He gave up a plum career in advertising and media and started his own adventure outfit six or seven years back. He organises treks, hikes, water rappeling, cycling and heritage walks over weekends for "people who need breaks" (like us) and adventure enthusiasts.

He also does, annually, two to three long hikes, spanning 15 to 20 days (each) in the Himalayas either Arunachal Pradesh or Uttarkhand or elsewhere. He has been written about in various newspapers and figures in articles about people who changed careers to follow their dreams/passions.

I had been with one of his groups for a hiking trip a while back. I was itching to try another hike with Odati.

They had a hiking trip to Patta Fort near Igatpuri in western Maharashtra, planned for the weekend we were looking at. It seemed the perfect solution for our frayed nerves. The destination was appealing and we got all excited like kids in anticipation of that weekend. Patta Fort is four to five hours from Mumbai, by road, depending on traffic.

We left at 7.30 in the morning on a Saturday from Bandra in north Mumbai, picking up co-hikers on the way. We reach base camp near Patta village at around 12.30 pm.

Patta Fort is located on this flat plateau atop a mountain. The wind blows wildly on top and almost knocks you off your feet.