a total disappointment to me, the trek fees money refunded.It was a total disappointment akin to a "Rock Concert" being  cancelled on the last day due to unforeseen reasons, such was my enthusiasm to  trek Mount Kalsubai. Hence my trek to Mount Kalsubai  with "Nature Unplugged" trek group on Sunday(9-9-2012) happened by default and was an experience to cherish. In August , browsing through the internet  search engine came across  the group "Nature Unplugged" and was happy to note that they were conducting a trek to Mount Kalsubai on Saturday (8th)/Sunday(9th) September 2012. Rang up  one of the group organizers Mr Amber.Deshmukh to confirm my participation, also informing him my age to avoid surprising the trekkers of having a "Oldie(Uncle)" in their midst !  "Trekking" is a youth hobby, especially trekking the highest mountain in Maharashtra, not just a simple nature walk in the forests or hillocks.I am a firm believer in the quote, "BETTER LATE THAN TOO LATE" and hence scaling or attempting to scale Mount Kalsubai at age 52 was the inspiration  in the coming days. In life, you are never too old or too young to accomplish  or attempt your ambitions or hobbies.Indian filmstar Amitabh.Bachchan became a superstar after numerous serial flop films and at an age when most actors would have retired from films!What was "FACEBOOK" founder Mark.Zuckerberg's age when he started the now revolutionary and world's most popular  social website "FACEBOOK"? Yes, thanks to "Facebook"  kept in touch with "Nature unplugged" trek organizers and finally the big day of starting for the Kalsubai  trek arrived.

Mt Kalsubai, in comparison with surrounding  peaks , the highest peak in the State of Maharashtra in India.

SATURDAY(8-9-2012) :- The rendezvous for all the trekkers was 2300 hrs  near Omkareshwar temple  outside the main gate of  Sanjay Gandhi National Park  in Borivali.Left my residence in Prabhadevi at approx 2050 hrs , boarded a bus to Dadar and after purchasing a train ticket boarded the local "Borivali Slow train" at approx 2115 hrs, surprisingly crowded at non-office travel hours..The train was a bit slow due to the famous "Mumbai Monsoons" train traffic water-slowdown and finally reached Borivali station at approx  2210 hrs, almost an hours journey that normally takes 45 minutes.Made my way through the station subway to Borivali east and  walked towards the Sanjay Gandhi National park entrance gate.On approaching  the entrance inquired about Omkareshwar temple as i am a total novice to suburban Mumbai barring certain landmark tourist attractions and a few of  my relatives residences.Ramdev Hotel is a prominent hotel located next to Omkareshwar temple and hence decided to wait  at the hotel entrance for the rest of the trekkers to arrive.  The road outside "Ramdev Hotel" seemed a pick-up point for bus passengers boarding various tourist buses to other parts of Maharashtra and India. As a "Freelance trekker" i was absolutely new to "Nature Unplugged" trek group and hence rang up Mr Amber.Deshmukh informing him of my arrival  near Omkareshwar temple .I was  told to wait at "Ramdev Hotel" and finally at approx 2245 hrs Mr Snehanshu.Bhaisare, one of the trek organizers approached me, introducing himself, and so a loner trekker was suddenly in the midst of a group of young enthusiastic trekkers all waiting to board the bus. Was surprised to note that Mr Vighnesh.Bhopatkar one of the group organizers was a "Marine engineer" graduate awaiting  employment in a shipping company.Finally the entire group of trekkers arrived, a large group comprising of 37 young trekkers, majority below 30 years of age and none above 40 years of age, myself the eldest.Met the other young tour group organizers Mr Amber.Deshmukh and Mr Nikhil.Malankar and interacted with other trekkers  part of the "Nature Unplugged" trek group.All were young professionals sporting the latest electronic gadgets,  all  future captains of various  Indian Industries  in a common passion, outdoors nature trekking.

"Asha Travels(MH04 Fk46)" Luxury bus that was our residence on wheels during trek to " Mount Kalsubai".

