सिंहगड - राजगड - तोरणा २०२४

।। श्री आशापुरी देव्यै नमः ।।

and the trend continues.. सिंहगड - राजगड - तोरणा 🖐️.. शिवजयंतीचा जोश असाही

aptly put by यम (प्रशांत) 🙏..

महाराज नाचून नाही, वाचून कळतात

निश्चयाचा महामेरू । बहुत जनांसी आधारू ।

अखंड स्थितीचा निर्धारु । श्रीमंत योगी ।

with that tribute 🚩, let's start घरबसल्या..

when the name itself concurs with the legendary hall of famer from the cricketing fraternity, the articles 📋 on SRT are expected to carry some shreds of the worshipped sports from our country, Cricket 🏏.. picking-up from where we left in last year's post on SRT - basically recap.. 'that does not fit', you say.. 2 different things?.. ok then - let's stick 😏 to just 'recap'..

it has remained a practice to kick-off 🏁 SRT with some historical significance from the pitches laid on cricketing fields 🏟️.. first edition, which is also the only instance before we knew what 'lockdown' 🔒 was, was dedicated to the "God of Cricket", Mr. SRT, with no specific correlation to any historical landmark.. next one was #319 (highest individual Test score by India), then #413 (highest partnership 👥 in Tests by India) and the latest was #538 (international matches played by thalaiva, Mr. MSD)..

but how do these numbers relate to the event? 💭.. here is an another hint.. this year's SRT includes a 654ᵗʰ ascent of सिंहगड ⛰️ (from आतकरवाडी), which is a highest Team score from the fourth innings of a Test match 😯.. am I kidding? not at all.. how much was the target 🎯 then?.. chasing 696 🇿🇦, England 🇬🇧 were that close to winning the last of the timeless Test match, played back in 1939.. second best on the list is 451 🇳🇿 and India has managed as many as 445 runs in a fourth innings so far..

now you may be wondering, 'what is a "Timeless Test"?'.. simply put, it's a Test match played for a result 👍 👎.. but 654 is still short of the set target and the match still ended-up in a draw.. how does this fit? 💬.. that's because, the visiting team had a scheduled departure 🚢 to their home country 🤦.. that's the closest explanation of the term "Stalemate" 🙆..

some of these figures will repeat / recap in next year's article too, which may be in मराठी, after having consecutive SRTs rambled 🚶 and scrambled 📝 in English.. तब की तब देखेंगे, but right now and here (time and place), in case you didn't notice yet, 319 was also England's reply to India's another 445 🇮🇳 in the first innings of the third match of the ongoing Test series.. parallel universe (another time and place)? 😂..

with that prologue, let's focus now on the main event..

Sunday, 2 weeks ago, back to home 🏠 after सिंहगड #६५०, a group was created with the probable participants.. did everybody join? the obvious answer was no different this year too 😒.. but a new trend that was set last year did continue this year as well - each one of us, who'd joined, made it through the finishing line 👍 (thus the article's title).. शाब्बास 🥳..

the date was pre-decided to be 17-Feb 🌓, considering भूषण's family commitments on the full moon day 🌕, the week next.. he is the oldest and yet the latest addition to list of people, you should be regularly reading hereafter in this blog's articles.. 'oldest' in terms of the time period we know each other 🎓, compared to others from any of the earlier treks / URLs..

now, hoping to have got it right this time.. picking-up from where we left in the last (but one) post on ગિરનાર, where 'winter' was re-defined to 'ગિરનાર to SRT' 😉.. come February, following the established trend for 5 straight years (in no relation with the term ending-soon, being served by the pink flower 🪷), SRT is ticked and thus is also an official end 🔚 to the 'winter' season..

17 February 2024

same as last year, we were to board that 04:30 p.m. 🕟 PMPML स्वारगेट - सिंहगड bus 🚌 from धायरी फाटा / नांदेड सिटी.. after watching at least 10-12 buses take left 👈 at the very last moment and when we started thinking of a Plan B, one of them came straight to us (bus stop 🚏) around 05:20 p.m. having mention of the most demanded destination, 'सिंहगड' (but goes to आतकरवाडी).. at least, change that name plate to 'सिंहगड पायथा'.. by the way, somebody please think of and introduce live tracking 📶 for these too.. राहुल further added, "येत आहेत, तेच खूप झालं" 😅..

