Traveler’s Journal: Cycling the Himalayas, 2015

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Traveler’s Journal

When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2

Where: Sequim High School library, 601 N. Sequim Ave.

Cost: Suggested $5 donation (adults); 18 and younger, free

Presenters: David McCulloch and Jon Muellner

Presentation: “Cycling the Himalayas, 2015”

The Himalaya is a mountain range that is home to nine of the highest peaks on Earth. Join David McCulloch and Jon Muellner as they bicycle 760 miles through the Kinnaur, Spiti, Kulu and Kangra valleys, and the high passes of northern India.

Beginning in Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, their six-week trek takes them through the lush hot Sutlej river valley, along the Tibetan border, over the high passes of Kunzum and Rohtang La, through verdant apple orchards and rice fields, to McLeod Ganj, the home of the Dalai Lama in exile, and to Amritsar, Punjab, home of the Sikhs Golden Temple.

These adventure cyclists share photographs and stories infused with unique people and cultures, ending on the plains of the Punjab, David’s childhood home.

McCulloch and Muellner have been cycling buddies and bicycle advocates in the Olympic region for many years. Their love of cycling and exploration took them to India in 2015 where they bicycled on their own in the high Himalayas, staying in guest houses, a gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) and small “hotels.”

McCulloch had taken an organized bike tour in the same general region in 2013 and thought, with the right riding partner, this was a trip that could be done on their own terms and time schedule.

Their journey began in Delhi, the capital of India. They traveled by train to Shimla, Himachal Pradesh where they began their bicycle journey into the Himalaya mountains. Six weeks later they ended in the plains of the Punjab in Amritsar, home of the Golden Temple, the sacred temple of the Sikh religion. They also visited McCulloch’s childhood friends and playmates.

McCulloch was born in India and lived in India until he graduated from high school. His mother went to India in 1938 as a young, 23-year-old, single school teacher where she met and married her husband who also was a school teacher.

His parents spent 33 years in India managing schools for all religions. Bikes were the family’s main mode of transport and a favorite of McCulloch’s, who explored much of the Punjab on his bicycle.

This was his first extended self-supported bicycle tour, but his understanding of the local languages and customs facilitated them traveling light. They carried their own clothing, food, water and emergency bivouac gear. Each day was an adventure finding their food and accommodations. From 100-degree heat in the plains to 15,000-foot passes, it was a trip of challenges and rewards.

Muellner has cycled extensively in North America and Europe by bicycle. From his first 50-mile bike tour in Minnesota as a teenager, the lure of riding great distances under his own power was forever set.

After 10 years immersed in the mountain bike culture of Colorado and Washington, he embarked on a two-month bike tour from Seattle to Fairbanks and around Alaska.

He and a friend followed the entire Alcan Highway from start to finish, visiting locations his grandfather frequented while building the highway during World War II. It was an eye-opening view of the freedom self-supported bicycle travel affords.

Muellner’s next challenge focused on long distance, time-based endurance rides called “randonneuring.” This sport involves 200- kilometer to 1,200-plus-kilometer events around the clock within a set period of time. Most famous of these is Paris-Brest-Paris which he has done twice, plus multiple other events in Canada and the U.S.

Bike touring continues to be a passion for Muellner, most recently on tours on Vancouver Island and weekends around the Olympic Peninsula. India was his first bike tour in Asia and he’s ready to join McCulloch to continue exploring that amazing country!

About the presentations

Traveler’s Journal is a presentation of the Peninsula Trails Coalition. All of the money raised is used to buy project supplies and food for volunteers working on Olympic Discovery Trail projects.

Shows start at 7 p.m. in the Sequim High School Library at 601 N. Sequim Ave.

Suggested donation is $5 for adults; those 18 years old and younger are free. One selected photo enlargement will be given each week as a door prize. For more information, email Arvo Johnson at amjcgj@gmail.com.