CHASING PEAKS IN THE HIMALAYAS

It was 2:00 a.m. on my fourth day in India. My eyes blinked open in the dark of a hotel room in Drass, a town in the Himalayas on the Indian side of the border. Yesterday was our first day riding on a six-day trip through the Himalayas, and my brain could not process everything I'd seen and experienced.

- Amelia Nunn 

As I lay in bed listening to the sounds of the highly and imaginatively decorated trucks rolling by-each with a custom horn used liberally throughout the night-l marveled that I had made it through the first day. I'd encountered cows in the middle of roadways, passed vehicles while they overtook trucks, and dealt with more hairpins in a day than I'd ridden in all my life combined. Add in our first peak-a "measly" 13,000 feet, driving on the left side of the road, the Indian food with too many bread types for me to accurately name, and Buddhist prayer flags draped over every conceivable high-perched peak the first day of riding had certainly been busy.

My trip started a few days earlier-arrival at Leh after too many days of travel meant that I could finally rest and acclimate to the 12,000-foot elevation, get my bike sorted to suit me, and get to know the other riders before we set off. One of a handful of rides that Royal Enfield puts on throughout the riding season in India, this one had 36 riders keen to get moving. Most were Royal Enfield diehards, some of whom had ridden dirt before, all of whom had passion in spadesthey would need it for what was to come.

Over the next six days, we'd tackle over 600 miles-mostly dirt roads with some tarmac. We'd stay in tents, homestays, and a combination thereof, and eat whatever local foods were on offer. We'd sleep at 14,000 feet in fields shared with yaks, cows, and other animals. We'd cross passes at nearly 17,000 feet. Royal Enfield's reps were right in cautioning us to rest in Leh before we began!

TACKLING THE UNKNOWN