Day 5 : YHAI National Himalayan Mountain Biking Leh

YHAI National Himalayan Mountain Biking Leh

Day 5 - Ride from Skrubuchan to Sakhar-2

After a rocking gala evening; the morning was pleasantly chilled with dew all around. Our tent was also wet. And we got the pleasure (or displeasure) of enjoying it to the fullest. With an extended group dominated by guys and a disproportionate allotted of restrooms meant long queues to answer your morning call :)

Being the last group has its disadvantages too since it was time to wind up and the YHAI volunteers were in a hurry to wrap up the tents. We finished breakfast in a jiffy and collected our packed lunch. While Akhilesh was the last one to finish packing he was unpleasantly disrupted by the collapsing tent :) He just about managed to escape and then loaded his belongings on the bike.

Getting ready to leave from Skrubuchan

We all gathered around on our bikes and were given instructions by Chetan & Mithun regarding the plan & route to be followed. Though YHAI doesn’t encourage the participants to have any meals from outside; our next route would be an exception. We would pass by the army camp at Achinathang and it is well known for the awesome “momos”. We were strongly recommended that we take a pit stop here & enjoy the “momos”

Skrubuchan camp from main road

We finally left from the camp and as we hit the road we passed by the Skrubuchan School. The route from Skrubuchan till Achinathang was really picturesque. We got a glimpse of some snow clad mountains while the route passed through trees on both sides with sounds of birds chirping all along. The route had gradual slopes and we really enjoyed cycling here. The uphills left us puffing while the downhills provided the much needed adrenaline rush. Cycling for about half an hour we reached a bridge over a stream. We stopped here for a while and took some photographs.

On the bridge just after Skrubuchan

There was a small shop here selling general items like chocolates, soaps, chips, etc. It really made us wonder about the footfall that this shopkeeper would be having on any given day considering its remote location and what was surprising is that he was still selling the items on MRP. That’s Ladakh for you :)

Just after the bridge

We cycled further for about 2-3 km and finally reached Achinathang. There was an army check post here and the awesome “momos” were available in the canteen. We parked our bikes and couldn’t wait to savour the delicacy especially after getting rave reviews from our fellow participants who had reached before us. We ordered for the “momos” and by the time they were getting ready we started chatting with an army jawan who had come for some refreshments in the canteen. He also happened to be from Maharashtra and he was very happy talking to us in Marathi. “Momos” were ready and the sooner they were served the faster they were gulped down by us :) . “Momos” were followed by a cup of herbal tea and we were ready to leave.

Between Skrubuchan & Achinathang

Between Skrubuchan & Achinathang

Between Skrubuchan & Achinathang

We were back in business again since we were again in the vicinity of Indus River. This route too was very precariously close to Indus but extremely picturesque nevertheless. With green pastures in the valley below along the Indus, long winding roads, clear blue skies with candy floss resembling clouds & snow clad mountains in the distant horizon. What more could we ask for a day out cycling :)

Indus River for company

Indus River

Indus River

Snow clad mountains

Indus River

Eroded by strong winds

Go on cycling

Just as we were about to cross this route Akhilesh & I decided to take some rest & enjoy the sounds of the Indus River. Out of nowhere comes a gentleman looking somewhere in his forties; and strikes a conversation with us. He happened to mention that he has served in the Indian army for sometime before he decided to settle down. He had some interesting stories to tell and we were more than glad to lend him our ears. Sometimes interesting conversations are just round the corner; it’s upon us to find that time in between our busy mundane life to add an interesting chapter in the story of our life.

With ex-army man

Time for some rest

Mini prayer wheel

Bridge over Indus River

We bid adieu to our new friend and just as we pedaled for about 100 m we saw an entirely different view of the Indus. Sometime ago, the Indus was gushing along in the valley with all its might while here it had calmed down into still water. There was a sort of mini beach of created along the banks of the river.

Mini beach by Indus River

Our bikes @ Indus River

Some of our fellow participants had taken a pit stop here so we decided to join in. I sat on the rocks & just went blank looking into the calm water.

Deep in thoughts

View

Clear skies

Army filling water from nearby stream

Greener patches

We left from here & reached our lunch point for the day at Sanjak. This is the junction from where the straight road continues to Batalik while the left turn goes to Sakhar-2 through Sanjak. We met some army men here too who were filling water from the flowing stream. That’s the sign of purity here. We were also very confidently told by our camp leader that we can have the water from any of the streams here as long as the water is free flowing. Since we were very close to Batalik it was prohibited to take photographs for security reasons. Just as we crossed the army check post at Sanjak we decided to stop for lunch. Lunch was accompanied with crackling jokes. If the food didn’t satisfy our hunger; the jokes surely did :)

Biking off the cliff

Huffing & Puffing

Another landslide

Army trucks

Well the next 5 km were going to digest our entire lunch. This was the toughest uphill in the entire cycling trip. This stretch of 5 km reminded us of the 5 km stretch between Ghiyagi & Sojha during the YHAI Mountain biking Jalori Pass. The route was punctuated with numerous hairpin bends, dusty roads and literal vertical inclinations.

Huffing & Puffing

Vamsi & Me

Huffing & Puffing

Vamsi & Me

Hairpin bend

One pic below highlights the similarity in the 2 routes.

Hairpin bend: Reminded of Jalori Pass

Jalori Pass Vs Leh: Looks just so similar

Since it was close to dusk by now; it was getting chilled. And with mountains all around there was hardly any sunlight reaching us. We decided to speed on and reach the next camp at Sakhar-2. Just as got close to the camp we found many children playing on the roads and they insisted on riding with us. Well we didn’t want to disappoint the kids so we took them along for a ride

Juley !!

Akhilesh with a local kid near Sakhar-2 camp

Juley !!

We finally reached the camp site and it was co-incidentally Mr. Vasant’s birthday today. His family had ordered cakes and he had come all the way from Leh to join them. As usual we were the last ones to reach the camp and by now everyone had settled down in the camp. We only had 2 rooms for the guys so we managed to get some place and unloaded our baggage. The camp was an old Gram Panchayat office taken on rent by YHAI & so there was an acute shortage of water. Luckily there was a stream following just next to the camp and that provided the much needed supply of water. 

By the time we got fresh it was time for soup. Immediately following soup was dinner time. Dinner was accompanied with custard made out of freshly cut apples. Well dinner for me only comprised of dessert and I at least had 4 rounds of custard. Since we were really tired for the uphill cycling; we decided to retire early. Some of the participants went out for some star gazing. The next morning promised even more adventure since we would be back on the Srinagar Leh highway and cycle till Haniskot & would be joined by Sumit at Khangral.

Many more memoirs to share .... Sachin

<----- Day 4 - Lamayuru to Skrubuchan 

Day 6 - Sakhar-2 to Haniskot ----->