So far I had never even imagined going on a trek with a crowd of 30 odd people. And that too with a group of guys and gals, none of whom I had ever seen before.
When I told about my idea of going on a trek with TreKshitiZ, a friend of mine expressed no different doubts and said, "Have fun!" The sarcasm was too clear to be ignored.
But I wanted to do a trek and the thought of not joining it was too painful for me. So ignoring my friend's sarcasm I said to myself, "Let me try" and I did.
TreKshitiZ had till date only a virtual existence for me. I had seen their web site, taken down some information I required for our own treks and exchanged a couple of mails with a faceless guy called Harshal Mahajan.
But in real terms TreKshitiZ was to me as virtual as its web site.
It was when I called them to inquire about the trek to Gorakhgad that TreKshitiZ came to life.
And it did so with speed.
That evening when I called three of the contacts mentioned on the web site, I got none of them at their residences.
But then my phone rang in another twenty odd minutes and the voice said, "Am I speaking to Prasad ? This is Amey Joshi".
That was a surprise for me, as I had not kept my number with any of the guys.
But then that's the way TreKshitiZ acts - quick.
As soon as he came home, Amey was given the message that one Prasad had called. He took efforts to see the number on his telephone instrument with caller ID facility and wasted no time in calling me.
This was repeated the next day and this time to my greater surprise.
Kiran Kannadkar was with him. Kiran was going to lead the trek to Gorakhgad. Quickly he gave me the details about the trek - when, where and how.
The call was over and I was hooked in.
I had now actually started looking forward to the trek.
Gorakhgad is a cool spot, not too far away from Mumbai.
Freshly prepared Vada-Pav and steaming hot Masala Chai are the perfect stimulants for treks.
Happy souls that they are! TreKshitiZ is a cheerful group.
They converse, they chat, they sing, they shout, they laugh, they dance, they yell louder than ever before - non stop!
Slowly I started enjoying the crowd. They are really lovable!
This was not known to these good-natured buddies, and hence everyone was trying hard to make me comfortable.
And to my own surprise, I started speaking to them on my own!
Perfect winter weather, a group of well-behaved trekkers and a beautiful destination called Gorakhgad.
And the Sahyadri was kind enough to reward trekkers.
From caves to summit, from discipline to laughter, from hunger to joy — everything was perfect.
TreKshitiZ practices what it preaches.
All plastic was collected and not a trace was left behind.
Why do all these guys take so much effort?
Money is certainly not the answer.
I think TreKshitiZ is a group of true nature lovers.
They love and respect Sahyadris — its geography as well as history.
They know how to extract joy from nature and how to spread it.
During the bus ride back, while songs echoed, I took stock of the day.
And to my great satisfaction, I found that there were gains on all fronts.
— Prasad Nikte