Trek to Ulhas Valley, Khandala

It was the onset of monsoon 2012 and the weather had gone through a miraculous change from 5 to 6 days and as forecasted there were small showers around early June 2012. 10^th June 2012, was the Sunday when we had decided to go trekking into the Ulhas Valley which is in Khandala. My day began at 4.30 am when I woke up to see the wet streets from the window of my bedroom and a cool breeze coming from the outside dark due to the overnight rain. In all we were 12 people from Mumbai and suburbs around. So we decided to meet at Dadar Railway Station near Swaminarayan Mandir  at 7.30 am. At the Dadar TT we took a sumo, which we booked for a negotiated sum of 2000 Rs. for a one way ride which seemed pretty fair for 12 people. But getting 11 people plus the Driver in a sumo was a herculean task which we somehow managed to do, after spending a good 10 minutes or so on permutations and combinations and finally getting a hard talk from the driver, most of us are MBAs you see.  Only one member was to board at Panvel. The journey began at about 8.00 am and the weather was helping our cause as it was overcast. As we passed by, many other peaks near Panvel caught our sight and we started re-living and sharing memories of those treks. It started raining pretty heavily and got cooler, much needed inside the packed sumo. Within no time we reached the food court where we waited for a little break. A further journey of about an hour came to an end at the Khandala exit where we got down and paid the money to the driver.

The Bungalows on the Hills around the Ulhas Valley, Khandala. Courtesy Zian Lakdawalla

We started walking towards the St. Mary School which has the approach road to the Ulhas Valley. It has a huge flat ground which gives a good sighting of the valleys and nearby express way with vehicles in good numbers. On the hills are the series of fat bungalows which enjoy the scenic views of this beauty of nature.

Birthday Celebrations (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

At this place we celebrated the birthday of one of our friend, thanks to another good friend who had brought a sweet and yummy chocolate cake for him. We ourselves got into such a bad shape after the travel and how could we expect the cake to be. It was all melted and screwed but was good enough to be cut into pieces and with the sweet taste retained. 

The ritual pic pointing towards the Lakshya - Downwards

The Path formed by the Waterfalls

At around 10.00 am we started the trek by taking the ritual picture pointing towards the target. Interestingly this was different from all our previous treks as it was to start with the descend first. So we pointed downwards. The trek starts with the path into the valley full of rocks weathered by the streams of the falling water. It helps a trekker as many of the rocks have patches to hold on to and one can get a good grip on those. It was quite easy for us at the start of the trail where we moved swiftly for an hour or so. At this point we met the first real rocky patch which was around 15 ft high and we started devising various ways to make through it.

15 Ft. high rock patch

It was a good test of our technique as well as the ability to control our bodies. Each one of us here had to stretch our muscles to achieve just that extra bit needed here. I had not carried the rope which I usually do in treks and was feeling the pinch of it. Nevertheless, its a human ingenuity to cope with situations where we are limited by options and we did just that. Now although the weather was on our side, after that effort we needed a bit of energy and recharged ourselves with water. A few minutes further down, we met another such rock patch which tested ourselves in a peculiar way.

A narrow passage through the rocks

We also passed through a small cavity below a rock which was our path almost like a filter and the flexibility of our bodies was put to test. All along the path there were many crabs,some dead, some alive, an option for food in case we get stuck here, is what we thought and joked about. I am sure Bear Grylls would have easily gulped in a few by the walk, if he were here. 

A healthy alive Crab

By now the view of the bottom streams was becoming clearer and we knew we were close as the continuous sound of the waterfall started hitting our eardrums in the silence. Slowly it had got overcast and we could see darker clouds above us. The express way with all the vehicles was now quite a distance above us.

Suddenly just as we passed the final rocky patch it started raining. Even before some of us could get our wind cheaters out, we were substantially wet. It was practically the first real rain this monsoon so we didn't bother. But it was only a passing shower which lasted only for a minute or two, and as it got over we moved further down. Another 15 minutes of descend and we were at the bottom of the valley. All of us were so eager to feel the waters that we took our shoes off to wet our feet. But the next thing that happened was beyond everybody's imagination. 

