McLeodganj Mavericks

An Endurance Test

As usual, Nishant came up with the name. Had we known that the trip would live up to its title, we would have chosen something else, like McLeod Loggers, or something. The distance was long, about 530 kms from Delhi. The destination had been in our sights since July 2008. Many times, plans were made to conquer this place, but the place just forsook us. The closest we got was Independence Ride in 2008(Nishant and Negi), which got cancelled at the last moment due to rains.But with each plan failure, our resolve only increased. And then, with sheer determination, we fixed 8th April as the departure date taking advantage of the Good Friday long weekend. Leaves were applied. Other riders joined and departed. Nothing was confirmed till the last day, except for a Maharaja suite at Hotel Sahil Plaza(Bad Manager but more on that later).

The Mavericks were

Nishant Jha - Bullet Electra "Slip Boy"

Sunny Singh - Bullet Standard "Little Boy"

Varun Doegar - Thunderbird "Family Boy"

Veeru - Bajaj Pulsar 220 "Gujjar Boy"

Myself - Bullet Electra "Trailer Boy"

Wednesday, 8th April

God has a sense of humour. Tuesday was a hot day. Wednesday began with hailstorms. It seemed as if the weather gods were teasing us. It lasted 15 minutes and the sky cleared. We were to leave at 4:30 PM from our offices and the whole day was spent looking out of the windows. The sun was playing hide and seek. Clouds appearing one minute and disappearing the next. Similar was our mood. Bright at one moment and gloomy at the other. I must have reduced a year of my life on that day because of the tension.

Then at 4 PM, the skies were bright. I left my office in the same mood towards the Gurgaon-Delhi Toll Plaza. I was to meet Nishant here. Along the way, it started drizzling. I went home to pick up bungees and polythenes to cover the bags. When both of us reached the Toll Plaza, we notified Varun, that we were on our way and he should start from his home at Dwarka towards the landfill site at GT Karnal Road. We resolved that no matter what the weather may be, we would endure it and conquer McLeod this time. No cancellations. Surprisingly, there was little traffic at Naraina. We took it as a positive sign and reached the landfill site quite early. Varun and Sunny joined us here a few minutes later. Veeru would be joining us the next morning at Chandigarh.

The four of us had been a part of many rides previously and we were all quite excited to be a part of this one together. By now, we could see the clouds running ahead of us on the road towards Chandigarh. "Jai BOP" and we were on our way.

I still had about 150kms to cover my run-in from the changed piston and was riding easily with a speed cap of 60 kmph. Nishant was, as usual, racing far ahead(a habit that would require a chain-set change at the end of this ride). Varun and Sunny were riding together some distance ahead of me. It was still drizzling. The going was actually enjoyable for about half hour following which the drizzle turned into a downpour. The wind was swaying the motorcycles side by side. By Murthal, the downpour had drenched us completely and we stopped at Gulshan Dhaba. The weather was perfect for hot tea and pakodas and these were consumed in no time. Varun and me were slightly more hungry and it seemed like a sin to pass through Murthal without having parathas. 3 Parathas were ordered and then 3 more as the rest also joined in.

Seeing that the rain showed no sign of abating, we set off on our way again. By now, it was dark. The headlights of the oncoming vehicles were playing fireworks on the wet spectacles. God was still in a playful mood and the rain stopped as we reached the Panipat Toll Plaza. We took a quick break here with the police pushing us to carry on and not stop here. My run-in was complete and I was all the more anxious to go on.
The road was also drying up and we left the Toll Plaza in full throttle. I was still keeping below 80 kmph and after about 5 kms, heard an ugly sound from the engine, like the crank was broken, and the bike stopped. My heart skipped many beats. Immediately called up Nishant who was just a short distance ahead. He had the same experience with his piston job and instructed me to cool off the machine and then move with a speed limit of 70 kmph. After 20 minutes, I caught up with Nishant doing a jig. He was pleased to know that his case had not been a one-off incident.

I was again left at the tail-end of the group. About 15 kms before Shahbad, the rains started again. Varun and Sunny had stopped at a dhaba. Nishant had rode straight on. I chose to stop with the latter. Nishant called a few minutes later. His motorcycle had slipped over the remains of a cow at Shahbad. The footrest was bent and Nishant had a few scratches. He waited for us to catch up at a roadside stall.

