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The Mumbai Hikers Newsletter

Inside this issue 1. My first Mumbai Pune Cycling Trip - By Nachiket Marathe 2. Independence Day trek to RAJGAD 2011 - by Omkar Juvekar 3. Alibaug Trip - Khanderi Fort and Undheri Fort - By Merwyn Rodrigues 4. Dhak Baheri Trek - by Aashish Chawla 5. Sandhan Valley - Ratangad - Kaladgad - Harishchandragad trek - by Nilesh Patil 6. List of Trekking Groups in Mumbai 7. Cycling Groups 8. First Aid 9. Rock Climbing Wall Goregaon 10.Trekking Gear Shops in Mumbai

5 years ago all it was very difficult to find out treks events online .Most trekking groups had printed event schedules which were only available to its members .Most trekkers used to stick to 1-2 trekking groups . 5 years on all trekker do not have to depend on their friends or one trekking group schedule .Earlier if a trekking group did not have a trek event the next weekend most of us used to sit at home on that weekend. Now there is always some trekking group who will have a trek or trip on the next weekend . You can also plan 2-3 weeks in advance and do not need to wait for a printed trek schedule from a trekking group.Recently I had no net access for a week and found that a lot of trek event and exciting trekking information online remains online and a lot of people are missing out on the fun of meeting new friends and trekking and keeping healthy due to no net connection or not knowing anyone in the present trekking circles .

So I decided to connect the offline world with the online world and get more people to enjoy trek events and trekking experiences of trekkers . Also the I would like the newsletter to be a place people can find all the important information they need during trekking .If you have a blog or take photos during treks you can send me the links and we will share your joys with people in the offline world via our free newsletter .

Enjoy Nature and Happy New Year !Regards

Navin

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My first Mumbai Pune Cycling Trip - By Nachiket Marathe

I started cycling 7 months ago. I invested almost all of my weekends post monsoon in cycling. First I participated in Cyclothon which was held somewhere in April. I had borrowed my friend's cycle - Hercules Sport (18 geared). I was cycling after a gap of around 15 years. I saw many good cycles during the cyclothon event. I decided buy one without worrying much on budget. Started my research & purchased Hybrid bike - Schwinn Sporterra Comp. The bike comes with Disc breaks. Then cycling was stopped during the monsoon.I thought yes, I am now fit for attempting Mumbai - Pune. I took leave from work on Friday 18th November & decided to go to Pune on that day. I was lucky to get a senior companion Mohinder Singh Bharaj who has done all the BRMs before. I didn't want to take any chances so decided to leave at 3 AM in the morning. I didn't want to climb the Ghat when it was hot.

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Well, I was 8 minutes late & started at 3.08 AM from Vile Parle. My parents came by car just to see who is my companion & to be my guard against barking & chasing dogs. It was indeed helpful. There were many occasions where dogs started chasing me & I was saved as my dad started honking. Finally I reached Chembur / Deonar (Telecom Factory) & met Mohinderji. My dad had a word with him & we were off to Pune & my parents were off to bed.We started journey very nicely. We chit chatted & reached Khopoli at 7 AM. It was a good time. Had chai & Misal Pav. We started at 7.40 AM. Then the so called testing time came! Ghat section started. I was riding on lowest gear. I actually did not have any intention to do it non stop. I was going to take as many breaks as possible. Only one thing I have decided. I am going to ride till the point I am able to control my breathing. I had purposely decided not to stop even if my knees start paining. Because that is superficial pain. It vanishes after rest. But breathlessness kills yourmomentum. And guess what? I was able to control my breathing even after the Ghat section ended! Yes I did non-stop in my first attempt.Well Ghat ended at 9.05 AM. Mohinderji exclaimed "Kidhar gaya Ghat, Khatam ho gaya!". I thought wow! We again took halt little outskirts of Lonavala. It was 9.20 AM. We again had some food. Pune was 65 Kms. We started. Lonavala till Kamshet Ghat is around 10-12 Kms & nice flat road. But!! We were riding against wind. No joy of riding on flat even after climbing the mighty Ghat. I was riding 3 X 6 or 3 X 7 combination.

But couldn't manage to make it more than 22 Kms/hr. Then came Kamshet Ghat. I was again riding on lowest gear but my moral was very high since I climbed bhor Ghat without stopping. Time was passing. Didn't understand when it was 11.30 AM. At Dehu Road Mohinderji was waiting for me. From Dehu road one way goes to Pimpri & other way goes to Wakad & then to Chandni chowk. I had a glass of sugar cane juice. Mohinderji told me that he will leave now. It was cool. He had to participate in the BRM 200 (Pune - Panchgani - Pune) very next day.

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My knees started paining. My Reli-spray was empty. I was carrying empty spray with me. My butts were paining too. I was standing & riding from time to time. Surprisingly there is not a single medical shopadjacentto NH 4. Then came Baner at around 1.30 PM. I went in the city. Found a medical shop. Purchased a spray. Used it. took halt near Medical shop for some time. Did some stretching. I don't know if it worked but guess psychologically it did!! I was not in position to understand much. I had decided that I should at least make it till Pune within less than 12 hours. and after this incident I thought let it be. Doesn't matter even if I reach in 12 hours 15 minutes or 12 & half hours. Rode few Kms. Again stopped at some Neera centre. Had Neera. I got a call from Mohinderji. He told me he has freshen up & now he is having lunch. I said great. I thanked him & wished him success for the BRM 200.

Started. Then finally came Chandni chowk & I saw the downhill of Poud Road. Saw the clock. It was 2.53 PM. I got some energy. Thought yes it is possible to make Pune before 3.08 PM. I forgot my knee pain. sprinted. Reached Nalstop (My Pune Home) at 3.03 PM!! I did it.Statistics (by Sigma BC 1609) :-Total Distance - 168 Kms.Total time - Close to 12 hoursRiding time - 9 hours 35 minutes (Nearly 80% of the total time)Average speed - 18 Kms/HourMax Speed - 49 Kms/hour

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Learning's:-When you are undergoing some venture make sure you at least have filled Reli-spray!Though planning & execution are two sides of one coin, former is more vital than the latter.Dikhawe pe naa jao, Apni akal Ladao! One should definitely listen to others advises, opinions & experiences. But should not base one's opinions on that.Bhor Ghat is much over-rated. If one wants to attempt it first time make sure you start early.Conquering Bhor Ghat isn't end! Pune is far far ahead from it. So there is absolutely nothing to celebrate when you finish climbing Bhor Ghat.Mumbai - Lonavala - Mumbai (Same day) will definitely be a good choice to spend your holiday!Though I did Bhor Ghat non stop in my first attempt, I will never under estimate it. There are actually many factors involved. Weather is the key & start time from Mumbai will definitely play an important role while climbing the Bhor Ghat.As every individual is unique, every Ghat is unique.Tarmac of NH 4 is a great. (Except the fact that no medical shops nearby). Don't blameold things when you have got new ones!Nachiket Marathe http://cyclists.in/profile/NachiketMarathe

PS: I am very thankful to all the cyclist community whose indirect support is always with me. Without them it wouldn't have been possible.

