To read the first part Click A trek to Visapur – The First part
We keep on walking with a loads on our shoulder, excited and enthusiastically looking forward for the rest of the trek, discussing on the way about the feelings that we are going to experience after we reach the top of the cliff. We kind of forget that we may need to walk some 2-3 hrs. Visapur Fort was the destiny and we are just a few steps from our starting point.
After walking for sometime we decide to take a narrow trail which was more energy intensive than thought. For me I was a bit slow in walking and this two guys (Rohit and Ehsan) kept walking so easily that I kind of felt guilty even to ask them to take rest for sometime. For Rohit climbing those elevated trail seems to be easy even though he was carrying the heaviest load (probably 2-3Kgs more than us). I kind of stopped pleading to him for rest because I know his generic reply already. "Joshi, we almost reached" . I had to live with "We almost reach" situation in the previous trek and kept on walking till I reach a situation where I started thinking "If God exists, then this is where I need help".
Without realising that I am reaching the best part of the story, I kept on climbing the slope with a little space left in my lungs for oxygen. The best part is yet to come. At one point Ehsan took a halt to take rest. Rohit was way beyond our sight, calling us from above that we can take a rest there since the view is refreshing. I climbed past the resting Ehsan and reached the "refreshing view-point" where I putdown my backpack and sitdown to feel the wind. We called up Ehsan to climb up and rest here.
Now this is the best part where I found a true friend who is as tired(probably more tired) than me. Ehsan was royally exhausted. We fed him Glucon-D which was supposed to give him an Instant Energy but somehow it seems to not work. I double-check the Expiry date and its contents to see if the Glucon D is upto the mark. Well yes, it was the same Glucon-D that gave me power during my previous trek. We rested here for a long time, and thats where Ehsan said we may not reach the destination and suggested that "we will never go to this kind of trek again in future".
I feel a bit relaxed now that I have found a tiring friend who will want to take rest after every distance which is exactly what I need but felt guilty about earlier. I know if we take a vote between "REST" and "NO REST" we are going to win by 66.66%. Rohit will vote for "NO REST" all the time. It brings a lot fo confidence in me that I feel I underestimated my stamina. This is how human brain works, the rat-race kind of thing. Earlier I feel I am slow because I was comparing my stamina with Rohit's who can walk non-stop and now I am comparing myself with Ehsan who is a first time trekker and on the same page as me.
We keep walking again and it did felt that this was a never-ending walk now. Half an hour still seems reasonable since it will take approximately 40 minutes for complete darkness from this point. After walking for some 20 minutes, we still have no sight of a trail that should intuitively lead us to the top. At one point we reached a point where there are two trails. Confused, we didn't know which one to follow. Time pressure still hold true and visibility is slowly reducing. Rohit took the left trail and we just follow it blindly. We didn't know if we are on the right trek.
After 5 minutes of walk, we reach a place which is a small field about the size of a Tennis Court. We saw some wild buffaloes and lots of Monkeys jumping around tall trees. The buffaloes are running here and there. The sound of the birds and some nocturnal insects could be heard at the background. There are still no sign of Fort Entrance. Thats where we feel we lost the trek. "Rohit, I think we have lost the trek" I said, Rohit didn't say word. Ehsan worried about the situation said he is not walking forward anymore. For me I don't know what to do. Considering situation in hand it was obvious that anyone would be worried. It was the same case with Rohit.
Being optimistic was difficult but will have to keep all the pessimism aside and keep mum rather than speaking it out because we can't walk back since it will be already dark and if we walk forward we don't know where we will end up. And if we stay right here, these animals could hurt us. The first thing I did was to pick up a stick big enough to hit any wild animals in case of attack situation.
The story doesn't end here. (I will be writing about the Third Part in the Next post)
We keep on walking with a loads on our shoulder, excited and enthusiastically looking forward for the rest of the trek, discussing on the way about the feelings that we are going to experience after we reach the top of the cliff. We kind of forget that we may need to walk some 2-3 hrs. Visapur Fort was the destiny and we are just a few steps from our starting point.