When the rains had stopped(again), we caught up with him. Thankfully, the remains had been quite flattened now and offered no threat to us. Seeing that everybody was still aching to go, we made our way forward. Nearing Ambala, and a drizzle started, which quickly turned into a downpour and then "cats and dogs". It had become impossible to go on. We looked for shelter by the roadside, but after 10 PM, there was none. Finally, we stopped at a petrol pump just 3 kms from Ambala. The water had reached our innermost sections and we were shivering now. Varun had stopped under the Ambala flyover.

Nishant called up his friend, JK at Chandigarh to inquire about the weather condition there. There was heavy rain there too. We took a poll. Only Sunny was willing to go forward. So, we decided to stop at a local lodge for the night. We retreated back to the flyover where Varun was waiting and checked in at the closest lodge, Hotel De Metropole. We joked on how impossible it would be for Veeru to find this place. Varun opted to go to his relative's place at Ambala and meet us the next morning.

As we dried ourselves in the musty hotel room, a question ran through all our minds. Would the McLeod jinx ever break? We had left Delhi with lots of determination, but the last spell of heavy rain and hearing about the weather at Chandigarh, had dampened the spirits. We went to the nearby dhaba to have dinner. Realising that the discussion would be more productive with alcohol, we took beer and rum along. Our sharp minds quickly reached a decision. We would see the weather condition tommorow and then take a decision. For now, enjoy the alcohol.
Reaching back to the hotel, we messaged Veeru that he should leave Delhi only if there were no rains. Our program was still uncertain and we went to sleep.

Thursday, 9th April

We woke up to a wet morning, with partially cloudy skies. There was still a drizzle. And then, Veeru opened the door. This uplifted our spirits. I changed into my still-wet jeans from previous night. Now, even Nishant was encouraged and we let out our war cry, "Chalo BC".

Varun would take some time to leave from his relative's place, so we left without him towards Chandigarh. The roads had completely dried up now and we made good progress till we reached the Tribune chowk at Chandigarh. JK joined us soon here. It was honour to meet JK personally after hearing so much about him. He lead us on the way towards Ropar-Kiratpur and we said goodbyes, promising to ride together someday.

We waited for Varun at a roadside dhaba and had brunch there. I've always held such places in high-esteem. This is where you'll get the real taste of food. The food was delicious, no doubt. After Varun rejoined, we continued on till Kiratpur. The road now was not very good, with numerous diversions. I couldn't help feeling nostalgic as I passed the turn towards Bilaspur.
Now the road was fantastic. We made good progress till Nangal. It was earlier planned to see the Bhakra Nangal Dam, but considering the long distance still left, we passed on it.

Now the roads became unpredictable. Sometimes climbing, sometimes descending, sometimes broken and sometimes smooth. But by now our excitement level had reached an unprecedented high. BoP was getting closer to McLeod.

As we neared Kangra, we stopped to have a beer break, our first one of the day. Varun continued on his way as he wanted to make the most of the little daylight still left. Nishant asked for Godfather. The thekaman replied that it was unavailable. Hesitantly, we asked for the available brands. When the thekaman replied Kingfisher, our joy knew no bounds. Its the favourite. Two bottles were out and drowned. Veeru tried desperately to search for coffee, but got tea instead.

Since it had gone dark now, we decided to stick together. The progress was slow now although the roads were clear. Finally, we reached Dharamshala. We gave high-fives to each other. BoP had almost made it. We knew there would be no stopping now. Picking up Varun along the way, we made our way forward to finish the final 8 kms.

On reaching McLeod, Nishant let out the screams from his Goldstar silencer. He ensured that everyone in McLeodganj heard that Bulls On Parade has removed the jinx from this place. We arrived at Hotel Sahil Plaza full of energy. The Manager, Mr. Aggarwal slightly dampened our spirits with his behaviour. He was discouraging us from taking the Maharaja suite. We took a VIP suite and a special deluxe room on the top floor. After cleaning up, we sat down for our council meeting. Alcohol, dinner and snacks were delivered to the room. For a change, this meeting didnt last very long. All of us were sleepy. My head was dropping as we talked. Finally, we gave in and settled into a well-deserved slumber.