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HYBRID TREKKERS 1st anniversary Independence Day trek to RAJGAD 2011by Omkar Juvekar

Yet another trek this monsoon season & this time a rather special one. It was our first overnight trek & that too on the day of our 1st anniversary. Independence Day trek to RAJGAD was our dream trek & we all were eagerly waiting for it. The journey being a long one we decided to leave the bus at night only. The excitement began even before the trek started when we lost our way in the darkness at around 4.30 a.m. Finding our way back through the narrow village lanes & taking much needed help from some awaken villagers, we reached our destination finally-Gunjavane (base village). Quickly getting ourselves freshened, we all got charged up for the real excitement to begin.

The trend of loosing our way continued even in the trek when we took a longer route instead of the simpler path. This time we hardly had any fresher along with us. So the regular ‘constant encouraging’ part was being missed. But we had a very diverse team on board right from a 9th std. girl to a 58 yr old professional trekker. Rajgad is a photographer’s delight with all its greenery & misty atmosphere especially in the monsoon. So the shutterbugs just

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wouldn’t stop. Especially the view of ‘Suvela Machi’ from our 1st halt spot is simply breath taking.

We entered the fort through ‘Chordarwaja’ after an exciting 10 min. climb through rocky patch at the final frontier. People from the last batch were given a grand welcome in the Padmavati temple. A small tea break of 15-20 min. & all were again geared up to march towards Suvela Machi. It began with a photo shoot at the Sadar, where the strong cold wind was just blowing us apart. A brief walk through the misty, cloudy atmosphere brought us to theNedha. This was the best & the most exciting part of the trek. ‘Nedha’- a small cavity few feets above- provided that much needed challenge. Not everyone climbed it but those who did had their trek worth. Some cotrekkers also went ahead to see the entire Suvela Machi while some hungry trekkers just wanted to come back to Padmavati.

When we came back to temple, it was almost full. We had to drop our visit to Sanjeevni Machi right there & by the time we finished our lunch, we had to take that tough decision to abort the trek. This was not what we had planned & before the situation would go out of control we had begun our descend. It was a rather disappointing end to our dream trek but that one hour spent in the waterfall in the evening just made up for the loss. Apart from Nedha, this waterfall had brought smile on everyone’s face.

The evening & night was spent in the temple at the base listening to some of the ghost stories which were rather hilarious instead of being scary. The next fresh morning began with the flag hoisting ceremony conducted in the village school. A feeling of pride for nation gripped all of us as we stood saluting our tricolor singing our National anthem. Morning breakfast was followed by a surprise gift for all. We distributed our badges to celebrate our one year completion. A group photo & we all left Rajgad with a promise to come back again & conquer it entirely.

On our way back, we went to The Rajiv Gandhi National Park, atKatraj. It was a nice relaxing walk in the zoo watching all different types of animals & reptiles. I am sure everyone loved this part of the trek also. As always the return journey was a smooth & quick one back to Ruia College.

At the end of the day, the dream had come to an end with many more memories to cherish upon. But now its time to see more dreams ahead. It’s been one eventful year for HYBRID TREKKERS & the journey has just begun. Here we thank all our trekkers for their active support for all our events.

“Bulanda hauslon se shuru hua hain ye karavaan,

Apni manzil ki ore badh raha hain ye kafila,

Musafir to bahut jud gaye iss rah par hamare,

Unko bhi yaadon mein samette chal raha hain manchala”

HAPPY TREKKING

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V.A.S.K.O.

http://hybridtrekkers.blogspot.com

Alibaug Trip - Khanderi Fort and Undheri Fort- By Merwyn Rodrigues

A visit to the forts at Alibag had been on my agenda for a long time. But somehow, something or the other kept coming in the way, and my visit to this sleepy beach town kept getting put off.

So then I finally sat down to do some research on the Internet and, armed with whatever information I could gather, made plans to go to Alibag. Nimish and Darshan, who had accompanied me on my visit to Lohagad Fort and Bhaje Caves earlier, and Niket and Piyush, both first-time trekkers, agreed to accompany me on my visit to these forts.

Boat to Undheri and Khanderi fort from Thal

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We boarded the first ferry of the day, the 6.15 am ferry from The Gateway of India to Mandwa. These ferries ply at regular intervals during the day.

Alibag can be reached both by road and water. Travelling by sea is faster and cheaper. The price of a one-way ticket is Rs 65 (inclusive of the ferry service from Gateway to Mandwa and the bus service from Mandwa to Alibag). By road Alibag is 35 km away from Mumbai and with the rising price of fuel, it’s an expensive way to travel.

It took us around 1½ hrs to reach Mandwa jetty. From there we boarded a bus to Alibag. After around 30 minutes, we reached Alibag where we had a few refreshments. Our plan was to visit Khanderi and Undheri forts which are located in Thal, 7 km away from Alibag.

Khanderi FortAlibag is home to many beautiful beaches and forts; the town was developed by Kanhoji Angre, a Maratha warrior, in the 17th century.

We boarded a tum tum. The best part about the tum tum is that you need to pay Rs 10 per seat regardless of the distance. Readers, please do not go for a private tum tum because they are very expensive. When we approached a private tum tum, he quoted a fare of Rs 500. Instead of going for a private tum tum, it is better to share a tum tum.

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We decided to carry with us beer bottles from a local wine shop. Surely it would be a good idea to have chilled beer at one of the sea forts.

Fortification of Khanderi FortWe got in touch with a person named Ashwin who had made arrangements for a boat to take us around as Khanderi and Undheri are sea forts. Ashwin's contact details are easily available online on a few sites providing information on Alibag. Please make sure that you negotiate the rates well in advance with him because the rates rise as the day of the trek nears. We had negotiated for Rs 1100 to take us to Khanderi and Undheri Forts.

