Mr A is all fresh for the climb. Mr S in black t shirt, and Mr R wearing couple of socks on each leg, nice strategy....
Sign of things to come...
A river on the way, it was fun...
Mahuli is the base village, which could be reached by auto or ST (state transport) bus from Asangaon Railway station. Carry lot of water and glucose as anyone can faint as this one is very steep. Please avoid this during summer, as it is too draining and very physical. There is a water fall somewhere, before you begin the actual climb, but we wasted more than half an hour on it, we just could not find it. The base village has a Hanuman and Shiv mandir, which marks the start of the climb. Pray lord Hanuman for all the strength, as you will need it. :)
The initial phase is easy. Meandering curves and occasional big boulders which were little slippery if there are rains. The rain god Varuna almost betrayed us, as there was no rain, till we made almost 90% of the climb. We were very exhausted, and the worse the sun peeped up just to add some sun light into the fury. The water we carried was fast vanishing as we were totally drained on the way up. The steep slopes just keeps getting better and better. Do sleep well the night before, I found it out the tough way.
One cannot site the peak, till half way through. When you are around 60% till the top, is when you will have the clean view of things to come. I tell you, the worse is the last 40%. It blew the wind of my sails. Mr S had breathing problems, still he could gather the courage to finish on the top. Mr A cheered us all the way through, as it turned out to be a peculiar trip as this was the only trek, I was being cheered by Mr A. Mr R showed no signs of discomfort and reached the top with ease to show us some of his spider man skills. It took us almost 4 and half hours to climb it. We had scaled it... Finally.......
The view from the top:
Varuna was finally pleased with us. The descent saw heavy rains. It was not raining but pouring at occasions. Mr S felt much better by now, and gathered his breath. Mr R leading the way again, Mr A now fell behind, as the descent went into a story of no end. We could easily say that this is the most difficult descent of all the trek I have been in. As it rained heavily, it was very difficult to hold footing. Some how after 3 and half hours of descent, we reached the place where we started from, just in time for a quick tea and the 6:30 pm bus, which arrived at 6:50 IST.I did call my mom from the peak, so vodafone has network on the top of the mountain, surprising. Mosquitoes rule the roost, so please carry a mosquito repellent cream. It is compulsory. Keep changing T-shirt, which will help you keep your skin fresh. Remove shoes as often as possible, which will allow your skin to breath. You can also camp the night in the caves, but I must say, it is not well maintained. It is better you do a one day trek, rather than extending it to a two day trekking experience. Of-course I almost forgot the ladder you will have to face. It is so difficult that, you can cross it closing your eyes and with two hands in the air. Don't forget to maintain balance. :) :) Just kidding, it is easy. But mind you guys, it is tough and it gets tougher as you climb, keep your composure. Mr A had a last laugh that he inspired me and Mr S to climb.
Scaled Mahuli: Mission Accomplished
The ladder to heaven: :) :)
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