After walking for sometime we decide to take a narrow trail which was more energy intensive than thought. For me I was a bit slow in walking and this two guys (Rohit and Ehsan) kept walking so easily that I kind of felt guilty even to ask them to take rest for sometime. For Rohit climbing those elevated trail seems to be easy even though he was carrying the heaviest load (probably 2-3Kgs more than us). I kind of stopped pleading to him for rest because I know his generic reply already. "Joshi, we almost reached" . I had to live with "We almost reach" situation in the previous trek and kept on walking till I reach a situation where I started thinking "If God exists, then this is where I need help".
Without realising that I am reaching the best part of the story, I kept on climbing the slope with a little space left in my lungs for oxygen. The best part is yet to come. At one point Ehsan took a halt to take rest. Rohit was way beyond our sight, calling us from above that we can take a rest there since the view is refreshing. I climbed past the resting Ehsan and reached the "refreshing view-point" where I putdown my backpack and sitdown to feel the wind. We called up Ehsan to climb up and rest here.
Now this is the best part where I found a true friend who is as tired(probably more tired) than me. Ehsan was royally exhausted. We fed him Glucon-D which was supposed to give him an Instant Energy but somehow it seems to not work. I double-check the Expiry date and its contents to see if the Glucon D is upto the mark. Well yes, it was the same Glucon-D that gave me power during my previous trek. We rested here for a long time, and thats where Ehsan said we may not reach the destination and suggested that "we will never go to this kind of trek again in future".
I feel a bit relaxed now that I have found a tiring friend who will want to take rest after every distance which is exactly what I need but felt guilty about earlier. I know if we take a vote between "REST" and "NO REST" we are going to win by 66.66%. Rohit will vote for "NO REST" all the time. It brings a lot fo confidence in me that I feel I underestimated my stamina. This is how human brain works, the rat-race kind of thing. Earlier I feel I am slow because I was comparing my stamina with Rohit's who can walk non-stop and now I am comparing myself with Ehsan who is a first time trekker and on the same page as me.
Leaving the comparison thing apart and going to the main story, Ehsan recovered soon and we kept on climbing the slope again. It was already late (5.30pm) when we reach the Visapur-Lohagad Junction. Ehsan had gained back his stamina and I was still walking at last and following them. We took left from the junction and kept on walking. Since this was the first trek for all of us to Visapur, no one was aware about the actual trek. We just followed the trail and after around one hour we reached a small village where there are only 5 house.
Before the trek I briefly studied the google map and I was under the impression that this point(village with 5 house ) was supposed to be the place where we should be climbing upwards to the Fort. But I was wrong and now I have no Idea where we are heading. We saw a local boy who offered to help us reach the top but since it was already 6.30pm and almost dark we kind of felt that it would not be right to take him alone with us since he will have to walk back home alone in the forest. We asked him the direction and time required and he replied us saying "arda taas" (half an hour in Marathi). We thanked him and as a "Thank-You" gesture we gave him some sweets that we carried along with us.
We keep walking again and it did felt that this was a never-ending walk now. Half an hour still seems reasonable since it will take approximately 40 minutes for complete darkness from this point. After walking for some 20 minutes, we still have no sight of a trail that should intuitively lead us to the top. At one point we reached a point where there are two trails. Confused, we didn't know which one to follow. Time pressure still hold true and visibility is slowly reducing. Rohit took the left trail and we just follow it blindly. We didn't know if we are on the right trek.
After 5 minutes of walk, we reach a place which is a small field about the size of a Tennis Court. We saw some wild buffaloes and lots of Monkeys jumping around tall trees. The buffaloes are running here and there. The sound of the birds and some nocturnal insects could be heard at the background. There are still no sign of Fort Entrance. Thats where we feel we lost the trek. "Rohit, I think we have lost the trek" I said, Rohit didn't say word. Ehsan worried about the situation said he is not walking forward anymore. For me I don't know what to do. Considering situation in hand it was obvious that anyone would be worried. It was the same case with Rohit.
Being optimistic was difficult but will have to keep all the pessimism aside and keep mum rather than speaking it out because we can't walk back since it will be already dark and if we walk forward we don't know where we will end up. And if we stay right here, these animals could hurt us. The first thing I did was to pick up a stick big enough to hit any wild animals in case of attack situation.
The story doesn't end here. (I will be writing about the Third Part in the Next post)
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