Ride the Himalayas: 14,000+ Ft on Two Wheels

High Mountain Adventure with Canadian Motorcycle Legend Lawrence Hacking…

In 2001, at the age of 47, riding a specially-prepped Honda XR650R, Lawrence Hacking became the first Canadian to finish the Dakar Rally. Just last year we read his book, To Dakar and Back: 21 Days Across North Africa by Motorcycle, and found it to be the best book we’ve ever read about the world’s most grueling off-road race.

Unlike the factory riders, Hacking rode largely unsupported, fixing his own bike along the way and overcoming a seemingly interminable series of obstacles and setbacks. This was a time when the Dakar Rally still took place in Africa, and, Hacking’s experience reminded us much more of the early days of the rally, when competitors didn’t have big factory crews to change their tires, oil, and air filters every night, or fix the many mechanical issues that arise along the way.

Hacking’s racing career began more than 50 years ago, and he’s devoted his entire life to motorcycling:

“I started racing in 1971 in Canada, it was called scrambles then motocross. I made my own riding gear, I cut lawns to make money for gas and hitched rides to the races. Those are some of the first memories but after each major race I did there were many, many fond memories. There were some really tough and difficult times as well. Being cold, soaked, tired, scared, injured but also extremely euphoric on some occasions which is what I think kept me going back for more.” –Dreamracer.tv interview

Recently, Hacking joined his American buddy Mike Berkner for a month-long ride through the Himalayas, reaching heights of more than 19,000 feet, including the world’s highest motorable pass. Today, we’re honored to present his trip report from this high-altitude adventure of a lifetime.

“Himalayan Adventure” by Lawrence Hacking

When you get the call to join your buddy on a month-long adventure in India there really is only one right answer. Without hesitation I said yes and sent the deposit to the India-based Ride The Himalayas team and set about getting psychologically prepared for the ride of a lifetime.

I have to say India is not for the faint-hearted, especially when we spent most of the two-week motorcycle portion of the trip at a minimum of 14,000’ above sea level. Riding the Indian roads is one of the busiest activities you ever experience, more things come at you than any video game ever invented… the level of traffic, mayhem, danger and stunning views is exhausting but well worth it.

Our group of 17 riders and numerous RTH support staff got along famously. People from all over the world occupy their tours, Canadians being one of the most common participants. Our group consisted of English, Irish, Aussies, my American buddy Mike, and some fellow Canadians.

The Ride the Himalayas team were more than accommodating, taking care of all the details to make our trip as enjoyable as possible. Having said that, some of the camping nights were as rustic as it comes. Two nights in tents were in spectacular locations — it was a bit chilly but a truly unforgettable moment in time.

We had another few nights in Swiss camps that had more permanent-style tents with a toilet in the back of the tent; the other camping locations did not afford that luxury.

As I expected, stomach problems can and did arise — no wonder since hygiene leaves a lot to be desired. Dishwashing and food preparation is usually done on the floor and in cold water for the most part.

Our tour was the last of the season and the weather was crisp at altitude. I was happy to have brought my electric jacket liner and glove warmers; for the most part I was toasty inside the Gryphon riding suit I wore.

Many of the hotels were rudimentary, we rode to the remote village of Hanle which provides the closest access to the highest motorable pass in the world, Umling La, which stands 19,024 feet above sea level.

When we arrived at the summit the wind howled, snow blew sideways and the thermometer hovered around minus 5C, but we accomplished what we set out to do: stand on top of the world.

Another night in Hanle’s guest house was a chilly evening, no heat, no hot water and wearing everything piece of clothing and a toque we managed to get a few hours of shut-eye before making our way to lower elevations and warmer temps.

Many of the roads followed the Indian-Chinese border, and a heavy military presence is felt virtually all the time. The border is one of the longest disputed borders in history and military build-up is an on-going project.

I found the local people to be very friendly and open to interaction,and the riding was thrilling — it is hard to imagine carving more turns in a day than one would make on the Himalayan roads. All day long we spent slicing each other up in hairpin corners one after another.

We rode Royal Enfield Himalayans and I found the bike to be very well suited to the riding we were doing. It is not a particularly powerful 450cc engine but did its job well. At elevation where oxygen was sparse, it lost significant ummpf; however, I figure with any more power we’d have probably got ourselves in even more trouble than we did.

The suspension was more than adequate, and the ample braking power slowed us down thousands of feet of descents.

Life in the Himalayas for the local people is not easy; remote doesn’t begin the describe how far away from civilization we were on most days. We saw herdsmen driving their goats to lower levels for the winter and groups of women squatting around a fire in blizzard-like conditions during their workday.

It appears that women do much of the heavy lifting labour on the roads, which seem to be washed out constantly from floods or avalanches.

Needless to say, the views are out of this world; the most narrow of roads hang off dizzying cliffsides and offer breathtaking moments. We rode to some the most sought-after locations the Himalayan province has to offer.

The Spiti Valley in particular has what could be the ultimate adventure bike roads, with some unique villages that are completely snowbound during winter.

The mountain lifestyle is very different than in the wildly populated cities in India. To begin to explain India in a short story is impossible. I usually start by reciting some statistics: India has the population of the entire United States (approximately 340 million) plus one billion! Somehow India works — making comparisons to Canada or any other Western country is effectively useless.

India works differently than everywhere else: the spread of wealth is unbelievable, the infrastructure seems to be mired in the dark ages, yet well over a billion or so humans go about their daily lives among the cows and other animals in the street, the filth and choking smells, the mountains of garbage, and the ageless culture that refuses to change or adopt the modern day.

Yet India is one of the most advanced and innovative civilizations on the planet. It is also one of the most wealthy in some cases and the absolute most poverty-stricken in others.

The rural village lifestyle exists as it has since time began and that is refreshing. Mike and I visited Rajasthan after the riding tour ended.

We hired a car and driver to take us to some of the back country cities and towns. We stopped first at Jaipur, then moved to Kotah and on to Delhi to catch our flights home. India has changed but is still the same. The original roads still exist — they are filled with animals, people, cars, scooters and motorcycles.

Motorcycle culture is strong in India. We saw many Indians on tour in groups or individually, plus there were many other tour groups travelling in buses or private cars. Every photo stop was a busy place, and chatting to fellow travellers was enlightening. It was common to meet people from all over India at each site.

What is comforting to realize is India is still the same — the people are kind and affable, and they are approachable and happy to speak with tourists. That, amidst their seemingly chaotic life, is what makes India one of the ultimate destinations for adventurers of all types.