Morning came at 6 am with my mobile alarm waking up Rajesh. Our chai-waala (Madhav) was soon in action while the rest of the pack were getting ready for the descent.
I was still pondering over the route, when I had a word with Girivihar group leader. He recommended a descent through Karoli Ghat instead of the Baan pinnacle, as it would be easy. A little later, I made up my mind to continue with our original plans & descend through the Baan pinnacle route. As we were leaving, we were greeted by a group who had come all the way from Bangalore to climb Ratangad. They had got lost in the forest in the night & managed to make it to the top now. That explained the mystery of the moving lights in the forest in the night!!! Additionally, they had to make it back for the 9:00 pm train back to Bangalore. All that we could recommend was to make haste!
 From the cave to Hanuman Darwaja |
 Kathra in front & Muda in the back |
 Cave at Ratangad |
A round of Maggi and we were on the way to the Trimbak Darwaja at 9:30 am (quite late, as we had planned to leave at 8:00 am). We passed through the Hanuman Darwaja, to be greeted by the towering rock-faces of Kathra & Ajoba, massive rock walls falling steeply into the Konkan. We walked past the Rani-cha-huda, filled our water bottles at the water tanks a little ahead, and moved onto the west side of the fort. Passing the now dilapidated Konkan Darwaja, we crossed a set of neatly arranged water tanks to reach the base of the Nedhe (natural orifice in the rock face). It was at these water tanks that we got the first look at the Baan pinnacle, deep in the valley below. Peter & I sketched the route to Dehne village, which was visible in the distance; quite a long walk. A short walk along the edge of the fort through tall Karvi bushes led to the Trimbak Darwaja. The Trimbak Darwaja is the most well-preserved fortification on the fort (maybe because it receives a few visitors), with steps carved out in stone between huge enclosing walls.
 Baan pinnacle seen from the way to Nedhe |
 Khutha pinnacle & Kalsubai in the back |
 Route to Samrad from Trimbak darwaja |
 Trimbak darwaja |
 Through the Trimbak darwaja |
 Huge enclosing walls below Trimbak darwaja |
 Descent from Trimbak darwaja |
We descended the steps, each one about a couple of feet high, traversed the fort at the base of the rock face, and reached the col between the fort & Khutha pinnacle. It is on this traverse that one falls in love with Ratangad. While the impressive Khutha pinnacle beckons in the front, a look back leaves one awe-struck at the ruggedness of the natural fort walls. The Trimbak darwaja seems to be carved out of nowhere with natural bastions surrounding it. Below one can see all the way to the Konkan plains; more than 1000 metres below. No wonder the rulers of this fort never cared to add any massive fortifications on this side; Mother Nature herself is defending the fort here! At the col, the stream leading down to the left could be seen flowing all the way to the base of the Baan pinnacle, but it seems only rain-water would be able to trek that way. We had to descend a little through the stream, take a right, traverse Khutha at its base and descend further to the Samradwadi plateau fields.
 Traverse under the Ratangad rock face to the col with Khutha |
 Looking back… |
 After the traverse at Khutha base, looking back |
As I reached the other side of the Khutha pinnacle, the first glimpse of the Ghatghar valley left me enthralled. Backwaters of two dams, the 19th century Wilson dam and the 21st century Ghatghar dam could be seen reaching out to one another with the massive Kulang range towering above them. It was a treat for the eyes – the village Samrad at the base, the road leading straight ahead to Ghatghar village, the newly built dam; and above the range of lofty mountains starting with Chotta Kulang & Kulang on the left and proceeding to Madangad, Alang, Kirda to aptly culminate in the highest peaks of the Sahyadris, Kalsubai I & II. I was a little ahead of the pack when I reached here, and it seemed fit to take a little snack to make allowance for savouring the view a little more.
 Kalsubai range & Ghatghar valley seen from way to Samrad… |
After further descent, we stood in the first Samrad field (last for the Samrad villagers) and it was a little less than 2 hours since we had left the Ratangad cave – we had been pretty fast. Now, we had to take a U-turn, and traverse back all the way to the stream (the one flowing down from the col between Ratangad & Khutha) & descend further to the base of the Baan pinnacle. Since, I didn’t know the U-turn, I was planning to go to the village Samradwadi & hire a villager to show us the way. But that would take an hour more. As luck would have it, I noticed a villager moving in the trees, and Peter having tracked him down immediately, negotiated with him to show us the way to the Baan pinnacle. Soon, we traversed back on the plateau to the stream (and we realized the villager – Mama – had different ideas of Baan pinnacle. I had to show him my photos taken from the top of Ratangad to make him understand the Baan pinnacle that we were looking out for), and were greeted with the first views of the entire Baan pinnacle a hundred feet below. The pinnacle is a straight rock pillar a few hundred feet tall, shaped like an arrow –
a threatening view.
 Taking a U-turn before Samrad, Khutha in the back |
 We’ve reached the stream that leads to Baan pinnacle base |
We entered the narrow valley to be greeted by fragile rock faces on both sides echoing our voices almost 7-8 times. The rocks are extremely loose here, and we feared to talk loudly lest we might trigger a landslide. A careful descent of half-an-hour brought us to the base of the Baan pinnacle. One has to stick to the left side of the valley as the stream bifurcates at one point, and the one of the right leads to the huge waterfall of about 30-40 feet. There is a flat area at the base of pinnacle where one can pitch tents; the stream below will contain pools of water till November. The pinnacle itself is composed of loose rocks and will be a difficult climb. I lay on my back gazing at the magnificent pillar of rock. Risks had been taken and the unknown had been turned to known; our dreams had finally been realized. The valley was extremely fragile with loose rock faces on both sides, and looked spent in the aftermath of last year’s torrential rain, but mesmerizing nevertheless. I wondered how long this spectacle of nature will last. Gajar halwa was served to prepare the team for the further descent to Dehne village. This is where we were heading into the truly unknown, as even our guide had been through only once and that too more than 20 years before…(to be continued…)
 Baan pinnacle – partly behind the rock face |
 View ahead as we start descending the stream |
 Gang at the base of Baan pinnacle |
Praphulla Parab 