Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Nakhind trek
Date: 12 Mar 2006
There were six of us that day. We took a Karjat local train from Dadar station at 6:02 PM. The journey to Vangani on the Karjat line takes around 1 1/2 hours, as the trains in the early morning are slow trains. So we patiently sat and saw each station on the way, wishing that things would go a bit faster. But the flipside is that we also get to soak in the sights. Once you pass Mumbra station, you see less and less of the hideous concrete jungle. On either side you will see oodles of greenery and open spaces. When you look out of the train on the western side , you see the hill range that starts from Kalyan and goes all the way till Matheran. On this range you have Haji Malang, Tavli, Navra-Navri (meaning husband-wife in Marathi, named after twin peaks), Mhasmal, Chanderi, Nakhind, Peb and finally Matheran.
We shared some piping hot wada-pavs and spicy lasun chutney. A very tempting combination especially in the morning, when you have clean, cold air blowing in on your face! This did help to drive the sleep away. Then as usual, we started off with some crazy banter. Time passed quickly and we reached Vangani station. Had a quick chai, purchased some snacks and started enquiring with the railway canteen guy about the way to Nakhind. He did'nt have a clue so we went to the station master who was quite helpful and guided us. We next crossed the tracks and got out from the West side. We entered the village and walked towards the main road which is 10 minutes away from the station. On the way, we spotted a shop selling sugarcane juice. We downed a glass each and continued with greater vigour.
Normally, when you are in the city we tend to be more careful about hygiene. On treks, I've seen that you forget all the niceties and rules. I've drunk water from streams and eaten food with flecks of dirt, leaves, etc. with grimy hands. When you are stripped down to the bare necessities and sometimes even when they are out, its actually about meeting that immediate growl in your stomach. The most interesting part is that I've never come down with any illness ever. I've stopped worrying long back. I guess we underestimate the robustness of our systems. Treks sure make you realise this. In light of this, a glass of sugarcane juice was a sterile health drink and we sure did'nt waste it!
We must have started off around 8:30 in the morning. After crossing the main road we walked down a tar road which leads to the first village on the way. When we stood at the end of the tar road, we got a clear sight of Nakhind before us.
A small trail goes straight ahead and leads towards the left from the village. It soon become a steep climb on a dirt track. The banter took a back seat as people fell short of breath. Soon, we reached the top of the small hill (seen in the foreground in the above photo, with the prominent tree at the centre). We took a breather here. We encountered a villager with a herd of goats and verified that we were on the right track. He told us that it would be around an hour's walk. From past experience, I've seen that you can safely multiply the time quoted by villagers by one and half times. They are fit and have tremendous stamina. You will frequently see old men and ladies with loads of 10-15 kg going steadily and effortlessly on the slopes. Definitely puts things into perspective... You realise the inertia present in our comfortable urban lives.
In some more time, we reached the next village which is midway up the route. From this point onwards the track got rougher as we soon had to make our way through very thick vegetation. There were long dried out stalks that we had to hack our way through. We also faced thorny bushes that left you with a stinging pain. They poked through cargoes and thick shorts. Those who were without a full tracksuit or jeans had no option but to yelp out periodically and let out a string of abuses, which got quite hilarious after some time for the others. The route gently swerved to the right and went on becoming ever steeper. It was tough to get a grip at some points, but there was never any exposed portion where you could fall down. Just that you had to hold on to the narrow stems of the trees and haul yourself up.
After what seemed like an eternity we reached the ridge that leads to Nakhind. Suddenly we were standing on this narrow path that would not be more than 10-15 feet wide and saw the flanks of the hill descending steeply below.
The massive peaks of Chanderi and Mhasmal also greeted us. It was simply a breathtaking sight and you cannot help but stare transfixed at these wonders.
There were six of us that day. We took a Karjat local train from Dadar station at 6:02 PM. The journey to Vangani on the Karjat line takes around 1 1/2 hours, as the trains in the early morning are slow trains. So we patiently sat and saw each station on the way, wishing that things would go a bit faster. But the flipside is that we also get to soak in the sights. Once you pass Mumbra station, you see less and less of the hideous concrete jungle. On either side you will see oodles of greenery and open spaces. When you look out of the train on the western side , you see the hill range that starts from Kalyan and goes all the way till Matheran. On this range you have Haji Malang, Tavli, Navra-Navri (meaning husband-wife in Marathi, named after twin peaks), Mhasmal, Chanderi, Nakhind, Peb and finally Matheran.
We shared some piping hot wada-pavs and spicy lasun chutney. A very tempting combination especially in the morning, when you have clean, cold air blowing in on your face! This did help to drive the sleep away. Then as usual, we started off with some crazy banter. Time passed quickly and we reached Vangani station. Had a quick chai, purchased some snacks and started enquiring with the railway canteen guy about the way to Nakhind. He did'nt have a clue so we went to the station master who was quite helpful and guided us. We next crossed the tracks and got out from the West side. We entered the village and walked towards the main road which is 10 minutes away from the station. On the way, we spotted a shop selling sugarcane juice. We downed a glass each and continued with greater vigour.