Friday, 10th April

The plan was to trek to Triund this morning and return in the evening. As with all plans, this one also altered. Riders woke up lazily. We drowned in litres of tea and coffee while enjoying the view from the terrace. The Kangra Valley was in full view. As many took baths, we were so late that it was decided to vacate our rooms and stay overnight at Triund. Some of us even got the motorcycles washed from the hotel attendant, Tarsem. He was a brilliant guy. Tarsem even helped us in booking the rest house at Triund and assured us that we would get a room after returning.

Leaving the heavy part of our luggage at the hotel lobby, we took out our machines and rode to Dharamkot for breakfast at a small eatery. It was here that Veeru showed his expertise with baggage. He was fixing the bungee at the back of his motorcycle, a job that took him well over an hour. Picking up a few snacks, we made our way forward towards Gullu Temple. The road now became treachorous, the first-gear kind. At times, it was difficult to make out whether this was the right path or not. I volunteered to ride some distance ahead and call the rest if we were going the right way. Only a short distance later, I reached Gullu Temple. The signal was erratic as I called the others to ride on. But they must have heard through the broken signal. Call it rider's instincts. The rest of the gang joined in soon.

We parked our motorcycles at an elevated spot, depositted the helmets at the nearby snack shop and started our trek. The distance to be covered was 9 kms. At that time, it didn't seem much. We had covered nearly 550 kms, right? Our energy was high and we carried on. Along the way, we came across a fork in the road. Trust me to guide the group always towards the wrong one. Luckily, the cab drivers sitting at the Gullu Temple saw us from below and shouted at us to go the other way. As we reached back to the road, we debated on the reason for misguiding. I still justify that it was an honest mistake and could have happened to anybody, while the rest still kick my ass.

Now, the incline increased. The trek just showed us how pathetic we are without our motorcycles. We couldn't go more than 100 yards without running out of breath. Scraping, tumbling, falling, we reached the mid point where there is a cafe. I immediately gulped down a beer. A price of Rs100 seemed like a big discount for a chilled beverage considering the condition we were in. We bought more water bottles and then walked on.

By now, even our second wind was running out. As we encountered trekkers coming downhill, we asked on the distance still left to go. We got a different answer each time. Sometimes, it was 1 hour, sometimes 2 hours. Realising that it was a waste, we carried on. About half an hour later, we reached the second cafe on the route, being manned by a teen. He was doing this during his vacations. He told us that the trek would take another hour. We were also told stories of cheetahs and bears.

As we moved on, we began to see snow along the route. One of the trekkers said that the snow was melting fast, so we had better hurry. A statement easier said than done. We were almost crawling now, taking more frequent breaks. The snow became a good backdrop for photographs.

As we reached Triund, we let out a triumphant cry. The place was magnificient. A huge snow covered range was facing us. There was even a small avalanche visible on that range. It should be specially mentioned that Veeru found coffee here. Varun got into his 'picture-perfect' mode and clicked his way to glory, using all sorts of gadgets. We got slightly deranged and made more and more weird poses. The sun became another model subject of photography.

As we reached the Ibex resort, we were given an option of tents and rooms. We chose one tent and one room. A mini bonfire was lit where all the guests gathered. We entertained the whole bunch with song and dance. Nishant was even able to convince one of the guests to buy the Bullet. Dinner was plain dal, rice and rotis which was just what we were looking for. When it was time to retire, Nishant, Sunny and I took the tent. Varun and Veeru took the room. Not a very wise decision. After the effects of the alcohol wore off, we were left tossing and turning. When I had had enough, I went to the room. No comfort there too. It was just too cold everywhere.

Saturday 11th April
The scariest morning of my life

Until last night, the plan was to trek another 4 kms to ilaqa glacier. In the morning, with little sleep, some of us opted out. Veeru and I decided to head on towards ilaqa. The rest told us that they would return to McLeod and look for a place to stay. One of the guests had a guide accompanying him and he showed us the way forward with a warning that due to fresh snow, the path would be slippery. Like true warriors, Veeru and I didnt pay any heed to the warning and walked on. This path was even narrower than the Triund trek. And yes, it was slippery. We started at a sign-board displaying Snow Line Cafe at a distance of 3 kms. 1 kms later, we reached a mixed temple. It had one photo of every Lord known to man. Veeru lit up dhoop here and offered prayers.