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It is also advisable to go as a group to see these forts as the cost of the boat trip is more than Rs 1000 plus. The more is indeed the merrier in this case as you can divide the cost of the trip.

Cannons on the fortBy the time we reached the boat, our beer bottles had grown warm. We should have known chilled beer wouldn’t stay chilled. But there was nothing to do but have warm beer.

We didn’t come across any hotels here. So do carry food and water. We carried ours.

We boarded the boat at Thal. This is a quiet fishing village with a very silent life.Thal does not look like a fort today. Maybe at some point in the past it must have looked like one. The fishing village is based here and the fisherfolk lay out their fish to dry on the small walls of the fort. No boundaries can be located on this fort as it is inhabited by the local people. There is not much to see here.

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Light House on the FortAt Thal, we could see Undheri Fort and Khanderi Fort in the distance. So we set out to see these forts in the motor boat provided by Ashwin.

It took us around 30 minutes to reach Khanderi fort. On the way we passed Undheri Fort but we could not land there as there was no jetty on the fort. It was literally a sea view of a different kind for us. Undheri Fort is small as compared to Khanderi Fort. Though in ruins, the walls of the fort are in very good condition.

Khanderi Fort has a jetty where we landed. The walls of this fort have been defaced by the kind of losers who should be locked up and never allowed within 100 metres of any heritage site. Some people don’t have sense. They just know how to dirty nature around them.

Helipad on the fort

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There are a lot of interesting things to see on this fort. For instance, there is a temple with a huge white heart shaped stone; this temple was built sometime in the 17th century. Till date prayers are offered at this temple. We saw a lamp burning inside its premises.

The best way to see the fort is by walking along the walls. There are two water tanks on this fort and a lighthouse. One of the water tanks is very close to the sea at a distance of hardly 20 feet, and yet it supplies fresh drinking water to the caretakers of the lighthouse. I pondered over how the water could be so sweet despite being surrounded by salt water.The cannons on this fort had my attention. This was the first time in my trekking history that I had seen a complete cannon mounted on wheels.

Stone which makes a bell soundWhat a sight it presented! Even though it was quite rusted, it still commanded awe. I shot a few pictures there.

We then decided to go see the lighthouse situated on the topmost part of the island.

Although this fort was built by Shivaji in the 17th century, the lighthouse was built by the British in 1852 after they conquered the fort. It was thrown open to the sea in 1853. I had a small chat with the caretaker of the lighthouse. His name was Nitin Pawar and he gave me a lot of valuable information.

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Undheri Fort

The lighthouse, he said, stands 48 feet tall and provides signals to the distant ships in the sea. The entire mechanism of the lighthouse was imported from Germany. The old mechanism was later replaced by the modern mechanism around two years ago.

The lighthouse functions at a speed of 3 RPM (revolutions per minute) and the light is thrown all around at a radius of 40 km. If you are on a ship 40 km away, you will see the light blinking.

We began a slow tour of the lighthouse. The caretaker told us that if we were to walk down a little, we would find a huge stone with metallic properties. We decided to go and see this amazing stone.

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Entrance to Undheri FortThe caretaker also pointed out a small pad on one of the bastions of the fort. It was a landing point for helicopters, he said. The Navy, Army and Airforce personnel often paid them a visit and when they did, they parked their helicopters there.

We all took turns throwing small pebbles at the huge stone that the caretaker had told us about. It gave us a childish thrill to hear it ring out loud like a bell. What a great way to intimate the inmates of the fort about the approach of an enemy! Truly amazing.

After that, we decided to head back to Thal. This time we were able to see Undheri Fort a little closer.

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Fortification of Undheri Fort

By the time we reached Thal, it was already 2.30 in the afternoon. We figured that it was better to head home. We boarded a ferry to Mumbai.

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Khanderi and Undheri Fort in a distance from Thal

On the ferry Darshan, Nimish and Niket started feeding the seagulls that were following us. Believe me, these birds can do anything for food. After having their full, they stopped following us. I don’t know if that was because they had had their fill or if it was because they did not want to step into unknown territory.

Finally onshore at The Gateway of India, we clicked a few pictures and called it a day. Read More Trip Stories by Merwyn on http://merwynsrucksack.blogspot.com

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Dhak Baheri Trek -- by Aashish Chawla

Friends very often it happens that we are waiting for a release of a big film and we are very excited about the same..brimming with high level of expectations but generally after we see

the film most of the time the expectations exceeds the actual things and we are left feeling high and dry full of disappointment. However in case of Dhak Baheri Trek I want to confess that this trek superseded all my lofty expectations. I got more than what I could have dreamt of.

To cut the long story short Dhak Baheri Trek was perhaps the best Trek that I did till now.

It was the most Frightening,Daring,Adventurous, Dangerous and Endurance testing trek done by me !!!!

27th Nov,2011. Morning 3.00am

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My medicines !!!!

The alarm clock was screaming at the top of my brain and my body was aching due to the viral flu that I was suffering from.I had to make a choice either I stay in bed, take my medicine and enjoy Sunday afternoon nap

OR

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Call of Wilderness on the other hand listen to the call of wilderness which was pulling me towards itself.....that eternal thirst of nature which simply doesn't seems to get quenched and leave me standing on the brink of indecision. But as usual the heart wins and I end up slinging my bag over my shoulder, popped a pill of crocin and multivitamin and off was I on my way to Dadar Station to catch Indrayani Express to Lonavala....

Dhak Baheri Trek here I come ...!!!

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Nikhil..My buddyStanding at Dadar station waiting for Indrayani Express I was getting worried that my friend Nikhil who was suppose to join me hasn't yet turned up. Nikhil to me is someone like Dr Watson was to Sherlock Holmes.Always a good friend to have with you.I called up Nikhil to enquire as to where have he reached he replied "buddy I am on my way,train me hoon bandra cross kar raha hoon" I checked the time it was 5.35am. few minutes passed I again checked time it was

5.42a.m "Nikhil Kider !!!" Nikhil replied "Chill Matunga cross kar raha hoon will be soon in dadar"

5.45am : Called Nikhil again "where" Nikhil replied "tension maat le I have reached Dadar ,stairs chad raha hoon...

