[wanderernomad]

Guys timings are critical in these areas. Please dont try to push your luck and cut it by a very thin margin. Keep Mid October as the outside limit for anything beyond Rohtang from Manali side while End October can be a safe option from Kinnaur till Kaza.
Tanveer, bring it on praji where is the long update?

[PAVAN KADAM]

OMG......! Tanveer and his White Elephant yet again.

Glued to this thread.

[Dry Ice]

And here you go again.... rubbing salt to injury!!
Do you carry a GPS with you? I think you must be knowing about this area better than the GPS by now!!
I can already imagine you trudging along in your white elephant while you and your gps keep talking,

Please take a left 200m ahead!
Shut up you dumb box, there is a road there!! I should take a right, stones, gravel, seems interesting!!

Seriously, with almost every other trip into the great mountains, I think you must have accumulated a treasure worth of info - destinations, routes et all.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Nope. Around end sept PWD digs up the road so that no vehicles can attempt c'taal as snow often blocks the road.
Only when the snow melts they clear the road.
In november 99% of the time kunzum also closes. Rohtang can remain open, but a heavy snowfall can close it.
If you cross and it snows, you can be stranded there.
If you want to do this, you have to do it before sept ends, or atleast by early october.

Thank you Tanveer. So, what places at HP do you think can be attempted with a fair degree of risk in the winter months? Also, would they be worth going to at all in your opinion or is it prudent to wait for the snow to melt/reduce and then do a trip?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

OMG......! Tanveer and his White Elephant yet again.

Glued to this thread.

Thanks PAVAN

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

And here you go again.... rubbing salt to injury!!
Do you carry a GPS with you? I think you must be knowing about this area better than the GPS by now!!
I can already imagine you trudging along in your white elephant while you and your gps keep talking,

Please take a left 200m ahead!
Shut up you dumb box, there is a road there!! I should take a right, stones, gravel, seems interesting!!

Seriously, with almost every other trip into the great mountains, I think you must have accumulated a treasure worth of info - destinations, routes et all.

Yup I do carry a GPS, but my GPS does not tell me anything, it just shows where I am. Since many of the maps I use are self created, I rarely need to look at the GPS, unless I am navigating by "as the crow flies"

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Thank you Tanveer. So, what places at HP do you think can be attempted with a fair degree of risk in the winter months? Also, would they be worth going to at all in your opinion or is it prudent to wait for the snow to melt/reduce and then do a trip?

Well you can go to Kalpa/Manali/Narkanda area/Kaza(Spiti). All these places are accessible.
Kalpa(Kinnaur) and Kaza(Spiti) may be difficult due to lesser number of hotels available.

[tsk1979]

I decided to move to the passenger seat and relax a bit, with wife on the drivers seat.

The road gets worse, and more water crossings start to appear


the one you see above is tricky.
The water is not much, but the rocks are much bigger. Normally 2WD vehicles, even cars attempt such with speed, or half clutch. We do not like to abuse the vehicle.
So its time for 4L. In first gear you can crawl at extremely low speeds.

Unfortunately, a bus comes from the opposite direction, our first vehicle in many kms.
She reverses over the narrow road for 50 meters, and the bus can pass.
I decide to shoot from outside.
Pardon my shaky video, I was signaling with one hand, and shooting with other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Di1_tnjKGo

Crossing done, we encounter a traffic jam, the only kind you get here


Progress is slow, and time is nearing 11:30

I take the reins again few kms from Chotta Dharra, we will soon begin the climb to kumzum.
Barely 2kms into the climb is the turn off for Chandertal, the lake of the moon




And finally, the bridge over Chandra river near Batal


The peaks.

Its almost noon when we turn of in the road. The narrowest road I have ever ever seen

[tanwaramit]

bring it on, we are glued. The driving conditions in the rain picture was scary. You were indeed driving quite late in the night on these routes when you started first.

I guess the sheeps are not wild and some locals would also be there manning them

[subhashnm]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Attachment 418973

I'm so, so envious of you! I was here on 12-Aug and it was cloudy as hell :( All my photos came out horrible due to the lack of light. When I see this picture, it makes me want to go back there as soon as possible!

EDIT: I am talking about the Chandratal picture. The image is somehow not coming up on the reply post.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

bring it on, we are glued. The driving conditions in the rain picture was scary. You were indeed driving quite late in the night on these routes when you started first.

I guess the sheeps are not wild and some locals would also be there manning them

Yes, the sheeps are domesticated. You can call them sweater
As for the night driving, we would have crossed rohtang in daylight, but immediately after marhi fog became so thick that I did not dare drive above 5kmph.
As conditions became worse, the lumbering trucks which we are in such a hurry to overtake became the beacons!

[chethan.ram]

@tsk1979 : Wow....amazing pics man. I see both and Safari in the pics, Which one did you take? And also which camera did you use. The pictures are mind blowing. Hope I can do this route one day.

[tsk1979]

Road is a misnomer here. I would call it a goat track. Its definitely not built for the safari. Got a Maruti 800? Well then its great. Got a qualis, even then its okay. Got a sumo... well its still okay.
Got a safari?
You better be afraid, very very afraid.
Its not the terrain, or the water crossings, or the rocky sections.
Its the narrowness.
The narrowness kills you.
Barely one km into the track, we come across a few large boulders on the side.
There is not enough space to sqeeze through, atleast it looks like that.
So here my wife has to get out. I shift to 4L for speed control and traction if any one wheel decides to go off the cliff.
Inch my inch she guides me to the edge. The two left wheels are on the cliff edge now, the front right wheel clears the boulders, but there is a slight hitch.
The footguard is rubbing against the boulders.
Well no worry. Food guards are for rubbing.
Slowly I start subconciously squeezing the foot guard even more.
And we are across.

