October 31, 2024
Best day for riding or trekking?
A random hike was the highlight of today's 150 km ride. I’m thrilled I didn’t push through to complete the remaining 30 km the previous night.
A month ago, I had ridden this same section in the dark, going in the opposite direction in a hurry, especially when my headlamps kept failing. That night, I didn’t realize what I had missed.
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Today, experiencing this stretch in daylight was a revelation. The valley where I gained some 1,000-foot was breathtaking, like something out of a Jurassic landscape.
The lush green, misty, and cloudy mountain range unfolded before me as I left Itanagar. At one point, a tucked-away valley called my name.
I doubled back, riding against the traffic on the shoulder lane, unable to resist the pull of a steep, nameless trail. The trail reminded me of the start of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park, Utah—steep, rugged, and cut into the mountain by heavy machinery. I was alone, and the trail felt like my little secret.
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I took a short break from cycling to explore this hidden gem. The experience made me realize what I had missed during my earlier nighttime ride.
This "waterfall trail," unmarked even on Google Maps, became the highlight of my day—and perhaps my trip.
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I spent an hour or longer exploring this trail and didn't want to leave it.
Then, I rolled into the plains of Assam where the landscape shifted to miles of tea estates and golden paddy fields ready for harvest.
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Along the way, I met other cyclists and villagers who invited me to their homes and even offered to ride with me. The interactions were heartwarming, though the rest of the day’s ride was relatively uneventful.
I rode until 9 or 10 pm that evening, crossing the mighty Brahmaputra River. The bridge alone took five minutes to cross, giving me a sense of the river’s immense scale. Just before this, I had spoken to a couple of forest rangers about pitching my tent near their living quarters. They showed me photos of a python that had slithered under their desk, and they warned me about elephants, panthers, and tigers in the area. They suggested I head to a nearby village, about 15–20 km away, for safety.
In the village, I searched for a temple or community hall to stay in but was eventually directed to a government guesthouse. While I would have preferred to camp in my tent, the caretaker insisted I sleep indoors—an experience I’d rather not describe.
Today's ride: 153 km (95 miles)
Total: 931 km (578 miles)
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