5.52am The train arrives I shouted in the phone "Nikhil Gadi aa gayi hai..." he replied "arre central side aa gaya hoon

5.53 I was in the train and the trains moved I panicked !! I knew my dear friend has missed the train...and as they say in invitation ...missed the trek too.!!!!

5.55 am. Dejectedly I called nikhil "abbe saale late ho gaya na... kya tere liye chain pulling karu train rokne ke liye' nikhil replied "dude I made it ..train to pakad li...lekin reserved

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compartment me hoon...thane me change karke ke tere paas aata hoon."

So the script was written in a thrilling way for this thrilling trek!!!!

Lonawala Station

Lonawala StationOur train Indrayani express reached Lonawala at 8.00am and from here we were to catch local train to Kamshet. We hopped from one platform to another to catch the local.

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Pune local was quite empty still Nikhil and I preferred the foot board we had good steaming hot tea with equally hot batata wadas.

View of Kamshet Station Kamshet stationKamshet station is hardly 2 stops away from Lonawala.It is a small station with a beautiful river flowing along the station on western side. We all started walking on the eastern side of the station to catch the ST bus. The ST bus stop was hardly 5 minutes walkable distance from the station. We all boarded 9.00am ST bus to Jambivali .

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Village ST bus...note the smashed wind shieldST bus Journey from Khamset to Jambivali VillageOur ST bus just like most village ST bus was old rickety and creaky with a icing on the cake by the way of broken wind shield . The journey was full of bumpy ride but made enjoyable by beautiful mountain ranges on the both side of the road , goan ka phan ghat , an occasional glimpses of a dam and a river the name of which I could not gather. We reached Jambivali in 1 hour time.

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Beautiful view along the route to Jambivali Village

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goan ka phan ghat

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enchanting views on the way to Jambivali Jambivali Village:We reached Jambivali Village at 10 am. We had introduction and instruction round. I must add here that I was very happy to be among the company of very experienced trekker. V Rangers were the organiser Ananda, Sudhir , Sandeep had done this trek several times earlier so mentally I was assured that I am in safe hands.

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Gang is all set for the Trek

The Treks Starts:

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Trek is on !!!

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mesmerizing views on the way

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mesmerizing views on the way

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mesmerizing views on the way 10.15 am our trek started . Initially it was a gradual walk for about an hour through the fields and shrubs then slowly we were in incline gear walking on the rocky patches the scenery along the trek route was something straight out of story book such mesmerising peaks, lovely breeze, enchanting valley below.

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Add caption .some superb rocky peaks you name it and it was there. At times Ananda has to literally pull us away because we were all busy capturing nature on our lenses.I pleaded to Ananda "Kya kare dost yeh nazare itne zabardaast hai ki yeh dil mange more..."

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Rocky portion

We kept walking for more than 1.45 minutes through the canopy of trees that even during the day time you get the feeling that it is evening,jungle patch,descent,ascent,rocky boulders cow shit and many other unexplored shit we came across all possible things enroute.

We moved ahead till we came to a point where we saw two mountains kind of over lapping each other making a crevice. We stopped there was a moment to catch our breath.

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V shaped way between two mountains and most of us were getting down in a sitting position

Ananda then instructed us that we will now have to walk through this crevice to the bottom on the other side. we all slowly moved forward from this point the wind that was blowing was very wild as if it wanted to blow us away but somehow sitting down and moving cautious we made our descent here as standing option was not possible due to this windy situation.

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making our way cautiouslyThis whole section was nothing but a kind of V and through this V we could see the sky and the valley on the other side. We made our descent for about 30 to 40 feets total rocky patch and when I reached the bottom of the patch what I saw almost made me make the statementoh! what the F...

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the deep valley below

Below the last section there was hardly any ground underneath and you get to viewsomething like the above picture and on the right hand side there was this mammoth rocky mountain and in the distance I could see small figures of trekkers making a literally 90 degree climb...my heart came into my mouth "boss meri toh puri tarah fhat gayi !!! Kon Kambakt bolta hai ki darr ke aage jeet hai...abhi to aisa lag raha tha ki dar ke aage bada darr hai !!! Ek time toh socha yaar ghar walo ne trek karne ke liye beja hai na ki suicide karne ke liye !!! My God kya karoo !!! Aaj toh bara ke bav gaya Aashish tu....

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narrow passage on the right side

But Yeh Saala Dil bahut shaitan hai...Fhasa deta hai, Marva deta hai... Bola abbe Fattu aaghe baad ...Tujhe maloom tha tu kahaan per trek karne ja raha hai.(This heart is incorrigible as it always gets you in a troubled spot...makes you inch forward saying you knew what you were getting into)

Once the mind was made up then nothing could stop me now ....even though I was feeling feverish i said move buddy and like a seasonal trekker I jumped into the fray. how could I deny myself the lifetime experience of walking on the edge of the

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Slip from here and you are a past tense

mountain...with a perquisite of a slip here and you are nowhere.

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Slip from here and you are a past tenseSlowly we all started moving along the edge of the cliff it was just 2 feet wide path which moving forward ends at the extreme rocky patch the highlight of this trek a horizontal move of of around 80feets with a space to hardly keep your foot in the grove on rock.one could keep one feet at a time and trekkers have to move in single file. one has to be very careful because a slip can prove to be a very costly slip. one can lose his life too !!!! I could see people with feet trembling as they were moving along the cracks of rock. however my mind was made .."Ab chahe sar foote ya matta tum toh bindass rahege....Dil par hhaat rakha aur zoor se bhola All izz well!!!"

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Kon bola darr ke aage jeet hai

after covering a horizontal stretch next comes vertical climb of nearly 90degree someone behind me shouted aloud "saala ek musibat jaati nahi ki doosri sar par khadi hai" I wanted to tell him very much "Beta is ke aage aur badi musibat khadi hai tyar hoja" because just you complete this vertical climb then you see a long rope hanging in front of you and one must be ready for circus like activity,

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Circus rope trick"ek hath rassi se pakado,paer baju me tree ka branch hai usme rakho aur left hand se same branch ka help lekar upar aa ja ooo.... Paas khade bunder bi hum par huns rahe the ki yeh log hamari harkate kyo kar rahe hai....( hold rope with right hand,put your feet on the tree branch,hold the upper branch with left hand and pull yourself up...seeing this the monkeys too were laughing on wondering why we are aping the ape...)

Hikers Newsletter www.mumbaihikers.com Vol 1,Issue 1 Page No 42

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Bander bi hamare maje le raha tha!!!