After that there is this puny waterfall on the road, and the narrow road continues.
We both are worried - What if another vehicle comes.
Barely halfway into the track we come across a wide section. A rarity.
And its over here I spot a few white spects on the road far away.
Sumo's and qualis. Coming at me.
They are very far away, and they will take a good 15 minutes to reach us.
But I dare not drive forward. The road is so narrow that we may have to reverse a few hundred meters!
A truly daunting task.

So we just sit and enjoy the view.

the river chandra. To its source we will go




The ride and the road. The wide section near the foreground is the rare turnout, and as you can see, the track is very narrow.



One by one the taxis pass us. The last one tells us that 1 more is coming, and we should wait.
The tourists also nod. They are sweating, esp the ones sitting on the drop side.
Thankfully. I am on the mountain side. So my wife is doing the sweating!

Finally a good 15 minutes of stop later, all the taxis, a total of 6 have passed us. Its a really busy lake after all!

TO BE CONT.......

[Indian Ranger]

My God Tanveer !. You are at it again. Hats off to you for managing your time and showering us with these wonderful travelogues and adventures of yours.

I remember reading your experience last years attempt to Chandertal and looks like you have conquered. Coming to snaps, I must admit that each one is a marvel and the locations are just beautiful. You are giving us wonderful experiences.

Thank you and have rated 5 *(this will be the max i can give here)

Cheers,
Manjunath

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by chethan.ram

@tsk1979 : Wow....amazing pics man. I see both and Safari in the pics, Which one did you take? And also which camera did you use. The pictures are mind blowing. Hope I can do this route one day.

Thanks chetan, I have a 350D with 10-24 tamron lens and panasonic FZ-35

Originally Posted by subhashnm

I'm so, so envious of you! I was here on 12-Aug and it was cloudy as hell :( All my photos came out horrible due to the lack of light. When I see this picture, it makes me want to go back there as soon as possible!

EDIT: I am talking about the Chandratal picture. The image is somehow not coming up on the reply post.

Conditions change there every day. Last time when we attempted this, it was sunny in the morning, and when we came back it was snowing in lahaul!

Originally Posted by Indian Ranger

My God Tanveer !. You are at it again. Hats off to you for managing your time and showering us with these wonderful travelogues and adventures of yours.

I remember reading your experience last years attempt to Chandertal and looks like you have conquered. Coming to snaps, I must admit that each one is a marvel and the locations are just beautiful. You are giving us wonderful experiences.

Thank you and have rated 5 *(this will be the max i can give here)

Cheers,
Manjunath

Thanks manjunath

[chethan.ram]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Thanks chetan, I have a 350D with 10-24 tamron lens and panasonic FZ-35

You didn't answer my question on Esteem and Safari.

[BolBolero]

Tanveer, beautiful TL accompanied by some brilliant pics.
Having driven on this road recently, I would like to add a few points in bold to your TL. Hope you don't mind.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Road is a misnomer here. I would call it a goat track. Its definitely not built for the safari. Got a Maruti 800? Well then its great. Got a qualis, even then its okay. Got a sumo... well its still okay.
Got a safari?
You better be afraid, very very afraid.
Same holds true for a Bolero, that too one with alloys!
Its not the terrain, or the water crossings, or the rocky sections.
Its the narrowness.
The narrowness kills you.
Barely one km into the track, we come across a few large boulders on the side.
There is not enough space to sqeeze through, atleast it looks like that. +1 to that!
So here my wife has to get out. I shift to 4L for speed control and traction if any one wheel decides to go off the cliff.
Inch my inch she guides me to the edge. The two left wheels are on the cliff edge now, the front right wheel clears the boulders, but there is a slight hitch.
The footguard is rubbing against the boulders.
Well no worry. Food guards are for rubbing.
Slowly I start subconciously squeezing the foot guard even more.
And we are across.

After that there is this puny waterfall on the road, and the narrow road continues.
We both are worried - What if another vehicle comes. Our sentiments all through the drive!
Barely halfway into the track we come across a wide section. A rarity.
And its over here I spot a few white spects on the road far away.
Sumo's and qualis. Coming at me.
They are very far away, and they will take a good 15 minutes to reach us.
But I dare not drive forward. The road is so narrow that we may have to reverse a few hundred meters!
A truly daunting task.

So we just sit and enjoy the view.

the river chandra. To its source we will go
Attachment 419814

Attachment 419815

The ride and the road. The wide section near the foreground is the rare turnout, and as you can see, the track is very narrow.
Attachment 419817

Attachment 419816
One by one the taxis pass us. The last one tells us that 1 more is coming, and we should wait.
The tourists also nod. They are sweating, esp the ones sitting on the drop side.
Thankfully. I am on the mountain side. So my wife is doing the sweating!

Finally a good 15 minutes of stop later, all the taxis, a total of 6 have passed us. Its a really busy lake after all!
We were lucky that we did not encounter any traffic, either while going or coming!
TO BE CONT.......