Day 2

Nobody warns you quite enough about the traffic on the lower mountain roads. My first full day in the saddle was a crash course in sharing narrow switchbacks with full-size buses and vans that squeeze past with inches to spare and zero hesitation. By the time the crowds thinned and the pine forest took over, the nervous energy had burned off into something closer to focus.

Jalori Pass came in at around 10,200 feet, dramatic clouds rolling over the ridgeline, the whole group gathered at the summit's "I ❤ Jalori" arch for the obligatory photo. For a few minutes we were able to forget about the buses and honking.

Camp that night was in Anni, a narrow valley tucked between steep mountain walls, yellow tents pitched on the grass as the light faded. The campsite had a resident blacksmith, an older man in a traditional Himachali cap who watched with quiet amusement as I took a turn with his hammer. 150 km ridden.

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