Deeper into the Mountains

From Kon Tum to Dak Pek

Conditions: from 65 F @ 7:00 am to 80F @ 12:00 pm to 65 F @ 4:00 pm

Our journey today took us into a truly mountain environment, as we drove northward along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  It was our longest day in the saddle—nearly 6 hours—and our longest one-day distance—75 miles.  The terrain was hilly.  We had a strong headwind.  We rode into tribal areas few Westerners ever see.

This was the most remote area we have ridden through.  The level of poverty was high.  Evidence of simple tribal ways was everywhere.  Still, people were gracious.  Children yelled “hello” on their way to school.  But as we moved further north, deeper into the mountains, villages were few and far between.  We felt fortunate to find a small hotel on the edge of Dak Pek in which to spend the night.

Route 14 north of Kon Tum follows the Ho Chi Minh Trail exactly.  The dirt path that was the main forest-covered supply route from Hanoi to the Saigon area during the American War (what it is called here).  It is a hilly, difficult route.  It is said that soldiers would begin their journey in Hanoi with a 70-lb. backpack of supplies, a rifle, and anti-venom and would arrive (if they survived B-52 bombings all along the train) six months later north of Saigon.  The route changed and improved throughout the war so that by war’s end, the time for the 1200-mile trek on foot was down to six weeks.

All along the way, we've observed this cone hat as a basic fixture for working women in towns, villages and countrysides.  Here, Bob Burtch tries one on for size.