SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

DAY 0
The riders congregated in Shimla for the start of the ride. An early start and good weather aided a solid ride over Jalori Pass and down towards Manali on the other side, where the group spent the night.

DAY 1
The riders set out from Manali through the Atal Tunnel and into Sissu. Smooth tarmac was the norm till Jispa, where the group had an early lunch before beginning the climb to Shingo La. Though it was a crystal clear day as we departed, the transition from tarmac till about 10km to the top of the pass into dirt was accompanied by a dramatic change in the weather, with thunder, lightning, rain and even snow greeting us as we surmounted the pass. The water crossings were uncompromising, and within a matter of a couple of hours the riders had been given a taste of what was to come for the remainder of the ride.

DAY 2
Day 2 was a long day with a mixture of tarmac, broken tarmac, smooth and ultimately extremely rough dirt as the group travelled from Jispa into the Pangi Valley and ultimately to the stunning campsite above Sural. The road had been washed away due to the torrential rainfall from previous days and we were delayed by 5 hours while the heavy machinery did a superb job of putting things back together permitting traffic to pass. We reached the camp in the fading hours of the evening only to awake to the stunning view of the neighbouring glacier the next morning!

DAY 3 
After the toils of the previous day, Day 3 was the ultimate test for the riders as we rode towards Chamba. While we got sun all the way till the top of a beautiful run to Saach Pass, the weather rapidly turned leaving us to ride through thick mist and rain. Facing a torrential downpour for the majority of the day, we were blessed to avoid any major landslides and road blockages and arrived in the city by the evening totally soaked despite rain gear. A hot shower and meal was the perfect end to an epic day.

DAY 4
The rain refused to let up the entire night leading to the group deciding to stay an extra day in Chamba rather than risking getting stuck between landslides etc. The riders recuperated after a rough few days.

DAY 5
Recharged after a day’s rest, the group chose to complete the planned Day 4 and 5 routes together. We set out at the crack of dawn towards Bhadarwah, on tarmac and dirt roads alike, first surmounting Padre Galli and then Chattar Gala on our way to the day’s end in Dalhousie. After the previous days’ ordeals, we were blessed with clear weather and made it to base with plenty of daylight to spare.

The Five Passes Mountain Adventure was truly a surreal experience for all involved – Team Xplorearth included! We look forward to including the route in our annual calendar for years to come!