As promised last week I have completed the unconquered peak(for me atleast….) of Karnala. I completed the task on 24th May 08, as usual alone…but ya again enjoyed it and think to go again there in monsoon.
Start for the trek was not good, I thought to start it early in the morning. Planning was to leave home at around 5:30 am, but was very tired. So finally left at 8:30 am!!!!(Ashish is lazy boy!! Ashish is a lazy boy!! ae ae ae :P :P :D ) Reaching to Kurla took more time than I expected. Andheri Kurla road was heavily jammed and I was stuck there for more than 30 minutes. But because of my companion “radio” I was kind of enjoying it. I have to agree it was really hot, sun was at it’s peak, I was feeling uncomfortable, instead of sitting in space for two :D.
I reached Kurla in about 1.5 hours, much more than I expected, from there I took a train to Panvel. I have read on internet that private auto rickshaw will charge 50-70 rs. till karnala. But I was not in a hurry and also not in a mood to spend that much. As bus station was very near, so I decided to take a bus to Karnala. Bus was not ready, but was about to arrive. Utilizing this time I had some refreshments, also bought some eatable stuffs for journey. (This I should have done one day in advance…..but my laziness….Ashish is lazy boy :D)
Bus arrived, it was a local bus till Alibaug. Till Karnala I was charged only 8 bucks. Reached Karnala at about 11:30 am, as soon I reached their I took photograbh of the map, so that in case on confusion I can refer it (though I never referred it because the route to fort from main path was very clear and straight). I started at around 11:40 am, on map it was written that the main trail till fort is 3 kms only, distance wise it should have not taken more than 40 minutes. I started to climb, there was no sign of anybody else around. As I said sun was really harsh that day, so I didn’t expect anyone else to be a part of such stupidity (but I proved to be wrong…does that means there are lots of “stupid” people like me in this earth ;-) )
Climb was steep without any plain patches. I have to agree that just after 15-20 minutes my body started demanding some rest. But I was in a hurry to reach the peak, so I kept walking. Suddenly I saw a person climbing upwards, it was a sign of delight for me….instead of taking rest I decided to catch him. But to my disappointment, the guy was aged person (carrying a stick, but hats off to him for walking alone just like me :D). I wanted to start conversation, but he was slow…talking to him would have made me slow. So instead of talking to him I overtook him and went ahead. On the way up, I was feeling very weak and thirsty, moreover heat was making it worse.
I reached the base of the port in around 50 minutes, which was more than estimated. But considering the heat and steep climb it was OK. Wind was blowing once in a while, but was really very soothing. The path was on the edge of mountains, so it was lacking shade and I had to walk continuously in scorching sun. As I reached the base, I met two guys, they were not in a position to climb till the fort. Their two other friends were already in the way to fort. They were thirsty so I offered them my water. (A word of caution, if you ever trek in summers you must carry at least 2 liters of water per person. Especially if you are going there for the first time) I asked them to come with me but they were not in the position to follow me. I started climbing the final steps and finally reached the fort. In total the time taken was more than 1 hours!!! Being my first “formal” trek for this season I was comfortable with the speed.
I must tell you that Karnala fort lacks in caves and hence proper shade. The space present below the Karnala “thumb” was filled with water. (I really don’t have any clue from where the water came) I was madly searching for such place but there was no good place to lay down. I met other two guys (of the same group whom I met at base) they were also looking for such place. They told me that some local villagers are in the back of fort. I was really eager to know on how to climb on the "thumb", so I went to ask the local person. It was a beautiful piece of rock, but horrifying too!!! Villager showed me the path which professional climbers take during their expedition. For the first time I felt the absence of a group with me, I really missed my friends who are more enthusiastic than me in such activities. (Bhuts, reddy, thapa…. I will try to bring you all here someday, then we will plan how to climb on this mighty rock)
Anyhow I explored the fort and took some photographs. Time was around 1 pm, and it was no point in sitting there, and most importantly I wanted to search for the route no. 2 (according to map – “Steep route”). I started descending, with my eyes open for alternative route. Suddenly I found a route going to left of main trail into the forest. I still had 1 litre of water with me and time was only 1:15 pm, I decided to take the risk and to follow this path. This path was really steep and full of slippery mud, I covered most of part sliding down in the mud. It didn’t took me more than 15 minutes to reach down. As per my “calculation” and the map I reached the trail which I followed last week. The place was very near to staff quarters, not more than 10 minutes of walk was left. The signboard near to it says – “Mor Tanka”. So first timers - Keep looking for this signboard if you want to take the steep route.
I reached the staff quarter safely and then sat there for half an hour taking rest. Till that time the group of four has also descended, we sat and shared our experiences. They told me about some place near Virar called as Brajreshwari, according to them it has a good climb with river flowing sideways and few hot springs as well. It sounds to be a interesting place, may plan it sometime :-)
I had some other plans back at home, so I took depart from them and reached Karnala sanctuary gate quickly. Luckily I got lift in a bike, then I quickly caught a local train till Kurla and returned my home by 5:30 pm.
Overall it was a nice journey but would have been better if climate had supported me. I learned few things about sahayadris in this trip and would use this experience in coming treks. I hope by next week monsoon will arrive in Mumbai to make this place more beautiful…
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