Up, up and above

MODEL-ACTOR Amruta Patki went for a trek to Naneghat last monsoons. It is a breathtakingly beautiful place with a height of 3,000 feet above sea level. As it was Amruta's first trekking experience, she cherishes it a lot. Here's Amruta charting the rocky climb for CS readers:

Ready steady go
It started on a funny note as we read a line 'Be gentle on my curves' on the highway to Naneghat. After a hot cup of tea in the rain with some garam garam potato bhajji we began our adventure. Rock climbing and trekking needs more than physical strength. It also needs motivation and a bunch of fun loving friends, and of course, a love for nature. I had probably not seen anything similar my whole life. It was rainy, cloudy, and foggy at the same time!

Challenges enrouteu00a0
Climbing the rocks was the toughest part of the Naneghat trek. There are lot of footholds and handholds in the rocks for easy climbing but lot of care needs to be taken. The rock patches are a bit risky in the rains. Then we passed all our bags to the top. Once, we reached the top of the mountain, 415 ft above the fort, we relaxed a little. I could see a lot of monkeys out there. We sat staring at the amazing sunset , took a few photos and binged on methi theplas, aloo sabji, pickle baked beans, cheese cubes, and nachos.

Impromptu traveller
I never plan any holiday or trek. It's always a spontaneous decision to travel as and when I get time from my busy work schedule. Next, I would like to trek to Kalsubai, which is the highest peak in the Sahyadris, 5,400 ft above sea level. I would also like to visit Mansarovar, the fresh water lake near Mount Kailash in Tibet. I am an adventurous, and love both the mountains and the seas. I would love to travel to South America as well as to North Carolina in the US.
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Beauty at home
Yes it definitely did. In Bollywood films or even otherwise, we always see and admire the natural beauty of westernu00a0 countries. Places like Naneghat are the hidden treasures of Maharashtra. We must take the initiative of promoting treks in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. In fact, a film like Swades beautifully highlighted the beauty of Wai.u00a0