Normally, when you are in the city we tend to be more careful about hygiene. On treks, I've seen that you forget all the niceties and rules. I've drunk water from streams and eaten food with flecks of dirt, leaves, etc. with grimy hands. When you are stripped down to the bare necessities and sometimes even when they are out, its actually about meeting that immediate growl in your stomach. The most interesting part is that I've never come down with any illness ever. I've stopped worrying long back. I guess we underestimate the robustness of our systems. Treks sure make you realise this. In light of this, a glass of sugarcane juice was a sterile health drink and we sure did'nt waste it!
We must have started off around 8:30 in the morning. After crossing the main road we walked down a tar road which leads to the first village on the way. When we stood at the end of the tar road, we got a clear sight of Nakhind before us.
A small trail goes straight ahead and leads towards the left from the village. It soon become a steep climb on a dirt track. The banter took a back seat as people fell short of breath. Soon, we reached the top of the small hill (seen in the foreground in the above photo, with the prominent tree at the centre). We took a breather here. We encountered a villager with a herd of goats and verified that we were on the right track. He told us that it would be around an hour's walk. From past experience, I've seen that you can safely multiply the time quoted by villagers by one and half times. They are fit and have tremendous stamina. You will frequently see old men and ladies with loads of 10-15 kg going steadily and effortlessly on the slopes. Definitely puts things into perspective... You realise the inertia present in our comfortable urban lives.
In some more time, we reached the next village which is midway up the route. From this point onwards the track got rougher as we soon had to make our way through very thick vegetation. There were long dried out stalks that we had to hack our way through. We also faced thorny bushes that left you with a stinging pain. They poked through cargoes and thick shorts. Those who were without a full tracksuit or jeans had no option but to yelp out periodically and let out a string of abuses, which got quite hilarious after some time for the others. The route gently swerved to the right and went on becoming ever steeper. It was tough to get a grip at some points, but there was never any exposed portion where you could fall down. Just that you had to hold on to the narrow stems of the trees and haul yourself up.
After what seemed like an eternity we reached the ridge that leads to Nakhind. Suddenly we were standing on this narrow path that would not be more than 10-15 feet wide and saw the flanks of the hill descending steeply below.
The massive peaks of Chanderi and Mhasmal also greeted us. It was simply a breathtaking sight and you cannot help but stare transfixed at these wonders.
(Chanderi-left, Mhasmal-right)
We went further towards the northern end of the ridge which is a massive rocky outcrop. It also afforded some much needed shade. We reached this point in around 2 1/2 hours from the time we started off from the main road. We rested here for around 45 minutes. Out came the packets of snacks and our hunger ensured that nothing went waste.
We next went to the famous "hole" which is actually a peculiar geological formation. The outcrop is made up of huge rocks which seem to have fractured. Its led to a huge gaping hole that looks as if it has been punched right through. On one side you can see Vangani where you came from. The other facing west gives you wonderful views of Panvel lake to the left and the ever present Chanderi and Mhasmal.
We didnt spend more time on Nakhind. Once were done seeing the 'nedhe' we made our way back down the ridge. Now there was greater enthusiasm as it was not going to be as tiring as the way up. But we had not anticipated the slope of the route going down. It was steep when we came up and naturally while going down, it gave ample opportunities for "butt-trekking" as we call it, the cardinal rule being, "When in doubt, butt-trek". Just sit and go down like you would on a slide. Its the safest way down, though not the most graceful.
By the time we reached the second village, our arms were full of bruises due to the innumerable thorns on the way that we brushed against. The remaining journey towards the first village was leisurely as it was just a dirt track. Once again the banter and crazy jokes increased in frequency as things got easier.
We soon were back at the sugarcane juice seller. We downed 3-4 glasses of this health drink and reached Vangani station. Took a train back to re-enter the concrete jungle....
References:
Railway timetable for Karjat/Kasara local trains from Mumbai
We next went to the famous "hole" which is actually a peculiar geological formation. The outcrop is made up of huge rocks which seem to have fractured. Its led to a huge gaping hole that looks as if it has been punched right through. On one side you can see Vangani where you came from. The other facing west gives you wonderful views of Panvel lake to the left and the ever present Chanderi and Mhasmal.
We didnt spend more time on Nakhind. Once were done seeing the 'nedhe' we made our way back down the ridge. Now there was greater enthusiasm as it was not going to be as tiring as the way up. But we had not anticipated the slope of the route going down. It was steep when we came up and naturally while going down, it gave ample opportunities for "butt-trekking" as we call it, the cardinal rule being, "When in doubt, butt-trek". Just sit and go down like you would on a slide. Its the safest way down, though not the most graceful.
By the time we reached the second village, our arms were full of bruises due to the innumerable thorns on the way that we brushed against. The remaining journey towards the first village was leisurely as it was just a dirt track. Once again the banter and crazy jokes increased in frequency as things got easier.
We soon were back at the sugarcane juice seller. We downed 3-4 glasses of this health drink and reached Vangani station. Took a train back to re-enter the concrete jungle....
References:
Railway timetable for Karjat/Kasara local trains from Mumbai
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I recently visited this place,
our trek went like: Nakhind-Peb-Matheran, It was monsoon and it took us 12 Hours to finish, one of the most diffiult treks I have been on. We took a cab back to Neral when we reached Matheran.
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our trek went like: Nakhind-Peb-Matheran, It was monsoon and it took us 12 Hours to finish, one of the most diffiult treks I have been on. We took a cab back to Neral when we reached Matheran.
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