Cooling ourselves in the streams

Just as we had finished the descend with tired bones and muscles, the Rain Gods welcomed us with a pouring shower. It was so heavy and quick that we only somehow managed to get our mobiles and wallets in the bags under a small cave inside a rock thanks to a friend who discovered the same. Having done that, it was time to go wild into the nature and I moved into the stream to find a place to lie down. It was a moment worth the effort. The cold water flowing along your body and the rain from above adding to it. It was June, yeah it was. All the body drain in the heat of the summer was over.  It was the natural Jacuzzi for reliving all the stress of your body. It was Fortune at the Bottom of not exactly a pyramid, but a Hill you can say.  The timing of the rain could not have been any better than this.After enjoying there a few minutes we decided to move further towards the water fall. As we got out of the water we started feeling freezing cold. But the intensity of the shower had now reduced a little bit.

Pond at the base which leads to the Waterfall (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

 The path towards the waterfall was along a small pond formed due to water which had slowed down a bit. It was very slippery and we helped each other out in the whole exercise. We further moved to a spot where one can get a good view of the waterfall which appeared a bit frightening to start with. So we were in a dilemma whether to approach its base or not.After checking out watches we decided that we had enough time so a few of us proceeded towards the base of the waterfall. The water was quite muddy maybe because of the first real rains. It was also mushy and there was a froth formed at the base which made us realize it wasn't good to get wet into that and we moved back to our spot.

A Moment of Solace at the Base of the Valley (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

 Interestingly by now the rain had stopped and all of us were re-gathering ourselves after the eventful past couple of hours, sitting on the cold rocks, breathing in the fresh air, feeling ever so close to nature.We decided to find a place to have lunch and got our bags out of the caves where we had kept the bags dry, well almost dry. It was an interesting exercise where we formed a chain and passed the bags along it.

Bag passing exercise (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

Our power packed lunch was a great variety of multicultural cuisine with sandwiches, alu parathas, fried rice, theplas and chutneys, pickles and what not thanks to all the Moms for such a great effort as early as 4.00 am and that too on a Sunday morning. That’s why Moms rock, totally.  After such a filling lunch it was time for a little nap for 15 minutes as we had decided to start the climb at 3.00 p.m.

Munching before lunch

While most of us were asleep, a couple of members discovered a little snake in the water where we had spent our last hour. At first I thought it was a sort of prank and neglected it. But later I lost the 500 bucks bet when I actually saw the head of the small snake just above the water level dwindling as we approached closer. It was a weird feeling at the start as it appeared totally harmless. But the realization that there was a snake in the pond where we were sauntering for last hour or so was enough to send a tremor through our spine. But as a friend quoted “laziness overcomes fear” and it was the case with some members, who did not take the snake part all that seriously. Moreover, the beautiful view of the water streams was worth spending the time just looking at it and relaxing.

Beautiful View created by the Water streams in the Valley (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

 Finally at about 3.00 p.m. we set ourselves for the ascend, something new in this particular trek. Climbing up is usually easier than going down maybe because it happens first and also because you don’t look into the valley while climbing up. But with reasonably tired limbs and rocks that were slippery due to the rains, it made our climb a little harder than expected.

The Climb

In addition to that the spots of rock patches where we had a little exercise coming down had now turned into micro-waterfalls with small streams of water. Our climb at each of these three spots began with a team talk and strategy and finished with a strong action. The last of these patches was the toughest one that created many anxious moments for each one of us. But one by one guiding each other we managed to cross that hurdle, kudos to a helluva team effort.

The toughest Slippery Rock patch (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

That’s the best thing about treks; every path seems tough, every step seems rough but you are with your buddies fighting it out for you and suddenly you get that energy from within to fight. To fight against the fear, to conquer it, to move forward, forward together as a team. It takes you through a total grind of your body as well as your mind and you come out stronger every single time.

About two and half hours, and we finally reached the top of the hill where we had started in the morning. The ground was now with wet soil and we could see many people for an evening stroll at the ground which is a scenic spot.

Flat Ground on the Top of the Hill, Near St. Mary School, Khanala

Soon we made our way out at the highway where we bought water and took a rickshaw to lonavala Market place near the ST stand where some of us shopped the fudges and chikkis, ate some vada pavs. I discovered that both of my phones were not working due to water that had entered my bag, which had my wallet full of watery notes and cards. I was anything but handicapped without my phone.

 Our next task was fetching for our return travel options. Our group had 8 members from Mumbai who hired a car for 300 rupee seat from the Lonavala ST stand, which on a normal course of a day would actually take 170 Rupees. Remaining four of us had to reach the central suburb of Dombivli so we decided to take a train from Lonavala railway station to kalyan and a local train would get us further to Dombivli. We got the train alright but an engine failure delayed our commute by 2 hours, just adding some more pain to our already tired limbs.

All in all, it was an easy trek timed to perfection just at the onset of monsoon with memorable journey both ways…...