OFF-ROADING AT SPITI
Off-roading in Spiti at 16,000 feet
Ever tried hardcore off-roading at 16,000 feet above sea level? We did.
TTHE RADIO BOOMED at every step. “Convoy, shift to 4L and keep inching upward slowly.” This wasn’t off-roading in a controlled environment like how I learned at Mahindra’s Off-Road Training Academy at Igatpuri. This was the real deal.
The variables had changed immensely. We were at 16,000 feet, in a place where barrenness was beauty and the cold, dry air was chilling my bones! This was Spiti. A slice of the Himalayas that has continued to retain its virginity. The land which is cut off from the world for months, and stays isolated under unforgiving conditions. Between wiping my running nose and sweaty palms, I lined up right behind the convoy of 20 Mahindra vehicles to take on the trail ahead. For the last 5 days, we had travelled from Chandigarh to Sangla and Nako, to finally reach Kaza in Spiti valley. From the trees heavily pregnant with juicy apples, to the bizarre landscape of Nako, to the many monasteries and roads that aren’t for the faint hearted, the Mahindra Adventure Himalayan Spiti Expedition so far was a road trippers dream come true.
Today was a rest day with the plan to visit the highest village and post office in the world. But what the crafty team did not tell us was that we had to off-road our numb arses to get to these places! Sneaky buggers. Not that I am complaining, I mean, how often do you get to off-road at 16,000 feet?
As you approach Komic village from Kaza, one thing that will definitely catch your attention is the perfectly shaped mountain right ahead. Almost like the ones we’d draw as children.
From inside my dusty Thar, watching Chau Chau Kang Nilda, 6,303m (20,679ft) rise on the horizon was giving me goose bumps! Just then Hari’s voice boomed on the radio. “Convoy, we will be taking a detour and taking the Off-Road trail above Komic village.”
At that moment, I realised that life will not be the same again. I can write pages about it and talk for hours but what my Thar and I did from hereon was absolutely otherworldly. The track was narrow at some places and the incline steep. Loose rubble rolled down as we inched our way up. Being in the right gear was not just important but critical. Losing momentum would have meant disaster not just for me but for those who were following me too. Carrying too much speed was not a great idea either since I could not see where the Thar was heading, thanks to the incline. All this while trying to breathe properly. Challenging the mother of all mountains is one thing, taming one’s own fear was the more difficult task. You would have read stuff like man and machine working as one unit, but at this altitude there is no other way to survive.
One by one, we followed each other towards the top. It was unnerving and distracting. Unnerving mainly because, as much as I had learnt about the vehicle’s capabilities and its powerful torque back at the Academy, a part of me was still sceptical about its ability to perform in such a raw environment. Thanks to the rarefied air, where just like the human body, even a car’s engine is hypoxic and screaming for oxygen. But so far it had not let me down. My Thar had endured some of the most treacherous roads in the world to reach here.
Off-roading amidst a place of such beauty can also be distracting. Whether you look through your windshield or at your rear view or side view mirror, the vistas seduce you enough to distract you. But then that is what we were here for.
The view from the top! Between the cold induced sniffing and nervous sweat, we tugged upwards. They say, “As a team, you are a sum total of all your experiences.” Nothing describes Hari Singh and his team better who knew the ‘Who, What, How’ of this area as well as off-roading with great detail. No wonder then that Mahindra Adventure trusts Hari to handle this expedition. A legend himself, he is India’s foremost off-roader and rallyist. We trusted him and at every step, he and his band of experienced kinsmen watched and instructed us on how to climb on all four.
It wasn’t easy getting right to the top, but with four-wheel drive, the Thar and Scorpios made the steep climb on the slippery slopes with relative ease, despite the lack of oxygen.
Not sure whether it was the height or the high of the mountains, but I was dizzy. This was high altitude and as much as this can affect the vehicle’s power, it can also affect the human body. I continued to sip water regularly to keep AMS at bay.
Under the overwhelming presence of Chau Chau, we made our own trails to finally reach the top. The panoramic view of the Himalayan range (imagine seeing the tall peaks almost at eye level) and the rush of the fact that we off-roaded our way here, something you probably cannot do anywhere else in the world, left us all overwhelmed.
As we moved down, the dizziness lessened but the trust we now had in our vehicle continued to increase.
It was crazy what we did right there. As I looked back and bid farewell to the magnanimous Chau Chau, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride!
That night as we parked our trusty vehicle under the starry sky, we were speaking to some people who were visiting Kaza as well. As we narrated our day to them, one question caught our attention.
Why would anyone want to off-road at 16,000 feet? Well, because we can and also because it is there!L
Why would anyone want to off-road at 16,000 feet?