[Shivanshu]

Hello friends, from early morning of 8th May, 2016 till the afternoon of 12th May, 2016 I was riding between Uttaranchal – Himachal.

The reason for this ride was simple; I didn’t go on tour for a long time. I bought a new Bike – Hero Impulse so wanted to test it with my riding style, terrain, conditions, adaptability, etc. So I had to ride. And yes after a long time I was riding Solo, so wanted to make the best out of it.

I would give you a brief of my tour day by day and then elaborate it later on.

Day1: Indirapuram, Ghaziabad – Meerut – Muzaffarnagar – Roorkee – Haridwar – Rishiskesh – Chamba – Uttarkashi = 383kms

Left at 5am halted at Roorkee at my relatives for breakfast, left at 11am and reached Uttarkashi at 5pm.


Day2: Uttarkashi – Bhatwari – Gangnani – Harsil – Bhaironghati – Gangotri and back to Uttarkashi via same route = 98kms + 98kms = 196kms

Left at 7am and came back to Uttarkashi at 7pm


Day3: Uttarkashi – Sangamchatti – Syanachatti – Barkot – Purola – Hanol – Tiuni – Arakot – Hatkoti – Rohru – Chirgaon = 206kms

Left at 7am and reached Chirgaon by 630pm. Rain followed me everywhere this day. Got wet thrice and then also dried up all the time. But the rain which I met at Hatkoti followed me till Chirgaon.

Day4: Chirgaon – Tikri – Larot – Chanshal Pass = 33kms

It was raining since 4am in Chirgaon but still I felt this place at 6:30am. Had bread pakora and tea at Tikri and it was around 7:30am and still drizzling. But left for Chanshal Pass even after locals warned that the roads would be hell. But eventually reached Chanshal Pass at 11:30am.

Same Day after 1:30pm: Chanshal Pass – Chiragaon – Rohru – Hatkoti – Arakot – Tiuni – Silaura – Dimich – Mangtar – Luhari – Deoban – Chakrata = 168km

Left Chanshal Pass at 1:30pm This route was amazing apart from 30kms in between where there was no tarmac. Crossed the area where there was a Cloud Burst a day before. Encountered two landslides, and then reached Chakrata at 7:30pm

Day 5: Chakrata – Dakpatthar – Behat – Chhutmalpur – Roorkee – Muzaffarnagar – Merrut – Indirapuram, Ghaziabad = 312kms

Left Chakrata at 6:30am and reached home at 2pm.

Overall did 1470kms, from home to home on the ODO of the Bike.

[Shivanshu]

DAY 1
Route: Indirapuram, Ghaziabad – Meerut – Muzaffarnagar – Roorkee – Haridwar – Rishiskesh – Chamba – Uttarkashi = 383kms

I have been touring since long now, but still I get restless in the night before I go for tour. The previous day was bit of busy and my schedule went for a total toss. Had to get the Bike checked, engine oil changed, everything checked. And after the bike to do list, it was shopping time the last minute shopping. Reached home at 10pm the early day and called it off for the day.
I had planned to leave by 4am as I had to keep in mind that I will be halting at Roorkee at my relatives place for breakfast. So, I tried to sleep at 10pm, but I was excited. The mind was doing calculation as per the kms and the type of ride I am going to do. Was thinking and checking the weather app for the weather predictions, rainfall was predicted. All check list running in the mind. I finally slept at 12:30am.

Alarm rang for 4am but I shut it off and conked it off, after 10mins opened my eyes wide awake. Got up did all the morning chores required. I wanted to stop as less as possible, so made breakfast for myself. And finally loaded the bike, and left at 5am for the pure freedom after such a long time.
I quickly reached the Meerut By-Pass and started zipping through the traffic. When Muzzaffarnagar was around 23kms, stopped for a cup of tea and then reached Roorkee Cantonment at 8am. I went to my relatives place, and I was greeted with yummy breakfast of jalebi, kachoris and dhoklas and what not. These are the things which atleast I always avoid while riding, but today were different. I ate all and then the chatting session started as I was meeting them after a very long time, so it went on till 11am. Then I left from there and had to cross Haridwar and Rishikesh.

