We reached the base village around 3:15 am in the morning. It was pitch dark.Β The grass blades were swaying in the cold breeze. After getting our torches ready and tightening our shoelaces, we started the slow, gradual ascent through the village proceeding towards the peak.
We passed by closed doors in the light of tubes or bulbs of the base village. As we left the village behind the darkness enveloped us once again. In around 20 minutes we reached a dead end.
There was chasm in front of us. A dark abyss. We were lost. Ahead of the chasm we could see the path glowing in the moonlight. But how do we go there or should we go back and start again, was the question. Three of us went in a huddle and decided that one will wait and two will proceed ahead down towards the chasm, where the slope was going downhill in the valley. The rest of the group was made to wait at a safe distance. One of us had a powerful torch whose beam was strong enough to reach the edge of the night. Our head torches were powerful enough for the next step, but not for finding the path.
We crossed the chasm safely and emerged on the path ahead of it, that was glowing in the moonlight. Still no sign of life around. We could see haystacks arranged by the villagers and thought we may stumble upon their huts. We came across a hut, that was glowing from within. We knocked at the door and called to the occupant of that glow. A lamp flickered inside. We could see inside through the gaps of the wooden door and somebody shuffled inside. Slowly the figure moved and the door creaked open. We took care not to shine our torches on the face. An old man wrapped in blanket opened the door and pointed us the way through the fields and mud boundaries. We kept walking and once again saw that there was another chasm ahead of us. Yet we explored it edges and crossed it and finally saw a light source ahead of us. Aah, the trailhead. May be there was a village ahead and we were on the right path. Though our torches were not able to reach that light shining in the moonlight, we were following that light. The light didnβt move. As we came close to it, the light took off from the base. It was a firefly and it flew off, when we crossed its limit of apporach.
But we saw that we were on the right track and the trailhead was just ahead. There were no chasms or abyss in front of us.
We backtracked to get our group and everyone reached the top in time to witness the sunrise from the highest peak of Maharashtra, Kalsubai.
