Sahyadri Community Hike - Day 5: Exploring Mahabaleshwar Plateau
Mahabaleshwar plateau serves as the hub for accessing most trails or loops, and it's also well-connected in terms of transportation, internet access, and trail accessibility.
Date: 19 Jan 2024
Start: Old-Mahabaleshwar plateau
End: Old-Mahabaleshwar
Distance: 22.93 km
Elevation gain: 1478 m
Duration: 5hr : 45mins
Level: Bignner friendly
Season: Nov-Jan (it won’t be too hot/cold)
Navigation: Now the trail is well marked by Manav on OSM. Here is the GPX (Old Mahabaleshwar-Koleshwar-Kondawale Mohra)
Though I didn’t like the city much, Old Mahabaleshwar has a sense of liveliness in terms of its people, market, and most importantly, culture. This could be because the city is home to one of the Jyotirlingas. Well, the city might be crowded compared to the villages, but it is quieter than big cities like Pune.
Route Planning
Old Mahabaleshwar » descending to Golegaon » crossing Krishna river bank » Jor village » Koleshwar Pathar » Jor village » crossing Krishna river bank » Old Mahabaleshwar » route planning for the next day » sleep! sleep!
Time To Explore Old Mahabaleshwar
This was the first time we didn’t witness a sunset or sunrise. Even the morning wasn’t quite like usual. Sanchit, Harsh, and Sandeep dropped out a day before, and we were joined by 3 new members: Sachin, Ayush, and Girish. We are going to come back here so we took only 2-3 small bags with us.
We had poha for breakfast & then headed to descend to Golegaon. While asking for the un-mapped trail to Koleshwar, Kaku (a local lady) invited us for black tea. It was really nice having a conversation with her. She and her husband helped us find the trail.
Well yes, this is the same ridge we are going to ascend that we ascended a day before to get to Old Mahabaleshwar. But this time, you will ascend it halfway and then, instead of ascending to the same Ganesh temple (Old Mahabaleshwar), you are supposed to take another trail to descend towards the Krishna river. While ascending, we reached a split; one trail went uphill to the temple, and the other went downhill to the river. Manav & Kaushal hiked up to map the trail and complete the loop. When they came back, we started descending towards the river.
Within an hour, we reached a village and took a water break. The best part was crossing the riverbank from here. At the same time, I also felt bad about how, in the name of development, we trap these rivers by damming them into reservoirs, which feel like prisons :(
Crossed the river bank? Where did you reach? Yes, it’s Jor again. Kaka (a local man) guided us to the un-mapped trail to Koleshwar. You will have to walk on the road for a few minutes, then you will reach the trailhead. We kept ascending non-stop & reached Koleshwar. We ended up meeting the same trail we hiked while exploring Koleshwar. In short, we completed & mapped this trail loop (Koleshwar-Old Mahabaleshwar). Remember Swamiji’s village? It’s not far from here. Well, we are not going to re-visit him, of course.
Now you are supposed to follow the same trail loop to get back to Mahabaleshwar. While descending back to Jor, I saw some monkeys jumping in the trees. When I saw one monkey that looked like it was about to fall, I instinctively reached out to save it & slipped, injuring my leg. How could a monkey be falling? Stupid me!
This was one of the fastest descents, and the trail was beautifully supported by natural roots. I kind of liked the grasslands we crossed, but the day was sunny, so the hike was a bit exhausting. By evening, we were at Jor, taking a water break. When I requested water from Kaku, she hesitated, saying, “We belong to a lower caste community. Would you mind drinking water from our home?” It was heart-wrenching to see her concern. In response, I said, “We too belong to the lower caste humanity. would you mind serving us water from your home?” Unfortunately, she didn't fully grasp my words due to the language barrier, but she silently handed me a glass of water.
We took the trail to ascend to Mahabaleshwar. Same split? Well, I will ascend & reach Mahabaleshwar by crossing the Ganesh temple, but you can descend back to Golegaon & then ascend to Mahabaleshwar. My leg pain is unbearable, so a shorter route would be helpful, and I desperately want to have Strawberry Cream at Mahabaleshwar, hehe!
Yes, we reached Mahabaleshwar. After a day-long hunger, the Strawberry Cream was so delicious. Now what? After dinner, we planned for the next day and ended our day.
About The Trail
Wilderness : Chances of — bushwhacking: not really || wildlife encounters: mostly none || steep slopes: not really
Hiking Techniques :
Know the local language? Good. It’s always helpful for navigation.
Descending fast? Well, this may cause you to lose control, leading to a slip.
Remember every split & deviation of the trails? It’s fun and strengthens your navigation skills.
Nutrition & Hydration : We carried peanuts, grams & water
Backpacking : hat/bandana
Highlights : Strawberry Cream at Mahabaleshwar
Lowlights : No sunset & sunrise || Getting injured || When will this caste system end?
Things We Avoided : Littering around the mountains || Disturbing wild/village life
Moral Of The Day : Hikers or mountaineers do not belong to any caste but to the trails!