From Roorkee, the road widening work is going on till Rishikesh, so with traffic its havoc. But then thank to the Impulse, you don’t have to be on tarmac to ride her. And hence diversion routes made by me got into action. Footpaths, the unpaved roads below and on the side of the road, and Impulse made me pass through all those traffic jams. Reached Rishikesh and got the fuel top up, and started climbing up.

I was crossing Rishikesh and it was already around 12pm, and Uttarkashi was around 164kms still. Thanks to my heavy breakfast I did not need to go ahead and stop soon for food. So after fueling up and as soon as I started climbing I gave my Bike a good rest to cool down a bit after coming from the heavy traffic. And then after that I rode. And man I enjoyed riding Impulse on hills, she can lean, she has good power to play with, bumps are not something you need to worry about. Yes you do need to counter her a bit in sharp curves, but I enjoyed.

Then around 3pm I stopped for Lunch, it was more of a break to cool down but the thali which they were offering was mouth watering. Also I was even recommended to have lunch here. Well no doubt it was yummy. After giving my tummy a breather and also letting Impulse cool down. I left from the place after 15 to 20mins for my destination.

Around 4:45pm, I stopped some 5kms before Uttarkashi as I was going to be staying at Eagle’s Nest, yes the same Eagle’s Nest from where the Eagles Dare to go Wherenot. Yes this place belongs to our own Tilak Soni Ji. He guided me through and informed me where to come. When I reached he was standing there on the road waiting to greet me. What a warm welcome he gave, I was so happy to be with him. I have known him since long time. But after getting scolding from him many times, this was the first time I was going to his place. And I loved it.

And along with him I met his beautiful pet dogs – Robin, Lisa, Leela and her four puppies. I am a big time animal lover and being surrounded by animals makes me feel very happy. Destination was reached for the day.
I will let the pictures speak for now.

[Shivanshu]

DAY 2:
Uttarkashi – Bhatwari – Gangnani – Harsil – Bhaironghati – Gangotri and back to Uttarkashi via same route = 98kms + 98kms = 196kms

Slept at around 2am and then got up at 6am. The view from the Eagle’s Nest is amazing. The plan was to go to Gangotri and see the opening of the temple for this season. Had tea and did morning chores, and by 7am was all ready to hit the road. By 7:30am, I was on the twisties heading for Gangotri. The temple gates was to be open at 11:30am.

Uttarkashi to Gangotri is 98kms it goes through some of the most amazing vistas and views. The 98kms takes close to around 2.5hrs to reach. The road is around 95% tarmac and 5% unpaved road. I was not carrying my saddle bag as the way back was through Uttarkashi only. So in a small backpack I was carrying my rain gear, towel, and other necessities. I was enjoying the ride in this twisties and enjoying the views of Bhagirathi river flowing along the road for maximum amount of time.

Gangotri temple is at a height of 3100metres (10200ft) above sea level and Gangotri Glacier is around 19kms trek from the temple. The Gangotri temple was built by General Amar Singh Thapa of Gurkha Regiment, Indian Army. And that is the reason why at the opening of the temple, the Gurkha Regiment is present in the temple along with their Band Players. I never saw anything like this before, so I was very excited and wanted to experience it. In winters, the idol of Goddess Gangotri is shifted to a temple in nearby Village named Mukhwa, where she is worshipped during winters. The main temple is closed for six months in winters due to heavy snowfall.

While riding towards Gangotri , I met with the convoy who was carrying Goddess Gangotri from the village Mukhwa. I was overjoyed to see how they stop at every village while going to the main Gangotri temple. And the villagers come out to welcome the Goddess and celebrate the opening. I followed them for sometime before I stopped for tea break and let them continue till they reach the temple. I enjoyed the magnificent views and of course the cold and soothing weather.

The last 8kms to Gangotri Temple are unpaved road, so its gravel and mud. It was time to test the Impulse. I stood up and throttled the bike, and man what fun I had sliding and drifting I reached the temple entrance with a grin on my face. I parked my bike and had a quick snack and then went inside the temple.

Here are some pictures enroute to Gangotri and inside the temple.

