The Recce
SEEKING GOLD
11th & 12th February
If you've been invited to this page, you have been carefully selected as one of our own, as one that has a thick thirst for the forest, as someone that wants a lot more, and most importantly can handle it.
In a few words, The Recce is an extreme version of RUGGED
Some Background
Whenever we host a hike or even a RUGGED, we conduct a min of 1 recce and an average of 2-3 recces before hosting any of our guests. This is because we want to be certain of the landmass, the terrain, and want to avoid running into problems especially when hosting.
Recce's are full of uncertainty, and we don't ever know what really to expect until we arrive at the location. We're always at risk of getting lost or can find ourselves in uncomfortable situations, but that is also how we understand the terrain better or find those hidden beauty spots.
Sticking to our identity, our recces are conducted in absolutely
unknown unmarked unvisited thick foliage based forests
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We search for unexplored terrain such as the above using multiple research methods. Once we have settled on a coordinate we think is worthy of exploring or something we may call a gold mine, we head over to the location to explore.
Since the location has never been visited before and in most instances no information is available, we prepare for the worst.
We carry our tent, gear, and hydration for 2 full days and are mentally prepared to spend two full days in the forest at min if required.
We're ready for that uncertainty.
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The real Idea
We have been conducting Recces by ourselves for years without taking the additional LIABILITY of having anyone else join. Recces are unpredictable and can be dangerous. Having someone with lesser experience & ability can be extremely problematic when in unknown landscape.
But, over the years and after hosting the few of you on experiences like RUGGED, we've realized that we would really like to have some of you join in, because some of you really would fit into this environment/situation, that it also could be your cup of tea.
People like Rustom & Parul are certainly the kinds we would love to spend more time with and adventure heavily with.
In a way, we want this to be a gift or a token of appreciation to those few that have stuck around with us all these years. That understand us and perceive nature just as we do.
We've additionally made it a point to ensure that this is a subsidized trip compared to how we normally charge for the kind of effort & time that will go into something like this.
You will be hiking into uncertainty
We do not know what to expect. We may only have an idea.
It may be tough, easy, moderate or outright outrageous. May be short or long. We don't really know! We'll be finding out together.
Open to only 8
The Recce is only open to 8 individuals.
Why SUCH A SMALL NUMBER?
Because we need to be extremely strong and have the ability to move fast if we find ourselves in tricky or uncomfortable situations. Too many people will slow us down and we want to have the ability to remain swift especially when in unchartered territory.
Why 2 Team Members
We generally operate at a 5:1 ratio, but the Recce demands all the strength we can get as a unit.
We don't thread the unknown lightly.
We need a whole lot of strength, as much as we can get.
And want to ensure we are strong.
How this will work
1. WhatsApp Us to Join
We want to ensure that only invited individuals can sign up.
Participants will be selected on a first come first basis provided you are on the invite list and you are both physically and mentally in good shape.
2. Sharing of Coordinates
Once the unit of 4+2 is complete, we will share with you the coordinates of a forest patch we think is deserving of attention. This happens 4-5 days prior to the trip. Your duty over the week is to study the terrain, we'll guide you how.
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3. A Single Meet over Zoom
2 days prior to the trip, we will get on a Zoom call and discuss places of interest on the map and patches that look interesting. We will decide how to go about our trip and will decide possible routing. We will nonetheless tweak our decisions when we are at ground zero.
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4. The Recce Weekend
We spend 2 full days in the forest and live a very RUGGED weekend.
Costs
As mentioned earlier, this is a super subsidized experience.
We want it to be our token of appreciation, while inviting only a few special people
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The charges for the trip are only Rs 2999 for both the days in the forest. It will cover tents, sleeping bags & food.
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The only hitch is to transport us to our locations, we will have to hire a 6 seater vehicle for 2 days. The cost for that avergely works out to Rs 10,000 with tolls.
The vehicle is imp for two reasons:
1. Our locations are extremely remote and public transportation does not exist or is exceedingly inconvenient.
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2. We want to have a vehicle on standby for emergency purposes. We will be plannng out an emergency protocol together, and a vehicle on standby that can approach us from different sides of the forest can be very handy to have.
To cover purely private vehicle costs, Rs 2500 is an additional cost that goes directly to the vehicle.
The final cost of joining comes to Rs 5500/-
If you're in, get in touch ASAP
Recces dont happen to often. The upcoming one is happening this 5th & 6th Feb. We will try to do one every once in 1-2 months.