Trek To Bhimashankar .... Done!!! Done!!!! Done!!!! Done!!!!! 15th August 2009

15th August 2009
The Bhimashankar forest which is composed of moist deciduas, semi evergreen and evergreen forest and is a continuous patch of forest which includes the 130 km2 Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary was well as the forests of Padargad, Ahupe Ghat and Siddhagad Fort. It is one of the finest places in North Western Ghats for Biological Diversity and trekking to the evergreen forest of Bhimashankar from Khaddas was an unfulfilled dream for a long while. the trek from Khandas is belived to be a tough one and avoided by most naturalist, but the hard trail is worth its as it goes trous well wooded jungle.


After Reaching Neral at 8.30am in the morning of 15th August, we had our breakfast and soon left for Khandas. Khandas village is the starting point for most trekkers bound for Bhimashankar as well as the hill fort of Padargad, it is situated at an altitude of 200 meters above sea level, and tourism seems to be a major source of income other than cattle rearing and agriculture.

The trail leading to Bhimashankar is about 16 Km and ascends up to 900 meters, this however is not the highest point in Bhimashankar that honor goes to Nagphani (Cobra Hood) Point which is little above 1000 meter mark. There are two ways to reach the summit one through the Shiddi chi Vat (the ladder Route) which takes around 3 to 4 hours but is difficult as there is a Kada / Machi (Vertical Cliff) which needs to me crossed and the other a little longer trail through Ganesh Ghat which takes 4 to 5
hours but offers the best views of the forest, we took the Ganesh ghat route towards our
destination

We started off from Khandas at 10.30am and our 24 member team lead by five young and enthusiastic trekkers Divakar, Malhar, Lalit, and Alok who run the group called ‘Baan Hikers’ named after the highest Pinnacle in Maharashtra lead the trek.
The point from were the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary starts and were the real trek begins was some 3 kilometers away from Khandas and not 8 km as the Van Drivers in Khandas were heard screaming.


As we started climbing we realized that Bhimashankar wasn’t going to be easy as most of our team lagged behind and we had to wait of them several times on the way, but when we finally conquered the Ganesh Ghat we were rewarded by the picturesque views of the main Bhimashankar Mountain and the lush green forests on the foothills. The end of Ganesh ghat is at the same altitude as the base of Paddargad which is above 400 meters, a dhaba ahead of this point which is quite close to the main mountain was our halfway mark, we made a stop there at 1.30pm and after having some hot chai and biscuits we started back again.
The final obstacle between us and the summit was the 300 meter high and steep Ghat, which had to be climbed through a long and twisting trail crossing over moss covered rocks and slippery soil, and to make matters worse it stated raining. In spite of all these difficulties we managed to climb the gat in pouring rain and conquered it, by 3.30 pm all of us had managed to reach the summit.
Only after arriving at the place were we were supposed to spend the night and having some food we were able to rejoice our adventure as everyone shared their experiences over a cup of chai, but for me the exploration of bhimashankar had just begin as I prepared for an evening and a night trek into the forest in search of the animals which inhabit these mountains……. Keep reading will upload the rest tomorrow

---- Aditya Malgaonkar