Team-BHP - To Yamunotri & Gangotri: Witnessed Landslides, Cloudburst, Floods & Traffic Jams
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"JAI MATA DI"
Thank you GOD for shielding us from Mother Nature's Fury.

My sincere prayers for the safe return of all those still stranded at various parts of Uttarakhand. Condolence to all those who lost their lives in the tragic incident which is now being termed as "Himalayan Tsunami"




Prologue
Again this trip materialised unexpectedly as a meeting came-up on 12th evening at Dehradun. With kids vacation on we decided to spend the weekend in Dehradun.

My business meeting went off as scheduled and was over by 9 pm. While having our dinner I suggested about a trip to Yamunotri & Gangotri, Kids jumped with excitement. Wify too looked very keen about this trip. All of us were of the same opinion that instead of spending a day each at Kempty & Ddoon lets do this trip which had been long pending.

Spoke to GM Mr Nautiyal @ GMVN Yamunotri about room availability, as luck would have it he confirmed the room for 13th night. Quick googling and we planned our trip as below.

13th June Thursday : Morning drive to Yamunotri. Trek in the evening.
14th June Friday : Drive to Gangotri, Stay overnight
15th June Saturday : Uttarkashi - Vist Vishwanath Temple
16th June Sunday : Uttarkashi - Delhi

The plan looked realistic and doable, was locked.



Delhi - Dehradun - 12 June Wednesday
Started our drive on 12th noon. As usual the traffic was heavy till Meerut bypass. Nice drive on the Toll road till Muzzaffarnagar bypass and after that single lane, high traffic and bad roads all the way till Roorkee. Lunch break was at McD before Muzzafarnagar. After Roorkee the roads were good but had high traffic all the way till Dehradun.

Summary

Delhi - Start 1200 hrs
Modi Nagar - 1400 hrs
Muzzfarnagar bypass - 1530
Roorkee -16 30
Dehradun GMVN Drona - 1800 hrs

Total Distance : 275 kms , 6 hrs


To Yamunotri & Gangotri: Witnessed Landslides, Cloudburst, Floods & Traffic Jams-gmvndronadehradun.jpg




Route driven

YAMUNOTRI
---------
Dehradun - Mussoorie - Damta - Sarigad - Naugaon - Barkot - Kharadi - Paligad - Syanachatti (Checkpost) - Ranachatti - PhoolChatti - - Jankaichatti


GANGOTRI
---------
Jankichatti - SyanaChatti - Barkot - Radi-top - Bhramkal - Dharasu bend - Matli - Uttarkashi - Maneri - Bhatwari (Checkpost) - Gagnani - Sukhi - Harsil - Bhaironghat - Gangotri


Delhi RETURN -
UTTARKASHI - DHARASU - Chinyali Saur - Chamba - Rishikesh - Roorkee - Delhi


Googling weather forecast predicted rain on 15th, rest all days could be cloudy or occasional rain. Never thought it will turn into such a monstrous tragedy.

Day 1. 13 June : Thursday

We started our journey by 6 AM from GMVN Drona. Weather was fine and clear. Road were empty and drive all they to Mussoorie was enjoyable.

Sunrise view form GMVN
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Dehradun city view
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After passing Mussoorie we stopped over for a tea & sweet bun break which as about 3 kms.
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Some between Mussoorie & Kempty fall
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Kempty fall
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Drive all the way till Barkot was smooth and easy. There wasn't much traffic too. Roads overall were good with some bad patches.

Roads started deteriorating as we approached Barkot. The whole area was dusty and tar road turned to kutcha road. Were stuck for 25 min at Barkot Mkt.

Some pic after Kempty till Syana Chatti
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Yamuna Bridge
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Smoke was consistently coming from the mountain. Couldn't see any fire or houses nearby
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Syana chatti , There is a check post after crossing the bridge.
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After Barkot the road condition even further deteriorated and the 45 kms to Yamunotri took good 3 hrs. There is a check post at Syana chatti where tourist details were registered along vehicle details.

After Hanuman chatti it started drizzling. Roads got narrow, slushy, potholes and in 3-4 places the road had caved in. Barely a vehicle can pass through. If a mini bus comes from the opposite side, then its too tight to cross.

