A Gendarme Called KP

The mighty hill ranges of Malshej & Harishchandragad are an imposing sight. They seem to portray a sense of great power… an impregnable colossus that protects the vast treasures it beholds from intrepid climbers like us. Spanning Ratangad @ one end & moving towards Naneghat , Ahupe Ghat leading to Bhimashankar & Rajmachi; these mighty n handsome blokes form a vanguard, cutting through the landscape & casting their dark shadows on the fertile land below.

"Aankhon mein sapne liye Ghar se hum chal to diye Jaane yeh raahein ab le jaayengi Kahan
Mitti ki khushboo aaye Palkon pe aansu laaye Palkon pe reh jaayega yaadon ke jahan
Manzil nayi hai anjaana hai kaarvaan Chalna akele hai yahan
Tanha dil, tanha safar Dhoonde tujhe phir kyoon nazar

Dilkash nazaarein dekhe Jhilmil sitaarein dekhe Aankhon mein phir bhi tera chehra hai jawaan
Kitni barsaatein aayi, kitni saugaatein laayi Kaanon mein phir bhi goonje teri hi sada
Maane kiye the apna hoga aashiyaan Vaadon ka jaane hoga kya "

Shaan rendered his melodious voice to the journey as we wade our way along the winding roads of Malshej Ghat leading to Gatghar, the base village of the pinnacle Vanarlingi/Khada Parsi (KP). Hitting the road along majestic country side has always been a pleasurable & emotionally rewarding experience & this one was no different; Especially when u are travelling with blokes who have become friends for life & united by a passion for climbing.

The Qualis was packed to capacity with the 8 member climbing team formed by Fulton, Benji, Jay, Ritz, Farzin, self; the 2 divas in Meenaz & Neeti. The group was a good mix of experienced, talented & raw recruits; each having their own aims n aspirations from KP.

The presence of woman with the right attitude on any outing adds to the atmosphere. For, men do not hesitate to shower them with all the attention & the lasses in turn seem to revel in it. I would imagine a win-win situation for all concerned. I am of the view that one needs to be in a breezy state of mind, before any stressful activity is undertaken; as it helps keep the mind fresh & energetic. No better way to achieve this, than, have some light hearted flirting & banters. Farzin – Ritz – Jay combo gave the necessary comic relief, ever so often.

The journey to Gatghar was pleasant & using the new route, we had managed to save precious time. However, crab burrows formed on the moist ground posed a serious problem for the Qualis. A momentary negligence on part of the driver had all 4 wheels stuck well & truly in the marshy terrain. What followed was a 2 hr rescue operation to get the Qualis babe up & running on 4 wheels.

The villager Subhash, whom I had befriended, suggested laying Cactus plants below the tyres to prevent it from sinking any further. This theory nearly worked.

(People in the villages have a lot of practical wisdom; which city junkies like us (bread on theoretical gyan) find difficult to digest.)

He had around 70 acres of land & had shifted base from Gathghar along with his wife to the base of Naneghat.( They shall continue to stay there, so long as there is enough grass for the cows/ buffalos to graze. Later in the year, they move back to Gathghar.) He helped us clear the path, find water source, provide buttermilk etc. A friendly bloke, who was always around to help, he used to work @ a factory in Masjid Bunder ; manufacturing Fire extinguishers; until one fine day, he decided to return to his heavenly abode.

Normally, when faced with a problem, the human tendency is to sort it off in a jiffy; trust u’r instincts @ hope for the best; without gaining a greater insight into the situation/problem. It is only the failures that force us to sit back & think/analyse. With each attempt, as the tyres spun in the loose mud & slowly sank further; so did our spirits. The precious climbing time we were loosing, was adding to our impatience. Only after the actual problem was understood, did we manage to extricate the babe. There was relief all around & the anxiety was replaced by ecstasy.

Base camp was a flat meadow where the Qualis would be beached for the next 3 days. Junnar being a Panther area, we were banking on safety in numbers. Acharya the driver had no desire to roam around when alone. He was quite happy to spend time inside the vehicle; while the Foxes & Langurs paid him a courtesy call.

The trek up to the col joining Khada Parsi (Vanarlingi) & Jeevdhan Fort was a slog, with all the equipments. The thick foliage made route finding difficult. After losing valuable time, we finally hit the cave @ the base of KP before dusk. Jay managed to link up to pitch 3, before we wound up & hit base.

Having spent nearly 2 grand on food rations for 9 ppl, I was hoping the team to hog to their hearts content. To my utter dismay, the appetite of most members was pathetic. (Probably in hindsight, I gad gone ballistic with my rations; instead should have been more realistic.) Given the large amount of Rice, Dal & subji that was in excess; it was nightmare for the logistics in-charge. Thankfully, the nightmare meant, I got a pleasant sleep under a starry sky with Mars demanding all the attention along the eastern horizon. Winter had already set in amongst the hills & the night was chilly.

