Have you ever been in the rain for an entire day? Now imagine doing that while climbing a mountain, a backpack on your shoulders, and an unseen distance left to cover…unseen not just because it’s the hills, but because it’s raining so much that you cannot make out where the hill top would be!
Well that was me trying to lay down (very badly) about my experience in Rajmachi in the monsoon of 2018 – my favourite monsoon trek, yet!
I am the kind of guy who loves being in the wild, at the same time I am not a big fan of getting wet in the rain. Although, that did not stop me from trying out this monsoon trek with Backpackers and City Freaks (BCF).
With a group of around 30 members, it was bound to be chaotic I thought. Being that I was one of only 2 people who did not speak the regional language of most members in the group.
Looking back I am glad I was wrong about all those assumption!
The rain turned out to be more picturesque and somewhat serene than a hindrance, the big group turned out to be more fun than chaotic and the language barrier well just became another topic for our endless discussions…
Also read : Netrani Island and Scuba Diving
The trek started with us getting on the train from Hyderabad. After a good nights sleep we got off at a small railway station in Karjat where we got to familiarise ourselves with the whole group all the while having some breakfast.
On reaching our base it started drizzling and we started to doubt whether or not we should start ascending. After mentally preparing ourselves, we left off and hoped for the best!
With a blink of an eye though, it started pouring quite heavily. But to my surprise, by that time we had already gotten used to the drizzles and kept moving.
Less than 30 minutes down the path we came across our first stoppage – The Kondhane Buddhist Caves.
If you have to choose between resting your muscles a bit or getting overhyped about clicking pictures, there is only one correct option. All 30 of us took tons of pics obviously!
Once that was over, we immediately continued our ascend to the Rajmachi Village (or Udhewadi)
Also read: Bhivpuri waterfall Rappelling and Zipline
The lush green paths and misty atmosphere, the non stop drizzle It was absolutely mesmerizing to a nature freak like myself!
After about an hour or so, some of the first time trekkers started to ask the one big question, “How much more?”
That’s when I realised that it was a first time trek for a lot of the folks in the group. And of course, a little bit of teasing was mandatory!
“Another 4 or 5 hours I guess” was my reply.
The shock waves that had sent across the group and the guides looking at me saying not to destroy their commitment, still makes me giggle to this day! 😂
Well, this little detour would kind of scare us later that day.
Of course I wasn’t exaggerating though.
Our next and final big stop before reaching the Rajmachi village was a small hut where a man and his wife prepared some refreshingly healthy masala cucumbers and some not so healthy yet equally refreshing maggi masala!
What’s a trek without a few hiccups and delays after all right?
You see, after we were done eating and resumed our trek, the drizzle started again. Changing its intensity from hogh to low every few minutes.
It was fun yet challenging of course, slipping through the muddy earth, trying to find the right footing.
We did cover most of our distance for the day though, but then we realised something that we should have sooner. Something which our guides were trying to tell so that we’d hurry uo and get done with our Maggie’s you see, for it was starting to get dark, and it was still drizzling!
Thankfully, like I said, we were almost there. And using our torches and phones we made it to our homestay in the village soon enough!
Changing into our dry clothes, hoping that our shoes dry out by the next morning, we had hours of fun after dinner and then dozed off.
Also Read: The Festival of colours @ Mathura and Vrindavan
The next morning, we climbed the final stretch of hills from the village and reached the Rajmachi Fort.
Climbing stairs never felt so difficult before that day as we stepped up and up till we say that flag surrounded by the clouds.
Descending down from the highest point our Organizer RK took us to another beautiful spot of the fort where we spent most of our dawn, enjoying as a group!
As more trekking groups seemed to pour in, we started our descent down the same path we came.
Thankfully, the sun shone brightly during our descent, and my shoes finally were able to dry up a bit…
Also Read: St. Mary’s Island – A Hidden Gem
Though the shoes are not dry and clean now, the lovely views and experiences learnt will not be forgotten.
Notes from BCF:
We organize this trip very often throughout the year. You can follow us on Instagram for regular updates. Insta ID –bcf.official. For more info on BCF upcoming events visit us here. About logo, you can read here.
Article by Shivam Puri. Thanks a lot, Shivam for penning down your experiences from the event. You can follow him on Instagram – shivampuri1994
Lets Connect 😃😃
Does this trigger memories of similar experiences? Please share with us.
Would love to connect with an engaged audience. We shall post it on bcfblogs!
Backpackers and City Freaks (BCF) 