None of us the taxi drivers or buses, were confident to get down from the tarred road. Hence the progress was very slow. Last 14 kms were like travelling 100 kms.

Road after Hanuman chatti
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Narrow escape
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Final ascend before Janaki Chatti
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Entry to Janaki Chatti - This is one of the major bottle neck areas
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Market area Janaki Chatti
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Slowly & painstakingly we reached the entry of Janakichatti and phoned the manager for the hotel location, he instructed to drive till you reach the dead end.
WOW! this 1 km drive took another 1 hr.



Reaching GMVN - Annexy at Janakichatti was itself a project. Driving through the market with ponies, people, dolis and to top it the narrow roads, opposite traffic of buses and vans. We got stuck at the last 500 meters as a truck was off-loading and it was a one way pass through. Had to wait for another 20 mins here. Then the last climb was hair raising. Slippery and people all around. Had to stop 3 times while climbing. Moving again from the incline, there was tyre spin happening, I had to control the amount of power transferred to the tyres. At 8000 ft, Safari was choking too. I was getting a delayed throttle response.

Held up for 30 min here
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Paid Parking
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Local taxi walas were advising "speed banake nikalo". How can we get the momentum with people madly crossing/climbing in front of safari? Even honking didn't do any good. Some of them shouting "Where are you guys taking the vehicle when there is no road ahead!!!". Finally we reached the parking lot of Annexy and were relieved. Time 13:55, we had lost an hour, plans start failing!!!

As they were expecting us, the rooms were ready and checking in was smooth. A quick chat with Virender (Asst Mgr), he told we had enough time to trek and return by 7-8 pm. It would take 2.5 to 3.5 hrs depending on your stamina and on ponies it will take 2 hrs one way. It was still drizzling and we wanted to trek instead of riding ponies. Quickly freshened up and planned to start the climb by 3 - 3.30 pm. Even if it takes 3 hrs we can spend an hr in the temple and can be back by 8 - 8-30 pm.

While having lunch, the drizzle turned heavier and by the time we finished our lunch, it was raining cats & dogs. It rained for a good 1.5 hrs non stop. All our plans for the day goes for a toss. With no other option we get into the blankets for a sound sleep.

We had to do the trek on 14th morning, and leave for Gangotri. Ponies were a faster option, but everyone unanimously decided to reach Yamunotri on foot starting early morning at 4 am.

Rain had stopped by 5pm and we walked around to acclimatize ourselves, speaking to the locals about the trek difficulty. They made us more confused, easy, very tough, kids cannot make it, you should take ponies, blah blah... Finally we decided we will face it as it comes, come what may we are walking to the shrine.

The surroundings were so beautiful with lush green mountains glistening in the sun, the bright blue sky looking cleaner after the rain, the clouds like fluffy cotton floating by and river Yamuna fully energetic rushing through the rocks besides the GMVN hotel.

Private parking in front of GMVN
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The steep ascent before parking. It's now empty after the rain
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Parking Area - There are 3 - 4 parking areas like this
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This is the spot where we were held-up for 30 odd minutes
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Beautiful mountain view
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After spending about 2 hrs walking, returned had an early dinner and went to bed. Target to be ready by 3.45 am. Start the trek by 4 am.


Summary

Dehradun - 0 - 0 06.00
Mussoorie - 23 23 07.10 - (Breakfast break)
Damta - 67 90 09.20
Naugaon - 28 118 - 10.10
Barkot - 10 128 - 10.35 (petrol pump)
Syanachatti - 31 159 12.05
Phoolchatti - 14 173 12.45
Janaki 4 177 1.55

Total 177kms : 7 hrs

Day 2. 14th June : Friday

We were ready by 4 am and it was still dark outside, so decided to wait for another half an hour. It was cold outside and also cloudy but not raining. We had bought the plastic raincoat in case it rains. We decide to wear it and then climb.

A Couple of ponywalas approached us again and were warning us that the climb is very tough and kids would not be able to do it, but we had decided slowly hi sahi we will do it. We also wanted to check our endurance limit for some future treks.

By 4.30 we started our climb. The way started from the front of our hotel. No pilgrims with us. Ponywals were getting ready for the day.
The first 1.5 kms is easy and ascent is linear. But after that the climb becomes tougher. The steps are designed for Ponies to climb easily and the height of the steps too are more than the regular one.


