September 30, 2016

How do I slow down time, appreciate that the suffering and hard times are part of the ride and should be celebrated and cherished as well. The ups are as meaningful as the downs. This is not about cycling, but rather, life. My friend Jason told me a quote before I left that he likes. He’s a sharp guy and we think a lot alike. It goes something like this: “You don’t go to a concert just for the encore. You want to hear and experience the show in its entirety.” We are constantly trying to get to the end, forgetting that life is about the journey. Slow down. Relax your grip. Be with it. Enjoy it. There is no race to the end. You don’t work your entire life so that when you turn 65 you can start actually living your life. Now is your time. I am lamenting the fact that I am getting close to Manali now. In fact, I’m less than 100 km away. I’ll be there tomorrow and this chapter will close. I am excited to climb Rohtang La, but sad for what I know is waiting for me on the other side. After seeing hardly anyone, sleeping in dhabas for the past 4 nights, it is evident that I’m getting close. There are hotels again. More people. While the idea of a bed, hot shower, and food menu sound comforting, at the same time they are a constant reminder of what I’m losing. Peace. Solitude.

Pow!!! Boom!!! (Onamonapia) Just like in the old Batman cartoons. Peaks are exploding all around me.  Gone is the dry, brown, eroding sand stone sculptures. These peaks are pointed, jagged snow capped granite. Shark teeth. For the first time in a week, I see trees. Their vibrant green is slowly turning to gold and beginning to give way to autumn. There is lushness in this region. Water flows freely from the centuries old glacial peaks and feeds the valley. The roads are wider and mostly paved, yet still carved precariously into the side of the mountain, with rarely the hint of a mangled guard rail to deter you from careening over the edge.

I am below 11k ft now. After living about 15k ft and summiting numerous climbs above 16k ft, my lungs are the size of watermelons. I have also perfected the art of holding my breath, while pedaling up a 17k ft pass as a truck chugs by me, spewing diesel exhaust in my face. I can effortlessly denounce the modest climbs that stand before me now.  Around each bend and over each rise, I am smashed in the face and moved to emotion with the overwhelming and paralyzing beauty of this part of the Himalayas. How to describe the emotion of the day? I can summon each moment in my mind almost frame by frame. For some reason, I have the Lumineers cover of the old Talking Heads song in my head “This Must Be the Place”.   I’m filled with absolute euphoria and am belting the lyrics out at the top of my lungs as I descend the scintillating and undulating curves. When was the last time you were that moved? I can’t explain it.   …I guess we must be having fun. The less we say about it the better…make it up as we go along. Feet on the ground, head in the sky, I know nothing’s wrong. Heeeyyy! I got plenty of time.

I arrived in Sissu at noon. It is a mere 35km to the top of Rohtang La, doable today for sure, especially in light of my emotions, but again, it’s not a race to the end. I’m in no rush to close this chapter just yet. …I got plenty of time.