Up and Over the Highest (Motorable) Pass in the World: 3200km

Posted on September 3, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“I doubt if anyone would claim to enjoy life at high altitudes- enjoy, that is, in the ordinary sense of the word.”

I just cycled over the highest motorable pass in the world. I never imagined that someday I would cycle up to 5,602m, and I definitely never imagined I would actually enjoy it. I started out late in the morning and had planned to camp at a village about 15km from the top in order to summit the next day. When I arrived, I realized it was a military base with a few tents of soldiers, and a few other tents with Indian men. After sitting in the “village” reading for an hour I realized I did not feel comfortable sleeping there. The guys stared rudely, and the military men kept coming up and taking my picture. Lucky for me, earlier in the day I had met an English fellow who was biking up the pass as well so I decided to ride down with him. Though I turned around before the top that time, it had been an amazing day. The cycling up had been surprisingly fun, and cycling down at 50km an hour while the sun was setting was absolutely unbelievable.

Into the Unknown: 3080 km

Posted on August 27, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”

Before arriving in India I had spent a fair amount of time starring at the Himalayas through google maps. After locating Leh, I realized that there was one small road leading to the north, even farther into the mountains. Obviously after noticing it was there I had to cycle it. After a bit of research I figured out that the first part of the road leads over the highest motorable pass in the world, which at 5,600m, would be extremely difficult to bike over. After that, there are very small villages spread out along the road until it end. Literally, it just ends. To the left is Pakistan, to the right is China, and all around are impassable mountains. Sounds appealing right?

And So it Begins: 3,080 km

Posted on August 26, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.”

I decided to do a little 300km trip to a lake and back as a sort of warm-up for cycling in the Himalayas. Little did I know that this “warm-up” actually involved the third highest motorable pass in the world (5,320m). After a 45km excruciatingly slow accent, multiple river crossings (while pushing my bike), and less than perfect road conditions to say the least, I have now officially cycled over one of the highest passes in the world!

Ladakh: 2903km

Posted on August 24, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

I am here, in the middle of the Himalayas, surrounded by snow-capped giants on all sides. I am in a place I have dreamed about since I first started to travel, and even more so since I started reading about mountaineering expeditions to this majestic area. It is the mountain lovers heaven to say the least.

Into the Himalayas: 2903km

Posted on August 23, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission.”

I am currently curled up under a very thick handmade quilt at 4,400m (14,500ft) in a tent that is part of a makeshift village in the Himalayas. It is amazing to think that I’m still in India, as I am currently in a scarcely populated mountainous region that couldn’t be more different than Delhi. The people are friendly, and unlike the rest of India, the women work alongside the men. They no longer wear the colorful silk outfits of the south, but rather boots, jackets, and warm scarfs, because even during the summer time it’s cold. They no longer look indian either, but rather they look like strong mountain people, and rightfully so. This makeshift village is situated on the road from Manali to Leh which is the only access to the north. Because there are passes over 5,000m, this road is only open three or four months of the year. During the rest of the year, Leh and the surrounding area is cut off from all civilization. On this “highway” there are tents about every 30-40km that sell food and water, and occasionally have a bed or two to stay in as well. There are also people every ten or twenty kilometers working on the road, a never ending hopeless project. Between the heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, then snowfall for the rest of the year, it’s amazing there is anything left of the highway. There are numerous landslides that wipe out sections of the road every year which is one of the reasons we only averaged 25-30kmph while driving along it. The road, for the most part, is also only wide enough for one car, so it was always interesting meeting a vehicle coming the other way. Though the road was rough, it was an absolutely spectacular drive though the highest mountains in the world, and I was lucky enough to have the front seat. This is the road I will be cycling on in a few weeks once I leave the Ladakh region.

Delhi: 2903km

Posted on August 15, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“But that’s the glory of foreign travel… Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”

I am obviously just too polite. Or at least that is how I feel in Delhi. Multiple times everyday I have found myself waiting in line for food or to board the metro, and right when it became my turn, someone would walk up and take my spot. I have quickly learned that being polite won’t get me anywhere here, since India is a place with no rules.

In Black and White: 2903km

Posted on August 13, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls!”

Old Delhi, a small section of town that use to be marked by elegant mosques and gardens when the Persian Mughal Emperor ruled in the 17th century is now crowded, run-down, and one of the most chaotic places I have ever been. There are no words to describe it, and no way to capture it through the lens. There are thousands of people (predominately Muslim), food stands, shops, and bike rickshaws fighting to fit through the narrow street. Though I was wearing my scarf over my head (in a faux-burka), I obviously stood out being the only white girl in a sea of Muslim men. I decided to take a bike rickshaw down the street in order to explore from a bit more of a distance, and here is a bit of what I saw.

In a Man’s World: 2903km

Posted on August 12, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Equality is the soul of liberty; there is, in fact, no liberty without it.”

My stomach churned as I stepped out of the Delhi airport and into the muggy air that assaulted me. It was 2 o’clock in the morning, and after two days of flying I had finally arrived in India. I was more than just slightly nervous. Biking in the U.S. had turned out to be easier than I had expected, but I knew l was entering into a whole different world. India is in many ways a cyclist’s hell. With over 1.2 billion habitants, it is extremely crowded and the streets are filled with scooters, rickshaws, dogs, and people. It is hot (high 30’s or low 40’s C), but it’s the 95% humidity that makes it difficult to breath, never mind move. And to top it off, the air quality here is one of the worst in the world. It’s not the heat, chaotic driving, disease, or living conditions that worry me though, it’s the fact that I am a single girl trying to survive in a man’s world.

The Pacific Coast: 2900km

Posted on August 10, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.

The Pacific Coast of the United States is an incredible place to cycle. It is logistically easy, the people are friendly, the scenery is stunning, and there are plenty of other cyclists to meet along the way. Though I completed the entire section from Northern Washington to San Diego in five weeks, I would suggest taking at least six in order to spend more time hiking through the redwoods and exploring the many beautiful beaches along the way.

It’s Not About the Bike: 2903km

Posted on August 8, 2013 by The Wandering Nomads

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

I walked into a bike shop today to pick up the tires I ordered weeks ago. After explaining why I was there, the guy who worked upfront smirked and said, “Yeah, someone just called in about you, he wants to buy the tires for you.” I was absolutely baffled and could hardly imagine that someone had really tracked me down in order to buy them for me. Sure enough, twenty minutes later, a cyclist I had met on the road yesterday (who I biked with for a good ten miles) walked into the shop. There are no words to describe how touched I was by his kindness. How was it possible that a guy who I had only known for a day drove over thirty miles through San Diego to buy all the bike gear I needed for the next leg of my adventure.