Links to Char Dham series
Continuing the Char Dham Yatra on Bike
I woke up to another bright and sunny day and was all set to leave by 8 AM. There was a lingering fatigue in the body from the last two gruelling days of being on the road. Being in your late 40s (like me) or 50s and having motorcycling and trekking as your passions is a match not exactly made in heaven. But the joy of doing them mostly helps me overcome the physical limitations. I had a wonderful time in Yamunotri, and it was time to move on.
The total distance to be covered for the day was approximately 160 km, which was not a small distance by any stretch of the imagination. The route to be taken was through Dharasu Bend, Uttarkashi, and then entering the Gangotri area. My initial plan was to stay at Harsil, having heard and seen so much about it.
Barkot to Dharali near Gangotri
***Please note that this journey was done before the devastating floods affecting Dharali, so what is mentioned below may not exist at present***
The first 20 km out of Barkot were terrible and broken, and this becomes more visible if you tour on a street naked motorcycle with stiff suspension like mine. After this patch, the roads became slightly better, but they remained quite narrow, requiring my full attention. This continued till Silkyara Bend, the place where a tunnel is being constructed to connect Barkot, also the site of an unfortunate incident where workers got trapped inside. I took a short break at this place and spent some time wondering about the costs of convenience.
After that, the roads became wide and good, and I thoroughly enjoyed this patch. The next short break was at Dharasu Bend, the junction of roads leading to Gangotri, Yamunotri and Rishikesh. If you take the Rishikesh route, this is where you will join. I utilised the break to have some bananas.
From this point onwards till Uttarkashi, the views were just magnificent, with the Bhagirathi River alongside. Then came Uttarkashi, a very large town/city, probably a district headquarters. Being a large town came with its problems of overcrowding and traffic. The roads were also broken inside the town, and it took me some time to pass through. I was tired by then and still had a lot of distance to cover.
The magnificent views came back as soon as I exited Uttarkashi, with Bhagirathi River for company. The roads closer to the town of Bhatwari were again broken in patches, and I had a few near misses. After crossing the town of Bhatwari, I stopped for a Maggi break. With my energy renewed, I started the final push to Harsil. The beauty of the Gangotri area is unprecedented and unmatched. It felt like being transported to a different place altogether. The roads were narrow but well-maintained as they fell under the domain of BRO.
There were some broken patches and some small water crossings on the way, but I managed to cross without any incident. I finally reached Harsil, and as shown by “influencers”, the place is beautiful. But probably because of the overexposure, the hotel rates quoted were unbelievable and out of my budget. They were not even willing to entertain me as they saw that I was a solo traveller and would not be willing to spend that much.
Dejected and tired, I rode on ahead and found a small village named Dharali. I enquired about the hotels and found the rates reasonable. So, this was my stay for the next couple of nights. The hotel owner suggested I visit an ancient temple by the name of Kalp Kedar. It was like destiny that I had to stay in this place to visit this beautiful temple. I attended the Aarti and spent some memorable time.
To anyone not finding Harsil in their budget, I would strongly recommend Dharali. It is a beautiful place famous for apple orchards and the temple of Kalp Kedar. Another small village of Mukhba, the winter seat of Gangotri, is also accessible from here. The temperature was freezing cold, and I was so tired after a long day, so I had an early dinner and went to bed.
Gangotri Temple
The day began on a sombre note with me discovering leaking forks on my bike. This played on my mind the whole day as I couldn’t enjoy the day as much as I wanted to.
I started early, as I do on any other day, and the distance to be covered was around 20 km to Gangotri. En route, I saw the trail for Gartang Gali, just before the Lanka Bridge. I seriously wanted to hike that trail, but wasn’t sure because of the issue with the bike. I decided to take a call on my return.
After about an hour, I reached the temple. The larger vehicles were parked before the entrance, and since there wasn’t much of a rush, I was allowed to take my bike closer to the temple. There was a short queue to enter the sanctum, and it didn’t take too much time for my turn. Some of the pandits inside were forcing pilgrims to make donations else being pushed out quickly. Experiences like these make my heart sad, but then I ignored them and had my darshan to my heart’s content before exiting. I then took the steps going down to the Bhagirathi River and took some holy water in a small jug purchased on the premises.
After spending some time exploring the premises, I left. There are a few other places of interest near the temple, but I made myself a promise for the next time.
Gartang Gali
I picked up my bike and reached the entrance of Gartang Gali. You can park your vehicles in front of the food stalls just ahead of the entrance gate, which I did. There is an entrance fee of INR 200 (for Indians) to be paid at the counter managed by the ITBP personnel. You have to enter your details on a register maintained by them, remember to mark out as well on exit.
For the uninitiated, the Gartang Gali was used as a Silk Trade route between India and Tibet. The trade no longer occurs, but the route has been partially restored to experience what it used to be like. It is located in the Nelong Valley, just before the Lanka bridge if you are going towards Gangotri. It is a 4 km round hike that has its share of ascents and descents. The final part is the wooden planks placed as steps through which the trade would have taken place earlier.
I was unsure if I would find a mechanic in Dharali to repair my leaking forks, and at the same time, I did not want to miss this hike. So, I decided to do a speed hike. Though the mentioned distance was only 2 km per side, it seems a lot more as there are quite a few steep ascents and descents on the trail.
The trail is mostly on a narrow ledge with a very steep (almost 90-degree) drop to a river down below. Just on the opposite, you can see a massive vertical face of a mountain with another road by its side leading to Nelong Valley. Overall, the scene is quite intimidating.
I continued to push, and after a while, I found myself at the starting point of the wooden steps. The experience was initially scary as I could hear some creaks from the stairs. After moving ahead, it became normal, and I reached the end point of the trail. I spent some time taking pictures and reflecting on the hike.
The return hike also took a similar time, as there were again steep ascents and descents. I could see a few people underestimating this hike and struggling on the trail. A few of them in their sneakers, were sliding all over, and I had to help a few of them on their feet. Anyway, I rushed back to the main gate and to the place where I parked my bike. It took me a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete this hike.
Maggi break and return to Dharali
I had exhausted my water bottle early in my hike, and with the amount of fluid loss due to sweat, I was almost dehydrated. A few shops were selling Maggi and light snacks near the parking area. The first thing I did was to buy a litre of water and gulp it down. After a glance at my watch, I ordered a plate of Maggi to replenish my energy.
I then proceeded to Dharali with the hope of finding a mechanic. There was a lone mechanic in the village, but unfortunately, he did not have the fork seal to fix it. He advised me to ride carefully till Uttarkashi, where I can find good mechanics.
I returned to my hotel and rested for a while. Initially, I thought of visiting Kalp Kedar once again, but dropped the idea and decided to sleep early. Around 5 PM, I went down to the market area to buy some bananas, biscuits and light snacks, which would then be my dinner. I had them and retired to my bed early.
Conclusion -Two Completed, Two to Go
The day started on a sombre note with the sight of leaking forks, but the sights of the day made up for more than what I had expected. I ended my visit to the Gangotri valley with a promise to myself to visit in future to explore more.
Technically speaking, half of my journey was over, but not so in terms of distance remaining. Coming up next was Kedarnath, and I was very much aware of how physically demanding this ride and trek is going to be.
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