INDEPENDENCE DAY TREK
SONGIRI FORT
15th Aug 2014
Trek Leader:
Parin H Shah
Co-Leaders:
Bhavik, Viraj
Group Size: 11
participants
Hello
Buddies,
15th Aug 2014 will be a
memorable day in my Life. Not just for it being India’s Independence Day but
also because Parvat Buddies took its first step towards a long journey by
organizing and successfully completing a one day monsoon trek to Songiri Fort
near Karjat.
Originally scheduled for 17th
Aug (Sunday), the first trek was rescheduled to 15th Aug (Friday) so
as to make the most of the long weekend. We thus came out with the idea of
scheduling twin treks for the weekend – one on 15th and the other on
17th. It gives me immense pleasure to tell you that Team Parvat
Buddies conducted both the treks successfully. Following is a brief account of
the Independence Day trek to Songiri Fort:
It was a great feeling to hear
patriotic songs playing out at the railway platform early in the morning.
Everyone boarded the train at their respective stations and the group assembled
at Karjat at 7:45 am. The 8:15 am Khopoli local was already stationed on the
adjacent platform. We boarded it and had breakfast in the meantime. On the
breakfast menu, we’d Idli specially arranged from Ramashray, Matunga. We made a
shubh aarambh by offering Dairy Milk to all participants. Perk and
Parle-G biscuits were also distributed.
We reached Palasdhari station by
8:30 am. It is a cozy little railway station. The triangular summit of Songiri
Fort stands across the rail line and appears fascinating. We had a brief round
of introductions and soon after, started the trek. The initial 10-15 minutes
were spent walking on the rail tracks in the direction of the hill. Gradually
the climb started and it was enjoyable to feel the heart beat amidst the sounds
of the nature. The greenery around was relaxing to the eyes. The trek path
through the jungle was an adventurous one.
We soon reached a vast plateau on
the mountain. It had a small pond. Now we took an exposed traverse to reach the
other side of the hill. We continued our trek further and just when we were
below the top, decided to rest in the cool breeze. It was a very great moment
for all of us as we enjoyed every bit of rain and the winds. Several memorable
photos were captured here. The views too were brilliant.
It was about time for lunch, so we
continued our trek and finally summit the hill. There was a water tank, a few
ruins and a flag atop. We had some more rounds of photo sessions. The views
were truly amazing and one could identify several mountains in the range. The
lunch was a mini party as we had some delicious food items on the menu. It was
very pleasing to see a group of newly met folks sharing some treasureable
moments together.
After lunch break, it was time for
a patriotic mood. It was a moment of pride for each one of us to sing the
Indian National Anthem on top of the Mountain in unanimity. Soon it began to
rain and we decided to start our trek back to the base. Then as we reached the
plateau, it rained some more and we just couldn’t ask for more. We were almost
finished with the trek when we decided to spend the last moments in the company
of Mother Nature. It was so good to sit on the slope of the hill and just feel
the winds, the greenery and the fresh rainwater. Descending in the muddy slopes
was total fun!
In
my fourth visit to this beautiful peak, I made some new friends and also met
some old friends after a long time. It was a memorable trek. Hope to see you
all at OUR NEXT TREK!
HAPPY TREKKING!
+Parin H Shah
(www.trekparin.blogspot.in)
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