[kartik.virmani]

Dear All,
I should probably start in the introduction section but then thought that a better way to express about myself would be to pen down one of the journey's that was undertaken during the Cold and foggy New year of 2011( yes we rewind back to more than a year).
But never the less the memories are fresh and crisp and here goes the story .

An elongated holiday justifies the passion of getting out of the bustle of New Delhi and what better could it have been given that the long weekend was round the corner for New Year. It was four day sojourn with the tentative plan as follows :
Day 1 - 31st Dec'11- Delhi -Duggalbitta (on route Chopta, Uttrakhand)- approx 400 kms -our new year celebration destination.
Day 2- 1st Jan'11- Explore area around - Night Halt at Sari village-approx 20 Kms
Day 3-2nd Jan'11- Trek to Devaria Taal-Drive down to Rishikesh-6kms on foot+ 200 kms on tarmac.
Day4-3rd Jan'11- Rishikesh-Delhi-200 kms approx-with heavy hearts .

Riders - four friends and four Royal Enfields.

Day 1
Usually starts off with fighting the bone chilling cold of Delhi right at 4 am sharp.Set out on the road only to encounter dense fog ,which usually does pull the excitement levels down. Fortunately sense prevailed and we decided to followed a UP Roadways Bus( read as fog lamped Godzilla) like toddlers crossing the road on the way to school. The uneventful and prolonged journey costed us 8 hours to reach Rishikesh. Once we left the traffic and the fog behind on the mountains , we decided to gallop towards our destination for the grand new year celebration.However the last 30 kms or so just before Ukkhimath was again covered with dense fog and heavy snow on the road time being around 10 pm . With view of the countdown for the new year starting we decided to park our bikes along the roadside and walk down good 1/ 1.5 kms in thick jungle as the bikes were not making progress on snow. The New Year Eve celebrations were just as imagined , laden with snow ,dropping temperatures and absolute isolation and a bonfire to keep company to the thoughts.

Day 2
Started with a smile on the face ,embracing the aura of the place around us . After a leisure session of photography,exploration we set out towards Sari village and camped there for the night. It s a bliss to know that one has an earthly connect and feels blessed to be among the elements and that to for a start to the year. Sari is a small village and is a base point for treks to Deovrial Taal and beyond . The are is under Kedarnath Wildlife sanctuary and hence the pristine nature is evident.

Day 3
Started with a moderate trek to the Lake. The lake is actually perched at the top of a mountain with Sari village lying at the base. The vies en route are breathtaking as one sees the change in the topography ranging from thick forests to blinder of peaks. The first sight of the lake actually does not hold the view for long as the massive Chaukhamba peak just occupies and mesmerizes the foreground. After spending good three hours around the lake we set out for Sarri village and moved on to Rishikesh with that overpowering view of the peaks flashing right through the memories.
Day 4
Rishikesh Delhi, needless to say anything more .
So that's what weaved another beautiful memory to live with a smile.As for myself love the nature love the vehicles and will let the pictures do the talking now






































Cheers
Kartik

[mayankjha1806]

Lovely TL and good pictures, what was painful was to see them only on small resolution and not large ones. Kindly post the next lot with slightly higher resolution as its larger and easier to look at.

How did the Enfields do on the snow?

[lordofgondor]

Whoa, it feels awesome viewing so much snow in them great pictures. Those are some amazing dreamscapes that you've captured. And driving in/on the snow has its own thrills!

One quick question: I've read that there are Jeeps available till Sari; is the road motor-able enough for a sedan?

[kartik.virmani]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Lovely TL and good pictures, what was painful was to see them only on small resolution and not large ones. Kindly post the next lot with slightly higher resolution as its larger and easier to look at.

How did the Enfields do on the snow?

Thanks buddy since I am still figuring my way around the forum so I am sure to do better next time onward. The Enfields are manageable wherever there is hard ice/ maybe an inch or two of soft snow. Beyond that one prefers to walk or the clutch plates take the damage.

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Whoa, it feels awesome viewing so much snow in them great pictures. Those are some amazing dreamscapes that you've captured. And driving in/on the snow has its own thrills!

One quick question: I've read that there are Jeeps available till Sari; is the road motor-able enough for a sedan?

Thanks for the appreciation .
Ukkimath to Sari there is a Jeep service . Incase one wants to drive all the way upto Saari then that's doable as well with watchful eyes irrespective of the vehicle.

[abhinav.s]

Great first post to begin with. And as mentioned earlier, please post higher resolution pics next time. Nevertheless, amazing way to start the new year (2011) in nature's lap!! Great going. Where was 2012?

More info on how the bikes behaved and any challenges you faced in the snow?

[kartik.virmani]

Abhinav : 2012 New year was at home but the 26th Jan'12 was a republic ride to Gangotri.
without prejudice and ample rides rides under the belt all I can say is that I love the way a RE handles on these terrains. Might not be the quickest out of the bends but then again the idea is not to time the journey. The machines do need a lot of pampering and its always helpful to know ones way around them. For instance after we parked the bikes in the snow overnight , next morning my rear break went kaput . Had to reopen the whole assembly rub all the stiffness out of the shoes and it slowly started providing friction.

Some additional pics ( I hope I have managed to address the issue of smaller sized pics )





The ever so loyal bhutiya breed



The morning view of PWD Guest house at duggalbitta








My trusted ride



Sunset around Saari village



The massive Chaukhamba mastiff






Devaria Taal