[Shivanshu]

Few more Pictures of Day2:

[Shivanshu]

I was there at the Gangotri Temple till around 4pm enjoying the rituals and paying my respect to the Goddess. I saw the clouds getting eager to pour down. I started walking out of temple. The only I saw there is a sitting place at the bank of the river. It was quiet and not many people were there as today was the first day of temple opening. It was good as there were hardly any tourist, I was enjoying my solitude. So I sat there for some time, forgetting to keep the track of the clouds coming, I realised when I felt a cold drop on my head and shoulder.

It was time to go ride back to Uttarkashi. Started from their and it started drizzling and windy. Good that I was carrying my rain gear, which I wore already. I was hungry but I was being chased by the rain, so no stops but hunger also started bothering me. Finally saw a dhaba after an hour’s ride and stopped for some quick snack. After having my quick snack, I rode till Uttarkashi without any stop. Yes faced heavy rain in between, but it was alright as I didnt had much to ride. Finally reached Uttarkashi around 7:30pm and straight away went to Petrol Station, tanked up and then headed for Eagle's Nest.

Tomorrows ride is going to be interesting.

[Shivanshu]

Day3: Uttarkashi – Sangamchatti – Syanachatti – Barkot – Purola – Hanol – Tiuni – Arakot – Hatkoti – Rohru – Chirgaon = 206kms

After reaching yesterday night back to Eagles Nest, I had a good bath had yummy dinner made by Balram ji and after that before sleeping I packed up everything to avoid any delay in the morning. I got up at 6am and came out and wow it was raining. The views were amazing; I had tea while playing with Robin, Liza and Leena for some time. Till the time I got ready it was already 7:00am and the rain sobered down to drizzling. Time to saddle up and hit the road.

By the time I left Eagles Nest@ Uttarkashi it was around 7:30am. Now today I was going to travel from Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh. This was a new route for me as I have not taken this route before, so had to memorize the intersections from where to go towards where. No I was not carrying any GPS, or Mobile Holder, yes I was carrying the complete map and taken pictures of the map in my cell phone.

I had to ride 206kms and the start of ride was with drizzling which means I would take a bit more time than usual. Also I didn’t know about the road conditions. Also at the back of my head was memories of my Badrinath trip in year 2010 in which I was stuck in landslide for 5 days ahead of Joshimath. All these calculations were happening in my head as I was crossing the city of Uttarkashi. As I started advancing on this route, it started pouring, I rode in this rain for almost an hour before stopping for breakfast at a road side dhaba which was also the first intersection for my destination today. The fireplace where they were cooking was a big relief and the warmth was comforting. I had my breakfast and then started riding again.

I love the hills during rains, as the greenery blossoms up and enlighten the whole area which is so beautiful, and smell of fresh air is so purifying. Also with the current condition of Forest Fire in these areas, I was happy. So, I rode through some magnificent vistas and surroundings and was completely mesmerized with the beauty. I stopped on many occasions despite rain just to soak in with the surrounding and experience the beauty of the nature.

Till the time I reached the Town named Purola I was almost dry except my shoes. As in between I got bright sunlight which helped me to cover good distance. But as I was approaching a Town named Tiuni, the rain started pouring hard. I stopped to take shelter but couldn’t wait for long as there was no sign of rain subsiding down. In this route I came across two landslides and few patches of the road were covered with slush and this was fresh slush coming from the mountain along with the rain water, and being solo I had to go ahead and take very calculative decision. This stretch of slush was so bad that I was not able to ride straight through it, as beneath the slush was tarmac road which made it more slippery. I almost lost my balance twice but anyhow balanced the motorcycle or else I would be swimming in pool of slush. The Landslides were fresh and the traffic was stopped on both the side. Luckily the Impulse helped a lot, nice travel suspension, good tyres, and easy to control, light weight, all these factors helped a lot to cross on the other side. The rain subsided to drizzle as I approached a town named Hatkoti. Yes I was in Himachal Pradesh now, time was around 4pm.

Since, it was raining all the time and riding throughout the day I was also a bit tired. So I saw a nice dhaba and stopped I decided to stop there for some time, have lunch, let my motorcycle cool down and also dry down a bit, and check my motorcycle for any wear and tear. Well everything was all fine, I ordered a thali their, took my own sweet time to have it and then had a cup of tea. Now I knew that Hatkoti to Rohru is hardly 12kms which will take max 30mins, but at the same time I wanted to cross this Town of Rohru and move ahead. So I checked my Map and then saw a town named Chirgaon around 18kms ahead of Rohru. I started asking locals and asked them for staying options in Chirgaon, to which I got a positive reply that, there are hotels out there. It was 5pm and yes it again started raining but I had to move ahead. So in half an hour I reached Rohru. This town was buzzing with activity despite of rain, which lead to traffic jams. This was bad it took me around 15 to 20mins more to cross this place.

