S01D03 - Rajmachi
Thanks a lot to HG, Monaro, Manish, Karan and Kedar for a wonderful experience. Apologies to the 2K+ people who have already gone through this thread and my posts being late. Mods please excuse the back to back posts as I am sure that I will be using the 30 snaps limit.
It all started with a group of like-minded people who cherish pushing their respective machines to the limit. This event was no different. It had its own share of fun, slips, clutch smell and what not.
Started from Aurangabad at 1600 hours on Saturday 29 June 2013 and anchored in Amchi Mumbai at 2200 hours. Had some (surprising) lousy food at Oye Punjabi en route. Took a strategically planned 6 hour sleep as there was a big day planned ahead and my first organised off road event. Did not want to be drousy all through.
Now this is the best part of it all - everyone reached on time and a standing ovation to all for the same. Started off from Airoli Toll Gate @ 0600 hours. Drive to Kamat's Lonavala was wonderful. Coming from a drought affected area, greenery, drizzle, low clouds, fogs and 22*C temperature is pleasing. Kedar and Monaro joined us from Lonavala and Pune respectively. Quick breakfast and and fun begins.
Entered the route to Rajmachi from Dela Adventures. There was a group of lady traffic police recruits on a march. Hundreds of them. Everyone is wondering what are so many Fortuners doing here at this hour! You should have seen the look on their faces. I had an inferiority complex - "focus man - focus" I thought.
The starting trail was concreted. I never wanted that. I should have been here last year and maybe things would have been better I wondered. I wanted mud, rocks, slush, rivers and this was just the opposite. Have faith in God - maybe there are such things further after all. And there was - more than what I wanted - and even more backbone breaking than I thought.
So the concrete ends, and gravel started. Then the rocks started. Then the sharp rocks started. Then came the first slushy slope. It was very small in comparison to the monster slope ahead. "Ha-ha" here comes the fun. Mine is a VSC 2012 Fortuner, this is nothing for me. Plain jane H and 1 gear and I started slowly to reach the edge and brake - wait - Brake ! God Brakes ! ! Locked the steering to right but it will still go left ! I literally slipped - with no traction, no friction and no steering for at least 1 meter ! SO much fun! Time to pull up socks and not to take things for granted !
Moved ahead and then came the first river crossing. Asked Guderian for instructions. No HL, no nothing, Just 1st Gear and move. Crossed it in a jiffy. No drama here and then came the monster slope.
Wait.
Enough words for now - let the pictures do the talking.
Parked at the Expressway Truck Bye for some snaps and a time check !
Parked at the Expressway Truck Bye for some snaps and a time check !
Karan and his monster
Scenery 1
Scenery 2
Partners in the upcoming crime - Karan, Akhil, Guderian and Manish
Scenery 3
Breakfast at Kamat's Lonavala. Self shot from Sony DSC-W220. Glare on the left comes from flash reflecting from the tissue paper glass. L-R Akhil, Guderian, Manish, Me and Karan
Concrete roads end and this is the gravel part.
Lined up for a quick brief and some snaps
Scenery 4
First obstacle - this is the effect of a landslide that had happened recently. It was tough to maneuver through but not impossible. Everyone helped each other and also the Ghuspait Pajero Sport was guided through.
Ghuspait Pajero Sport is narrower than Fortuner. He came through in a breeze.
Route map en route
This stream followed the entire route
Karan at the Jungle trail
Manish enjoying some slush. Apologies for the shake, it was difficult to stand still on the slush, so much that the image stabilization on my canon lens did not work!
Halted before the first river crossing. Waiting for the bikers to go through. First in line was Monaro:
Next came in Karan
This is Manish and his friend Akhil
My turn !
Kedar joining the party
Make way for Guderian !
And this is the monster slushy slope I was talking about. Monaro, Karan with his brand new set of Conti AT's, Manish with his Dunlops HT and I made it through. Then it rained heavily and some bikers ruined the tracks. This is where Guderian tried a lot and the wheels and steering had a mind of their own and HG could not do anything. One cannot defeat physics and all you need in off roading is traction and momentum. Both were not available. It was a wise decision to back off as there was no point in burning clutch and damaging the gearbox. Remember the Ghuspait Pajero Sport - made it through as it was wearing Apollo Hawks AT and had clocked only 1.7K kms. Then comes one uncleji in JH registered Land Rover Discovery 4 who commented on lack of skill and incompatible Fortuner for such a mere nonsense slope !
. He went ahead, and huffed, and puffed, and tried, and then realised that there was too much weight which actually Monaro and Karan told him about, down came the passengers and then again uncle huffed, and puffed, and tried, and then realised that it was better to shut up, turn around and run away.
Akhil has the videos and requesting Manish to upload them please.
This is the amount of mud that had a mirror effect on Guderian's shoes
No this is not Paneer Butter Masala with dried and fried bay leaves
Now that some of us were not able to conquer the monster slope, we all decided to go back. This is the trail that we used:
And the customary derrier shot:
End of upload limit and to be continued...