A journey through the woods on a rainy day!! - July 2015 - Author - Shreya Kulkarni

It had been a month since school had begun. But my routine was becoming boring day by day. Then baba came up with a fantastic idea. He was planning a trip to Bhimashankar. I was so much excited that I had promised baba that it will be me who would write the Bhimashankar blog.
  
In English there is a saying ,'Well begun is half done!' which is exactly the proverb to describe the way we all started. Everyone boarded the bus on time and the memorable journey began!!!

We took our first halt for a cup of tea and to stretch our legs . We had a nice chit-chat to get to know each other...The weather was just awesome and we were really pleased to know that it was going to be a wet day!    

First Halt

The sun was out and everyone looked very fresh after the halt. We had a great fun playing dumb charades and enjoyed every bit of it.

Dumb charades

As we started getting near to our destination we saw huge patches of green around us. Tufts of green rice were happily swaying with the wind. It was a beautiful sight. As we got down from the bus rain started pouring. We were all covered in raincoats and ponchos.

Trek Begins

Before starting our trek some new campers also joined us!! We were going to Gupt Bhimashankar, a place which is located in the jungles of Bhimashankar. It is said to be the origin of the the river Bhima. There is a Shivling of Lord Shankar which is located behind the curtains of water. We all were very excited to explore this heritage place....

Some moments

All the foliage around us was lush green. The sun and the clouds were playing hide and seek. At some times there was bright sunlight and sometimes it was raining cats and dogs.

Trekking

The path which led us was paved by foot. We were covered by the umbrellas of leaves and branches, so, there were times when we hardly felt the heavy rain. There was no plastic and garbage to criticize and the peace in the forest was something which I bet none of us had ever experienced in the city. Maybe that was the reason why all the saints meditated in the forests, even when there were no vehicles....

Nature Trail

I was leading the kids, the brave hearts of the camp, Omkar, Soham and Tanmay. Each of them was very curious about the nature around us. While walking we saw something slithering on the ground. First we thought it a earthworm. But eventually we saw that there was something bigger which was eating the earthworm. Then after a bit of more observation we saw that it was a snake..

I was sure it was a Shieldtail after a close look at its tail. All the kids were really curious and started pointing out its different characteristics. The snake as its name suggests has a tail which looks as though it is sliced down. It had dark navy blue color and had  yellow spots on his belly. It was no longer than 20 cm. After reaching home we found out its name.It was Phipson's Shieldtail.

We all waited for the rest of the group to join us. I was very happy to spot a snake in the wild for the first time. 
 

Phipson's Shieldtail

We came across many water crossings and small waterfalls. It was really fun stamping the water all around. Some of our courageous people even walked through the cold water removing their shoes and socks!

Some water crossings

The trees around us were looking really pleased with the rain gods. They were rapped in layers of green moss and mushrooms around them. They proudly swayed along with the wind and their canopy looked like a king's crown.

Lovely Mushrooms

The trees were embroidered with green moss. It was really a beautiful sight...

Moss cover

We shot a few clicks while in the forest...We were astonished to see some very huge trees uprooted due to wind. Bhimashankar had received heavy rains.

During Trek

Fern on the Bark

  Walking through the woods on a rainy day....

Some Natural Structures

Before reaching Gupt Bhimashankar we all stopped for a little snacks. We had a variety actually.. chips, biscuits, chakllis, ladoos, cakes and lot more. Everyone recollected what they had seen and we all discussed what we enjoyed the most. I had enjoyed the Phipson's Shieldtail the most.

Our Gang

After sometime we saw the Giant squirrel, the specialty of Bhimashankar and our state animal. The animal was very restless and we had to run behind it all the time to click some good photos. It was some time before we saw 3 others. One of them was quite quiet and got some good shots. It was busy eating what looked like a big pod. Its tail looked softer than Camlin golden series brushes!! Its reddish brown color radiated behind the greens.

All the kids were exhilarated by its sight...

Giant Malabar Squirrel

Our Gang

At last we reached Gupt Bhimashankar. We clicked some group photos there....It was very beautiful. There was a big waterfall. The Shivling was across the falls. We did some river-crossing and reached some more thickets.     

Near Gupt Bhimashankar

After some more up and downs we reached the Shivling. It was behind the curtains of pure water.

Stars of the gang

Some of our enthusiastic group members enjoyed getting soaked in the chill water..

Icing on the Cake

Some Bravehearts

Every one of us were utterly refreshed by this what we may call icing on the cake!!!!
Before we all started for the return trek clicked the beautiful sceneries, clear, running water, green grass and the other bio-diversity... Apart from the joyful and unforgettable memories we neither left anything behind nor picked up anything from there..

At Water Crossings

After we reached back in our bus, some of us were a bit exhausted and hungry. So, we went to a restaurant for lunch. We all had hot and delicious food in there. Some of us who were wet changed into dry and warm clothes. Then we left for some sight-seeing in Bhimashankar. While on our way we saw the greens, waterfalls and also a Sambhar deer! We paid a visit to the Bhorgiri village and fort.

Full gang..

Our Gang -
Kulkarni's - Kedar, Chitra, Omkar, Shreya
Deuskar's - Girish, Surekhar, Rhishikesh, Soham
Gokhale's - Amol, Shilpa, Anuja
Kekre's - Anoop, Suhani, Tanmay
Pratibha Nerlekar, Sayali Ashar, Apurva Lakhmani
We all had hot tea before leaving Bhimashankar. It was a very memorable journey which I bet none of us will ever forget. 'Some journies are more enjoyable than our final destinations!' This picnic would explain it all!!!

Picnic approved by..

Thanks all for reading my first ever blog!! Please let me know your feedback through the comments!!

Shreya Kulkarni,
SPM English School, Std-8