I very much wanted to do this rock patch without the rope but sudhir scolded me from the top. Must be thinking over-smart ban raha hai but the problem was that I don't get the chance to do this dare devil act everyday( upar se me local train me travel bi nahi karta...toh koi chance hi nahi ) aur us ke upar se 127 hours movie dekh kar aaya tha...fulltoo inspired tha......

Anyway after completing all this acrobatics We reached the top. It was a cave dived into two major section. First part had 2 water tank.How I wish my dear trekker understand that we all drink from this tank so they must try to keep it clean. I was very disappointed to see cooking utensils lying at the bottom.There was also a small make shift temple. second part of the caves had small sub section . View from here is breathtaking...

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Breath taking View from the top We all had lunch in the caves few of our friends decided to catch up with a nap at the top,with a break of over I/2 hour we were all ready for the descent. Same rocky patch same 90 degree all over again Sab ki aachi fati....photo me pose dene ko bi dar lag raha tha...so bola bhai camera rakho jaisa bi latka honga photo nikal lena...aage bhagwan malik... one look down in the valley aur apke hosh gul man !!!! somehow we crossed the whole section again for me it was was double bonanza daring act plus style mar mar ke photo lene ki opportunity..(andar se kya halat thi woh mere ko hi maloom tha...)

Hikers Newsletter www.mumbaihikers.com Vol 1,Issue 1 Page No 44

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andar se Darr lag raha ha phir bi pose mar raha hoon

The daring and the thrilling part behind us we moved forward for the final descent towards wadhap village. From here onward it was the turn of endurance part...Chal chal ke waat lag gayi descending to wadhap village was no easy task. You will ask why ? well the reason is that there was no proper defined route lots of thickets all around, diverse footfall trails in other words plenty of options by which you can lose your way and get stranded ek point per apne sath bi aisa hi hua...rahul aage gana sunte sunte jungle me ghus gaya and we were

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subsequently told that we are on lost path.Worst thing was that the sun was setting on the horizon and if if dont get out fast then we will also have to negotiate darkness Dil toh chila chila kar bol raha tha Bhaag bhaag DK bose agar time par pahuncha hai to....

returning to base is always a task

Hikers Newsletter www.mumbaihikers.com Vol 1,Issue 1 Page No 46

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Chal chal ke waat lag gayi!!!!

Somehow we all bravely negotiated the steep slopes, wayward route and over looming darkness to come to Wadhap village as a victorious lot.

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looming darkness

I want to thank Ananda, Sudhir and Sandeep from Vranger for managing this trek so well.

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Thanks to all my co trekker ..Aashish Chawla

Read more of Aashish Chawla's adventures on http://chawlaaashish.blogspot.com

Hikers Newsletter www.mumbaihikers.com Vol 1,Issue 1 Page No 49

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Sandhan Valley - Ratangad - Kaladgad - Harishchandragad trek - by Nilesh Patil

This was a long weekend. and I just wanted to be out for a long trek. So I planned for this cross country trek.After I had done Ratangad, ones in the rains and Harishchandragad many times via a few of its many routes, and heard a lot of things about the cross country trek between these two (from Prasad), I was very eager to do this trek.

Accordingly, the plannings were done, and the publicity was done on Orkut hardly 3-4 days before the plan execution. I expected 10 ppl including the coordinators for this trek. and received 12 names for the plan. whereas only 9 turned up at the last moment.

It was me, Prasad(Pashi), Vikram(Langdya) and Priti, Saurabh Thakrey, Parag, Amit, Pragat, and Saurabh Vishwas. all starting on 23rdmorning from my place at Thane.

Day 1, 23rd Jan '09:

We met in the very first Kasara local.

Prasad had other plans too. he wanted to explore the other route till Samrad valley as well.

So he got down at Asangaon with Vikram, and heeded towards Dolkhamb to extend his trek from Dehne to Samrad via Karoli ghat.

Meanwhile the other 6 carried forward their journey till Kasara (by local), then Shendi (by ST bus) and finally till Samrad village (by private jeep). We reached here by 10 am and rested till 12. Further we descended the Sandhan valley till its mid and climbed back to Samrad village for our stay.

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This was my first visit to Samrad valley. I had heard many things about this valley from Priti. But whatever I had heard about its beauty was too less. I liked the valley more than any other trekking spot that I had ever visited. The valley is a beauty. And one needs to cross a patch through the chilling water, around 4-5 ft deep to explore the valley. No escaping the waters over here.

We visited the valley, explored it, had our lunch in the valley itself, and climbed back the valley.

Meanwhile Prasad and Vikram completed their trek through Karoli ghat and reached Samrad village by 3. Vikram was a bit disappointed to see only 4 feet water and that too only in 6 feet wide area. He had plans to swim, but couldn't.

Later, we stayed in a school at Samrad village and had our dinner at Yashwant's place. Had campfire, star gazing and songs and fun till 11.30 pm, our bed time.

Day 2, 24th Jan '09:

This was the day when we made blunders. The actual plans were to climb Ratangad, explore it, get down by the other route, cross the Katrabai jungles, and reach Kumshet village. This was very hectic to execute, and therefore we had to start early. We started our day with the morning tea at 6.30 am, and then started for Ratangad. The route was unknown and still we decided to trek without a guide. This was the greatest mistake that we did on the day; rather the greatest one in the whole trek. We lost the way in the very beginning and instead of taking the way to Ratangad; we headed towards the BAAN pinnacle. We found that we were on a wrong track and so decided to climb the col between the Khutta pinnacle and Ratangad. This col later on got divided into two. Here we had to split our team- me and Vikram in the right, while Prasad and Priti went towards the left to find out the way. Meantime, the group rested at the tree shade. After searching the way for three long hrs, we decided to get back to the group and again

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descend a bit till the water source, where we can have our lunch which we had carried from Samrad village.

We had our lunch and were about to start our journey back to Samrad and start to Ratangad with a guide. As we were starting for the same, there came a lady from the village and directed us to the correct road. We laughed at ourselves, as the correct route was the one from where we had descended till here.

