Dos and don’ts to prevent trekking mishaps

Always carry a walking stick, torch and first aid kit when you go for trekking. Don’t click selfies in risky locations. Watch out for landslides and boulder falls. If needed, take help of professional guides. These are a part of the exhaustive dos and don’ts list issued by the Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh (AMGM), the apex mountaineering body of the state.

With the monsoon trekking commencing in Maharashtra, this notice is being circulated among trekking and adventure organisations and groups, school and college students, and social media platforms.

AMGM President Umesh Zirpe, Working President Hrishikesh Yadav and Secretary Dr Rahul Warange came out with the exhaustive list during the weekend.

“In the past we have come across unfortunate incidents during monsoon trekking. It is always better to be safe and hence we have come out with the dos and don’ts. Safety is the most important thing in adventure,” said Zirpe, an expedition leader of international repute who has extensive knowledge of various terrains of Maharashtra including Western Ghats, most popular for monsoon trekking.

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“The Sahyadri range of Maharashtra has now become a playground for every adventure enthusiast, especially trekkers, rock climbers, photographers, and several nature lovers,” said Zirpe, who is the founder-director of Guardian Giripremi Institute of Mountaineering (GGIM).

“However, the remoteness of some of the locations, the difficulty of technical climbs and dangers of wilderness have led to serious mishaps, at times even fatal ones, creating a sense of fear among the masses. In the past few years, casualties have significantly risen yet the system for identifying the victim's location, the severity of the situation and subsequent effective measures to be implemented is not well organized,” he added.

Zirpe said that these are all basics and everyone is aware of but it is often ignored. “Whenever we go for treks, we need to inform close people about the location, duration, route, details of trek leader. Passing on this information is very handy,” he said.

“In case the trek and route is changed midway, the same also needs to be conveyed,” he added.

“We have often come across that people do not study the weather forecast before stepping outdoors. This is very essential but again people ignore it,” he said, adding that one has to be very careful near water bodies like lakes, dams, reservoirs. “Extreme caution is needed in waterfalls, but actually people crowd in waterfalls and in the past there are records of disasters in waterfalls,” Zirpe said.

Maharashtra Mountaineers Rescue Coordination Centre (MMRCC) 24x7 helpline number (7620-230-231) for coordinating an immediate search and rescue operation required anywhere in Maharashtra, predominantly in hilly and remote areas.