                                                                                                                           The bus  "Asha Travels(MH04 Fk46)" finally arrived at approx 23 20 hrs and we all boarded the luxury Tata bus ,departing Borivali at 2330 hrs  and heading to  Bari Village, the base village for  the trek to Mount Kalsubai.The road distance is approx 140 Kms to Bari village  from Mumbai via  Kalyan - Asangao - Sakurli - Ghatgar  and  Bhandardara. Bhandardara is a popular hill resort approx 10 Kms from Bari and most tourists visiting Bhandardara also attempt to trek to Mount Kalsubai for  a pilgrimage to the "Kalsubai Temple" located  on  the peak , a local deity from which the mountain also got its name.The bus was spacious, three seats on one row and two seats on the other row of the bus corridor, myself and  a young co-trekker Mr Snehit.Bachal being  seated on the second row .As the journey progressed the "Antakshari(Song contest)" began and singing  voices filled the rainy night as the bus whizzed towards Bari village.Mr Snehit.Bachal  my seat neighbour seemed to be a gizmo enthusiast and he sported the latest Samsung phone, myself unashamedly asking him illiterate "2 G phone" questions and learning in the process. Although a Internet  Addict have never ever really taken a fancy to 21st century mobile phone internet as i find the screen too small for viewing,besides,my home is my office  with a internet/laptop and  hence a simple cell phone was sufficient for daily use. We later stopped at a highway dabba called "Babba Da Dabba" for toilet and refreshments. It was here that i discovered that my  work-horse 8Mp Pentax  digital camera was non-functional and shocked that i wouldn't be able to document my blogs with photos.Luckily, other trekkers were carrying camera's and thanks to Mr Amber.Deshmukh , Mr Prathamesh.Shirwadkar, Mr Saurabh.Talpade, Mr Shashank.Pandit, Mr Harshal.Desai , Mr Subuddha.Waghambare and Mr Sanket.Thatte that i have managed this  pictorial blog, normal on all my travels, treks and experiences.At "Baba Da Dabba" we all paid Mr  Vighnesh.Bhopatkar the trek fees of Rs 650 , the largest trek group i had trekked with in my short trekking career.After a brief halt at "Babba Ka Dabba" our bus headed towards Bari on a wet rainy night.

Commencement of the "KALSUBAI TREK" from "Bari Village" on Sunday morning (0645 hrs).(Photo:- Mr  Sanket.Thatte)

Lush Paddy fields of "Bari Village" .Starting point of " MT KALSUBAI TREK(Sunday 9-9-2012)":- Photo Mr Prathamesh.Shirwadkar

SUNDAY(9-9-2012):-I dozed off a little during the  journey  occasionally peeping out of the window to get a glimpse of the road milestone indicators.At approx 0440 hrs  we passed by a milestone indicator stating that  Nashik was 36 Kms away and later at approx 0530 hrs we reached our base of "Bari Village".It was drizzling and dark as we alighted the bus  and made our way to a small hut type dhabba.Daylight exposed us to the cloudy morning and a continuous drizzle of rain.We all assembled at the small shed next to our dhabba and after a brief introduction by the group organizers Mr Amber.Deshmukh and Mr Vighnesh.Bhopatkar were told to introduce ourselves individually, a normal routine on any trek.After the self-introduction, as a veteran traveller and senior most trekker of the group  i was given the honour of presenting a gift on behalf of "Nature Unplugged" group to  a few trekkers who were loyal travellers with "Nature Unplugged".Browsing through the internet and through my own experiences i have realized that "Trekking and Outdoors adventure  sports day tours" have  become a brisk business and very competitive in Mumbai , akin to the tourism industry. Average qualified jobs are well-paying and stressful in Mumbai city and hence short overnight treks or outdoors sports is the best form of stress busters from hectic office or factory workloads.There were a few young working  ladies in the group whom i mistook for schoolgirls ,an indication of the young youth participation in trekking, a tough sport that guarantees physical fitness and a great stress buster.Breakfast consisted of Pohwa/Kurmulia and tea, typical village Maharashtrian breakfast.After breakfast we began our trek at approx 0645 hrs in  foggy conditions and drizzling rain, visibility reduced to approx 500 metres..After a brisk walk through  a muddy road and narrow village paddy field paths at approx 0700 hrs  we came across a strong gushing stream , the result of a monsoon dam constructed over the stream for agriculture purposes. 

