Trek to Fort Peb

Trek – this sounds a lill odd to me…especially for people those who know me….. I am adventurous but also very lazy to walk….but this time I had decided would finally go for a trek…I never knew how it would be…but was quite excited….I gathered two of my friends also to join me…but unfortunately they could not make it to the trek….I was left alone…I was thinking now to go or not to go…..but then I decided I should….the trek was on Sunday 17th September’06…..I had called the trekking member through orkut and confirmed about me coming….I did all the shopping required for the trek and was set off to go…..

Sunday morning I woke up early at 5.30am then reached Dadar at 6.40 am….was supposed to meet the trekking group at a temple near Dadar station…..I saw a few people waiting near the temple….. all of them seemed quite young to me…..but then it was a trek…….we were going to a place near Matheran named as Fort Peb…..it was 2hrs from Mumbai…..all of us gathered and left Mumbai at around 7am….in the bus the trekker organizers told us a few details regards the trek and also distributed breakfast and lunch to be carried….I would say I liked the way it was organized…..we were around 30 of us…..25 guys and 5girls……

We reached the place to trek…….there were a few mountains around and that we had to climb…around 3-4 of them to reach the Fort Peb…it was one of the forts of Shivaji Maharaj…..when I saw the location it looked good…..but I never knew how to go about…we started climbing the 1st mountain…..I started getting tired there itself……when we reached almost the tip to continue….I also had a sprain on my leg…..then we started the 2nd mountain…..this route a bit tough...it was very narrow and steep…..we were walking though that now… also I was feeling like why the hell did I come…..coz walking was taking out a toll on me…..then we reached the 3rd mountain…..this was another adventure….it was completely filled with stones and it was also very steep and slippery….when I was climbing through that…. my shoes slowly started coming off and in no time…..I was off my shoes, as they had completely torn and come off….now trekkers with me were a bit tensed…I then started walking with my my socks…..first of all I was cursing for walking now I had to walk with socks…..oh what luck …..I was a bit disgusted but still the trek had to completed……then we reached at a point where we needed to climb on a rock and reach the next mountain…..there the trekking members helped us climb it…..I also got another pair of socks which a girl lend to me……thankfully they were of help……to climb and reach at one of our destination where we halted for lunch……it was a cave of Akalkot Swami……it was at a good height……the place was simply beautiful…..we still needed to climb higher after the break to reach Fort Peb…..then it started raining……so I decided to stay back…..when half of them left to go on top….I stayed down…I really wanted to go…as I had come so far…but as I had no shoes….I stayed back…coz I was not confident enough to climb on a slippery way…….

Then now was the way to go back……I was very happy we were to go down….but it was raining…..this time I had borrowed slippers/chappals from the local guide of that place who was with us…..he was given kito’s by one guy who had extra……I was now with a big challenge to come down of all the rocks, stones, mud through with the chappals…..I could not wear socks as it was not possible at all with the rain…..we started walking now….I was somehow confidently crossing the slippery areas…my track pants has become dirty like anything….to top all this it got dark…we still had more then an hour to go……there were 2-3 of them who had slipped while coming down….not major hurt but yes…..they slightly hurt…..I didn’t want to slip coz first of all I was in slippers and hated walking……slowly slowly we were going ahead with the torches we had……I had a torch in my cell used that to come down…it was even more difficult while coming down…as it was raining and also the route was tricky….but I had good confidence in the trekking group that I would reach me down safely…….we finally reached down through the rivers, rocks and mountains……finally we could see our bus at a distance….I was happy….that yes I could make it with no accidents or injury with my 1st trek in socks and chappals……..

I believe now after this experience I would like to go trekking again with the same group…..its called Jungle Lore…..it was quite a adventure I must say…….but for my good luck…I was saved by litchis, snakes…..or any other thing in the jungle…….so to wind it up it was a good trek……:)