Duke's Nose Lonavala - Photo blog

Hello, there everyone,  here I'm with the new blog post, but this time with an unusual blog type. Yes, I'm trying my first photo blog. A learning photographer within me always wanted to fetch something like that from the year dot. As they say, 'A picture is worth a thousand words'; very rightly & so empathetically it describes way more than an anecdote. 

On the 18th March, I went on to a trek which was nearby Pune. Yes, it was our Pune's very own International hill station - Lonavala ;) . Sometimes I wonder, how Lonavala has played a-go-to-place for all seasons to us. Be it a deluge or a chilled to the bone December, it is always mesmerising & a pocket-friendly too. ;) This time, it was a Summer & a trek just around the corner. This trek was well organised by the team JOSH from Tech Mahindra. 

Here while blogging, I will deliberately try to mute the verbose in me & let my pictures do the talking. Come let's all have a short flashback of how it went. Was it easy or really adventurous? Aahaaa, don't labour your brain, just keep on scrolling..     

Tents

We reached at the base point in the village called Kurwande at 1 am, 66 km west from Pune, which also adjacent to Lonavala. And then as proposed, we were supposed to have food & a good night sleep under the open sky filled with stars. Most of us went on to prefer to get inside the tents. 

But Angad, my Chaddi buddy (a friend from childhood) & I preferred the open sky to be our roof for a night & ditched the tent. The wannabe singers were singing acoustic songs laced with guitar's background score, some were having banter & some were still having the romantic dinner date besides the campfire.  

Trekkers

After completing the morning rituals, we straight away headed for the cause which we were here for i.e. Duke's Nose Point. Duke's Nose, after Duke Wellington, previously known as Nag-Phani -- a pointed cliff belongs to Khandala besides Lonavala. To get there at the Duke's Nose, it's mandatory to go through an exhilarating trek. 

Target - The Duke's Nose Point from far away

I got this from a far away, just a few minutes after we start walking, rather hiking. It was a quite distance to be covered from the scrubland, which wasn't even to walk on before the real action begins.

Busy

He, Angad - once he started, never looked back, not even for a photo. :P  Well I guess that was the enthusiasm of a first trek; keep walking buddy.

Cheesy Smile

        Posing! Well well, that's an irony, of what I just said. Bro, what are you up to? :D 

Dutches Point

And this was our first mind boggling halt, the Dutches Point. What a scenic view we were rewarded!

Twisting Panoramic view of Western Expressway & Railways

    It was just a start of scenic views. The entire ranges of Sahyadri were waiting on the other side.

Gathering

The very first halt also meant we had to gear up for the real action. The instructor, Vaibhav (Techie & quite a gentleman) gave every possible information he could also, he shared his past experiences about the same trek & the rappelling & cliff walking to witness the Duke's Nose. 

Duke's Nose from Dutches Point

Beauty! This is what we were waiting for! Alike a Snake's pointed head section (hood) &, therefore, the name Nag-Phani. Since the cliff seems to be the shape of the Duke & hence the name Duke's Nose. 

After looking at it, I thought - What was that? Maybe a meteorite. :P

Keep Hiking

After getting instructed by the guide, folks started marching towards the Duke's Nose. They learnt that some thrill is just around the corner. 

DSLR Selfie Time

In the meantime, we were finding the ways to create memories with the aid of cameras. Sometimes I feel, Camera is the most beautiful entity scientists have ever discovered; just sheer love! <3

Bottlenecked

And there you go! We reached our most difficult task of the day. To be frank, initially, we were like, Oh my god, you gotta to be kidding me!  If we want to find ourselves on the other side, then we have to climb this rock, which was perpendicular to the base. Some guys & I felt a doubt, Is this a beginners' trek or professional beginners' trek?

Putting their best!

Anyway, we had to surpass it & so we did it whilst questioning ourselves about the next endangered rock climbing! Can we?

I saw our instructor Vaibhav standing tall on the rock without any support & with big rise smile on his face, which was towards us. I murmured to Angad, hey as climbing ha roj karat asel, nahi? (Isn't it looks like a cake walk for him?) Angad responded back with a well-pronounced thumbs up. 

The people who were finding it difficult, Vaibhav & his mates rescued them!

Looked like he was on a mission

                    Focused or timid? No, but the first adjective suits him better and so was he doing. 

Target Reminder

We really started growing in confidence after surpassing the complexed hurdle without any aid. We both kept on telling each other that, bro we are just about to reach there. But sometimes, these just about-to-reach are longer than the fortnights, aren't they?  Yes, there was still a lot to go through.

Cliff walking

        Moral of the picture: Girls can literally pose anywhere before a camera, even if their next foot could be in the deep valley. :D   

                  

I chuckled behind my covered face.  Indeed, it was a just narrow strip of screes to walk on. I teased her about the same when we got back down. :D  These funny moments in the midst were helping us to shrug off the nervousness.

My favourite thing

I could have sat there all days & all nights without making a fuss of! I was in awe, it was just magical, to sit in such a serene ambience. I wish could have taken that place back home; I loved it! 

Wanna go downtown?

You should get an award for doing this all alone but, somehow you successfully managed to steal the attention of your fellows. Time to switch the job! :P :D 

Far away: Our base camp

At this moment, I stopped glanced down, wow how far we have come! It seemed inaccessible at the morning breakfast from the base.

Relishing friendship

You know, there is a quite amazing theory behind the picnics. Once you get back home after an excursion, you realize - your bonding has strengthened. No explanation!

Brotherhood

I'm not sure, what we were discussing about - definitely not girls! :P :D  We were just a few hundreds of meters above the sea level, we could have even rocked in the heaven as well, or hell for that matter. ;) :D 

I was trusting the pinnacles!

Finally, there - this was my solo picture, that too without my knowledge, or candid as they say. :D Propelling through some more boulders before we wind up.

When you become a 4 legs animal :P 

Not sure, how many calories we have burnt, but the Sun was burning quietly above our heads. On many occasions, we played reptiles, quite a childhood memory. :)

Naturescape

I, personally, am a huge lover of landscapes. I don't know how this is? But I enjoyed every unit of time I spent up there. 

Friends Forever

I don't need to say anything. The picture itself says a lot. Remember the excursion & friendship link that I just mentioned?

Wierd?

Probably, one could have seen the biggest grin on his face. Yes, he surmounted his fear. 

The Team

         Quite a thumping number it was! 

Better view

       This is the magic of wide angle lens. 

Priyanka, Angad & me

This girl was way behind when we started off the trek. And we found her just in time with us at the finishing line. I learnt, she indeed is quite adventurous & inspirational. Thank you!

People that matter

I had a wonderful trip with this idiot. I must confess here, I was in this trek because of his initiative, so thanks a ton. Brother, we made it to the top & rocked it.  

One thing that I always do unknowingly that - I offer thankfulness to this gracious nature & it responds by making me astonished on every next meeting of ours! And that amplifies my belief that, yes I'm a tiny part of this nature. 

Top of the world

  And finally, here I was with my signing off selfie, from 616 meters above sea level. 

This trek taught me something that, I'll cherish for the rest of my life. That was -- You got to trust the nature, especially when you're on an adventure, in it. If you trust it wholeheartedly, I'm sure your adventure will have more thrill.