Activa Diaries - The road to Rajmachi, a monsoon ride and hike.

Hi Guys,

 here I am again with another ride report, and today I rode to Lonavala in search of road to Rajmachi Fort, since I have never been there before.

It’s been raining cats and dogs since last 48 hours in Pune, and it looks like monsoons have finally hit our parched land with gusto, it came late but I hope it continues with same force for rest of the season.

Coming back to the ride, it was another Sunday, and it was pouring this time, I could not resist the temptation to take out Activa on a long ride and get soaked to skin and  remove the last traces of summer heat from my body.

The destination I chose for this Sunday was Rajmachi Fort, and since I had never been their earlier the road or trail to it was not known to me…though I had an idea that it started from Lonavala, and the fort was approximately 12kms away from Lonavala town.

Activa and I started from home as usual around noon, and it was pouring. I was wearing only shorts and tees (without any rain gear) with my trusted Vegas helmet covering my head and face, it was good protection from the rain as I could see the huge drops splatter on the visor without hurting my eyes.

Heavy rains continued till I reached outskirts of Lonavala town…where as usual I found a big jam, but the using the benefit of being on two wheeler I went ahead on the right lane, as there was very less oncoming traffic, and when I crossed the turn going towards Narayni Dham I took the lane going right. I confirmed the directions from a tea shop owner and luckily I was on the right track. I asked him if I could reach the fort on Activa and he answered in affirmative, which really made me happy.

But my happiness was short lived because after Upper Deck resort the road turnd very bad and it was only stones covering the road surface. Activa crossed a couple of slippery spots  easily but then I reached a steep slope going down and the surface was covered with much bigger stones and  the mud between them washed away by the torrential rains.

I found a small group standing there trying to figure out if the way down could be attempted on their rides, they seemed sure about the bikes but not about the lone Activa in the group.

I decided to attempt it and reached the base of the the slope without any mishap, then I turned the scooter around and looked at the slope now going upward and it looked quite steep strewn with those large slippery stones, but something told me Activa would be able to climb easily…I was actually enjoying this off=roading since I was using Activa in such a situation for the first time. I slowly twisted the throttle a bit and let  Activa’s torquey engine clamber up slowly, the wheels slipped on the wet stones a bit, but the engine pulled us without missing a breath, and we were soon on the top.

Even though I was sure about Activa’s capabilities, I was not sure about the way ahead, if road surface became much worse, and it started to rain heavily it would have become really difficult coming up that way on slippery stones or getting stuck in mud which was very very slippery in places. So I decided to play safe and went back to the parking near Upper Deck Resort and parked Activa there, along with the vehicles of the small group.

It was already 2pm and the dense cloud cover and heavy rains gave the effect of late evening light. Now that reaching Rajmachi fort and coming back was out of question I decided to trek for two hours and then turn back.

After going a bit ahead, the small group of youngsters developed cold feet, decided not to trek and returned back to their vehicles.

 I went ahead on the lonely road with only the dense greenery; mist and rain keeping me company as the trail twisted slowly down but soon bottomed out and I went ahead on the road along the side of a valley. 

 As I went ahead I found the road to get much wider and the road surface though paved with stones could easily be attempted on bikes or in cars.

 Weather was awesome, and I was enjoying the loneliness but soon I came across some trekkers returning from the Rajmachi fort, and they had been on the road for more than three and half hours. I went ahead and soon came across lovely vistas, green valley, waterfalls and mist covered mountain tops.

 Tourists in buses, cars and of course the biker communities had found a way here ( there is another road to Rajmachi which starts somewhere in Khandala and joins the road I was on, and that road was much easier for cars and bikes alike.

Many four wheel drive Mahindra Thars, Maruti Gypsies along with the numerous bikers, particularly Bullet riders, were using this road as an off road track  and enjoying there Sunday afternoon.

I went deeper on the road towards Rajmachi, away from the crowds, enjoying the scenery …this was one of the most beautiful hikes I have done till now. 

 Whenever rains stopped, and I got an opportunity, I clicked pics…which have not come out very well due to poor light and water droplets on the lens and lens fogging…I can still see some tiny water droplets inside my mobile camera lens. But thankfully I had my Fuji point and shoot camera, which I used  quite a bit to click pics and record videos.

Taking the camera out from its bag and then keeping it back again to save it from the sudden rain showers was a big hassle, and it would have been a nightmare if even a small amount of water managed to get inside the lens or camera body. Thankfully camera is safe but my mobliephone touch screen has stopped responding...i guess it still has some moisture inside.

 After couple of hours of enjoying the five km hike in the rain, and spending some time near a nice secluded waterfall, I started the return journey. I reached the parking lot by five thirty and back home in another two hours.

So this was another Sunday well spent in exploring a new place and enjoying the soaking wet ride on my favourite ride - Honda Activa.