As we progressed, the path grew narrower. Until now, we were able to spot arrow signs showing the way towards the cafe. After travelling a km from the temple, the signs disappeared. There was no way forward. The fact was, since the snowfall 3 days back, no one had ventured towards ilaqa. So there were no leading tracks too. Being IT proffessionals, the two of us showed our intelligence. Veeru had the sudden urge to climb the mountain next to us all the way to the top. He reasoned that the cafe would be visible from there. And, I agreed. We began a vertical trek.

The going was tough, very tough. We grabbed onto rocks and branches to climb up. At times, there was no grip. Still we moved up (wisely). We just dug in our shoes and clutched the snow to climb up. We avoided looking down. I can't even describe the path that we took. Finally, we reached a point from where it was impossible to climb further. The sight of a huge straight rock face nearby scared the shit out of us. The top of the mountain was still some feet above us. But with no means to carry on, we came to our senses. I wished this would have happened sooner because now we looked down and grew dizzy.

We wondered whatever provoked us to climb this far. No matter how hard I slapped my forehead, I couldnt find the answer. There was no civilization, no creature, no signal. We were left to ourselves. The same thought ran through both our minds. "Ab to fass gaye". By now, even the sun was high, and the snow was melting. But then again, being the wise creatures we were, we started our way downhill. We tried to trace our way down through the same path. I cant even put in words what I felt at that moment. It was the sort of moment when Man prays to God and makes promises.

Somehow (dont ask how), we did make our way back. Maybe it was the prayers we made at the temple along the way. Veeru was still anxious to go the correct way now. I had had enough and started going back. As we retraced to Triund, the snow had melted quite a bit and our feet were sloshing. After another hour, we reached back to the Ibex resort.

We had our breakfast here and then started our descent from Triund. There were lots more people coming up today and we could relate easily to their panting faces. We encouraged everybody to carry on. A good two hours of trek brought us back to the Mid point cafe. I quickly gulped in a beer. Veeru had gatorade. Wasting little time, we reached Gullu temple, picked up our motorcycles and then reached McLeod. The rest of the guys were staying at Hotel Pong View at Dharamshala which we reached after having a dull lunch. The traffic was mounting as cars from Punjab and Delhi were making their way towards McLeod. Some of the cars were even returning having failed to find a place to stay.

The hotel, Hotel Pong View, was very nice. Nice luxury at a quite reasonable rate. We narrated our experience to the others. They must have really cursed us for taking such a stupid decision. Hell, I was cursing myself. Nishant narrated his experience of how he went the wrong way while descending and climbed down a treachorous path. Everyone had their share of adventure. Varun left to meet a friend at Dharamshala, while the rest planned on what to do next. We had only seen Triund since we arrived at McLeod. We took advantage of the time to go to Bhagsunath Falls. We stormed through the streets of McLeod with the silencers of Nishant's and Sunny's Bullets playing out in full blast.

On reaching the falls, the place looked unappealing. Plus, there was a km long trek up to it. We had had our share of trekking and so turned our backs to the falls. Sunny's Bullet was giving trouble in pick-up and we took it to the local mechanic, Raj Giraage. It was 7 PM now and the mechanic was just closing his shop. We requested him to keep open as we were to return the following morning. Raj accepted our request and began the task of replacing the gearbox bush. Nishant left to meet his friend. Veeru left to roam around the market. With nothing left to do, I went to McLeod to pick up supplies for the night.

As Raj was testing the Bullet inside his workshop, Sunny got a good taste of how loud his machine really was. A good two hours later, the job was complete. We thanked him and reached back to our hotel. The whole gang gathered for its council meeting. We didnt have much since the next morning was going to be a trying 550 kms long ride, something we had never tried before. Alarms were set for 5 AM and we dozed off.

