Pune Pootle

I've just got into Pune, India after 20+ sleepless hours of airplanes and airports ... I'm tired, I'm really tired, and I've  been having those sleep deprived surreal sensations. It's about 1PM, it's hot 30C+, and it's humid, 50%+ ... and it's time for a slow run in the sun a little along city streets but more along urban hill trails.

From the hotel I have about one mile of road work to bring me to the first short section of trails. It's a Sunday afternoon so the road here is actually pretty quiet at the moment.

Senapati Bapat Road

The trails lead up a small hill marked on maps as Hanuman Tekdi. There are a few features of note on this dusty little hill. I pass some kind of pagoda structure on the ascent. Reaching the summit I pause to take a look behind over Vetal Tekdi which is my next target today. Looking around the summit there is a shrine, and we can see lots of evidence of the excellent Green Hills Group work to improve the flora on the hills around Pune. The trails descend passing a memorial. I have disturbed some birds of prey in the trees and these are wheeling overhead at the moment. I start to wonder if they are waiting for me to drop in the heat ... perhaps I need some sleep ...

The trails leading up Hanuman Tekdi ...

... dusty rocky trails ...

... passing some kind of pagoda like structure ...

... and just a little more of a rocky dusty pull up to the summit.

Looking over to Vetal Tekdi.

There's a local project improve the flora here, these trees and bushes are carefully hand irrigated.

Summit shrine

Rocky dusty descent ...

... passing a memorial.

There are birds of prey wheeling overhead.

I complete the descent landing on BMCC Road, and after about another mile of road work I reach the trails which will take me up Vetal Tekdi. Just before the trails I meet a familiar dog - this hound chased me along this street twice last December. Today the poor thing seems too hot to bother. The trails upwards are steep, and dusty, and rocky, the leafless trees are shadeless, the ascent is hot and hard for me here. Soon another shrine is reached. The polite young men here tell me this is a shrine to the god Hanuman.

Hot dog!

The trails leading up Vetal Tekdi begin ...

... and climb steeply, dustily, rockily, shadelessly upwards ...

... to another shrine.

There is some relief as the trail levels off for a while after the shrine, alas no shade. These soon lead to a flat area where a group of lads are enjoying some Sunday afternoon cricket. They are a bit bemused and amused at the sight of me running, but they seem friendly enough, we have a bit of a laugh together. By the way, I think you can just about see, I am wearing a vest.

Level trails after the shrine to Hanuman

I come across some Sunday afternoon cricket ...

... the lads seem friendly enough.

The trails continue along gentle undulations and reach another shrine. The dusty, rocky, steep, shadeless returns for the final climb up to the top of Vetal Tekdi. There is a decaying metal watch-tower near the summit, it looks quite rickety and dangerous to me. Right on the summit is a temple of Vetala.

Another shrine, and then ...

... the dusty, rocky, shadeless steep returns ...

... and continues to the summit of Vetal Tekdi.

Decaying watch-tower near summit of Vetal Tekdi

Small temple at summit of Vetal Tekdi

This dog has the right idea!

The path descending Vetal toward the north is one of the main walking trails here so it's quite a bit wider. I see no walkers today, nor runners, just two small motorcycles. Early morning is the running time around here ... makes a lot of sense with these weather conditions. I run along the ridge past, around, and into a large disused quarry. It was lovely there inside the old quarry. The pools of water feed the flora which attract the fauna ... I was tempted to spend an hour sunning myself and enjoying the wildlife. Instead I went for a little scramble back out again.

Wider trails descending from atop Vetal.

Down into a disused quarry ...

... and a little bit of a scramble back out again.

I'm following faint trods across rough ground for a while now and come to a fence crossing, Indian style. This leads me onto paths along westerly spur of the ridge. There seems to be an enticing descent here as I look over the small Pashan and Baner hills, but I have a different route in mind today. Hopeful I'll explore this little track some morning over the next week. Looking a little more to the south bigger hills in the distance but too far away, and impossible for me in this heat anyway. Turning around to see the north-east end of the ridge and Chatturshringi Hill, my next and final target this afternoon. The vest comes off here, I need the perspiration to better cool my body, I am really over-heating now.

Indian Stile!

Looking over small Pashan and Baner hills ...

... and to bigger hills in the distance.

Looking north east toward Chatturshringi hill

Running along the ridge I pause to admire colourful blooming bushes, seem to be a bit of a rare sight in this dry dusty place at the moment. I'm seeing a couple more of those birds wheeling above, and I'm starting to feel a bit menaced ... time to wrap up this excursion. I have a steep descent of Chatturshringi hill toward the very fine Chatturshringi temple. The vest goes back on before reaching the crowds at the temple complex.

Colourful blooming bushes ...

... in a dry dusty place.

Steep descent on rough paths ...

... interesting place to park your motorbike!

Another small temple ...

... and the colourful dome of the larger Chatturshringi Temple from above and behind.

Steps at Chatturshringi Temple

Entrance to Chatturshringi Temple, off Senapati Bapat Road

There's just under a mile of road work left back to the hotel now. This was a difficult run for me today, with lack of sleep during travel, and the heat. I've done about twelve kilometers, most of that on rough paths, and climbed about three hundred meters, and that's taken me almost exactly one and three quarter hours. I suppose I did take quite a lot of photos as well! So, a difficult but rewarding outing, would have been a bit better done later in the afternoon after a couple of hours kip!

Enjoy!