Leader: Kaustubh Kulkarni

Co-leaders: Prasad Mhatre, Ashish Mhatre, Rajesh Patil

Blog by Saurabh Oka:

This time it was Nafta (A prominent mountain seen on the right side from Harishchandragad’s Kokankada) climb. I was super excited as everytime I visited Harishchandragad, I always felt Nafta special and have some connect.

Being Chakram Hikers Mulund leaders event, it was for limited people whom you know for quite some time. At last we were only 6 and a guide.

As a warm up and nostalgia we climbed Harishchandragad from Pachnai on Saturday and then rested back at the base.

Sunday morning, team Chakram Hikers Mulund started at 6 am with the technical team who already did pilot last year and had identified the climbing route and fixed 4-5 bolts required on the patch. That saved a lot of time.

Nafta and Doma are twin mountains out of which the left, out of the two is called Nafta where we were climbing.

The route was through the col (khind) between the two and then there was narrow traverse through Karvi to the left to reach the rock face. There climb started. First patch was of around 100 ft on the firm rock. 

The 2nd patch was with some loose rocks of around same distance. Then you are on the flat surface below Nafta top.

Again you have to cross thick Karvi and then you reach the last tree before the last climb to reach the top.

From here we had to be very careful as the ledge is very narrow and you see deep valley on both the sides while walking.

Finally Team Chakram Hikers reached the top by noon.

It was amazing feeling to be in the laps of Nafta which I had seen every time from Kokankada.

We were delighted with magnificent views of surrounding mountains. 

Below in the valley Hapatyacha Kada, on top of it was Harishchandragad and its famous Kokan kada, to its left Kaladgad, in front of Harishchandragad was Sitamai cha dongar, on the right was long range (Rohidas shikhar, Nimgiri-Hanumantgad, Malshej ghat, Bhojgiri, Duandya, Moroshicha Bhairav, Jivdhan, Dhakoba, Naneghat).

On the opposite side, from left, Ajoba, Katrabai, AMK, Kalsubai, Ghanchakkar. It was awesome views all around us.

We descended top patch carefully and then rappelled the first two patches and then reached the based safely.

It was fabulous 2 days in the mountains with trek mates Kaustubh Kulkarni, Prasad Mhatre, Rajesh Patil, Pranav Naphade, Lalitesh Mandrekar.