It is the last mile. A precarious icy slope leads into the valley village of Sangla. The instructions from our convoy leader, Puneet, are clear – Every vehicle must maintain a minimum distance of 100 metres from the next, and everyone must engage the 4×4 mode while descending. We are at the bottom of the queue. The green gypsy which had broken down the previous day is struggling again in the last leg of the journey. On a relatively easy climb, it got stuck a few minutes ago. My driving partner, Jatin, who was driving our Gypsy, being experienced in both snow driving and handling the Gypsy, went to the rescue of the couple from Bengaluru. With him on the rescue mission, I am in charge of driving our Gypsy. This is the first time I am driving on an icy road. So, there is both fear and anxiety. Strange comfort comes from the words of Jatin earlier in the day. He told me that there were only 3 things to remember when driving in these conditions – 1) Look out for the “black ice” (dirty ice that appears like tar or mud and is highly deceptive and slippery). 2) Do not apply breaks, and 3) If you start to lose control of your vehicle, “Just ram it into the mountainside”. With that insane yet pragmatic advice, I feel inexplicably empowered and confident to drive on ice. Thankfully, except for a couple of tiny skids the Gypsy’s Yokohoma AT tires grip the surface perfectly well and soon we are at the final slope, awaiting our turn to descend.
It is then that the Green Gypsy throws in the towel again. The vehicle refuses to be slotted into any gear and remains stubbornly in the neutral. Once again, the mechanic, Jitu, goes to investigate the car. When he shuts it down, it decides not to start again. Since the vehicle is blocking the way, our first priority is to move it to the side. We park our Gypsy by the mountainside and help push the vehicle to the side. Then we spend the next 45 mins out in the sub-zero temperature offering the only little piece of help that we can to the mechanic – showing the flashlight. The effort proves in vain and it is decided to abandon the vehicle for the night.
So, we ride down the icy road and reach the parking lot. I got out of the car, thinking maybe too much was being made out about the black ice and driving on it. I had driven through some seemingly scary segments with relative ease and no one had reported any issues all through the way. I sling my rucksack, pick up my camera bag and barely have I taken 5 steps when my right shoe skids off on the black ice! I manage to regain my balance, but the message has been received. There is no room for complacency in this place!