"तुम्ही दर वेळेस एखाद्या first timerला नेता", भूषण said in the bus.. true that ✅.. and this time, there were 2.. but another moment of truth also is, every time we also decide the other way.. while an year is a time period long and good enough for such an evaluation, one should also be realistic 😌 about - expertise in not every, rather no other physical activity can be considered as a qualifying criteria for SRT.. hard it is, but fact it is.. the entire SRT event asks one to climb 📈 सिंहगड a bit more than 4 times (elevation gain), while covering a feet distance 👣 equivalent to a full marathon - and the way we do it, it's without any 🏕️ camping / night halt 👽..

हम पांच.. वर्ष ५वे

as we started from सिंहगड (as suggested by the final destination of the bus), पायथा to be precise, observing the half moon 🌓, calculations were made using the same logic mentioned in the third SRT article, on 'how long do we have its prestigious company?'.. and it turned out to be, until it turns yellow 🌜, we should already be ascending राजगड..

05:59 p.m. 🕕 to be precise, we started the recordings over mobile apps / smartwatches.. high level target was set to 09:00 a.m. 🕘.. how much was the actual offset?, we'll learn as we conclude this post in next 7-8 minutes..

pretty happy 😇 with the first leg, we all reached and started from पुणे दरवाजा around 07:05 p.m... this was a good enough indication that all are well set to complete 🔚 the trek, at वेल्हे.. next part was to traverse (this time) from the right 👉 of झुंजार माची via तुटक्या बुरुजाची वाट, a new learning / discovery from some previous discussion.. but never it has happened that we have tried any section of this trek, for the first time during the event itself, no matter how big or small.. learnings from 2020 were enough to make sure of that 😬.. and thus, if not all, at least one of us has always had a prior experience stepping onto each of its sections, before officially including it as a part of SRT.. last year's descend to मेट पिलावरे was an exception, but that was also a you-don't-have-a-choice handicapped situation 🤷.. coming back to तुटक्या बुरुजाची वाट - while ascending from कल्याण पेठ a few days ago, this section was also scrutinized to unmask any 'conditions apply' asterisks 😺..

hereon, most of the terrain had turned black as if burnt down 🔥 by the SRTL ultra participants.. with some short breaks 🍬, revisiting the memories from earlier instances, and completely forgetting about what राहुल told earlier about a leopard 🐆 reigning this region, we were speculating different purposes / reasons behind the repeated shouting 🗣️ (हाकणे) of a farmer's voice.. इतनी रातको हल कौन और क्यूँ जोत रहा है? 🤔.. what was expected to be the loudest 🔊 of the patches on the entire event (being welcomed by perpetual dog barks), did turn-out so, but in a completely different fashion ↪️.. couple of times राहुल counseled himself and his teammate 'थांबलं की दुखतंय' / 'रुका तो दुखेगा', when they both hurt themselves a bit while traversing before descend and while descending towards विंझर..

I am sure, you have heard about Daryl Mitchell.. or at least, have heard about that 'Lara Lara' joke 🤡.. yes, last names of some can be first names of others.. as we were making it through the विंझर village, 'local माणूस' राहुल was greeted 🤝 by another राहुल (नाम तो सुना होगा) Mr. राहुल सागर.. instantly, he invited us for a dinner.. as we were anyway carrying ours along, we just sneaked-in to utilise the living room for the said purpose 🤤.. meanwhile, I had to read the nameplate at least twice ✌️, to confirm my reading abilities pursued at school.. सागर for a last name was completely new in our area.. and same as बच्चन, even सागर was known to me as not being an ancestral last name (ref. रामानन्द सागर).. may be, his family tree too has a similar background..

