… As we left Gilgit the next morning it began to rain. We’d read that on this section of road we’d get to see Mount Rakaposhi. Apparently from the roadside as you look up you can see 5000m of sheer mountainside thrusting up into the air. We wouldn’t know. In fact when we rode past the viewpoint, the road was so thick in cloud we didn’t even realise that we’d missed it. The rain got harder and the riding was beginning to get pretty cold and miserable. The dirt sections of road were turning into slippery mud and on our tarmac biased tyres it was all getting to be a bit like hard work…
…In the morning the weather was perfect… The excitement and nervousness built as we rounded each bend in the road. When would we see the landslide that had caused so much trouble? All the way up, the mountains were getting bigger and steeper and the further we climbed the more dramatic scenery became. It only added to the thrill of the day. Then, as we rattled our way around a rough corrugated corner, it appeared, the landslide. It was immense. The whole valley was blocked. We just sat there on our bikes, looking at the chaotic scene in front of us. In amongst the rocks, boulders and dust, men toiled.