Treks are some of the first events that happen at the start of a new academic year at SPIT. They serve not only break from the usual concrete jungle but also as an opportunity for juniors to interact with their seniors. Memories are made, bonds are created and mischiefs are managed throughout these wondrous adventures organized by the committees of SPIT.
ESA-IETE Trek
On the morning of 5th August, 65 students from EXTC and Electronics queued up outside Sardar Patel Institute Of Technology. Their destination? Tikona Fort, around 35km from Lonavala. The peak was located 3500 feet above mean sea level, providing a fantastic view of Pawna Dam and neighboring Visapur and Lohagad forts.
The bus journey started at 7:30 am, with breakfast, games, and laughter on the way. The trek took one and a half hours, with the reward being a Mahadev temple and a view to behold. Everyone spent quite some time clicking pictures of each other and the lush green mountains, followed by fun games like dumb charades. The trekkers also witnessed few local people in their traditional garb, before being served lunch, eaten with eagerness and accompanied by songs.
But like all good things, this too had to end and finally, the students started descending, rather reluctantly. Some quick snacks were taken before the buses left for Mumbai, with people still trying to comprehend the immensely beautiful sights they had seen some hours ago. All this left everyone wanting for more, especially the newly minted First Year students. Sumedh Kalnawat, one such thrilled FE, shared his thoughts, “It was an exhilarating experience. The seniors were very friendly and made sure we had a great time”. Vidushi Razdan, Head Of Events of ESA said,“The trek was an amazing experience. Being a moderate level trek, the support given by the committee members was extremely crucial. We are also thankful to IETE for an amazing collaboration”, and she speaks for everyone when she says “Here’s to more treks and a great year ahead!”.
IEEE Trek
Lohagad, a fort situated close to the hill station Lonavala, has a beautiful flora surrounding it. It has an elevation of 1,033 m (3,389 ft) above sea level. This year, IEEE conducted a successful trek to Lohagad with over 90 students from Electronics and EXTC branches on Saturday, August 12. With antakshari, singing, and dancing along with breakfast en-route, time seemed to fly as the students reached the starting point of the trek on a cloudy day. The weather seemed perfect for a trek. The path to Lohagad was filled with energy and enthusiasm as the students were amazed by the surrounding beauty. Waterfalls, fun games and numerous photo sessions along the way, everyone finally reached the top by 3 pm. The breathtaking view, the chilling weather, and delicious lunch served couldn’t stop the students from smiling. The experience was enhanced by singing and a guitar jig. After having a good time at the top, the students began their descent, tired but with a bag full of memories and gratification of completing the trek. “It was my absolute pleasure organizing the trek, cheers to the entire team who worked relentlessly for it. Cheers to everyone, especially the first years, who made the IEEE trek an unforgettable experience!”, says Manasvi Koundinya, IEEE Head of Public Relations.
ITSA Trek
Peb Fort, also known as Vikatgad Fort is a fort located 19km from Karjat, in Raigad district, Maharashtra. The fort is in continuation with the Malang gad, Tauli Hill and Chanderi fort of the Matheran Hill Range. This year, ITSA organized an exciting trek to Vikatgad Fort on 5th August 2017. All the enthusiastic students gathered at dawn to embark on this challenging journey. Breakfast was served to all. The trek began in a quite muddy road and involved only rock climbing. The higher the trekkers climbed, the steeper the path got, reaching a point where the trekkers had to cling to the mountain in order to avoid sliding down the valley. However, along with this strenuous path, the mesmerizing view proved to be a boon. On reaching the top, after three hours of sincere effort, it was finally time to reap the harvest. The trekkers were greeted by a view that words couldn’t describe. With waterfalls, monkeys and a beautiful forest canopy, delicious lunch was served. The next few hours, the trekkers took photos and relaxed with the calming and pleasant view. Everyone loved the trek and many beautiful memories were made. Parth Tamane, the chairperson of ITSA, said, “Arranging the trek was a wonderful experience. It helped all ITSA members to strengthen their bonds with each other. It was a beautiful start to a new year, all in all, it was worth all our efforts and ITSA hopes to rise and meet more expectations this semester! ”
CSI-FACE Trek
Visapur Fort is a hill fort near Visapur village in Maharashtra, India. It is located in Pune district. On 5th August 2017, CSI (Computer Society of India) and FACE (Forum for Aspiring Computer Engineers) collaborated to organize a trek to Visapur Fort with a participation of over eighty people from the Computer Science Department. It proved to be a great ice-breaker event for the juniors as over 27 enthusiastic FEs participated in it. The students’ left early morning for Visapur Fort, the journey did not seem hectic as the students passed their time by playing various fun games. After a 3 hour journey, they reached the base village where they were provided with fresh breakfast. After the breakfast, everyone buckled up for what they had come for “The Visapur Trek!”
It was moderately a difficult trek as the surface was slippery due to the rains. The students had to traverse through a narrow pathway going uphill, leading to a breath-taking lush green terrain, with an inviting spot for a quick refuge, at about half the distance from the top. The resting time posed to be a blessing in disguise, as the rest of the track was teaming with thorny bushes and sharp twigs forming an alluring tunnel, while the slippery moss, trying her best to prohibiting the students from entering further. As they progressed, they had to climb through rocks with cold and fresh water falling over them which nearly made them look like miniature waterfalls! It was an ideal place to take pictures.The top had a picturesque view of grassy, hilly terrain, fortified by medieval ruins and small enclosures and a temple.
Everyone had their lunch, clicked some pictures and had some fun. Down-hill journey was tougher due to the slippery surface, students were quite cautious and had to maintain their composure. It was again a 3-hour journey to reach home. It was overall an adventurous experience for the students with great memories to take back home. “This was the best trek I’ve been to in all my three years at S.P.I.T. It wasn’t very easy per say, but it was worth it all.” says Royston D’Mello, TE Computers (Part of the Organising Committee)
Report by Arya Stark, Jack Sparrow, Erza Scarlet, Barney Stinson
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