"Antaragange"; The name means Ganges from the deep. This mountain is considered a religious place with a perennial source of water coming from the mouth of Nandi inside the temple. The water is believed to have natural curative properties. This place is also a popular for trekking and cave exploration.
We started our first organized trek with bmc(bangalore mountaineering club). It had been ages since the last time I went on a trek. Around Pune you have numerous forts of Shivaji and they are a delight for trekking in the monsoons. First trek to Torna Fort and was way back in 2006, first year of job and we were a group of friends all enthusiastic with no knowledge about trekking.
The start of trek to Antaragange itself was bringing back flashes of memories from the first trek. We were a group of almost 40 people travelling in two buses, four instructors and the rest mostly amateurs in trekking. The trip started at the base of the hill with a small introduction. Our trainers from bmc were multi talented folks.
Rajesh: He was also a PADI instructor who was working full time with bmc.
Siggin: He worked at Amazon and was free lancing with bmc on weekends
Shankar: He was in the 3rd year of engineering and was free lancing with bmc on weekends
Nagesh: Sorry couldn't get his details but he was a sporty and helpful
So why this elaborate introduction ? Because I was stunned by their passion. Most of them were balancing both their jobs and their dreams. Also they surely were the fittest people I have seen for a while and was impressed the way they handled everything along the trip.
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| Nature Trail |
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| Boulder land |
Trek started from the base of the hill. We were split into two groups of 20. Till we reached the temple I was doing better than I had expected. But once the rocky climb started my breathing seemed to get heavier. The chocolate bars I had packed saved my day. The climb to Antargange is not that difficult, but my dizziness during the climb acted as an eye opener to my fitness ! The route uphill is beautiful, that is if you like the raw and rustic ways of nature. The mountain is full of huge boulders. They remind of Gabbar from Sholay Movie sitting atop a rock asking - "Are oh Samba , Kitne aadmi the ?"
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| Temple with the healing water |
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| The uphill trek |
Once we reached the top we split in two groups. We started first with the Rappelling activities and the second group went on for cave exploration. So instead of jumping from one rock to another like Gabbar we would be descending a similar boulder with the help of a rope. The best part of rappelling was that you didn't have to look down. It was like going down with atleast not having to see whats below.
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| Yes that's ME.. |
By noon the team from cave exploration had returned and everyone joined in for lunch. Lunch was simple bisibele bhaat or masala bhaat with raita. It tasted great after the long days activity. After lazing around under the shelter of the rocks it was time to head for the cave exploration.
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| Cave man |
Little did we realize at that moment what we were actually heading for. The route to reach the cave itself was tricky. I would suggest the best way to explore this place is to come with someone experienced. If alone I would definitely have turned back. We realized that we had reached the entrance only when our instructor asked us to wriggle down a hole. Petrified at first of what to expect next we just had to entrust our complete faith in Shankar and Siggin. They made us perform unimaginable stunts through the rocks and crevices. " Keep your right leg here and the left almost at two hands distance." I guess I might have performed a full split. But at that moment we were trying hard to concentrate on the how to get a grip on the rocks. So we maneuvered from one opening to another. Funny part was how each time Shankar seemed to make us move through an opening we thought was a dead end. Soon we got the tip at least of descending. Sit and slide that was the trick. Getting up was definitely not at all easy and managed with everyone's help. It was a 1.5 to 2 hours of gripping excitement. Which way next, where to step next ? Thankfully we managed to come out in the light. At that moment I guessed each one of us thanked God and our saviors - Our guides that we had seen the light of the day in a single piece. No major injuries, no broken bones, and thankfully no snake or any other animal sighting. As Kungfu Panda would have said it was full of Awesomeness !!
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| View from the top of the cave |
The trek ended with a dramatic end. This place is infamous for it's monkey's. They can actually smell your fear. So a word of caution is to not open any food items in front of them. The monkey's had made a successful attempt to run away with a serving spoon from our lunch items. The locals and the trainers finally were able to retrieve it and we made our way back home.
The return journey was bumpy (being seated on the last row of the bus) but memorable. It was memorable because of the people we met, the laughs, the aching muscles. Such organizations like bmc are indeed doing great work. Keeping the spirit of trekking alive as well as keeping it affordable. Check their site http://www.bmcindia.org/ for more details.
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