October 19, 2016

It’s different up here. Life is quieter. It moves slower. There is a crispness in the calm. I got high today, emotionally and geographically. Back into the mountains, if only for a brief spell. Smiles from the local school kids, dressed in their uniforms, running along beside me through their small remote villages. Their laughter inspires gratitude inside me…for just the pure simplicity of this experience. I’m nearing the border and soon will be crossing into Nepal, leaving India behind…for now

I am awake by 5 a.m. and pedaling by 6 a.m. Morning really is the best time. I have been on this early schedule the past 3 days since leaving Rishikesh. It suits me. I’m ahead of the noise and more importantly, the heat. Five days in Rishikesh was what I needed, but now I need to scrape off the moss (it was REALLY humid in Rishikesh) and get these wheels rolling. My body was rested. My thoughts were clear, and I was antsy. The first 2 days were on mellow, rolling roads, tracking along the Ganges. It was easy to mindlessly knock off 100 tranquil kilometers per day and be done by 1pm. Day 3, was different. I could have stayed on the main road. It would be easier on my body, but not on my mind. I was craving something else. I made the decision to get off the main road and onto a road so narrow and faint on my map that it barely showed up. Always take the road less traveled. Always. It started out broken, dusty, and blown out…but then it changed. It became this beautiful, single lane, newly paved road, paralleling the river and undulating through a canopy of trees. The lush green mountains were all around me. From above, the trees looked like broccoli. For the first time since I could remember, I was able to ride without sunglasses. There were no buses to run me off the road and no trucks to choke me out with their diesel exhausts.  It was just me and nature. The sounds of the roaring river beside me, monkeys screeching on the side of the road, and birds singing over head brought about a calm that I had been missing for over a week. Subtlety, almost without notice, the road crept upward. Sneaky. But then, it changed…and it was not so subtle.   It made a hard 180 degree switchback and vaulted up into the woods. It had been a couple weeks since my bike pointed uphill at that angle. My breath deepened. My heart beat quickened. My senses awoke. Once again into the mountains. The road dove back and forth, steadily climbing into the dense forest. I was at peace. Time slowed down. Before I knew, I had been climbing for 3 hours and over 4000 feet. I popped out of the trees at the summit. Nonchalantly, I veered to my left.  Boo! I locked up my brakes. I had sweat dripping from my brow but in an instant had chills. Those were not clouds. In the distance, above the densely covered broccoli green mountains, far above…the snow capped peaks of the high Himalayas pierced the tranquil blue sky. They were hundreds of miles away, but were still very much visible, beckoning me. I was in awe. The emotion that is triggered within me when I am in the mountains is beyond words. In spite of any chill in the air, there is a warmth that blankets me and I know I will always find my home in them. I plan to be in Nepal in 4 days, anxious to get back into the high mountains, with my old friend.

Miss that turn and its a 500 ft drop

Easy to lose yourself on roads like this

Those are NOT clouds

I love how exclusionary India is

Its nearly impossible to get a hot meal before 8 a.m. unless you’re a cow

This makes my heart sing

Ok, that’s just cute