We gave ourselves one more start to the same route and ascended to Ratangad in next three hrs. We met a group from Sinnar who stared at us with their mouths wide open to see us climb through such a difficult route. We were on the top by 4pm. We entered the fort via the Trimbak Darwaja. Here onwards we explored the fort for 2 more hrs, and started preparation of our dinner. We had our dinner by 9pm and again decided to descend the Ratangad through the chimney and Shidi vaat and started for the junction where the road gets divided, one towards Ratanwadi and the other till Harishchandragad. We carried on in the Katrabai jungles till 12.15 am and decided to halt in the jungle itself. This jungle is a great habitat for leopards and other wild animals. So we had two campfires, one at each side, and decided to stay awake turn by turn. I heard many sounds of wild boars while I was awake in my allotted time of two hrs (0200-0400).

Day 3, 25th Jan `09

Today we had to reach Pethe-chi- Wadi and visit Kaladgad. We started at 7.30 am and moved towards the Katrabai pass. I had heard many things about this jungle from experienced trekkers. "This is very difficult route, very confusing, etc., etc." But found it very easy and well marked. However it had some patches where one can get lost. But not many. We walked for an hr or so and then halted for tea at a place where we can get water, enough for drinking, preparation of tea and washing utensils. We were having tea when we heard a call from two trekkers who had lost their way in the Katrabai jungle.

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Helped them to the right way and started with our trek further.

We crossed the Katrabai patch by 12 and descended the pass by 1 pm. Here we met a villager "Patil mama", where we had hurda, while Prasad had a short nap and missed the fun. We started from here and reached the Kumshet village in next one hour. Here we tasted some honey from the villagers. Myself and Priti bought one bottle each. And then we started our journey further to Pethe-chi-Wadi.

While walking till Pethe-chi -Wadi, we came across the Mula River, and wasted 2-3 hrs in swimming and playing in the water. This was the most enjoyable time for me in the whole trek. We started from here and reached Pethe-chi-Wadi by 5.30 pm. It was late to start for Kaladgad. But still we started from the Wadi and visited the fort. we reached the top right for the sunset scene. This fort provides an awesome view of the surrounding area. The sunset from here was one of the best ones that I had ever seen. We descended back to the Wadi by 7 pm. Decided to stay in a mandir for the night. The menu was Maggie and Pohe. And again the campfire was the way to fun and songs. And went to sleep by 11.

Day 4, 26th Jan '09

This was the worst day of my life.

We had enquired about the first bus from Pethe-chi-Wadi to Pachnai a day before and came to know that there is a bus which starts at 6.00 am. We got up at 5.15 to get a hold on the same. But the driver amazed us by saying that the bus would be off by 5.30 as it is Republic day and therefore the day starts half an hour earlier. We were therefore forced to pack our bags in 15 mins and rush towards the bus. This made me and the other coordinators sleep in the bus. I had asked the conductor to let us know when we reach Pachnai.

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The conductor forgot to do so and we realised this after we had crossed 12 kms after Pachnai, in some other village named `Lavhale'. We then got down at Lavhale and enquired about the route till Pachnai or towards Harishchandragad. Here we came to know about this new route till the top of Harishchandragad. This route is called as `Tata' chi vaat (way from the border). I had never even heard about this route from Lavhale village and so we decided not to go back to Pachnai and discover this new route. We had our tea in the Lavhale village, attended the republic day function and the flag hoisting event, and then started for Harishchandragad.

The reason I said this was the worst day in my trekking life lies further. I had severe back pain from a month before this trek, and was asked to rest and no treks for 2 month. And still I was on a trek; and that too for a 4-day long cross-country trek, with a bag weighing around 18-20 kg. I was a bit exhausted and also was in no mood to climb Harishchandragad, as I was aware of what would be the conditions on the fort after a long weekend. So I, with Priti and Saurabh decided to trek till Tolar Khind and further till Khireshwar to arrange for food. Whereas Prasad and Vikram led the group till the top of the fort, and then till Kokan Kada and back to Khireshwar.

We waited at Aishwarya hotel at Khireshwar and also arranged for our lunch over there. The time I spent at the hotel till the remaining group joined us, I came across a few people who climbed down from Harishchandragad. Being an MBA student for marketing, I was taught to keenly observe your customers before dealing with them. And I keep on practising this every now and then. I observed these people and was listening to their conversation. and I found many of them had been to the fort just for the sake of enjoyment. Some didn't reach the top and had quit the trek. Some went till the

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caves, some were unaware of Taramati, and I was amazed when I met a group who was unaware about Kokan Kada, and even more when I found a person hadn't been to Ganesh Guha. The nearby villages were renamed by these people as Panchai and Rujar, and so on. A group saw the map of the fort at the hotel and discovered that the Nali chi Vaat route starts right next to the Ganesh Guha. I felt bad to hear these experiences but then wasn't in a mood to tell them the originality, as they were in tons, and rather they weren't trekkers but picnickers, who were there for enjoyment and not for knowing the fort.

At 3.15pm Prasad and the team came back. They told us about what they had experienced on the fort. According to the info from Tukaram and Badrinath (these are the people who stay on the fort during the weekends); the fort was visited by more than 1000 people this weekend, and only nali chi vaat had seen 113 people on sat itself. There was garbage lying all over on the fort, mainly plastic, papers and empty liquor bottles. I felt very bad to hear all this but then was happy that I didn't go and experience the fort in this condition.

We had lunch at the hotel and then started our journey back to home. The half an hour journey on the top of the jeep from Khireshwar to Khubi Phata was like a strawberry on the cake (as I like strawberries more than cherries.).

The jeep went to Mhad (not the Ganesh mandir wala Mhad). This is hardly 7-8 kms from Khubi Phata towards Junnar. And then we realised that Amit has left his back in the jeep itself. After thinking what to do now, we decided to move on without the back. We started walking towards Kalyan side till the hotel where the buses normally halt. We walked for 15-20 min, and saw the jeep returning to Khireshwar. A few choruses from us were all that was needed to stop the jeep. Amit and Prasad ran till the jeep and collected the bag.

We now were waiting at the hotel for last 30 minutes. But no bus or truck till Kalyan halted for us. At last a truck came and we were very delighted to know that it is going till Ulhasnagar.

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We got into the truck and were our journey towards home. This was more spacious and comfortable journey than by any bus. Again the songs and trekking experiences accompanied us till Ulhasnagar. We took 9.05pm local to CST and I was at home by 10.15 pm Sunday.

Monday se again the boring routine.

