The Wheel of Life FINDING BALANCE IN THE HIMALAYA “The good shine from afar, like the Himalaya mountains.” -Buddha fter 25 years of bike touring, I decided it was time for A something a little different. Recently I’ve shed a wheel, become an avid unicyclist, and participated in unicycle stage races, unicycle basketball, and mountain unicycling events all over the world. But I’d never toured on one wheel because carrying baggage on a uni (unipacking?) is difficult and long days take a lot more work than on a traditional bike. But the “Unipal” tour presented an opportunity too amazing to pass up. Ken Looi, New Zealand’s “Adventure Unicyclist,” has been organizing unicycle expeditions since 2006 to destinations like Mongolia, Laos, and Uzbekistan. The 2015 tour would be the most ambitious ride yet, attempting to conquer the world-renowned Annapurna Circuit, perhaps the greatest of the Himalayan treks. Annapurna was once accessible only on foot, but in recent years 4x4 roads have been built to some of the villages, opening the possibility of epic cycling adventures. Unipal attracted a diverse group of 28 unicyclists from all over the globe: six women and 22 men, ages 17 to 56. Some had been riding for decades, whereas one participant, Anna, had learned just two months earlier. Support was provided by tour operator Grasshopper Adventures and an intrepid team of 14 Nepali porters, mostly Sherpas. Vehicles can’t travel Thorong La pass so the porters would carry our gear on foot. After meeting up in Kathmandu, we were transported to Besisahar, the end of the paved road, where we loaded into a convoy of 4x4s. Our destination was Bagarchhap, only 52 kilometers from Besisahar, and if you ask Google, that drive should take under two hours. Google apparently doesn’t understand Nepali 4x4 roads; we bounced around like ball bearings in sardine cans for over nine hours. (My advice: skip the 4x4 and start riding in Besisahar.) It was nearly midnight when we arrived at our teahouse. Teahouses are the heart of Nepal’s trekking circuits; they provide meals in a communal dining room, pallet beds, and shared toilets. The convention is to buy breakfast and dinner from the house where you are staying. The typical meal at lower elevations is dal baht (lentils over rice); higher up 12 ADVENTURE CYCLIST JULY 2016 STORY & PHOTOS The Wheel of Life BY TOM HOLUB FINDING BALANCE IN THE HIMALAYA The author balancing with Annapurna II in background. PHOTO BY CHRIS LABONTE 13 you’ll see more potatoes and eggs. The teahouses usually have extra services available for a small fee: these can include charging for your electronics, wifi access (generally poor), and, if you’re lucky, a hot shower, for prices ranging from 100 to 500 rupees (about one to five dollars). In the morning, we had a good, hearty breakfast, heard a briefing about the day’s ride, and got our equipment together. It was fun to see the Sherpas react to the unicycles; several of them immediately wanted to learn to ride. Dawa, our lead guide, eventually picked it up, and now he can probably claim to be the best unicyclist in Nepal. Nathan, our senior member, has uni-toured on all seven continents. His philosophy is that as an American in the developing world, the locals often ask you for something, and if you’re unicycling, you’re already giving them something — smiles are a universal language. We started climbing at a reasonable altitude (2,100 meters) on hills that were not terribly steep but still difficult without oxygen. Even our strongest riders were walking often; one of the nice things about unicycles is that they’re easy to push. The scenery was spectacular — mountain vistas, waterfall crossings, and pockets of tropical jungle. The afternoon was what we learned to call Nepali Flat: up and down, but without much total altitude gain. “The root of suffering is attachment.” -Buddha Just short of Chame, I’d stopped to Top: Chris trying the stairs (he made it). Bottom: A “Nepali Flat” 4x4 road near Bagarchaap. take pictures and give candy to two 14 ADVENTURE CYCLIST JULY 2016 children who were begging for sweets (common in Nepal), but I forgot to return the camera to my bag. After only a couple of minutes in town, I noticed I had left it behind, but when I returned it was gone. I was upset, but as we entered the village we saw our first set of Buddhist prayer wheels. While I turned the wheels, I reflected on the wealth disparity between whoever had picked up the camera and me. It was a cheap compact portable, and I still had my DSLR. Deep breath. Find