The following morning, there was a sense of urgency within the team; to make up for lost time, for we had about 11 hrs of daylight to complete the 350 – 400 ft monolith. This was primarily an Aid climb, with free climbing reduced to the first 5 pitches. It was going to be more a test of endurance, patience & co-ordination, rather than climbing skill.

Even before we hit the road, there was some good discussion between self, Benji & Fulton about how the climb should be undertaken. Such discussions, help understand the thought process of u’r colleagues & thereby avoids any unpleasant surprises while on the face. In my view, for any climbing outing to succeed, the aims n aspirations of all members should be understood & a mean drawn. It is practically impossible for each n every person in a big team to reach the top.

The objective should be to improve upon u’r previous attempt & lay the foundation for the next; be it understanding the systems, the technique, time management, etc…. Climbing is definitely an egoistic sport; however when such thoughts hinder the progress of a group/team; then such individuals should be dropped, without remorse. Thankfully, we had no such issues on this sojourn.

With Fulton down with cramps, Jay who was too raw to be pushed all the way up the face ( though he was the fittest guy amongst us & the most skilled; given the amount of climbing he has been doing; it was important to guide him along his young climbing career, rather than rush him up big walls.), I had to handle the task of seconding Benji all the way. My lack of climbing & suspect endurance had meant, I was reluctant to go all the way from; right from day one.

As things panned out, Benji led the route from ledge 5 on to the summit. Climbing Aid routes has never been a turn on; for they r a series of slog. The height & exposure effect u only during the early part of u’r climbing career. Later, u just sit n enjoy the view & take it in your stride; for 200 ft or 2000ft; they all look the same from up there. However, providing a hanging belay standing anchored on a slice of rock, is definitely exciting.

Nearing the top, I was getting dehydrated & my hands cramping. Once u realise, u’r body is giving up on you, then panic & confusion sets in releasing a chain of –ve thoughts. Benji, who was like a man processed, had no desire to leave this trip undone. Climbing up KP is a tribute to his endurance & passion. Having started climbing @ 8.00am, Benji finally reached the summit @ 4.45pm. After a brief discussion about my problem, I decided not to do the last 25 feet of the summit& instead save all valuable energy for the long rapell back. There were a few tricky situations along the way down. Finally @ 7.00pm, Benji was the last man to reach safe ground. Once on safe ground, you generally value the decisions that one takes under stress.

This was definitely the longest I have spent on a face & it raised a few question marks about my level of fitness & endurance; which needs improvement, before rocking it up on Dukes Nose.

The first timers in Ritz, Meenaz & Neeti had managed to climb upto Pitch 4 & rapell back under guidance from Farzin & Fulton. Fulton was definitely disappointed @ being struck by cramps, so early on. But knowing him; the man is bound to turn things around @ the earliest. His enthusiasm @ 40+ can put a lot of us to shame. Jay might have felt hard done, by the turn of events; for I was one of those who was not very comfortable with him going high up before gaining proper confidence in setting up anchors. I guess he may have to play second fiddle for another couple of climbs; wherein he could start spending time with systems & abseiling all by himself; before ripping up the big ones. Benji, seems to have grown younger with this climb. Probably, with this marathon, he has proved himself wrong. I am sure, no longer shall we find the old man cribbing about his age.

Completing the climb didn’t bring about any special emotions in me, except when cramps started locking my fingers. For, that was the kind of fear/apprehension/self doubt, I had never encountered in my earlier climbs. 350 ft above safe ground, it just makes one value life all the more. I am thankful to Benji to have guided me out of it. Hopefully, I should be better prepared (physically & emotionally), the next time round to handle such circumstances.

Making our way back to base in pitch darkness, we were horribly lost & eventually after bush whacking for 2hrs, saw the blazing headlamps of the Qualis. The night was spent in the open & woke up to a very memorable B’day with people whom u love & care for amidst wide open countryside.

The memorable sojourn ended to the tunes of Strings when we landed up @ my place, where all of us feasted on Doasa & Gulab Jamuns.

Kabhi… main na chahu koi khushi .. na main chahu yeh jindagi …mere dil main teri kami

har sanam …har pal hai koi kadam….har dil ki chahat magan….dhal dhal ke gujare janam

junglon aur samundaro main sameen…hain raahatein jo mile na kabhi

iss hasin samay ki… yeh aahat samajh main aane lagi

ban jayegi ki yeh khushi … mil jageyi yeh khushi

itne samey gujar gaye bichad gaye iss samey……………!!

Images of KP->
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/balramwarrier/album?.dir=83da&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/balramwarrier/my_photos