Rohru is a town with all the facilities available, so even if you forget anything. Do not worry you will get it here as well. Also there are many workshops for motorcycle as well as car. Yes you will get fuel pump as well so that you can tank up for the next day, and you should as after this there are no Petrol Stations, though you may buy it locally. So I did tank up over here and confirmed about stay options in Chirgaon. Getting positive response, also the person whom I asked, asked me where do you intend to go, I said Chanshal Pass, he straight away said NO. He said it’s been raining since yesterday and tonight may be hail storm so don’t its dangerous and isolated. I thanked him for warning me and moved ahead. The roads after Rohru till Chirgaon are a mixture of off road and tarmac. I was enjoying the amazing Vistas and the roads flowing along with the river. Yes it was still raining. It was 7pm when I reached a small town of Chirgaon, yes the rain added to the chill factor and I was cold. I stopped at the Tea Shop where I had Tea and enquired about the hotel. I did not want my motorcycle to get wet in rain when I am relaxing in my room. Finally found a hotel where my motorcycle would be under shade away from rain. So after unpacking I finally settled down by around 7:30pm. It was going to be a task to spread my riding gear to let it dry as much as possible. And this was the fourth time I was getting wet in rain today after getting dry three times before this, I was tired. So calling it off for the day.

[Shivanshu]

Day4: Chirgaon – Tikri – Larot – Chanshal Pass = 33kms

Read About Chanshal Pass here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanshal_Pass

Yes today was the day when I had to fulfill my dream of doing Chanshal Pass solo on this motorcycle. This was the first ride I was doing with her, I have taken her for a short spin but not at this Altitude – 4520metres above sea level i.e. 14829 foot above sea level.I was excited.

So, the day before after stopping at Chirgaon and founding a hotel, I had early dinner and then packed up everything which was not wet and slept. Even in the night it was drizzling. I slept with alarm at 4am, so that I can leave early.

The alarm rings at 4 am, I get up all excited. Open the door of my hotel…. and it’s raining, that’s bad. Its pouring, nothing can be done at this time. I check my riding gear it has dried a bit. After that I put alarm for 5 am and sleep again.

Alarm buzzing at 5 am I open my eyes, go out to check, damn it’s still raining. I go back in bed but unable to sleep so after sometime being restless I get up around 5:30 am. I do the morning chores, go to check my bike. Give it a basic check, chain tension & lube, tyre air pressure, electrical, start the engine and wake my motorcycle as well. Everything looks good. I decide to do pack up as much as I can and hence start loading my motorcycle with saddle bag as almost everything is packed in it. After this I went for a stroll in the market looking for tea. Found one tea shop open. Had tea and at the same time I was inquiring about the road conditions and all for Chanshal Pass.

The route is so bad in term of lay out of the road and the ascent to the top, that they say normally it takes around 3 to 4 hrs to cover this 33kms stretch. He also warned me that it may not be suitable for riding the motorcycle as it would be quite slushy and muddy. Also, the tea shop owner warned me of severe temperatures on the top and it would have snowed out there. I thanked him for the information and returned to my room. Time was around 6:30 am. I went ahead and got ready to leave, it was drizzling but this was the best window for me to leave from here. Riding gear on; rest of luggage put on the Bike and secured. Ready to roll.

Weather was gloomy I could see black clouds covering the sky. The wind factor added to the morning chill. I left Chirgaon and then moved ahead. Apart from the weather the route was amazing. The roads were along with Pabbar River and I felt at so many places that I should stop, but due to rain, I could not.

CHIRGAON : 15 km from Rohru. Scenically enchanting, Chirgaon has a trout hatchery. Good fishing spots in the area are Seema, Mandi, Sandhsu, Tikri and Dhamari. Larot is another attractive spot near Chirgaon. This is the base for treks to Dodra – Kwar, the Sangla Valley and to Sarahan via Tacklech and to Nichar.