Crossing the gushing stream at Bari village on way to "Kasubai Mountain".( Photo:- Mr Sanket.Thatte)

The Monsoon Dam waterfall stream that  separates   Bari Village  from  Mount Kalsubai trek path .

 We waded through knee deep water against the strong flow of the water, a rope used as a support while each of us crossed over, adventure sports  experience  setting the beginning  of the trek "Kalsubai Trek".The beauty of the calm misty morning in drenching rain was fantasy to us city dwellers and all 37 of us walked through the forest path in  a single file assisted by trek group leaders Mr Amber.Deshmukh, Mr Vighnesh.Bhopatkar, Mr Nikhil.Malankar and  Mr Snehanshu.Bhaisare,

Crossing the  gushing monsoon Stream with the help of a rope from Bari Village into Mount Kalsubai trek area.

                                                                                   At approx 0745 hrs  after trekking up a  hill we reached  a small temple and from here the actual trekking climb to Kalsubai Mountain peak begins amidst small rice farms situated on   a small hillock reminding me of terraced  paddy farming in  Nepal.The Kalsubai mountain terrain  in monsoons is very similar to Nepal's hill topography and strangely its also the highest peak in Maharashtra , nicknamed the Mount Everest of Maharashtra.Due to the continuous rains in recent days and also the continuous drizzle the muddy trek paths with soft clay mud  was  treacherous and slippery,hence slight carelessness could lead to a severe fall.The rains and cool climatic conditions made walking up the gradual mountain slopes a pleasure and at approx 0820 hrs we reached another elevated plateau where we rested and were given some snacks as refreshments by "Nature Unplugged" group members.After appreciating  the scenic  small waterfall gushing along the mountainside  near the plateau  and the dense mist that made visibility as low as 50 to 100 metres we progressed on our trek.

Slippery steps during the trek to the peak..Dangerous.

                                                                                          The climb became more steep with  steps being cut into the rocks in few places and we finally reached the  " First ladder" in a total of four  ladders that ultimately leads to the summit of Mount Kalsubai. This ladder was  made of steel material and crudely welded, a normal steel ladder  fixed between a boulder. We all climbed up the ladder in a single file taking support from the railings constructed on the ladder.After crossing the first ladder it was another steep climb through rock-cut stairways until we reached the "Second ladder: at approx 0910 hrs. This was a long ladder, akin to climbing a three storey building, the steel steps crudely fabricated and definitely not for the faint-hearted or vertigo phobia trekkers.As the ladder was weak and narrow  it was always a "One Way Climb or Descent" on these ladders in a single file.A group either climbed the stairs while another group waited to descend the stairs and hence in peak tourist or pilgrimage season there could be a minor traffic jam of trekkers at these 4 ladders of Mount Kalsubai.

"TREKKER DOGS" ? - A few  of these village dogs trek to the peak of Mt Kalsubai along with human trekkers.Amazing footwork nimbleness.

                                                                                                                 Strangely, observed a brown coloured  mongrel bitch climbing the mountain nimbly without the ladder, akin to a mountain goat, first time in my life that i observed a ordinary dog climbing steep mountain edges similar  to a National Geographic  wild-life serial.We humans would definitely require ropes to climb this particular mountain stretch and hence the steel fabricated ladder.

"Mild-Steel " fabricated ladders at 4 elevations  for trekkers and pilgrims to reach the summit of "Mount Kalsubai".Slippery and dangerous  in the rains that we faced throughout our trek.

                                                         After climbing this ladder it was again a steep climb up rock-cut stairways to the "Third Ladder". At approx 0930 hrs all 37 of us managed to climb the third ladder and  after a brief rest made our way towards the summit, actually experiencing the thrill of climbing up a mountain .At approx 1100 hrs we reached the base of the last ladder the "Fourth Ladder".There was a small well at the base of the ladder as well as a Dhaba hut catering  trekkers and pilgrims with  hot "Kanda Bhajias(Onion fries)".There was a queue at this ladder and while a few of our group trekkers climbed the ladder the rest of us took rest at the Dhabba and recharged our energy with "Hot Kanda bhajias and tea".A  casual conversation with fellow trekker Mr Nandan.Khade  got me engrossed into the World of pop and rock music. Mr Nandan.Khade was a professional guitarist who has played gigs at the "Blue Frog" in Mumbai, India's famous night club.We discussed English, and Hindi music while admiring nature and relishing hot Khanda bhajia's with tea.We trekkers were definitely a total cosmopolitan crowd professionally although all trekkers were mostly from the Maharashtrian community of India, including musician Mr Nandan.Khade. Marathi was the first language spoken commonly amongst all trekkers  with English being  my common language of interacting,the only outsider! Although Maharashtrian  by domicile have somehow not mastered my fluency in the language, being more of a Hindi and English speaking Indian, a unashamed anglophile.

