Up at 0345hrs today, despite having slept at an obnoxious hour, well past midnight. We were headed to Tikona fort, in the Sahyadris. Considering the excellent arrangements, I didn't have much to do after boarding the bus - settled into the seat by the door, gracefully accepted the nicely-packed Thepalas and pickle, and soon after, dozed off. Woke up at the Food Mall halt on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Helped myself to a coffee and chatted up a conversation with TV. He'd done some trekking too and had even explored some places solo.

I don't know how long we had driven, but as the signs indicated that Lonavala was approaching, the enrapturing greens, characteristic of hillstations in India, began enveloping the path beyond. It was around noon, but the visibility dropped to about 30m, and the mist - added to the delighting cold.

I think we turned some 17kms before Lonavala, and went through a hamlet called Pawna Nagar. Then there was a climb, some hair-pin bends and before we could realize, the Pawna Lake was visible - looking splendid with the greenery around. The bus parked itself somewhere near the base of Tikona hill. TV and I greedily helped ourselves to the Thepalas. Thepalas and green chilli pickle taste even better in the ravenous hunger.

This was a trek-cum-plantation drive and we helped ourselves to little Mango, Banyan and Gulmohar saplings and also collected a few varieties of seeds. I found the idea of planting saplings alongside the trek route really nice. We didn't have no implements and everyone scouted around for hard twigs or sharp-edges rocks to do the pit-digging. It wasn't too tough to identify ideal spots in the moist earth and before long, we were requesting for even more saplings and seeds.

The climb uphill was comfortable, with most of the path being a modest incline. The final climb of steep stairs was quite tiring, and most of us reached the top and lazed around for a good while. It was fun finishing the apple and sandwiches lined with jam, at the top. It also gave me some time to learn of TV's passion for the beach he often visits.

The bright sun had made the climb a little tiring, so the descent in pouring rain was very welcome. We planted multiple saplings on the way back. The little exercise made me sweat inside my raincoat and I thoroughly enjoyed the cold splashes on my uncovered forehead, accompanied by warm moisture from the inside.

The drive back was brilliant in the pouring rain. Most of us were soaked to the core and we halted briefly on the Expressway to enjoy piping hot Vada Pav and steaming Coffee. This also gave us the time to confirm the plan for visiting TV's much raved about beach haunt - tomorrow.