So crossing this beautiful stretch I reached Tikri, I saw a Tea Shop open at the road side just before the bridge. I stopped there for 2 reasons – 1. I was feeling cold hence Tea was a much needed intake and 2. I wanted to know about the road conditions ahead. So, I had a hot cup of tea which was a good relief and then chit chatted with the locals around there. They informed that the road uphill would be in a mess and even the locals are not going nor has any vehicle come from other side since last evening. Well again I thanked them and started my journey.

The roads for few kilometers were broken tarmac. You can feel the gradient of ascent while climbing. My Impulse was doing good in 3rd and 4th and able to manage these broken roads. Then all of a sudden the roads disappeared and muddy roads with silica stones pressed in came. Wow I was like nice….. The rain subsided as I started climbing up, now it was mere drizzling. I was enjoying the solitude surrounded by apple orchids and the beautiful forest. Then I came across soft muddy roads which due to rain turned into pool of slush. At one place while trying to cross the slush my motorcycle sank it the slush, I knew I had to keep my foot down, which meant my riding pant and boots all soaked in mud, luckily with the power of the motorcycle I pulled out from this ditch. After sometime I stopped so that I let myself take some breather and even my motorcycle cool down a bit. There were many instances where I had to stop and look as to which would be simplest way to pull out of this mess. But at the same time it was something which I was looking forward too, and yes I was enjoying it.

Let some picture do talking before I move ahead:

[Shivanshu]

Day 4: Journey continues to Chanshal Pass

So as I moved ahead and the terrain got tougher. The gradient was increasing, now my Impulse came down to 2nd and 3rd Gear, my body was working overtime. The only goal was to reach the top at Chanshal Pass,
The temperature started decreasing and the air thinner, my motorcycle was grasping for air and I started feeling the heaviness in breathing. I halted in between couple of times to cool myself down and also to let my motorcycle rest before venturing further, also adjusting the mixture jet to make it more lean. The road was getting nastier as the climb was getting tougher. This meant the exertion factor increasing on my motorcycle, and I had to work more than 100% to maneuver the motorcycle.

The last 8 kms of the ride was very treacherous. Bad roads, increased gradient, meant the air got thinner hence; the motorcycle started having problem in climbing up. Now I was mostly in 1st Gear, in that also the motorcycle was losing power as soon as I used to shift to 2nd. I saw a Dhaba, wanted to stop but thought of first reaching the destination ANd may be there would be some eating options.

At last I was on the Mighty Chanshal Pass, time was 11:30am. I parked my bike and first saw all around. The view was simply magnificent, I don’t have words to express it nor will I be able to. When you turn around 360 degrees all you can see are the snow peaks and beautiful mountain ranges of Himalayas. You are ought to feel mesmerized. I was happy very happy. The unpaved roads, the serene beauty, windy like hell with chill breeze and the amazing view made me feel high at an altitude of 4520metres. It was totally deserted nobody was there. There was a tent placed but nobody inside it.

I saw a big rock far on the mountain. I started walking towards it checking the terrain. It was all green and the grass was wet and so was the ground. There was a maze of stone which you have to pass through to get there, and there was this small passage in between the rocks for humans to walk, the path was made by humans passing throug on this. I analyzed and decided the craziest thing to do, of getting my beloved bike to that big rock as I wanted her to experience it as well. So back I went, wore my helmets and gloves and got my bike through that maze and up to that rock. The traction was missing and my rear tyre was sliding. What not went in my mind, I was alone in case of any mishap there will be nobody to help me. So I need to take calculated risk. There was a moment when I tried to turn to other side (where I wanted the bike to go) and the gradient of the slope was much. I tried to brake and both the tyres locked, my motorcycle still going down. Put in first gear and turn around, it got the traction and I pulled her out of that slope parked her near the rock. Ohh wow I simply loved it. The valleys around were magnificently beautiful. I was completely lost in it. I went around, checking the beauty of the nature. It was windy and cold up there. I sat there, took out water from my saddle bag and chocolate which I always carry. I was sitting in the silence of nature’s lap just soaking the beauty in me. It was simply awesome.