Nilesh Patil is the founder of the trekking Group Trek Mates . Read More of the Trek Mates Experiences on http://trekmatesdiary.blogspot.com

Trekking Groups in Mumbai

1) Aasamant Group - Borivali C/O A-13, Ankur Palace,Shimpoli Road,Borivali (West),Mumbai 400 092,Akshay MulyeMob. No. +919819212975 /Vaibhav BhosleMob. No. +919892000782Email ID. info@aasamant.comhttp://www.aasamant.com/

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BAAN Hikers - Thane602, Ashtavinayak Darshan,Tekdi Bunglow,Panchpakhadi,Thane (w)Contact NumbersLalit Rane:- 9967408351Divakar Satam:- 9821325547Alok Maduskar:-9869046130 / 9773167363Malhar Kulkarni:- 9869481939Siddhesh Joshi:- 9969278594

http://www.baanhikers.com/http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_115042067270

Below Banyan - GoregaonSumit Singhania Address : 250, Master Mind 1, Royal Palms, Aarey Colony, Goregaon (E),Mumbai - 400 065. IndiaTel : +91 22 2879 0376Email : trips@belowbanyan.comWebsite : www.belowbanyan.comhttp://www.facebook.com/groups/120081428084996/

Chakram Hikers - Mulund302 A, Shivanand Society,Next to Wamanrao Muranjan High school,Sant Ramdas Marg, Mulund (E), Mumbai - 400 081Office Time : Every day between 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm

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Phone : (022) 2163 6663Sudeep Barve, Secretary - 98693 55982Email : info@chakramhikers.comhttp://www.chakramhikers.com/

Durgasakha - Thane Abhijeet kale :- 9920241183Makarand Ketkar:- 09869222799www.durgasakha.co.nrhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=293867008788

Escapades India - Matunga202,Saroj Apartments2'nd Floor, C/O Spark DevelopersNathalal Parekh Marg, Opp Gujarati ClubMatunga, Mumbai - 400019Mr Parag GandhiTel Nos - 9820277797E-mail - info@escapadesindia.comWebsite – http://www.escapadesindia.com

Green Carpet - The Nature ClubMangesh Halbe : 9920 246 746Sagar Shende : 9920 850 066

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http://greencarpetclub.blogspot.com/http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_58027786826

GIRIVIHAR - DadarMr. Dilip LaguC/O Lagu Bandhu Motiwale Pvt. Ltd.C-102, Kohinoor Apts,N. C. Kelkar Road,Dadar - WestMumbai 400 028Tel : 022-24227726, 24229152,Fax: 022-24315597http://girivihar.org

Himsahayadri Trekkers - Thane4/104 Suman Co.op hsg. Soc.,Suman Complex, Virar (W),Thane 401303.Maharashtra,India.Reg.No. : MH/559/09/THANEMail us at: contact@himsahyadri.comhttp://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_227069180642770http://himsahyadri.com/

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Hybrid Trekkers

VIRAJ TAVSALKAR(9167473787)ABHIJIT BIRJE(8980902997)SUYOG LOHAR(9664365804)KAUSTUBH PADWAL(9930251468)OMKAR JUVEKAR(9969723706).We call it `TEAM VASKO' according to our initials.Email hybridtrekkers@gmail.com.Blog http://hybridtrekkers.blogspot.comhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Hybrid-Trekkers/129348270444771

Jumpstart MumbaiContact us:Akul Tripathi - 98197 26688Dhiren Talpade - 96197 93983Ryan Thomas - 99202 63810BBM - 21630AC8http://www.facebook.com/jumpstart.mumbai

Jungle Lore

Head OfficeBlock 11, Pankaj Co-operative Housing Society,T. H. Kataria Marg, Next to Lokmanya School,Zariwala Compund, Mahim, Mumbai - 400016

Kaustubh Upadhye: 998 712 6233Gaurav Athalye: 983 324 6740

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Email: junglelore@gmail.comhttp://www.junglelore.net/index.phphttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Jungle-Lore/108200899225924

Kalpavihar AdventureVaishali G. DesaiPhone :- 9525-02401812Mobile :- 9820684723Email :- kalapavihar@yahoo.comhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kalpavihar-Adventure/111149755609429

Keen Venturers & trekkers - Navi Mumbai Kanwar Singh 9619262722/9833272744Vinayak: 9869227389 keenventurers@gmail.comhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=139560744712

Nisarga BhramanRohit Nayak: 9167416873Sameer Patel: 9820972043Parag Vartak: 9820973705http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_5520716078

MERU TREKS & TOURSDEVENDRA GANDRE

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Phone 9220874847 / 9869112827

Address:-1/192, Roopwala Terrace,L.J.Road, Next to Vijaya Bank,Mahim, Mumbai 400016Office Time:10:30 am to 08:00 pm. SUNDAY CLOSEDhttp://www.meru-treks.page.tl/

Nature KnightsM. AsifPhone: +91-9820239511email: info@natureknights.netTimings: 11 am to 7 pm (Monday to Friday)

Address602 Gods Gift Tower,Yari Road, Versova,Andheri West,Mumbai 400061http://www.natureknights.com/http://www.facebook.com/pages/WWWNATUREKNIGHTSCOM/88142483320

Outdoor Adventure ManagementOffice Address: A/5,72 RNA broadway avenue, Miraroad E, Thane-401107http://www.outdooradventures.co.inYateen Gharat-(CEO-OAM)-(9820833622)Sachin Mayekar-(COO-OAM)-(9869360665 / 9769565455)http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_101278906607950

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Pinnacle Club Mumbai - worli MOUNTAINEERING CLUB ESTD. 1988 REGD. NO. F 12729 MUMBAIC/o. Santosh Kalyanpur, 1/12, Shivaji Nagar, Dr. Annie Beasant Road,Worli, Mumbai-400 030. Tel: 25282365 Cell: 9869479794Visit us at: http://www.pinnacleclub.orgE-mail us at: pinnacleclubtracking@gmail.comhttp://www.facebook.com/Pinnacleclub

Shalom AdventuresName : Miron JosephAddress :144/4910 Nehru Nagar, Kurla (E). Mumbai 400024.Mobile No : 9920125528shalomadventure@gmail.comhttp://www.shalomadventures.comhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=37057691580

ShikharvedhJAGADISH GOVIND PATILCell No:- 09869369836New Avadhut Co. Op. Hsg. Soc., Sector - 7, C1 Bldg, 3/4, Sanpada(W), Navi Mumbai - 400 705, India

