Kedarnath Valley Route

[Murugan Anantharaman]

We went to Kedarnath during our Uttaranchal trip a few days back. The remains of the chaos was significantly visible. The river is now flowing in its path but the area washed away by the river is clearly visible upfront and also in the layers behind. The locals said that thousands of bodies still lie under the debris. Some of our friends and relatives who are pundits in Kedarnath and survived the tragedy walked us through the scene of tragedy. I still find it hard to get over many incidents shared. The beauty of the valley buries deep secrets within.

Nikon D7000,f/4,SS 1/3200,ISO 250, ec -1,18 mm.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Looks like you didn't get rain. Last year rains had come earlier. A narrow aperture and lower shutter speed would have been fine.

It is nature's way of telling not to mess up. Way too much tourism traffic, much more than its carrying capacity, was taking its toll. No idea how many tourists are visiting now. In the olden days, when there were no other means of transport except your own two God given legs, only the fit who could undertake the rigorous journey or the old who were ready to die in God's doorsteps used to travel there. Himalaya is a comparatively young mountain range and is fragile. We mess with it and we pay the price. There is no one else to blame.

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice view of the Kedarnath valley. Nice clear day. The snow covered peaks in the background look nice. I hope the government takes some steps to regularise the flow of tourists. Thanks for sharing.

[Paramvir Singh]

Beautiful valley, destroyed. I have never enjoyed my trips to Himachal, lower areas of Kashmir or Uttaranchal (most areas) since the mountains are shameless butchered to make way for cheap dhabas, ugly resorts, uglier roads, 'lopping' of natural trees by local herdsmen (and women), unplanned cities and what not. On the banks of the beautiful Beas, I was disheartened to see people wash ugly trucks, letting their oils and greases flow into the pristine waters.

As Sabyasachi mentioned, the Himalayas are a very young mountain, and need to be treated with care.