Kalsubai-Kulang New Years Trek 29th December 2004-1st January 2005

The K2 or Kalsubai-Kulang trek is one of my most memorable treks till date. Introduced under the banner of a "New Years Trek" by Trek'Di, it was the first of this series. The idea was to celebrate the new year in a different manner than usual.


The plan revolved around Kalsubai (the highest peak in Maharashtra), and Kulang which is said to be the highest climb in the Sahyadris. According to the plan, we would leave from Pune on the 29th for Bari, the base village of Kalsubai. We would ascend the peak and return to Bari for an overnight stay. On the 30th, we would move to Ambewadi, the base village of Alang, Madan and Kulang, climb halfway up Kulang and camp there. On the next day, that is the 31st, we would climb to the top of the fort, camp there and celebrate the New Year. On the 1st, we would descend back to Ambewadi and make our way back to Pune.

However, things happened slightly differently. The bus that we had hired to take us on our route failed to show up at the last moment! Luckily for us the trek leaders quickly gathered themselves and decided that we would stick to the plan, though we would have to take public transport to get there. Accordingly, we took a State Transport (S.T) bus to Sangamner and then to Bari. We reached Bari at around 12:30 pm, had our packed lunch and started our climb at 2:30 pm or so. Though route to the top is not very difficult, it is quite lengthy and it took us almost 4 hours to get there. The view from the top is simply amazing! Waves and waves of mountains as far as the eye can see, with the sun just beginning to set on the horizon behind the forts of Alang, Madan and Kulang. After taking a group photo, we started to descend and reached Bari by 7:30 pm. The villagers had kindly allowed us to use their school premises to stay for the night.

The next day, we left Bari and proceeded to Ambewadi by hired jeeps (A local transport service provided by some enterprising villagers, these Jeeps ply the interior roads where there is limited state transport connectivity). Reaching Ambewadi, we got our first glimpse of the magnificent trio of forts that was Alang, Madan and Kulang. Looming like mighty Titans watching over the region, these forts provided a awe-inspiring sight! We had our breakfast in the shadow of these forts and started our climb soon after. I must say, the route of the climb was simply amazing! It ran through a thick forest, teeming with the calls of hundreds of birds, together they formed a cacophony of sound which surprisingly added to the effect of serenity which can only be achieved in Nature! The climb was quite tough, and it took us almost 4 hours to reach the half way point where we had set up camp. The rest of the day passed by lazing around and chatting with the friends we had made over the course of the last 2 days. After dinner, we made a small camp fire and sat around, singing songs and simply warming our bodies against the cold.

The next morning, we started on the final leg of our climb. This route was definitely tougher than the one we had climbed yesterday, with a climb of almost 60 degrees at one or two points and a few small rock patches. A climb of almost 1 and 1/2 hours got us to what remained of the once magnificent staircase of the fort. What now remained was a staircase which was about 1 to 1&1/2 feet in length, with one side facing a deep valley and the other side being the cliff. While navigating through this staircase carefully you can see evidence that the poor condition of this staircase is not merely due to natural forces. The British, while consolidating their rule in India, systematically destroyed such access routes by blowing them up with dynamite. You can still see a part of the holes which were drilled into the rock face to plant the dynamites were drilled into the rock face. Thus, navigating these stairs to the top took us another hour or so.

There isn't much to see on this fort, with the exception of a few ruins and several water reservoirs. There is also one quite large cave, where we had set up camp. We spent the rest of the day roaming around the fort. You can see an amazing view of the surrounding area and the neighbouring forts of Alang and Madan from one end of Kulang.

As the sun set over the horizon, the December chill descended upon the fort. After having a special dinner of Tomato Soup, Pulao (a rice dish popular in India) and some Custard for dessert, we lit up a small campfire and huddled around it for warmth while we waited for the clock to strike midnight. When it finally did, we wished each other a "Happy New Year" and crawled into our sleeping bags and nodded off.

The next morning, we woke up to a sight to behold! The clouds had descended below us like a giant cotton field and the neighbouring peaks were jutting out of them with the morning sun casting them in a pale yellow sheen! This sight was so beautiful, that I cannot find words to describe it! It made me realise how small we are in the tremendous scope of nature, it was a truly humbling experience. It made all the toils we had sustained to get here worth it.

I would like to thank the Trek'Di team for arranging such a beautiful trek for us and making it fun despite all the setbacks. It was a truly memorable trek for me, on which I would not forget till my dying day!