The expedition called `Salute the soldier' was flagged off by SP Jain, chairman and managing director of the sponsors, The Pride Hotel, at 12.45 pm on Saturday. Waghmare and Joshi were extended a warm send-off following an arti and breaking of a coconut - for a safe and successful journey.

The expedition from Pune to Kargil will take 28 days, with the duo planning to touch the heights around September 12 or 13. `We plan to cover 135 to 140 km per day, travelling from 6 am to 4 pm everyday. Permission has been taken from the Army base at Jammu, to proceed to Kargil.' En route, the two will halt at Nashik, Dhule, Indore, Guna, Gwalior, Agra, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Bheror, Delhi, Karnal, Kathuna, Jammu, Udhampur, Srinagar and Drass.

The duo have taken an engraved message and a flag with them, which they will present to the Army Commander. They will also salutethe martyrs who hailed from Pune.

Waghmare and Joshi are fitness experts - Waghmare teaches at the hotel's health club and Joshi is a freelance outdoor fitness expert - who have earlier also undertaken such expeditions. Last year they undertook a trip to Gangotri, so high-altitude terrains will not deter them. In the current expedition, the highest point they will touch is 15,000 metres.

Waghmare and Joshi are equipped with two pairs of track suits, caps, a sleeping bag, wind-cheaters, water bottles, an extra tube and tire, besides a first-aid medical kit. `We are sure people will help us on the way too,' they say. Armed with this survival gear and loads of optimism, they are more than ready to face the trails of the expedition.