HYDERABAD:The idea of creating an adventure club for Hyderabad was conceived on May 27, 2008. The maiden trek of the group was to the Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal on June 7, 2008. Ten years later, the group, Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (GHAC) has conducted 4,000 activities and counts over 28,000 as its members.
During the initials days of the club, adventure events were mostly conducted around Hyderabad at places like Durgam Cheruvu, Moula Ali Hills, Ammuguda, Khajaguda, Narsapur, Kondamadugu, Bhongir Fort, Keesaragutta and Rachakonda Fort. Weekend adventure events were conducted on the outskirts of Hyderabad at locations like Ananthagiri Hills in Vikarabad and Koilkonda, Ghanpur forts in Mahbubnagar.
Later, the group started exploring historic forts nestled in the Sahyadri Hills of Maharashtra to the scenic hill treks of Karnataka. Adventure events like scuba diving in Murudeshwar, paragliding in Kamshet, white water rafting in Dandeli, bungee jumping, canyan swing in Rishikesh also saw good participation.
A key aspect of the growth in the number of events was also the year-long in-house weekend-based Outdoor Leadership programme which saw many passionate adventure enthusiasts signing up to learn various skills like wilderness first aid, map reading and navigation, rope skills, wilderness survival, safety and evacuation, etc.
Apart from adventure and outdoor activities, GHAC also conducts events like Hyderabad Triathlon, consisting of swimming, cycling and running done in a sequence of various levels of challenges.
"When I started the club, it was challenging to get regular participants. However, over the years I am seeing a huge change in not only participation but also expectations of our members when it comes to outdoor and adventure events," says GHAC Founder Director Diyanat Ali.
GHAC is celebrating its 10-year anniversary at the Phoenix Arena, HITEC City on May 27 from 7 pm onwards.
People interested in participating can contact 07729988784.