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It had also started drizzling. After 3 kms, the climb is even steeper and our pace started slowing down. Breathing rate climbed up. The raincoat made us sweat profusely while our face and fingers were turning numb.

This last 1 km to Yamunotri is very tough, we had to stop every 100-150 meters. But ultimately made to the top in 2 hrs and 15 minutes.
The last half km is descend and when the temple is visible, which sends a fresh wave of energy.

Spent a good 1.5 hr there in the temple as it was relatively empty. The Pujari told us that the rush begins by 9 am, and the rains would lessen the aspirants.


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We had our hot Maggi, Pakoda and Chai and started our descend by 08.45 and were at our hotel by 10.15 am.

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Descend was tricky due to the slush and the pony traffic had increased. Even more problematic are the Doli walas, the need a lot of space. Had to take care of my daughter a lot during the descend. Also the "Pony droppings" make the matter worser. It made the way slippery.

It was still drizzling and mountains turned very beautiful with clouds enveloping it.
Some more photosgraphs

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We reached our hotel by 10.15 , had a cup of tea and Parathas and decided to checkout and continue our journey by 11.30-12 to Gangotri.

Thread moved from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

Vinod, indeed the scale of the disaster is unprecedented.
Thank God, you and your sweet family is safe. When you wrote that you were in UK in the Chota Chardham thread, a shiver went down my spine.


Looking forward for the log and your experiences.

The scale of the devastation is huge.

I am glad you and your family have returned safe.

I will follow your thread.

regards

Hi V&V,

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am glad and relieved that you could return just in time before the apocalypse struck Uttarakhand.

My heart goes out to the people who are stuck there for several days without food, water and proper shelter.

The pictures you posted are breath-takingly beautiful. At the same time, it gives us a glimpse of the fragile eco-system of mighty Himalayas. I shudder to think the state of those narrow unpaved roads and hill-towns post one of the worst landslides and cloud bursts of the century.

Look forward to going through more of your experiences.

Quote:

Originally Posted by laluks (Post 3157629)
Thank God, you and your sweet family is safe. When you wrote that you were in UK in the Chota Chardham thread, a shiver went down my spine.

Thanks lalu. The same was feeling i had when i went to Uttarkashi market on monday morning 17th June. It was really bad. UK has suffered heavy damage, IMO all these villages along the rivers have been badly affected.



Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajain (Post 3157632)
The scale of the devastation is huge.
I am glad you and your family have returned safe.

Thanks Rajain. Yes most of the towns along Bhagirathi are devastated. Will take years for them to recover.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Gotham_City (Post 3157633)
Hi V&V,
The pictures you posted are breath-takingly beautiful. At the same time, it gives us a glimpse of the fragile eco-system of mighty Himalayas. I shudder to think the state of those narrow unpaved roads and hill-towns post one of the worst landslides and cloud bursts of the century.

Thanks Gotham_city. Yup up there is so beautiful and as rightly said is a fragile eco-system. IMO all these Dhams should have some regulation similar to Amarnath yarta.

Great pics ! Glad to read that you and your family is back safely.

Last Saturday only my father spoke with one the helicopter pilots who serves for Yamunotri (He travelled 2 years back). According to him this beautiful region is badly impacted by cloudburst and its very unfortunate for travellers as well as local villagers. There will be another threat of unemployment in that region for atleast couple of years as there will not be much travellers visiting this area due to infrastructure issues.

The absolute chaos of the parking lots itself tell the apathy in planning and administration.

God bless that you are safe.

Glad to read that you and your family are safe. It is such a huge tragedy. I was in Tadoba and we got friendly with another family in the resort, they had to rush back because their father was stuck in there. Apparently they were a group of 12 that was to be airlifted, but gave their chance to some sick people and after that no more airlifts happened because of weather.

What was worse was that - there was no Mobile coverage in that area and they got to know quite late about the situation.

Hopefully, everything is ok with them and also with all the other people stranded out there.

Man, we are so relieved to know that you guys are safe. All this time, we had been discussing & hoping that no BHPian is stuck in the region. Admittedly, it was kind of selfish, but equally sad for so many people who lost their lives and for those who lost loved ones.

Regards,
Saket


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