Manali - Rohtang Pass

Royal Enfield 350 and 500.

Morning 5, we all were ready. Bags were packed, expectation level high, and motivation at its peak. It was still dark, and the rain didn’t stopped. But it was not enough to stop us, or take our step back. We were all set to take on the road, the TOUGHEST ROAD OF THE WORLD. Frankly speaking, in this last one month, Sid and I, we discussed each and everything that we got on this Ladakh trip, and after reading the reviews, and blogs, we both were scared a bit. But somewhere back in my mind, I was quiet sure that how can this be so tough. What can be the worst case scenario? Max it would be that our byke broke down, so we have to toll it up in a truck. We have also read about AMS (acute mountain sickness), which usually occurs due to lack of oxygen up in the mountains. But we were told that if we are coming there in our bykes, we would be acclimatized on our way, and so, there is nothing much to worry about. One of my friend who was from Kashmir, had been to Ladakh. Even he said, it’s not a big deal. It could be dangerous if you are suffering from asthma, but otherwise, it would be fine. And so I believed. But all this was nothing as compared to what we faced. On the contrary, what I faced.

We didn’t wait for the Sun to rise, neither the rain to stop. We loaded our bykes with our bags, jerry cans, and sarpaal. Dhyani, as a sailor, knew very well how to tie a knot. Sid and Ujjwal were in Enfield 300. Me and Dhyani got Enfield 500. Goggles, jacket, raincoat, gumboots, and helmet. All set. And thus our journey began.

Moments before starting the ride

An hour later, we saw the sunbeams reaching us. It was a good day to start off with. We could see the snow capped mountains, dew covered grass, and could feel the freshness in the air. But this was just for a small amount of time. The higher we went, the foggy it became. No more sunbeams, just dense fog. The visibility was about 20 feet. We could feel the shortage of oxygen. It was so cold that even my eyelids were covered with water droplets, and were getting freeze. On the other byke, Sid was riding with Ujjwal. I asked him, “hows it goin”, he just showed a thumbs up, stating he is still ready to face more. This motivated me a lot, and we continued.

Mohit, Akhilesh and Ujjwal- In the Spiti Valley

 The view was amazing, all covered with clouds, with chilling breeze. After riding two hours, the fog started disappearing, but it was still cold. Woah!! We didn't even cross the first pass, the Rohtang Pass, and I was facing so many difficulties. I had no clue how I would face the rest of the journey. But still, the madness to go on this ride was far greater than the cold wind and the chilling fog.

 This was not just a simple trip. It was a lot more than that. It was us defining our limits. How far can we go, how much can we face. We didn't have to prove this to anyone, but deep inside, we all were competing against ourselves. How can I give up on such a short obstacle? Thus, I continued the journey. Soon we reached the top of the first pass. The view was DEADLY. We were riding on the edge of the mountain. The thickness was about 13- 15 feet, but the deadliest part was, it was all covered with mud.

 The previous night rainfall made the road so deadly, that it was covered with approximately 3 inches of mud. We all are riding bikes for more than 10 years, but looking at the sight, both of us stopped for a moment. There were other people who started the journey with us, some were ahead of us and some of them were behind. I saw people were facing a lot of difficulties while crossing that muddle, and one of them also skid on it, but as he was alone, and also his bike was Glamour, he managed to stabilize it.

 My hands were cold, I was even having difficulty in holding and releasing the clutch of my 500. But the main fear was, what if I skid, both Dhyani and I will be down the mountain in no time. Sid took the initiative, and said he will move first. It seemed he was also having problem in riding the bike, but he managed. In some point, he got stuck, but Ujjwal got out on the mud, and helped him crossed the bike. Now, it was my turn. Dhyani shouted, “Chal Negi, jo hoga dekha jayega”, and we were off. I was only focusing on my front wheel, and the road. On reaching the mid way, I don’t know what got into me and I looked down the mountain. FUCK, it was scary, and at that moment, I was out of balance, and we skid. Somehow I managed to hold the bike, but it was Enfield 500. It was very difficult to hold it in that muddy place, plus Dhyani was also there. Even he got out on the mud to balance the bike from rear.

On the way to Rohtang Pass

 I again started my bike, but my hands were too cold to release the clutch smoothly, plus the muddy road, which resulted in one more skid, deadlier than the previous one. If I would have not stopped the bike instantly, and Dhyani would not have supported me, I was, for sure, making it to the next day newspaper in the dead persons list. I was scared from deep inside. I thing this feeling was not enough, as compared to the one, when I saw a military truck coming from behind. Woah!! There was no space, time, or condition to move or think. Somehow I gathered my courage and managed to shift the bike from middle to the side of the road. Soon after the truck passed, I again started the bike, and was trying to pass that muddy area when suddenly, a biker came next to me. He looked professional, with bikers jacket, elbow and knee guard, a camera on his helmet, and above all, he was riding alone. He offered us help, but I don’t know, looking him, all my fear was gone. I thanked him for his offer, and told him we are fine. He showed the Thumbs Up, and went ahead. I don’t know how he gave me that courage, but after he left, even I was able to cross that area in no time. The road ahead was a good one.

 After 3, 4 km, there was a small Maggie joint, where we planned to have our breakfast. We stopped there, to add some pics to our collection. There, on the breakfast table, we were discussing about our experience till now, and there Sid told me that even he was scared a lot, while crossing the muddle. Even he was exhausted, and even his eyelids were frozen, but with just one thumbs up, and his initiative to move forward, also encouraged me, and there we were, eating out first meal of the day, discussing about our future strategies, laughing, giggling, and enjoying the sunbeams again. Finally, we crossed our first pass, the Rohtang Pass.

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