balance. I’m still here in this amazing place. Let it go. A cold wind was blowing down the gorge. We lit a fire in the dining hall, wolfed down dinner, and then crawled into our sleeping bags. The teahouse rooms are not heated, so on a chilly night — most of them, at this altitude — people are either by the fire or in bed. Left: Nathan carefully descending through the snowstorm. Jet lag woke a number of us before Right: An obstacle on the trail leading the way to Yak Kharka. sunrise, treating us to moonset over an amazing landscape that previously and conducted a miniature orchestra. “If a man, traveling along a wilderness had been covered by clouds. We rode We also worked on starting the Pisang track, were to see an ancient path, (and walked) up the valley through the Unicycle Club. traveled by people of former times, increasingly spectacular scenery toward Today’s riding was supposed to be he would follow it.” -Buddha the town of Pisang. On our right, was easy, mostly smooth road — Nepali Flat. the incredible granite bowl of Paungda We’d started to acclimatize so the climbs On our rest day, a group of us got Danda (Gateway to Heaven), and on the weren’t as daunting as the previous day, together for a hike up to the Praban left was Annapurna II, peaking at 7,937 and I rode almost all of them. I didn’t Gompa monastery. Four of us brought meters (over 26,000 feet). We were on ride all of the mud pits, which were in unicycles. The trail was steep, and it the circuit! ugly shape because of jeep traffic. We saw was an effort to carry on a conversation. The next morning, crisp and clear, two jeeps badly stuck. Nicola (one of two Photography provided a great excuse to Chris and I walked to a beautiful statue doctors on the trip) tried to help one out. catch my breath. of Buddha overlooking Pisang from After lunch and a raid on a bakery, The monastery was set into the the funeral pyre. The hillside was we rolled through amazing terrain up to hillside, and the practice of climbing completely covered with prayer flags, Manang at 3,500 meters. Manang was the old stone stairs, removing our shoes, and I hung one for a friend who’s facing the largest town yet so the teahouse had and entering the monk’s chamber a serious illness. At breakfast we had solar showers that were actually hot, and heightened the feeling of the moment. the opportunity to play with the curious espresso! (Most of the coffee up here is We each knelt and presented our local kids. Chris gave out noisemakers Nescafé). offerings as we were blessed. Afterward ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 15 a number of us set prayer flags as Himalayan griffons soared overhead. Because Buddhism is strong on practice and light on dogma, it’s accessible to anyone. This was a truly spiritual experience. After riding back to town (fun descent!), Chris and I decided to spend some time with the locals. I had brought balloons and a funnel to make colorful rice-filled balls for the children. We rode to the town square, gathering a crowd as usual, and started preparing. A huge crowd of kids surrounded us, pushing and grabbing. After seeing us make a few balls, the older kids took over, filling balloons with rice and handing them out to their friends. It was totally chaotic and a great way to connect with people. The group was now planning for two shorter riding days before attempting the pass. I was feeling a bit nervous. We would soon be over 4,000 meters, and several people were already struggling. Dawa advised against pushing ourselves, and he reiterated his advice after seeing a few of us trying to crank up one of the early climbs. Mostly walking, we arrived at a teahouse and relaxed, admiring the beautiful views while we regrouped. Several people had physical issues and Bruce did the climb on a mule. We were beyond the end of the jeep road and onto the hiking trail, which made for nicer riding but also a lot more foot traffic. Most of the hikers enjoyed seeing us, and we tried to ignore the few exceptions. We got into Yak Kharka early, had lunch, and went for a hike, which was quite challenging at 4,300 meters. A snowstorm blew in, whitening the bushes on the trail. After dinner, those of us who were still awake got word that Nicola (one of two doctors on the trip) had diagnosed Bruce with high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), a life-threatening condition that requires returning to lower elevation immediately. Seven porters were assigned to carry him down the trail — in the snow, in the dark.