Tiny bells hung all over the house, Christmas tree decked up with baubles and fairy lights, relatives bringing in gifts and goodies and the whole city soaked in festive spirit — Christmas eve is all about this.
It being the end of the year, most people are in a ‘drink beer and chill’ mood but there are some who want to celebrate a hushed yet happening evening. Overnight treks are the perfect fit for such people. When they trek and climb a peak, the shivery winds there give them a snowy Western Christmas feel.
The hook of the trek
The sole motive of a night trek is to experience the ultimate bliss and beauty of Christmas and winter. The best part of such a trek is the utter silence — you can even hear your breath. Marching under the bright moonlight, gazing at the endless sky makes it easier to cover the distance, than it is on a sunny day. And when one takes a look at the sparkling city from the top, it seems like a reflection of the sky full of stars.
Pune’s own
Pune being surrounded by most of the forts in the state, is the most preferred hiking destination for many. It offers great hiking experiences for newbies as well as seasoned trekkers who vouch that each expedition offers something new and exquisite.
A popular trek around the city is the K2S — Katraj to Sinhagad. The K2S is a thrilling night trek. The route starts from the Katraj Tunnel Top and travelling through a series of terrific hills for approximately 16 km, leads you to the destination near the peak of the Sinhagad fort. At the top, you get a 360° view of the city. The grade of the climb is moderate to difficult, as it stretches up to a maximum altitude of 2208 ft. The K2S is the most sought after and convenient trek even though it is notch tougher in winter compared to other seasons. Not only the youth but even middle aged adventure lovers go for it.
“One requires to carry a minimum of 3 litres of water as there are no water sources as you climb. Hence this trek is carried on best during the night and completed in time so that there is least consumption of water and no sweat,” says Prajakta Ghode of Stepin Adventures which organises the trek.
Trek and fun
What can be more perfect than spending your Christmas eve in a tent at a hill top, drinking hot chocolate and sitting by the bonfire in the biting cold? It comes with a complete package of thrill and chill. There are many groups around the city arranging hikes to different destinations. One such is 360Explorers from Pune, which has arranged hundreds of hikes so far, local as well as the Himalayan treks.
Anand Bansode, the organiser at 360Explorers and the first Everest lander from Solapur in the year 2012, has hiked in every nook and corner in the region from Solapur, Pune, Nashik, Latur to Nagpur and more. He says, the charges for a person enrolling for a overnight trek are a mere Rs 500. Limiting the number of entries only to 15-20 per trek makes it easy to manage.
Their upcoming treks are the K2S during Christmas and Kalsubai — Maharashtra’s highest peak, on the New Year’s eve. “While the mandatory chore for youngsters during Christmas and New Year is consuming alcohol, we strive to keep them away from drinking and encourage them to develop a connect with nature,” says Bansode.
The takeaways
Some of the trekkers sign up for the hike by reading a blog online. For many of them, the first trek ended up being a life-changing experience. Some took up a night trek after hearing scary stories revolving round a place, and eventually it helped them clear off the superstitions in their minds. A few of them mentioned an encounter with a wild boar and a hyena in the last patch of the K2S climb. “The lead hiker suddenly stopped, moved behind and switched off the torch light as it makes animals uneasy and they become aggressive. The hyena came closer but the local guide made some peculiar noise and it ran away. We take utmost care while passing through the col (In geomorphology, a col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks) by maintaining complete silence so that the habitats are not disturbed,” a trekker adds.
Vishakha Patil, a new trekker, tells us how she was once lost during a night climb to Rajmachi fort. Being a first timer, she was left behind and lost her way. But she soon caught up with the rest of the climbers by following the trail marks left behind by the sweep hiker. “Thanks to the instructions provided by the trek leaders before starting off, I was back with the group,” she adds.
The Adventure Club from Pune, another organiser group, are heading towards the Sandhan valley trek and Bhandardara camping near Nashik this weekend. “The speciality of an overnight trek is that you start under the moonlight and end at sunrise,” they say.
Turning back to the scenic valleys from the peak, with the joy of achievement on the faces and a sense of shock for being able to reach the high skies and the clouds beneath you absolutely calls for fist punching the air (though you are too tired to actually do it). You will not want to leave this piece of heaven.
