Rejuvenating Gasps - My Trek to Ratangadh

A kiss; smile of a baby; picking up a stray puppy from the roadside; helping an elderly cross the road; a hug from your mother; the first kick of a fag - these are a few things that reaffirm to us that our otherwise routine lives are boring at best or pathetically wasteful, at worst.

My trip to Ratangadh was one such thing. The moment I summated the ‘peak’, I knew that I will return to a routine life which is all the more stale.

Thankfully, this time ‘shit’ didn’t happen at the last moment, and this escapade was not flushed down like many other plans, even before it happened. Ratangadh is a part of the beautiful Shayadri ranges in Maharashtra. A few kilometers from Igatpuri, you can approach it via the Mumbai-Nasik highway (NH-3). You can approach Ratanwadi village-which is the base of Ratangadh-directly by road. Alternatively you can take a local train from CST up to Kasara. From Kasara you can drive up to Shendi village (shared taxis available outside Kasara station), and than take boat trip across the lake formed by Bhandardara dam, to Ratanwadi. This is the way we chose to reach Ratanghad, and although a little tiring, it was equally exciting since it involved travel by train, road as well as water.

The first sight of the peak can demoralize those who mistake trekking for a stroll in a park. But there is also a bunch of people who would look at it and say “there it is”. Coming prepared is the best way to allay your apprehensions. Take enough food with you that would last at least a day, if you are planning to camp at the peak for night. But one should be judicious in carrying the kind of food with them, as more the load you carry, more the peak would test your endurance.

The climb could take anything between 90 minutes to three and a half hours, depending upon the strength of the group and their speed. While most of the climb is a classic trek with streams and dense foliage dotting the route, it is the last 100 odd feet which is trickier. It involves what one can call some basic rock climbing. Since this stretch consists of vertical rocks, it’s not trekking any more; it is proper ‘climbing’. You climb up a pair of iron stairs, very precariously placed and wobbly. This leads to a narrow passage between two vertical rocks. This is the last part of the whole trek, and also where you have to be the most careful. Cross this and done. It’s time to exhale now.

As you try to catch your breadth atop the hill, the panoramic view that you get from there would do exactly the opposite- take your breadth away. And for once, the gasping would leave you rejuvenated. And as we sat there looking down upon the vastness below, our minds went into a trance. The next hour or so, as the night slowly descended and the stars flooded the sky, the trance slowly deepened as we puffed away on ‘classic milds’. When you are so far above the ground, with vastness below and above you, trance comes naturally. And these would be one of the most unconditioned thoughts that you are going to get in a long time. Soon enough it was time for ‘dinner’. We had carried with us two packs of ‘ready to eat’ meals. We collected few dry sticks for fuel, and a few minutes later the ‘Paneer masala’ was hot enough to eat. We devoured the food, like we had been hungry for two days on the trot. Siesta came calling very soon, as we rested for the day in the caves atop the peak. This was a thrill in itself. Next day we woke up to a golden sun and started our descent.

While at the top, with every breadth you loose yourself. You loose that self of yours that takes uninvited phone calls and says ‘hello’ every time. You loose the self that has got used to getting up in the morning yet miss the sunrise every time. You have also left behind all the time that other people keep for you. You loose that self of yours which has been enslaved by the world with your own connivance.

So than what do you gain? Not much. A night amidst the stars (literally), as you camp in the caves formed within the rocks atop the peak. You gain the refreshing air which has started detoxifying your lungs long before you realize it. You gain the solitude in which you find your most comfortable company. You gain the dark of the night which has given you best vision ever. And you gain the pulse of your heart, which has a lot to say to you. And this time you would listen!