in one of the many small talks those followed, we indeed learnt about those dog barks 🐕 being devoured by the wild animal.. and that farmer voice we heard earlier, was just a recording 📼 played aloud to keep it at bay..

dinner - for a change, everybody had brought पराठे today.. no rice variety, no traces of चपाती-भाजी / ठेचा-भाकरी or आम्रखंड 🍧.. yet again, महेश had cancelled, but his absence was partially filled-in by Mr. राहुल - a refreshing cup of tea ☕.. earlier than when it would have been otherwise, but that did help us keep up with the pace 👍.. what वैभव exclaimed later (1:30 a.m.), 'त्या चहा मुळेच अजून झोप नाही' 😀..

thanking Mr. सागर for the unplanned / unexpected hospitality 🙏, we started from विंझर around 10:55 p.m. 🕚.. on the way, we saw a gathering at a house, that seemed to be for somebody's last rites ⚰️.. praying and quietly going past, from a distance we heard a lady calling out to us, 'मुलांनो, नदीला पाणी आहे' 🏞️.. we resumed, having replied to her, 'हो, पुलावरूनच जाणार आहोत'.. not just these, but a few others too enquired wh-questions about our plan-of-action.. all 14 kms in the last 5 hours were overshadowed by such gestures 😎 and we resumed started afresh, having virtually paid no price for the first one-third of the event 🙃..

18 February 2024

different and new this time, we marched along the sugarcane 🎋 farm, a bit skeptical.. next, after going past the bridge 🌉, we goofed-up (small) this time too, twice 😔 😔.. that was nothing new, happens every year even after being very particular about following the recorded trail.. that happened before reaching the tower within set target of 12:30 a.m. 🕧, when straight ahead we could clearly see the moon already getting ready for its sleeping routine 😴.. one of the four lights 💡 on राजगड had gone off now.. must have exhausted all the accumulated solar energy, completely missing on its purpose.. or does it operate only in presence of moon? 😅..

the lost-and-found spot, where we had mustered all the energy in the form of a tea-break back in 2022, was the next target.. on the way, we did admire a farm house 🏡, now in its completed form.. and where we expected an oldie to intervene 'इतक्या रात्री 🌌 नाही यायचं', we were spared.. a few dogs 🐶 to welcome us in मेरावणे and फणशी villages, we rested for another 10 good minutes after blending with the चोर दरवाजा route.. 'slow, fast, upto you, reach before 3 🕒' was the policy set for / before ascending the second fort, राजगड ⛰️.. and that was when my headtorch 🔦 gave-up.. with no spare batteries 🔋, I switched to the traditional method of using the mobile flash, dubious about its battery life..

necessity: often defined as 'the mother of invention' - after reaching चोर दरवाजा around 02:30 a.m. 🕝, an opened sachet of Electral powder was to be secured, in terms of not spoiling the backpack 🎒 or its other partners in crime.. mixing it in water has more cons than pros, so lately we have started a practice to consume it raw.. but 'stitching using toothpick' was something completely new.. होता है - many procedures get invented on a trek.. may not be the first time, such a thing must have happened.. but, trekkingपे toothpick कौन लाता है भाई?.. instant reaction was, 'पत्रावळ बनवायचा 🪡 का आधी?'..

वैभव: तुझ्या blog साठीच photo काढतो आहे

next stop was highlight of the event, targeted for 03:30 a.m. 🕞.. stargazing - with sun 🌞 and moon 🌝, both now shining over other half of our mother planet 🌎, the state of affairs were close to a no moon day 🌑.. and what a clear view of the starry sky it was ❣️.. reminded very much of one of the nights 👌 on सरपास trek about 5 years ago (May-2019), concurring with what the lady says in that varmora commercial, 'मज़ा आ गया' 😍.. remembering only 2 from the school days, 1. सप्तऋषि was standing out amongst many other unknown constellations 🌌 and 2. Orion was nowhere to be seen, although I faintly remembered (later confirmed by Google 🔎), it is supposed to be seeable during the winter season, which had yielded already - remember 'ગિરનાર to SRT'?.. having gazed the stars just enough (till 03:45 a.m.), we munched on made-for-trekking bourbon and couple of oranges 🍊 before starting towards भुतोंडे खिंड..

