Mountains of Valour

Day 14 of Pedal the Himalaya Tour.

Climbing on the trans Himalayan road to Sela Pass at 13700 ft. from Senge is one of the most scenic and challenging rides. At each hairpin the winds howled fiercely, forcing us to push our bikes up the twisting roads on many sections, mountains emerged from behind the dancing mist and then were shrouded with a blanket of grey and white again.

We halted at the Baisakhi army camp for tea and bread pakoras. As one can expect the Cantonment area was maintained in pristine condition and the snacks were delicious. There was another army canteen store selling basic and essential warm clothing. The temperature had been steadily dropping and during the day it was 12 to 15 degrees Celsius.

We continued our climb from Baisakhi and because of the altitude our progress was slow. It was now mid afternoon and we were at 12,000 ft, still 10 kms short of Sela Pass and couldn’t find a suitable spot to camp due to the nature of the terrain. We stopped on the way near the workshop of an army base and asked the only shop on the road – a grocery store – if there was a place we could camp. The boy directed us to a road leading to the new tunnel road being built that would go under Sela Pass and to another spot near a mobile tower still some kilometres away. We evaluated the first one but were turned away at the check post and the mobile tower location seemed another hour of riding away and it was already 3.30 pm. Darkness would descend by 4.30 pm and the cold wind was picking up. However there was an army forward base that promised flat land, water and a semblance of peace and after securing the requisite permissions, we were allowed to camp at a lovely spot, shielded from the sweeping chilly winds by a giant rock. The inscription on the rock read ‘Valour and Determination’.

Thankfully the weather held all day and we were blessed with the really warm hospitality of the Indian army, and beautiful skies in the evening, the sounds of the devotional singing from the nearby army Gurudwara floating in the air like uplifting incense.