Beautiful Flowering shrubs on higher elevations of Mount Kalsubai.

                                                                                                             The vegetation at this height resembled the tea-plantations of the hill station of  Ooty in the Nilgiri  mountains of Tamil Nadu with beautiful wild  shrubs  akin to tea shrubs  growing on the mountain slopes.It was also as cold as being on a hill-station, the mist adding to the mystique and beauty of this untamed wilderness of the Sahyadri mountain ranges in Maharashtra.The gradual change of vegetation  with  increase in mountain elevation  was distinctly visible to a casual non-botanist trekker and definitely a treasure trove to a botanist.I observed three different beautiful flowering shrubs of blue, yellow and purple colour growing profusely near this height at the peak  of Mount Kalsubai. Came across another trek group known as "Durga Mitra" trek group from Panvel who were a non-profit trek organization helping in conservation of the ancient hill-forts of Maharashtra.They regularly conducted trek tours and ploughed back all their profits into "Hill Fort Conservation", akin to "B.N.H.S(Bombay Natural History Society)"  helping in the conservation of nature and wild-life education  in India.After a long rest at approx 1130 hrs  we finally climbed up the last ladder, the "Fourth Ladder"  of Kalsubai Mountain.From here it was a direct steep walk of approx 15 minutes  up a flight of rock cut stairs to the summit of Mount Kalsubai.

Pilgrims entrance to "KALSUBAI TEMPLE" situated on Kalsubai Peak (1645 metres/5400feet) above sea-level.

                                                                                                                                                 I can imagine the joy of a mountaineer on top of Mount Everest and we all experienced the same, the climatic conditions also similar  to the freezing Himalayas.As it was raining the visibility at the summit was just a few meters and absolutely windy and chill.The small temple of Kalsubai  is the first sight  that greets  the trekker or pilgrim as they step onto the summit of Kalsubai Mountain , 1646 metres/5400 feet above sea-level.  Special pooja's are held  every Tuesday and Thursdays throughout the year  by the local priests at this temple.During the Navratri Festival small  stalls are erected at the summit selling religious material and  Pooja's are held for 9 days and the deity idol decorated .Hence Mount Kalsubai  also has religious significance for the Hindu community besides being the highest peak in the State of Maharashtra.  At the summit ,trek organizer Mr Vighnesh.Bhopatkar sang the "Shivaji Anthem", a traditional tribute song in Marathi language paying homage to the founder of the  Maratha Empire ,Chattrapati Shivaji .

HOW DOES IT FEEL AT 1646 metres/5400 feet ABOVE SEA LEVEL ?  ON PEAK OF MOUNT KALSUBAI IN GUSTY WINDS AND DRIZZLING RAIN.(Sunday 9-9-2012) :- Thanks to Mr Saurabh.Talpade for risking his camera in photographing these pictures in absolutely bad and stormy weather with the help of an Umbrella that frequently got blown over due to the high velocity wind force

