JCB

• 20th of August
• Birthi - Kwiti - Nachani - Thal - Chaukori - Baageshwar
• 62km

Sandy and Prashi rode down to the landslide to see what the scene actually was. We had to be halfway to Joshimath by the evening, or our plans were all gone to pot. A short while after they went, a JCB excavator followed them down the road.

When Sandy and Prashi got back, the story they had to tell was not heartening. About a good 200 metres of road was blocked. Local folks had cut a small foot path over the slide. The path was about 2 feet wide, and at places less than 6 inches. One side was a steep drop into a river, and the mud under their feet kept slipping as they walked.

A view of the path through the landslide. The intention was to take the bikes across this path. - Courtesy Prashi

We had to make it through, no matter what. We planned to leave Birthi after lunch and get our bikes through the path. We reach the slide at about 2 PM, and heavens be praised! The JCB had cleared off all but the last 10 metres. Since the JCB was still working in full swing, we simply had to wait until it finished its job.

The JCB at work - Courtesy Prashi

By about 4 PM, the road was opened to a couple of government Gypsies and motorcycles. From there on, we rode hard and steady. We still had many water crossings and steep ghats to cover that day. Based on the route, we planned to stay at Baageshwar, which was about 3 hours ride away.

Sandy’s fall a couple of days back had thrown his headlight out of whack, and it only shone directly above his head. This slowed us down considerably, since Sandy had to ride depending on Prashi’s and my headlights and fog lamps.

Still, we reached Baageshwar that evening, and checked into the KMVN guest house there. We now had a comfort factor with these guest houses. We had stayed in them exclusively, and we liked the service and the prices.