Rub of the Green.

The Forty Shades Of Green.

Four days after our brilliant trip to Lohagad, a silent reunion on Carter Road marks the thirst for another adventure. As always, Breakfree Journey’s Man-in-Charge Rushikesh Kulkarni is up for it, and by the time we munch on some hot Shawarma, a plan is in formation in his enterprising mind. Even as we reach home, Breakfree Journeys was ready for the weekend, with a trip to Tak Mak Gad.

The Road to Tak Mak Gad. Notice the mountain fort in the background.

Tak Mak Gad, is a mountain fort, with two peaks, Tak and Mak, and is one of the 300 forts built by Shivaji in his time. About 28 kilometers from Virar station, its slopes are said to display 40 shades of green! Excited by all the buzz of going off on another trek, all of us googled and found out about Tak Mak Gad. However, we were later disappointed to find that most blog posts about Tak Mak Gad (TMG for ease of writing) are misleading. TMG, by no stretch of imagination, is an easy trek. However, thanks to the false information obtained from the various previous treks posted online, we ended up having quite an adventure!

It all started on Saturday morning (the 2nd of July) at about 4:45. I had been told to be present at Dadar Station by 6:30, and my restless body burst awake at the first bird’s chirp. Packed with my regular trekking gear by 5:45, I managed to catch the 5:59 slow to CST from Ghatkopar, and was at Dadar well in time. Having planned to catch the 6:46 Fast to Virar, we eventually took the 6:25, on account of everyone being more than punctual. We were at Virar by 7:20, waiting for the

The "Aamchi Shaala" at Sakwar

other trekkers to join in. Nothing kickstarts a trek better than a good breakfast! The entire group walked down Virar to Sai Nidhi, a small eatery on Station Road. Ordering Vadas and Idlis with tea and coffee, the Breakfree group started off with their usual banter and leg-pulling. Rushikesh had previously planned to have a picnic on the peak, so we got puri bhaji packed for the entire group. Stomachs filled and bags loaded, we started off on yet another conquest.

Our first stop was the base village of Sakwar, a good 25 kilometers from Virar station. We got there in auto-rickshaws. The local rickshaw drivers know the place is a tourist hub and charge a bomb for the ride. However, it is always better than a hitch hike, as return journeys may be a problem. As we walked through the village, the locals were intrigued by our presence. We kept asking around for a local guide to the peak, however, not many were interested in the trek to the top. Finally, a 14-year-old called Pramod agreed to take us to the top. Pramod was quick and agile, but even he warned us that not everyone could get to the top. The weather was clammy and hot, but we were hoping for rain as we began our journey from the village. Five dogs, from the village, decided

The narrow path through the village and to the base.

that even they would like a trek and followed us. I’d like to mention here, that they followed us right to the top. Better than any human guide. 🙂

Unlike other base villages, Sakwar is 3 kilometers away from the base of the mountain! As we walked along the narrow mud road, our energy and spirits were high. The view of the village was scenic. The color green was splashed around, there was a stream through the village, making a very pleasant sound as it visited rocks while snaking through. Birds chirped, and the lack of city-noise itself was pleasing to the ear. As we kept trudging on, the photographers in our group had a field day, clicking the wood fences of the bare brick houses and the bridge across the stream made of wooden logs. As we reached base, we looked up the mountain and saw dense forest cover. The mountain is oddly shaped, with an incline leading to three consecutive ridges, followed by a steep hill placed on the last ridge.

Our first aim was to reach the first ridge quickly. However, as we started our trek, we soon realized that this might be the toughest we had ever attempted. The slope was steep(around 50 degrees at all times) and the dense forest cover stopped all wind activity. The path was winding and narrow, and we trudged along. Within 15 minutes of ascent, we had stopped for our first pit-stop. We resumed, only to take many more stops before we reached the first clearing. There was no sign of any other trekkers. Apparently, we had the mountain to ourselves. As we walked, we sang with the birds, studied the trees and observed Mother Nature at her wildest. We slipped, fell, battled with the wet mud and loose rocks but continued on our quest to the top. After what seemed like a really long time, (actually 90 minutes from the base) we finally reached the first ridge. The view was brilliant. The grass was soft. While earlier parts of the mountains were dense with trees and wild shrubs, this part had no vegetation except

The dense forests flank most of the uphill path. Here, you can see a clearing ahead.

green, green grass. Most of us dropped to the soft grass and drank sips of water. It was here that we realized that we had a water situation. Due to the humidity, we had lost a lot of water, and in effect, drank a lot to compensate. Now, our water reserves were emptying, and we saw no source of water. On asking the local,  we were told, “Upar paani milega.” Imagining a waterfall somewhere on the mountain, we set off on our path again, after a short rest. A shallow V-shaped drop took us to the second ridge in another half an hour. Now exhausted, we looked at the peak of the mountain, realizing it was too far for all of us to conquer. Rushikesh took charge, inspiring us to reach the third ridge for lunch. On the way there is slightly small ridge (2.5) which is separated from the third ridge by an intense rocky drop. There is a steep drop to get from the second to the middle one too, but the rocky patch was the hardest to conquer. It was 12:30 when we reached the final ridge. Every trekker was utterly exhausted. Water supplies were depleted, and everyone just dropped to the ground. A good thing was this part was wide open to the skies and the surrounding mountains. A strong cool wind blew our tiredness away. The views, were, as always, amazing.

The Last Ridge and The Final Climb. (View from the Second Ridge)

There was no sign of water. Apparently, there was a water tank at the very top of the mountain, another 1000 feet away. We had a small meal on the third ridge, where we split up into two groups. One would wait and take care of the bags, the other would leave with empty bottles and fetch water from the very top. The final climb was very steep, and we started out at a quick pace. The plan was to trek as far as we could get by 1:30, otherwise it would get too late to descend back down the jungles. It was a rocky patch, at first. We walked along a stone parapet for fifteen minutes, when we had to again start a climb among rocks. This is the toughest rock climbing I had done in my life. We mustered all our strength to get to a clearing, only to find another rock patch and then some pretty slippery mud lay waiting for us. No longer having any inhibitions of getting dirty, (we already were!), we plunged into the muddy ground. Halfway there, I almost gave up. It was only the inspiring sight of Pramod walking along with one of the dogs that willed me to go further. At 1:10, we reached the top. The very top. There was a flag, and a small hutment, where Pramod said the “Manager” of the water tanks stayed. Ah, the water tanks! Two cisterns, filled to the brim, stared at us, waiting for us to drink. Those of us who made it to the top, drank to our heart’s content, like we’d never seen water before. Rightly called the “oasis”, these cisterns filled our hearts, and our bottles. After clicking a few pictures to remember our victory, we started on the descent to the last ridge. The descent was much faster, and by 1:40 we were at the ridge. With water in our bellies, the hunger gave way to a major feast of puri sabzi, thepla, biscuits and bread. We shared our food with the dogs that had so loyally followed us up to the top.

The Life Saving Cisterns

We were happy, content, and relieved. Things could have spun out of control. There were a lot of “what if’s” hanging in the air. But these cobwebs were dispersed by the water, and the good mood that followed. Lots of pictures were taken, jokes were cracked, and due rest was taken.We had a long descent ahead, but right now, nobody cared about that. All was good in trek-land. The rub of the green, had gone our way.

Our descent was uneventful, except for a few tumbles here and there in the wet mud. Rain had avoided us, and so had any grave injury. We reached the village again, and took a dip in the stream that had tempted us just that morning. It had

Pramod, the saviour.

been a long day. A great adventure. We drank water from the village well, and signed off with Pramod. Truly, without him, it would have been a dangerous  misadventure. We also finally said goodbye to the dogs, which had given us company throughout. We left the village in the same rickshaws, considerably

more tired than we had been when we were last in them. We disembarked at Virar Station, and returned to Sai Nidhi for Chai and Misal Pav. Settling all the accounts with Breakfree, we got on a Churchgate Fast together. We sang a few songs, cracked a few jokes, clearly exhausted by the days’ exploits. This hadn’t been a pleasure trip, but it had been one helluva adventure. As we rocked to the motions of a Mumbai local, each of us had written a story in our memories. I’m just one to tell all.

"Between the Devil.." wala sequence.

The grass is green…

Thank you: Rushikesh Kulkarni, for the trip.
Nikhil Gaekwad, Winnie Karnik, Kavya Shetty, for the pictures.
Pramod, for the safety.
The Rub of the Green, for luck.
Johnny Cash, for the 40 Shades of Green.

The Tak Mak Survivors