सप्तऋषि 🤩 in the left (संजीवनी माची)

achieving this target too before the set deadline of 04:30 a.m. 🕟, I did a reality check of the remaining battery life and enquired राहुल about a power bank.. relieved 👍, I asked him for the favor after reaching Mr. महादू कचरे (target: 05:30 a.m. 🕠).. on the way, we observed numerous torches lit and moving upwards on the मेट पिलावरे route.. somebody had organized early morning hike to तोरणा.. wondering 'why?' 🧐, as this route is mentioned as 'there is no way 🙅‍♂️, I am going that way again' in the last year's post.. behind our back, on राजगड, we saw another set to lights planted enroute पाली दरवाजा.. that was another strange thing beyond our reasonable understanding - what for? why waste resources when camping ⛺ atop is now discontinued? 🤔..

engrossed in search of देवीचं ठाणं, राहुल had another 'थांबलं की दुखतंय' / 'aal izz well' moment 😣.. on the other hand, effectively utilising learnings from the last year's experience and also having done a refilling round at विंझर, we were well equipped with water 🍶 this time, as we reached the राजगड-तोरणा midpoint (कचरे काका).. here, we halted for more than half an hour ⌛.. that worked in favor of feeding my phone, but otherwise, was probably too much 😞 - entailing in the direction of yet another sunny and not-signed-up-for ascend..

needs no caption 🌄

power naps 💤 by few meant the clock was now ticking 05:55 a.m. 🕕.. in no time, sky was to turn beauty red 🔴 - humane orange 🟠 - mediocre yellow 🟡 - shunned white ⚪.. we rushed as fast as our fatigued physiques allowed 😥, towards बुधला माची and rested (another 5 minutes) only after its ascend, around 07:00 a.m. 🕖.. bathing in the morning sunrays / sunlight 🔆, hopefully assisting the body with some Vitamin-D production, we reached the top of पुणे district / तोरणा ⛰️ / मेंगाई देवी temple 🛕 around 07:45 a.m... sensing the flocks of gathering crowd, without wasting time any further, we decided in favor of not holding back the descending activities 📉.. carefully negotiating all the rockpatches and scree laden sections, we reached the level 1 parking 🅿️ at 08:40 a.m... resting for another 5 minutes, it was then time for the last sprint, to end the marathon.. result being - an offset of 10 minutes on top of the planned target mentioned at the start of this article, ~09:10 a.m... that's petty 🤏, when compared to the total activity duration (breaks counted) of 15 hours..

some blisters and content smiles 😊

on all the 3 forts, some or the other parts can be seen under renovation.. while that is much needed on राजगड and तोरणा forts, on सिंहगड, it's just another example of wasting resources, same as the recently constructed concrete road from गोळेवाडी to आतकरवाडी, which was partly built on top of an already smoothly functional one 🤦..

unlike "Stalemate" during the last of timeless tests, with नमन as 5th participant, some blisters and content smiles 😊, that concludes this year's SRT and a 5 years term along with नवसकाळी.. come what may, the outcome of elections 🗳️ in next few months, there will indeed be 6ᵗʰ editions of नवसकाळी later this year and SRT early next year 🤝..

better late than never - trek चालू केल्यापासून राहुलला 'घोषणा घ्यायची' म्हणत होतो.. missed that all the way.. कोई नई, let's do it here..

राजनीती धुरंधर, प्रौढ प्रताप पुरंदर

क्षत्रियकुलावतंस्, सिंहासनाधीश्वर

राजाधिराज, योगीराज

श्रीमंत, किर्तीवंत, सामर्थ्यवंत

हिंदवी स्वराज्य संस्थापक

श्री छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराज की.. जय

राष्ट्रमाता जिजाऊ की.. जय

धर्मवीर संभाजी महाराज की.. जय

हर हर.. महादेव

जय भवानी.. जय शिवाजी

जय शिवाजी.. जय भवानी