Sandhan Valley Full Descend November 2018

 A brief account of the weekend adventure at Sandhan Valley (Maharashtra)

The post in FB read:  Tattva Adventures Trek to Sandhan Valley (Full Descend) on 17th - 18th Nov 2018 (Leaving on Friday Night 16th Nov 2018)

Sandhan – Full descent had always been a dream trek for me which was finally going to be true after three years of trekking. Had earlier seen the mysterious valley from afar while doing excursions/treks to the surrounding areas. The fascinating play of light and shadow in the Valley, seen from a distance (real or imaginary . . . only added to the mystique)

Detraining at 1.20 am at Kasara Station, our group of 26 huddled  into the few vehicles  and after the usual eagerly looked forward to  ‘tea/coffee/ biryani break’  at the one and only Baba da Dhaba , it was a couple of hours drive to Samrad village. The enthusiastic/not so enthusiastic/sleepy participation in the Antakshari during the drive added to the fun quotient immensely.

Because of the increasing popularity of Sandhan as a trekking destination our trek leads had taken a decision to start the trek immediately without waiting for a break at the Village. The instructions clearly did mention about carrying a good torch with back up batteries. So it was that we started the trek at around 4 a.m.  As my eyes got adjusted to the semi darkness and the eerie shadows playing on the beams of the many torch lights the feeling was most definitely one of eagerly scary anticipation. The surprisingly clear skies with the stars visible while very attractive were not to be admired indefinitely as I had to focus on the uneven rocky patches. A twisted ankle or a cracked shin was not a very pleasant prospect, more so at the beginning of a long and difficult trek. . .  The comforting factor of course for the entire group of adventurers was the absolutely rock solid and competent trek leads, four in all. The two stretches of rappelling and the one stretch of rope descent added immensely to the adventure quotient.

Rappelling long stretch

Rappelling short stretch

Sandhan valley is a Wonder of nature in the midst of the splendid Sahayadri (Western Ghats).You can call it a Water carved valley about  200 ft deep and about 1.5 kms long. Sandhan valley is located on the west side of beautiful Bhandardara region (a fabulous camping spot), near Samrad village. The Valley is surrounded with the mighty Alang, Madan & Kulang (Known as AMK- toughest trek in Sahyadri) Ratangad (had done that trek earlier), Ajoba & Kalsubai (at 5400 ft. the highest peak in Maharashtra) mountain ranges. At some places the width is less than 3 ft making it practically impossible for sunrays to reach and hence the mystically awesome term ‘valley of shadows’.

One of the many narrow paths

 More often, the valley is accessible throughout the year except during peak monsoon. To reach the other end of the gorge you have to cross 2-3 water pools. Water level changes according to seasons, in winter it is up to waist & in summer it is up to knee height (can’t imagine the levels during monsoon!!!). At the end of Valley you get a magnificent view of high cliffs. That is if you have managed to miss the magnificent valley scenes along the way which is hugely possible because you are busy concentrating on where to place the next foot in the extremely uneven rocky landscape. 

 
The Sandhan valley trek incorporates a couple of rappelling stretches and some liberal bits of freehold rock climbing and descending (nay – you can call it sliding with a steep fall on one side). These activities cannot be undertaken very easily by a group of rookies or individual trekkers. You would have to enlist the help of an operator who will, in addition to the technical gear also provide you with the expertise and I daresay moral support.

Another peculiarity of Sandhan Valley . . . The geography keeps changing with existing routes getting blocked up....or new routes opening up depending on the moods of Mother Nature. The few in the group who had done Sandhan Trek multiple times earlier confirmed this fact. As my fellow trekker Niles mentioned the changing landscape was in fact reminiscent of life itself how Change happens and we adjust subsequently. Don’t let the “full descend” term fool you. It is very demanding physically even on the toughest of knees. In fact many trekkers also in the past have confirmed that they find descent more taxing than ascent, during treks. 

 

The fabulously balanced huge boulders added to the beauty of the landscape. Perpetually wet footwear was the norm for the day and on more than one occasion we were wading through knee deep water. 

The very routine knee deep water in many places

The highlight (!!!) of course was when the water was chest high and we carefully trod through it with one hand delicately supporting on the rocky walls and the other precariously balancing the backpack. To their credit the Organizers had warned well in advance about the need to double pack the contents of the bag in water proof covering and also the fact that at places we might have to wade through chest high water.  There never really were any formal breaks for breakfast and lunch, and it was almost always when we were waiting for each other to catch up. There were some absolutely yummy chocolates up for offer. Still not very sure whether it was on account of the Birthday of one of the trekkers (No one was complaining though  )

Blue Lagoon

Fun and frolic at Blue Lagoon

There was opportunity towards the end of the day’s action to frolic in a pond of water rather exotically called Blue Lagoon Pond. 

The opportunity was gratefully taken up by a few enthusiastic swimmers in our group with the others being content to click pics and idle around.

The predominant mood that overshadowed everything else as we approached the dry river bed towards evening was one of relief and gratitude for the plains. The Valley is rocky all the way, and at the end of close to twelve hours of continuous action, the group had just about had more than its share of rocks.  The overnight stay under the clear skies, with Campfire, songs, games and of course yummy local food freshly cooked was like the proverbial cherry on the cake.

Campfire Fun

The enterprising Sachin with local Chef Nana 

Next day morning brought with it the experience of waking up to open skies, freshening up with water from the small body of water nearby and of course attending nature’s call in the open fields !!! Post breakfast it was a couple of hours of absolutely relaxing games. Both the rib tickling and the team building varieties of games saw enthusiastic participation from all.

Krishna - Hanuman Game 

Krishna - Hanuman Game

Cool team building game

 The easy way in which our trek leads displayed fabulous people skills while competently managing the technical aspects of a tough trek spoke volumes about their capabilities. After the games, it was a couple of hours of relaxed  stroll through the fields and a few rocky patches to  Dehne Village, where few more games and  lunch later we proceeded towards Asangaon Railway Station and back to our homes. 

Chale Chalo

Authentic Rural Maharashtrian Lunch

School time Pepsi Cola 

Special mention here also of the opportunity to gorge on the school time ‘Pepsi cola’ 

 The two day experience as always left me grateful for the availability of such magnificent places just a few hours from where we live and also for the sheer affordability of it. As with most treks, no words can truly describe the trek, it has to be actually experienced. Special mention of our group composition. There were trek veterans, trek rookies and the youngest trekker as young as 14 years old that had come along with her father.  As a word of caution, even though we had many first timers, this is by no means an easy trek; hence a certain level of physical fitness and endurance is expected to actually enjoy the trekking experience.  A decent pair of trekking shoes, a good backpack and a good head lamp is invaluable accessories.

For the curious this entire experience was less than 48 hours in duration and was costing Rs.1, 700/- . This time it was a joint effort by Tattva Adventures and Trek Mates India. Thank you  Jaal , Nilesh , Mahen and Sachin for all the help along the way .