Torna.. The Unforgettable!!!

Torna.. was a very special and unforgettable trek in every sense!!!

A brief history first, Torna got its name from Toran which means door hanging used @ the top of door. Since this is highest fort in Pune region it is referred as Toran. Another name of Torna is "Prachandgad" because of its vastness and from here my surname "Prachand" came, so i have special attachment to the fort.  Torna was one of the very first forts captured by Great Shivaji Maharaj, he found huge gold in this fort which he used for renovation of other forts plus building some new forts.

After coming to Pune i was searching for a group who arrange the Treks, finally found one as Trekdi Group. We (Me, Salil, Anoop and Guru) decided to go for Torna trek organised by Trekdi Group. Salil came down from mumbai to my place on saturday eve, trek was on sunday. Sunday Morning, we were all excited about going on trek with a group and i was with added excitment to see the fort which belong to my forefathers .. :). We reached FC Road the meeting point where trekdi group has arranged a private bus, condition of bus was OK.  It was mixed feeling when we first time signed a paper saying "I am responsible for myself if anything happens to me on Trek" and providing a emergency number if anything happens, we all were looking at each other :).

Just FYI we decided to put all the stuff we needed in a one single Bag which Anoop carried while going up and i carried while descending down. Also as an safety measure me and salil switched off our mobiles and kept it in a polythin packed and then in a Bag. We reached the base village after more than hour travelling, had breakfast there. Climate was bit cloudy and we were all excited. There were around 40 people including the trekdi members. Pinakin (leading the Trek) divided the the complete group into four subgroup headed by each trekdi member and then we take off.

We started the Trek, surroundings were pleasent all waterfalls and small streams of water. We walked around 30 mins and sunddenly our group leader told us that we are on wrong way, then pointed a Tree far away on a different part of mountain and told us we have to go towards the tree actual way goes from there. Now this was the starting bcoz there was no way to reach there and we had to go through a slope which was sleepry and nothing to hold except the bushes which were coming in hand once you hold them. That was scarrry.. somehow we all madeup and reached to the way near that pointed tree. Then again we walked for some time and then came a ridge joining the mountains. There was nothing on both the side of ridge just a thin way on it and air was flowing like anything, it was scary plus adventurous we took some snaps and crossed the ridge.

After crossing the ridge we moved again after taking some rest, we walked a lot. Then came a rocky patch, that was most difficult point of the entire trek, really you need lot of guts to cross that because there is nothing behind, only silent valley. We started crossing the patch one by one at a time five people on patch one behind another.. when i was about to cross that patch i put a hand on a stone between to cross the patch and that stone came down and all the four people behind me shouted at there fullest. Thankfully  no one was hurt and we all crossed the patch. Then we crossed the huge rocky steps and finally reached the fort, it took more then 3 hrs to reach there.

We had a look at fort and had food, then we started descending down, now here comes the Rain, the bag which i need to carry while coming down was twice the weight because of rain. So technique we used was we throwed the bag down and we descends and throw the bag again.. ha ha. Coming down was easy but rain made it difficult. It took alsmost more than two hours to reach the base village. Then we saw our mobiles which were all wet even though we took all safety measures, this was second time i lost my mobile (First time in Bhimashankar.. again because of heavy rain).

Journey coming back was full fun we played antakshari and did bajao of some very famous songs. Raining inside and outside the bus was all same. We all skipped the office next day .. :).. All the above events made this Trek an Unforgettable Memory..

-Jyotin