                                                   The summit is oval in structure and not big in area, absolutely windy and chill  on the Sunday morning that we trekked .A few of us clicked photographs, myself sad at my faithful camera being non-operational after years of service.But, nothing lasts forever and hope the camera is repairable as i do not intend investing in expensive photography equipment.. Blogging with illustrated photographs is  my passion and a simple digital camera would suffice, the future best-seller author in waiting! It was very misty with poor visibility and hence the photographs were blurred.Tragically a trekker or pilgrim from some other trek group had collapsed near the "Kalsubai Temple" on reaching the summit and a few of his colleagues were successful in reviving his consciousness.Trekking is not easy and sometimes people with certain medical conditions could find it strenuous and the same appears to have been the case with this particular trekker who collapsed at the summit.Normally on a clear day in hot summer weather conditions the Bhandardara waters can be seen from the summit as also the surrounding hill forts of the Western Ghats mountain ranges.We strolled around the summit enclosure, the same barricaded with fencing and amazingly the brown  bitch dog that we spotted below was also on the summit.These dogs might be fed by the pilgrims and trekkers that arrive at the summit but what stunned me is their skill in by-passing the 4 ladders that we humans definitely couldn't by-pass for reaching the summit.After clicking a few pictures we began our descent at approx 1230 hrs.

Beautiful Flowering shrubs at 5000 feet altitude near  Kalsubai  Mountain Peak.Photo:- Mr Harshal.Desai.

                                                                                                       The descent was quicker and again it was during a continuous drizzle of rain.The slopes were slippery in patches and many of us slipped  in the soft mud including myself.Luckily no one received serious injuries, including myself, the oldest trekker in the group.We finally reached Bari village at approx 1500 hrs and had a typical vegetarian village lunch consisting of roti's, dal, rice, and local onion chutney.I had consumed two  chocolates during my descent , besides, 1500 hrs was too late for my normal voracious appetite for food and hence the lunch was normal.After lunch we went to our bus, the entire trek being completed in approx  8 hours in continuous rainfall. Having experienced identical weather conditions  a few weeks ago during my trek to "Raigad Fort' with "Prayas Trek Group"  and getting drenched without having an extra pair of clothes for changing made me a wiser trekker.On this trek i had carried a extra pair of clothes as did all other trekkers and after the ladies changed their clothes  in the bus we gents followed, absolutely refreshed after one of the most strenuous treks.As we were a total of 37 trekkers it took time for the entire group to have their lunch as well as change clothes.There were  two small dhaba huts on either side of the Bari  highway road. catering to tourists.

Refreshing tea with hot "Kaanda Bajia's(Onion fries)".

                                                                                                          We refreshed ourselves with tea at the Dhaba.Strangely, the rains stopped towards 1700 hrs in the evening , the sun peeping through the clouds. From the highway we got a good view of the Sahyadri mountain range and  its impossible to believe that the highest mountain in Maharashtra  was right in front of us, having just returned from its summit.Mount Kalsubai  rises gradually in elevation over smaller hills and on a rainy day its peak is totally covered in mist and clouds. Having personally flown over Mount Everest in a tourist plane in 2011 the unforgettable view of seeing the Himalayan mountain range and finally Mount Everest is forever imbedded in my mind and on video.We later all posed for a group photograph against the backdrop of Kalsubai Mountain, memories of trekking the highest mountain in Maharashtra.We finally departed from Bari village at approx 1845 hours, a long road ahead for our journey back home to Mumbai.En-route at approx 2100 hrs  we stopped for dinner/ refreshments at a hotel and after a brief stop continued our journey towards Mumbai. A few of our trekker group members alighted the bus  at various stops as it progressed from Kalyan  towards Mumbai. A big group of us finally alighted at Sion railway station at approx 22 45 hrs and three of us boarded the local train at Sion .I  alighted the train at Dadar. boarded a shared taxi and finally reached my residence at approx 2330 hrs. The accomplishment of trekking to Kalsubai  mountain  was a real adrenalin intoxication, better than any artificial intoxicants, most common being alcohol.It was nice to see a big crowd of young professionals and collegians spending the holiday weekend in the grueling and exhilarating outdoor adventure spot of mountain trekking.The generation younger to me appreciated my enthusiasm in a normal youth sport while i learned the latest innovations from them.

Rice farming and goat rearing  in Bari village , the base of Mount Kalsubai.

P.S:- The opinions expressed in this blog are my own.Thanks to the Internet and Wikepedia for researching the facts of Mount Kalsubai. A big thank you to my fellow co-trekkers who contributed their photos onto "Facebook" and later onto my blog.With years,"KALSUBAI TREK(Sunday 9-9-2012)" will be just a memory that could be re-collected through blogs and photos :- Rudolph.A.Furtado.