This trek to Matheran, which I will now talk about had one BIG & SERIOUS incident and one particularly funny memorable incident.

The Serious Incident is a story in itself—and one that deserves to be told in a couple of parts. I will share my part of the story later, while some of my colleagues who were there will add their own perspectives and memories. It was a SCARY INCIDENT, and even today it remains in the minds of many of us as one of those dreaded experiences that we would never wish to encounter again.

But before we get to the BIG Incident, let me share the small memorable incident that has stayed with us all these years…

The One Tree Hill Trek – The Peanuts & Monkey chase

Of the numerous treks to Matheran from its various entry points that we undertook during our scouting stint, the TREK TO ONE TREE HILL IN THE RAINS remains one of the most memorable.

Matheran in the rains is a sight to behold—the hills turn a lush, vibrant green, waterfalls spring to life, and mist gently wraps itself around the forested slopes.

After reaching Ambewadi, we started the climb towards One Tree Hill. It was a trek of medium difficulty—challenging enough to test the boys, but enjoyable throughout. There were about 20 to 25 of us, scouts and scouters, and, as with every trek, there were several incidents that remained etched in our memories.

After trekking up to One Tree Hill, we came across a small garden, where we decided to take a break, have some snacks and drink some water. We were, of course, constantly alert to the presence of Matheran's famous monkeys, which seemed to be lurking around us, watching every movement and, more importantly, every morsel of food!

Then came the episode that none of us could have anticipated.

Manek Scouter  produced a white plastic bag filled with peanuts and began sharing them with the scouts.  Now, anyone familiar with Matheran knows that a white plastic bag is practically an invitation to the monkeys. To a monkey, a plastic bag—especially a white one—is a sure sign that something edible is inside.

Sure enough, we soon spotted a large monkey boldly making its way towards Manek Scouter.  Manek Scouter, being the true nature lover that he was, apparently had no objection to sharing his peanuts with our furry visitor. He was quite prepared to feed the monkey.

But the monkey had other plans. In one swift movement, it snatched the entire bag of peanuts from Manek Scouter's hand and ran off towards the cliff!

What happened next was something none of us had ever seen before.

We had all seen monkeys chasing humans.  But here we were witnessing the exact opposite—Manek Scouter chasing a monkey to regain his precious peanut bag!

The scene was absolutely hilarious and completely unexpected. A group of scouts and scouters stood watching as Manek Scouter, who had intended to feed the monkey, now became the aggrieved party, chasing after it to recover his bag.

The monkey, however, was clearly the more experienced of the two.  As Manek Scouter chased, it casually jumped off the cliff onto the trees below and disappeared into the foliage, taking the entire bag of peanuts with it.

All that remained was an angry and frustrated Manek Scouter, standing with us and watching helplessly as his peanuts vanished into the trees.

It was one of those wonderfully absurd moments that scouting gives you—an ordinary trek suddenly turning into an unforgettable story.

We had gone to One Tree Hill to trek.  We came back with the story of Manek Scouter and the Great Peanut Chase!  And to this day, whenever the subject of our Matheran treks comes up, this incident is sure to bring a smile to the faces of those who were there.