E-Paper
Adventure: Cycling in the mountains of Kumaon
What happens when a city cyclist sets off on a mountain ride in the hills? Well, here’s an account of his eight-day escapade
Day 1
I started my journey at 8 on the chilly morning of December 27, 2020, aiming for Chaukori 110 km away.
For the first 10 km, I cycled uphill and downhill and then for the next 10-15 km, it was pretty much uphill. After a place called Dhaulchhina, there was some relief due to cycling 25 kms downhill to Seraghat. By the time I reached the second river bridge on the Seraghat Berinag road, the clock showed 4.30 pm and I had a ride of 30 kms uphill to Chaukori. At 6 pm, it was pitch dark but I had no option but to move forward. Fortunately, I was carrying a powerful headlight. With a break to refuel my body at a dhaba near Berinag (where apparently, leopards roamed the roads after dark!), I had to cycle through dense jungle to Chaukori.
Every person I met warned me of the dangers of cycling after dark, but I was determined. Just as my GPS screen said I had covered 99.5 kms with 9 kms to go, the headlight battery gave up! Fortunately, a good Samaritan in a passing car guided me with his SUV’s headlights till the Udiyari bend and then a group of local guys gave me a lift to my resort 4 kms away. By now it was 11 pm, the temperature was about five degrees below zero and I was still only in my cycling shorts and jersey!
Days 2 and 3
Chaukori gives you a splendid view of the Panchachuli peaks. After a long ride, a small low-pace ride is recommended to provide your muscles with an active recovery, so that’s what I did. By the time I set off for Munsiyari, 96 kms away, the next morning, I was rested enough to believe I could do the journey in one day. But destiny had something different planned for me.
From Chaukori to Thal was a picturesque descent. The Ramganga river kept me company and at one clearing, I stopped for a view of Panchachuli. Snacking on bananas – which works best for energy and endurance – I rode upwards towards Munsiyari, confident of arriving there the same day. By late afternoon I was close to Quiti, a fairly large village around 44 kms from
Munsiyari, when suddenly the chain of my bicycle broke.
Luckily Quiti had a bike repair shop and I was able to continue my ride. But after 5-6 kms, the chain broke again and I realised it would be best to call it a day. A pick-up truck took me back to the mechanic where I learnt it can take up to three days to bring a new chain from Haldwani. By now I had got acquainted with my fellow passengers in the truck and learnt about their home near Birthi falls, where I decided to spend the night.
Day 4
One of the guys I had met on the truck was Puran Rautela, a trekking guide. I asked him to take me on a nearby trek and after breakfast, we left for the Birthi falls. Our itinerary for the day was to reach the uppermost part of the waterfalls where, apparently, tourists never venture. The path to the top was steep and narrow and it took us close to an hour to climb it. But it was absolutely worth the effort. Every turn offered a brilliant view of the vast open valley.
To my surprise, I found some cows and calves there. According to the locals, it’s a common practice in these faraway villages to drive commercially non-viable cattle to unthinkable places to die. Fortunately, some of my contacts in Delhi led me to a fairly influential woman running an animal shelter in Almora and I paid the villagers to drive the cattle towards a nearby village where the district magistrate arranged for them to be taken to a cow shelter in Pithoragarh.
Good deed done, I spent the next couple of days roaming the area with Puran.
Day 5
It was time to head towards Munsiyari, tucked away in the farthest corner of Pithoragarh district. The locals told me it would be a tough climb and they weren’t wrong. There are a total of 14 steep bends en route to the top of Kalamuni and the roads are extremely dilapidated. I was exhausted by the time I got there and the road on the descent to Munsiyari was no better. I thanked the heavens that I had carried gloves, because otherwise my hands would have gone numb manoeuvring the bike through the potholes and large craters.
I reached the small hamlet of Munsiyari by early afternoon and checked into a homestay with splendid views of the Panchachuli peaks, though I had actually found the best views of the peaks before Munsiyari! There, I made good friends with a man who had come all the way from Mumbai on his bike. He took me to a nearby dhaba run by a graduate of the Institute of Hotel Management in Goa, who had served traditional momos in Ladakh to former president APJ Abdul Kalam.
Day 6
It was time to ride to the Kalamuni top again, this time more relaxed because I already knew the roads I would face. A mountain pass is always surreal, but with heavy clouds and light precipitation, I had to go fast and not get wet. Thankfully it was all downhill till Birthi falls and for a further 15 kms. I made a small stop at Birthi village to say a final goodbye to the people I had met.
For the next few hours it was a good ride and I crossed Pithoragarh district with a little uphill ride, descending to the banks of the Ramganga river. My destination for the day was a place called Shama, a hamlet 45 kms from Bageswar. From the river banks, it was an extreme sharp climb of 16-17 kms and it was about to get dark. This stretch was the loneliest I had come across in Uttarakhand so far, and to my dismay it was a night without a moon. By the time I reached Shama it was around 8 pm and every shop was closed already. I was exhausted, but fortunately found a homestay and within the next hour, I had a bellyful of rice, lentils and local spinach.
Day 7
The homestay owner had asked me the night before if I’d like to join him for a morning walk to see the sunrise and I had merrily agreed. The ‘walk’ turned out to be a four-km trek uphill! But just as I was about to curse him, we got to the top and saw the best view of the entire Kumaon range of the Himalayas I had ever seen.
After that I began my ride to Bageshwar and after an hour’s steep climb, it was complete downhill to the banks of the Saryu river, with a majestic view of the valleys around me. By late afternoon I had decided to ride onward to the temple town of Baijnath.
I was welcomed by the distant sound of the temple bells during evening service. Relieved to find a guest house, I settled down, trying to imagine this place hundreds of years ago. It was surreal.
Day 8
I had made up my mind the night before to visit the temple during the morning service and rushed there at 7 am. There’s a cluster of temples, the most important of which is Baijnath, dedicated to Lord Shiva. I have always been fascinated with old architecture and this place was more than I had expected. After two hours, I set off for the final leg of my journey.
The first halt was Kausani, the famous tourist destination, which is a 15-km climb from Baijnath. But Kausani was quite a hustle for me and I wanted to head home to Almora. After a good climb of 10-13 kms from Kosi, I rolled into town at dusk. Now I can call myself MTB (mountain bike) rider!
From HT Brunch, March 14, 2021
Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch
