With the arrival of monsoon, all trek enthusiast get excited about the monsoon treks. So was I and when it was learnt that we will be trekking Kohoj my joy knew no bounds. As I had heard about this place for the very first time, I started googling about this place for more information. Finally I got to know that this place falls in the Dahanu region and me was all set for it.
It was decided that sunday morning (8th July 2007) we all gather at Borivli station platform #4 from where we were supposed to catch the train to Virar. We all assembled there at 6:30 am sharp. We took the 6:45 am local to Virar. At Virar we were supposed to be getting into the shuttle for Dahanu. Since we were a bit late, we sprinted in such a way that it they were olympics we would have won the gold. We did win the gold by getting in time inside the shuttle. After half an hour in the shuttle we reached Palghar from where we would travel by ST to Waghote which is on the way to Manor. We reached Waghote and for the very first time got a glimpse of what we were gonna climb.
It was monsoon time and the whole surroundings were green. After a brief break for tea/coffee, we were guided about how are we going to proceed and we started off. A walk through the fields, we reached a lake of fresh water. We all started refilling our bottles so that we dont fall short of water on our way up. We were also told the shape of the lake is heart shaped which will be more evident as you climb up.
The climb started and we were enjoying every bit of it. There were clouds accompanying us but no signs of rain. That was actually making us sweat a lot. But we continued. After walking by the side of the lake and clicking some nature pics, the actual climb started. The climb isnt very tough, but rest points at regular intervals will ensure you dont fatigue yourself out. The climb takes around 3 hours to reach the top. As it was monsoon we could see a lot of small waterfalls on our way. On our way we were passing through dense vegetation and we were just surrounded by greenary. The sight was just amazing and they are still as fresh as they were that time in our memories. As you climb higher and higher the heart shaped lake becomes more visible. At times the climb was steep. We had to be cautious that time as the way we were going through was slippery because of the rains. We negotiated and made it to the top. We all were fatigued out and some started experiencing cramps too.
At the top you have a temple, water tanks from where you can again refill your liquid supply on your way down. One note, there are no caves or places where you can hide for shelter. The temple is too small to put in it. This is the place where you ideally gather in circle and have lunch and get yourself introduced to some new members joining in. From this very place, a small climb for 5-10 minutes and you reach the penultimate top where you get to see amazing rock formations. The highlight is the man shaped rock formation. An amazing structure created due to erosion by wind. To get there you go through steep stairs which are not very tough. A photo session on the top we all got down and had our lunch. Now it was time to rest. With quick rest and all refreshed we started getting down. Finally we got down and when it was time for us to catch the bus to get back home we all got nostalgic. It was such a feeling, we decided we gonna come back to it again and again. A perfect destination to trek during the monsoons.
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