Feb. 21 - Besham, Pakistan

Wednesday, February 21 :: Besham, Pakistan :: 122km today / 4976km total

I lost this day's post, so am recounting it from memory, 10 days later!

A brutal day of climbing, easily one of the toughest climbing days of my life. From Mansehra the road rolled up to 5500 feet (about 2000 foot gain in elevation), higher than my target town of Gilgit (at around 5000 feet). What made it even tougher was the descents during the climb... the descents forced another 1000 feet or so of climbing. Very tough, steep switchbacks at times. After about 50km I finally crested over the pass, and began a 40km descent to the Indus River.

I'm now in Pashtun country, and the guidebook and police warn of unfriendliness towards travellers. Not THIS traveller, however; as soon as they see the bike, the mud and strain on my face, the sweat dripping from my brow, they understand that I am not quite typical and am sharing their country in a modest kind of way. Even with shorts on (usually a "no-no") they don't seem to mind, its all thumbs up and smiles. Modesty is an important aspect of Islamic culture, and my mode of travel is certainly not "posh" and does not put me "above them", as they may perceive that other modes of travel might. And, as male, there is always a bit of leeway. Truth be told a solo female would have a very difficult, potentially dangerous, time here.

Today was the first day of mindblowing Karakoram scenery. What makes the Karakoram different than other places I've been (including the Rockies, lower Himalaya in Nepal, Mexican volcanoes, etc) is the scale. The mountains force upwards at aggressive angles, with steep gorges or wide valleys in between. Its almost enough to give you vertigo, trying to take in the vastness around you. Cycling along a snaking road you feel quite insignificant among the monsters around you. But you keep plodding away, and eventually the kilometres click over.

The descent began harrowingly enough, but the final 25km was about the most fun I've ever had on a bike. Not steep enough to have to brake, but steep enough to have me flying along, avoiding obstacles, passing trucks, rolling over streams, through rockfalls, over short rises. Imagine the 1-2 minute thrill of a roller coaster, for 40 minutes straight.

Finally the Indus River loomed ahead, and the joyride was over. Now began 4-5 days of uphill riding along the Indus. Whenever the going got tough all I had to do was look around me, enjoy the spectacle, and remind myself that, after all, I am in Northern Pakistan doing what I love best! After some welding silliness I rolled into Besham, and had a great sleep after a tough day.