Thursday, November 2, 2017

Off the beaten path

The thrill of looking down 4670 feet from the edge of a cliff is something totally different.


This is at Kokankada, about 2.5 km from Harishchandragad in the western ghats of Maharashtra.  


We started off from Paachnai village where we set up the tents the previous night. We were 15 of us and each one helped in pitching the tent. When the moon came up, we had dinner by the camp fire.



The next day, after a light breakfast we proceeded with the climb. On the way up, we took the mandatory group photo. Like one of our members said, “its better to click now as all are fresh and eager to pose” 


The climb up was slow as the path was slightly steep 



 Moreover there were short stops in between as the area of interest differed for different people. 





And of course nimbu pani (lime juice) is always available when you want to refresh yourself. 


The 6.5 kms climb was completed in 2.5 hrs and as mentioned the view from Kokankada was breathtaking. 




And one more group photo. 


On the way back from Kokankada we stopped at the Harishchandragad temple. 



Next to the temple is the Saptatirtha Pushkarni pond. 


The Kedareshwar cave is very close to the temple. There is a shivling in the cave which is almost submerged in water. You can see all this in the attached video

What I like about Rivers and Ridges (the guys who conduct the trek) is that they don’t go to the usual crowded places but patronize small villages. We had all our food from the local villagers (for which they were paid) 

Preparing Tea for us

Over and above suitable gifts were distributed to the villagers, keeping in mind of their needs. These villages have no electrical connection. So maybe a torch with sufficient supply of batteries is something helpful for them.  People from the city keep contributing and that in turn ends up in these small villages. Captured some footage on video as the gifts were distributed.   






I got chatting with this lady as she was connecting the batteries to the solar panel. She said that one day’s charge is good enough for a tube light to illuminate the house and the kitchen till its bed time. 


On the way back we spotted some langurs (I am sure they spotted us too) 






22 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
An exhilarating trip and the ethos of 'locality' definitely a plus!!! YAM xx

Jim and Sandie said...

There is no way I would ever look over that cliff even if I was laying down. Just looking at the one picture of the guy sitting on the edge made my stomach turn over. But the views are fantastic and I am so glad you took the pictures for me. I think it's fantastic that the gifts are necessary items. I have no doubt they are much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Happy to learn that you enjoyed your trek. A break from the city life is any day welcome. - Cdr Sunny Varghese

joeh said...

That is some hike, and what a view!

I too could never look over the cliff, I get a weird almost falling feeling just looking at the pictures.

Augustine Xavier said...

Hey it's nice to see you in the group photo, lovely trek coverage. Thanks for sharing this story.

Anvilcloud said...

Good for you folk, but I couldn't hang my head over the cliff like that. At least not anymore.

DUTA said...

Fascinating!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

You have more nerve than I, getting right to the edge of that cliff.

Nancy Chan said...

Just looking at the people sitting so close to the edge of that cliff or looking over the edge turns my leg to jelly. This is definitely not for me. You all are so brave!

DeniseinVA said...

Thank you for sharing this amazing area. So very interesting!

Sujatha Sathya said...

what an exhilarating trip this must have been ! an adrenaline rush for sure. i can't imagine sleeping over and looking down the cliff like that. super memory for u guys

Sue (this n that) said...

A great account of your trip with your commentary and photos :D)

Lois Evensen said...

What a great post! The views remind me of the Norwegian Fjords.

Anonymous said...

Wow Joe! Wish I had the legs to do the trek. How I envy you guys. Wish I was at least 15 years younger - Aimen Wordsworth

Rajesh said...

Amazing adventurous experience.

TheNotSoGirlyGirl said...

wow! what an adventure! looks like you had such an awesome time :)


TheNotSoGirlyGirl // Instagram // Facebook

Lowcarb team member said...

I haven't got a good head for heights so there is no way I'd look over the edge!!!
You've shared some fabulous pictures here though, thank you.

All the best Jan

padmaja said...

Mind blowing pictures! Love them all! Seems like a great adventurous tryst with nature!

Mystica said...

This part of India is unknown to me so I was very happy to see the pictures and read this post. I have travelled the tourist destinations only!

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

What an exciting trip you had! The views are amazing. I'm not sure I would have been able to look over that cliff.

Anonymous said...

Amazing pictures/videos. I would be afraid to be that close to the edge!

माधव said...

Very expressive coverage of the total trip.