Fun with friends at Ratangad!

The day started on a very wet note, with sounds of water splattering all around. We were huddled in the cave, and waiting for the light to show up, whiling away our time discussing ways to get down from the hill top. There was no let up as yet in the rain since last night, and the sound of water falling on the stones, huge trees and and in small puddles had already ceased to exist for us. We were in the last leg of our trekking trip to the Sahaydris at Ratangad, and surprisingly had more than enough of the adventure we had ever anticipated.

We could take only a few images due to the constant rains, this image is a representation of the trek to the summit...

Once the sun came out, albeit partially, the exodus to the open space in the old and rundown Shivaji fort on the hilltop was swift. Despite the low visibility outside due to insistent rain, the five us had an intense adrenaline rush. We ran out tearing off our clothes, and getting a great soak. The fact that the falling water was cold, and the mountain rocks slippery did little to dent our spirits.

Soon realizing that what we assumed was morning was actually almost noon, we packed our bags and headed down the scariest trek so far of my life. The rain, of course, never ceased and we were now soaked to the bones, and so were our backpacks. I guess we never stopped playing around, and kept slipping in and out of mud and water poodles through the return trip. It's certainly the first in the list of all the awesome and adventurous bathing experiences that come to my mind, and the fact that we were navigating through mud and sludge due to the rains, made sure that there was a small bathing session after every hour or so :)