The 4,000-odd members of the Giridarshan Trekking Club not only get a high from scaling peaks and forts in the Sahyadri hills, but also love the camaraderie of fellow hikers who accompany them on trips

Satish Marathe (42), the president of the Giridarshan Trekking Club, developed a passion for hills and fort in 1983 when he was a student of Std XII in SP College. A few days later, eight more students from SP and BMCC colleges joined him. In the years that followed, Marathe continued trekking with his friends till finally, in 1989, he formally founded Giridarshan.

Just a hobby
"Trekking was just a hobby back then. I would explore the Sahyadri hills and its forts with my friends over the weekend with my friends. Today, the club has grown from eight members to over 4,000 members and it is run by a professional team headed by me," Marathe explained.

Members of the club have explored about 340 forts in and around Pune and have complied information on about 300 of these forts with photographs.

Dangerous thrills
"The Dakhbahiri Fort is a vertical cliff, which has a Shiva temple perched on top. The scenery is breathtaking, but we have to be very careful while scaling it as the climb is extremely risky. Generally, our group leaders, who are specially trained for the job, reach the top first, and secure the way for others by fitting equipment, and tying ropes to make the climb easier," he explained.

Vivek Ranade (48), a group leader, said, "We support our trekkers, who are 10 to 70 years of age, in every way we can. In fact, recently, a 63-year-old woman completed a trek of 53 km in 2 days. More importantly, she started trekking only a year back."

"A passion for studying forts and visiting forts, caves, and old temples has kept us going for the last fifteen years. It was a simple format. News reports on our activities ensured that the membership kept growing," Marathe explained.

Builds confidence
Amrita Bendre (23), an IT professional, and trekking enthusiast, said reaching the top of a hill gives her an exhilarating high. "Trekking is a passion for me. When I reach the top, I'm filled with confidence. I feel there is nothing beyond me."

Marathe said the years have rolled by but the joy remains undiminished. "Our style is the same. Visiting the forts changes our personality. It toughens our body and soul."