Sunday 12th April

Nishant woke up first as per the alarm and began the laborous task of waking the others. Luckily, the others were quick and we were able to leave the hotel at 6 AM. Varun joined us at a petrol pump in Dharamshala where we fuelled up. Breezing through the mountains early in the morning on Bullets was a heavenly experience. None of us felt the tireness of yesterday's trek. We made swift progress across the mountains. We stopped for a quick tea-break after crossing Kangra. Maybe it was the Royal Enfield signage at the neighbouring shop that made Nishant stop there.

Wasting little time, we gobbled up the tea and biscuits and carried on. Varun decided to head to his native place nearby and catch up with us later. The traffic was mounting now as loads of cars from Punjab and Delhi were returning from vacations. We needed to be double quick to avoid the mess while entering Delhi. Breakfast was postponed. We entered Punjab, where winding roads welcomed us all the way to Hoshiarpur. Although the road was good, it was dangerous. The turns were tight and some potholes emerged out of nowhere. Add to that the monkey menace and people feeding bread to them that adds to the peril.

At Hoshiarpur, we asked for directions towards Phagwara, where we would join NH-1. I've always enjoyed the state highways of Punjab. Lush green farms and huge eucalyptus trees along the roadside. Superb roads. We stopped at a small dhaba amidst such environment. The effect of BoP to attract crowds was again evident here as many more passing vehicles stopped in after us. We were hungry now as we had been riding with empty stomachs for 3 hours now. Rotis and parathas were ordered and devoured. Sunny had a tough time as owing to the crowd, his order was much-delayed.

We touched NH-1 at around 11 AM. Delhi was 352 kms away. It looked like a tough task alright. The sun was shining bright now cooking us. Wished it could have been like this 4 days ago. Speed naturally increases on G.T. Road. It just can't be helped. I was somewhat restrained though due to my piston job and caught up with the others only after crossing a messy Ludhiana, at a juice stall. By that time, the group had drowned 2-3 glasses of juice. I tried to match up with them by ordering two bantas, but Sunny then surpassed by ordering another one. Damn, I lost to him again!

Allowing a few minutes for the motorcycle to cool down, we set off again. The target was to cover 100kms non-stop and then have lunch. We covered 125 kms with Nishant doing an average of 66.67 kms an hour. We stopped only after entering Haryana at a small dhaba just besides Choupal. Only Nishant and I ordered lunch, which was tasty. Sunny and Veeru had had enough during breakfast only. Varun messaged to let us know that he would be stopping for the day at Ambala and return to Delhi the next day. We saw another Enfield group moving towards Delhi. My favourite was one Bullet with a number plate ORG. Quirky. After lunch, the next pit-stop was chosen to be a theka for some much-needed beer in that heat. We decided on stopping the first theka after Panipat covering another 100 kms.

But this journey was going to be different. Nearing Karnal, Sunny's motorcycle started having trouble. It just stopped. Being an expert, I checked it and concluded that it was engine trouble. The engine oil level was too low. Sunny called up his mechanic, Zaheer, also a member of BoP, who could straightaway tell from the phone that it was ammeter issue and nothing to do with the engine. So much for my expertise. We removed the fuse, shortened the cables and continued on. We caught up with Nishant at a petrol pump in Karnal where Sunny added more engine oil.
But the motorcycle was still stopping now and then. Nishant pitched in with his expertise now, having faced so many faults with his machine in the past. He declared the trouble due to loose wiring which was turning the ignition off. Of course, his conclusions are never confirmed since Sunny's Bullet does not sport the ON indicator. Smart Fellow. So, we decided to stick together from there on. By now, the traffic heading towards Delhi was huge. So, the beer pit-stop was skipped. We made a bee-line till the landfill site at Delhi. Along the way, Sunny's headlight had also stopped working. Zaheer would have his ass over this. At the site, we bid goodbyes to riders heading to ISBT, while Nishant and I headed towards Gurgaon. Since, we had skipped the customary beer pit-stop, we stopped at a theka after reaching Gurgaon to celebrate our conquest of McLeodganj. Headed home and dropped dead to sleep.

The lessons we learnt was that no target is too big. And, if there is a special camera in the group, you shouldn't fiddle around with it. Leave it to the specialist.

A special thanks to the hotel attendant at McLeod, Tarsem, who helped us quite a lot.