[Shivanshu]

Continued -

After enjoying the nature and sitting there gazing at the beautiful peaks and surrounding, I started noticing black clouds coming towards me. I checked the time, it was around 1 pm already wow 1.5hrs spent and I did not even realize it. And also there was some movement at the tent, few people had come there. So, thought of trying my luck for tea and maggi. So I started my bike and went at the tent. I think I surprised them, they were like where did you come from. I asked them if I can get anything to eat, they said only tea is available, as they couldn’t set up the whole tent due to hailstorm yesterday and hence only tea. I had 2 cups. I wanted to do the Chanshal – Dodra –Kwar route, but in this weather even these locals warned that the bus is not running due to slush and bad roads, and seeing up in sky even today it may rain. Even they asked me where I was going, when told them I was thinking to go towards Kwar, they said try it some other day. Well as it is I had already plan to go back.

So, now the journey backwards starts, it was already 1:30 pm. Riding downhill was breeze both for me and my motorcycle. While going down, I stopped at the same dhaba which I saw while coming uphill. I had 2 or 3 cups of tea, couple of maggi and 2 or 3 double egg omelette. I spoke to the shop owner, and another person who was already there. He was owner of an Apple Orchard, he invited me over for overnight stay as it had started drizzling already. But when I have come this far getting wet, then why not go back the same way. So, I thanked him, and took his cell number assuring him if I am here next time, I will home stay at his place.

[Shivanshu]

Same Day after 1:30pm: Chanshal Pass – Chiragaon – Rohru – Hatkoti – Arakot – Tiuni – Silaura – Dimich – Mangtar – Luhari – Deoban – Chakrata = 168km

Now the route starts back from Himachal to Uttaranchal. This route was amazing and scenic. After 2 days I was getting proper tarmac. Once I reached Rohru, I de-tuned my motorcycle from Lean to Rich to be able to adapt the altitude change. I was enjoying the ride and not much stop and no photography enroute as well. The 30kms stretch around Lokhandi Pass, there was a Cloud Burst a day before, so encountered two Landslides and this 30kms is unpaved. After crossing this stretch stopped for quick tea, and then again dashed off for Chakrata at around 7:30pm I was in town of Chakrata. I took a hotel room unpacked my motorcycle and then had a good bath. Went to the market area and looked for the famous dhaba of Sardar Ji. Ordered mutton and roti, and yes it was yummy as always. After that came back and slept.

Some pics en-route to Chakrata:

[Shivanshu]

Day 5: Chakrata – Dakpatthar – Behat – Chhutmalpur – Roorkee – Muzaffarnagar – Merrut – Indirapuram, Ghaziabad = 312kms

Left Chakrata at 6:30am and reached home at 2pm.

Got up at 5:30 am, got all ready and loaded up my motorcycle. Left Chakrata at 6:30 am for back home. Stopped around 7:30 for breakfast and then pulled up in plains. I could feel the heat and was already missing the mountains.
Took a last glance of the mountains and thanked them for pampering me last 4 days. Promising to come back again to explore more beautiful places and admire more than before.
Reached home at 2 pm

Thank you all for reading through the travelogue, I appreciate your patience and time.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Red Liner]

What a mind blowing ride! Thoroughly enjoyed all then pictures and your narration. Must have been one hell of a ride in the mountains during the rains.

You seem to be carrying an awful lot of luggage for a couple of days. What exactly did you have in there?

[Shivanshu]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

What a mind blowing ride! Thoroughly enjoyed all then pictures and your narration. Must have been one hell of a ride in the mountains during the rains.

You seem to be carrying an awful lot of luggage for a couple of days. What exactly did you have in there?

Thank you. Yes it was a good one.

About luggage I was carrying saddle bag and the lump on top is my sleeping bag. a Bit bigger but light weight. In saddle I had 2 cargo, 4 t-shirts, toiletries one side. The other side had some tool, foot pump, puncture repair kit and first aid. A small bag on top had a towel, rain coat, camera and some snacks.

[ssambyal1980]

@ Shivanshu Seems you really had a nice and adventurous trip. Riding solo in the Himalayas is always a rejuvenating and blissful experience. Anyways how was the road condition from Uttarkashi to Gangotri? Drove on this stretch in June 2012, at that time at many points the highway was largely unmetalled and damaged, due to rockslides.