Gritty Ride from Ghat Bend to Gurna Village

Day 90 was always going to be a tough day so Ashim didn’t want to get out of her super warm and light Sea to Summit sleeping bag as the morning temp was zero degrees!

I knew it when I looked at the elevation gain after the descent to the ‘Ghat Bend’, post which we would cross the bridge and begin the ‘all the way’ 24 km steep ride to Pithorgarh. We were quite certain that we would need to at least get to Gurna village, nine kms short of Pithoragarh. The descent was fantastic but we had to move at slower than anticipated speeds due to many rockfall sections and the narrow road. Once we reached the turquoise blue waters of the Ramgar river bridge we cycled on a road with a lovely oak forest to our right and the river below on our left. From Ghat Bend it proved to be a 3000 ft climb in just 15 kms to Gurna Mata Devi Mandir. I call it Bomdila 2.0!! 

The road from the river was broad and beautifully paved but what made the climb bearable was the incredible geological gradients on the mountain that has been cut. After a Maggi at one stall on the way we continued our gruelling climb finally reaching the mandir at 5.30 pm and we were delighted to see a lovely full moon rising. Just when we were wondering where to camp or stay at Gurna Village we began talking to a very warm and friendly person, Sanjeev ji , who runs a cyber cafe and documentation center in the village, and he invited us to stay at his home with his family. More on that amazing experience at his home with the family in the heart of Gurna village.