                                                                                                                                                         ...Alok

Activa Diaries - My first monsoon ride of 2016, to Pavna Dam.

A lovely colourful temple, dividing the road, situated at the highest point of the ghat road while going towards Pavna Dam from Kamshet.

Hi guys,

like everyone else I too have been waiting for rains with lot of expectation, after the long harsh summer monsoons is the time to really enjoy the outdoors. 

Weather services have been predicting early rains this year, but in our area there has not been much rain, but the cloudy weather surely gave lot of relief from summer heat.. So last Sunday I went for a ride to the Pavna Dam, where I was sure to find some fine weather and some rains too ...if I was lucky.

It was a dry afternoon when I started from home on my trusted Activa, but as i took the lovely road from Kamshet to Pavna Dam weather changed dramatically and I received my first shower of the day.

 The surrounding hills were already covered in mist and clouds, and air was cool, I knew that this was just a start and things would only get better as we move towards Pavna Dam... and boy was I right!

  I spent a lovely rainy afternoon besides the magnificent Pavna Dam. All the surrounding hills were mostly covered in clouds and mist, while the high forts of Tung, Lohagad, Visapur and Tikona could hardly be seen due to the cloud cover. 

Due to the rains I managed to click very few pics, with my mobile, I have shared few...which came out ok in the low light, hope you like them...at least they will give you some idea of the awesome weather that day :D 
                                                                                                                                                        ...Alok

The conical hill on which Tung fort is situated, fort top was hidden in the clouds.

The lovely cloudy weather, barely full Pavna Dam, with  twin forts of  Lohagad   (on left ) Visapur (on right)  in background.

 Tikona fort top was also hidden in clouds, and the twisty wet road going up the  steep mountain, towards Paud looked awesome as ever.

Activa Diaries - Sunday Ride And Hike To Tikona Fort.

Another Sunday well spent in a 100 km ride, topped with a  hike to the top of Tikona fort.

Like always Sun God made the climb more tiring, and the final steep climb up the narrow stairs was a bit scary, I kept feeling someone was pulling me back, any moment I am going to fall back and tumble down the stairs into the valley below...lol...me and my vivid imagination :D

Once on top, the spectacular views of the Pavna Dam, Tung fort, Lohagad and Visapur forts made all the effo...rt well worth. Spent more than a hour enjoing the scenery...and building enuf courage to face those scary steps again, but climbing down was much easier...and nobody tried to push me down this time :D :D :D

PS - looking forward to do this same hike in monsoons, when its raining heavily, mud path becomes dangerously slippery...one slip and u can end with few broken bones.....or even dead, and as if this is not enough... whole fort gets shrouded under a mysterious blanket of mist.... sometimes for days together...that will be some fun indeed :D

Now let the pics talk.

The colorful entrance arch to Tikona Peth village. The road inside goes straight to the Tikona Fort, and the hiking trail starts about one kilometer from this gate.

 

  The road to Tikona Fort, you can easily make out the triangular shape of the fort.

Finally after 50 km enjoyable morning ride I reached the parking lot at the base of Tikona Fort, hiking trail to the top of the fort starts from here. Since it was a Sunday morning the parking lot was fairly crowded, the relatively easy climb makes this place quite popular with families interested in hiking.

The fort walls as seen from the parking lot.

The trail is narrow and steep but easily doable save for few spots where it becomes extra steep and loose stones make walking very difficult, make sure you are wearing  shoes  with good grip to navigate such patches without any accident while going up and more importantly while coming down because its very easy to slip and have a nasty fall. But as you climb higher the  lovely view of the surrounding hills and countryside will make all the effort worth while.

When i reached the first level I  saw this board pointing to some caves below, which I did not explore this time as I was late and in a hurry to get to the fort top. Not going to the caves turned out to be a good decision because as the fort caretaker told me later, the caves were located in a dense forest with many wild boars which may get aggressive and attack when they see loan traveler, so its always safer and more prudent to visit the caves in a group. Well next time I will surely make it a point to visit these caves...ancient caves, dense forest and aggressive wild boars, all points towards some exciting adventure.

I could see the fort perched high up on a steep hill, and I still had a long way to go.

These stones/stairs go to the next level, I could not guess if they were natural or man made.

Half way into the climb i reached this cave like structure which also served as a gate and had place for guards  to sit and rest. For me this place was a welcome sight, as I could sit and rest in its cool shade. There is hardly any shade along the route to the top save three or four places, so if you are making the climb when the Sun is high it will be good decision to use these places as rest stops and recoup your energy and also to avoid severe dehydration.

And in the  cave like structure  met a wonderful person, Jnaneshwar Mohol, he was the 'Gadpal' or caretaker of the fort. He welcomed me to the fort, asked me to put the backpack down and take some rest in the cool shade, and then he went on to offer me cool water and teel gud, and all this he did with a charming smile on his faces. He welcomed me to the fort just like he would welcome a guest to his home. I was really touched by his caring attitude. And it was not just me who was welcomed in this style, but every visitor was treated in the same way. I rested there, clicked few pics and saw Mr.Mohol go about his work - welcoming visitors in his unique style. After entering my details in the visitor register, I thanked Jananeshwar for his hospitality and moved on towards the top.

Shivdurg Sanvardhan , the organization behind the conservation of these legendary forts, which are integral part of the history and culture of Maharashtra.

I reached  dense shady forest , and saw this eye catching Maruti statue. There is also a small  temple and big water cipher in this same shady patch. Many visitors after visiting the fort top come down here to have their food, its a nice place to have a picnic lunch.

A little further I saw this ancient contraption, used for crushing limestone which  used as the mortar to set the  stones which make this strong fort.

The fort citadel or 'Baale Killa' as seen from the small forest, its still quite a climb away. Inside these high walls the forces holding the fort would make a last stand against the attacking army. There is no way inside this other than a very narrow stone staircase, the invaders could only climb this in a single file.

A close up of the steep Fort Walls. The colour of the wall and the rock on which its built merge so well. It must have been very difficult for the enemy to spot these, particularly on misty ....foggy days. Just a reminder this region receives very heavy rainfall in monsoons, which makes the climb to the fort top quite treacherous.

The narrow staircase going to the fort top as seen from the base of Baale Killa. The first look at these narrow stairs gave my already tired body shivers. I knew the way to the top of the fort is going to be difficult but this looked impossible. Then another question popped up in my mind, even if I push myself to climb this narrow staircase with foot high stairs...how am i going to come down?, because while coming down I will be looking down at the bottom of the deep valley...which will surely be more scary.

 I kept looking at the staircase as if willing it to give me some solution to the problem. I kept wishing ...only if there was a elevator here which would take me up to the top ...without putting in all this hard work...lol.

But this is just a momentary phase, but very crucial in every difficult hike or trek, when your body is tired and exhausted and your mind is trying to find logical reasons of not completing the venture, and dropping out as completing it would not add anything...materially...to our life. But then your spirit comes forward,  your feet will find new strength, and you will take another step forward, because that is the code of the warrior, you may be down.... but you are not out of the race  till you have achieved your goal :)  

 It was quite windy, thanks to the thick cable seen on the right hand I could hold on to it and climb slowly to the top. It was not very difficult, but exciting all the same...

 

.....till I came to this door way...and saw another steep flight of steps  going up, but after conquering the first set of steps I did not  hesitate even for a second to take on them, and after enjoying the view of the surrounding countryside from the doorway.... I started climbing again.

The steep flight of steps ended and thru another arched doorway I finally entered the large courtyard of Baale Killa the citadel of Tikona Fort.

And i saw another flight of steps going up...now this had to be the top.

As I came up the stairs this is what I saw. The small room like structure  is a temple dedicated to Bhagwan Mahadev, and this is the only shelter from  on this fort. And the small mound behind the temple is the highest part of the fort.

The Shiv Ling inside the temple...Har Har Mahadev.

The huge water cipher is the only source of water for thirsty  hikers who come here.These tanks are supposed to hold water even in the driest summer months. 

Like always I carried enough water with me, so did not drink this water, but I did see some people fill there bottles and drink this same water. 

There was another huge water tank below inside the small forest which was also used by the travelers as the source of drinking water, but personally would not try a unknown source of water for drinking purpose unless really forced to.

 

Finally I climbed the small mound behind the temple, which is the highest point in this fort, to enjoy excellent views of the backwaters of Pavana Dam spread out far below.

The villages, green brown fields and the twisty road make such refreshing vistas.

And the mighty Tung Fort standing tall and alone, its steep sides and narrow pinnacle daring me to try and  climb it. So I made a promise to to Tung ..."I will be visiting you soon" .

After enjoying the lovely views from the windy top for more than an hour, I started the the climb back. 

Coming down the narrow staircase was not difficult...but i needed to be careful not to twist my ankle or hurt my knees as the steps were quite deep and uneven.

Reached the parking within an hour, and from there it was another enjoy able evening ride back to home with just a brief stop at the Pavana Dam to take in awesome the view of its waters shimmering in the setting Sun.

Glittering water of the Pavana lake, the setting Sun also marks the end of a Sunday well spent in exploring a interesting fort, which still stands tall after hundreds of years. 

Next Sunday I will be testing my strength against the steep slopes of Tung Fort which is said to be much more difficult than the Tikona fort climb, and its because of this degree of hardship in getting to the fort top... Tung is also called 'Kathin Gad' or the Difficult Fort :D