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http://shikharvedh.org/http://www.facebook.com/groups/114962335190618/

SwachhandRushikesh Sakhare: - 09967686828,Pravin Ghude : 9920404522,Ganesh Bhopalgade: - 09619669104,Aditya MestryAddressKokan Nagar, Bhandup West, Mumbai - 400078http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_111464558881331

Trek Mates IndiaMumbai Coordinators: Manoj Kalwar: 98707 75633 Vikram Singh : 86520 28262Blogspot: http://trekmates.blogspot.com/http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_106722756072761&ap=1

Trek O Phy - Girgaon15/17 Annapurna Niwas, Ground Floor,Tatya Gharpure Path, Mugbhatt,T Gharpure Rd, Girgaon, Chowpatty

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Mumbai - 400004.Maharashtra, IndiaTel : 022-2386-3274

Contact For More Info.-Trek-O-Phy - 0-9969963430Amol Joshi - 0-9821562075Gaurav Kelkar - 0-9773586223Email: trekophy@gmail.comWebsite: http://trekophy.blogspot.com/http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150338855002787

Trekkingwithbirdy - Nerul - Navi Mumbai Birdy (V.K. Seth)Mobile : 89760 03281Mobile : 9223403281e-mail: birdyseth@hotmail.com birdy@trekkingwithbirdy.comAddress - Sector 15, Nerul, Navi Mumbai - 400706http://www.trekkingwithbirdy.com/http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trekkingwithbirdy/142622162431688

Trek It Easy - Thane Ganesh Rahate: ph: 9821925488Kunal Chitnis: ph: 9664247643Pranav Date :ph: 9773283523http://www.facebook.com/TREKITEASYhttp://www.facebook.com/groups/trekiteasy/

Unnayan - VasaiVaibhav Prabhudesai

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LocationB-202, Gruhalaxmi, Sakai Nagar, Umela, Naigaon (West), Vasai, 401202Email info@unnayan.net Phone09967534396 & 09967534397Website http://www.unnayan.nethttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Unnayan/214527071899820

VRangersShekhar 98192 43836Nilesh 9819775119.Sudhir 9702878447.majorsudhir@gmail.comhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118573151171

Wild Escapes - IndiaAddress : 207, Hanuman Industrial Estate, G.D. Ambekar Road, Wadala, Mumbai - 400 031. INDIATel (INDIA) : +91 - 22 - 6663 5228 / 2412 2030E-mail : info@wild-escapes.comhttp://www.wild-escapes.com/

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Yatrisahyadri 13,Priyadarshini-II,Shivaji Road Near Atul tower,Kandivli (W) Mumbai No.400067Nityanand Naik - 9819818132,Srikant R. Pillai - 9920305779/7666905040,http://www.yatrisahyadri.comhttp://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_134016823300593

YHAI Andheri UnitSundeep Gokhale Telephone: +91 22 26103535 / +91 9820105483 * Website: www.yhaiandheri.org

YHAI Goregaon Unithttp://yhaigoregaon.org/

Yhai Malad UnitEmail: Yhai@Yhaimalad.orgWebsite: http://www.yhaimalad.orghttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=246344818867

YHAI Kandivali UnitOrganizing Secretary - Mr. Nitin Bhosle : 9987385875Email: info@yhaikandivali.orgWebsite: www.yhaikandivali.org

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YHAI Mumbai UnitMr Mangesh Dhaimade (Program Officer): 0-9833115324Mr Ganesh Nabar: 0-9820755102.http://yhaimumbaiunit.webs.com/http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_22130803073-------------------------Fort Conservation Groups 1) Durgaveer PratishthanSANTOSH HASURKAR 9833458151http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002384855436http://www.durgaveer.com/

2) Kille Vasai MohimShridatta Raut 9867049785

Cycling Groups Find all Mumbai Cycling Event on http://cycling.mumbaihikers.com/1) Mumbai Cycling Enthusiasts (Most Active Group)http://www.facebook.com/groups/108597402501884/

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First Aid Program CourseOnly for 25 People, Faculty : Mr. Dhiren Talpade ph 9619793983 Jumpstart, Mumbai,http://first2aid.blogspot.com/

Agenda for First Aid Program :1. Initial Assessment2. Patient Examination3. Vital signs and documentation4. Spinal immobilization, body rolls, body elevation & movement5. Reduction of dislocations6. Splinting of fractures and sprains7. CPR for adults & childrenPlease carry : Carry matt, Small rope around 20 mtr. And your personal 1 day trek gear.Lunch Box, Dry Snacks, Drinking Water etc.

Artificial Rock Climbing wall-GoregaonArun Samant Climbing WallNandadeep High School,Jayprakash Nagar, rd no. 4,Goregaon [e], Mumbai-400 0635 min walking from stn.

Arun Samant Climbing Wall is open from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm every day, and from 9 am to 11 am on Sunday. Participants must be over 9 years old. For details, call Sukanya Samant on 980428077 or Ram Vengurlekar on 9930992329http://essential.mumbaihikers.com

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Trekking Gear Shops in Mumbai1) Borivali Mountain Sports Academy Adventure Gear ShopB/22, Shubham, Plot No.151, Gorai Part II, Gorai, Near Suvidhya High School, Borivali West, Mumbai - 400 091.,Cell.: 9892042704. Nandu Chavan

2) BandraWildcraft Linking roadBandra Linking road & SV Road Junction Mumbai

3) Wadala WestThe OutdoorTravelGear Store207, Hanuman Industrial Estate,G. D. Ambekar Road,Wadala ( West ), Mumbai 400031. INDIA+ 91 - 22 - 2412 2030www.OutdoorTravelGear.com store timings: Monday to Saturday - 10:00am to 7:30pm

4) Matunga East Avi Industries13, Shriji Sadan,352, Chandavarkar Road,Matunga (E), Mumbai 400 019, Maharashtra, India. http://www.aviindustries.com/

Hikers Newsletter www.mumbaihikers.com Vol 1,Issue 1 Page No 70

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5) Grant Road West Adventure 18 mumbai 4, wallace Apartments ,9/10 Spark CenterOpp Grant Road Post OfficeGrant Road (W)Mumbai 400 007www.adventure18.comPhone 022-23803102 ,mobile - Amar 09819293020

For the latest Equipment check out http://trekkinggear.mumbaihikers.com/"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hikers Newsletter www.mumbaihikers.com Vol 1,Issue 1 Page No 71