The trip I took to Hairaton was another great learning experience for me. My host kept apologizing for the weather conditions. I knew it was a rainy day and likely to be snowing at the Salang Pass. Not far outside Bagram we had to negotiate a river of mud. I believe it is supposed to be a road but last year they removed the blacktop to lay a new road. Unfortunately the new road 
never made it. From what I heard the contractor did such a poor job on the road from Kabul to Bagram that he fled the country. It certainly made me a believer in the Toyota Land Cruiser/Lexus LX 470 we were in. It had no problem slogging along. It wasn’t so easy for the Jingle trucks. The truck drivers here work in conditions that would cause US Teamsters to go postal. I have great admiration for their endurance and resourcefulness. During the next three days I would see trucks broken down in the mud, ice, snow, tunnels, etc. The thing is, here in Afghanistan, tr
uck drivers share a great deal with European Rally drivers. If their rig breaks down they fix it… on the spot… with minimal tools. The trucks are never down long. They always seem to get them back up in a day or two, even for severe repairs. On our trip back I saw a truck with a brand new engine in a crate next to it! How often do you see that in the states!
Back to the trip, it’s a good thing we had tire chains, we needed them up on the Salang, even with four wheel drive and locking hubs. The tunnel under the pass is at 11,700 ft. It’s one of the highest in the world and about a mile long. Besides the tunnel there are about 27 snow galleries. These are like tunnels but run along the side of the mountain to protect the road from avalanches. In a few places the galleries had gaps in the outside wall that let in snow drifts. It’s a very odd thing, driving thru a tunnel only to come ac
ross a snow drift covering half the road. It took eight hours to make it over the Salang. It would normally take an hour and a half or so. When we weren’t stopped we were frequently down to a crawl as cars and trucks negotiated the ice and occasional one lane sections of road. It certainly makes you a believer in Toyota Corollas and Afghan truck drivers. In a fair world neither would have to be out in these conditions in large numbers. But
this is Afghanistan and everyone takes it in stride. There is no road rage here.
When we returned from Hairaton a few days later the Salang pass was clear and breathtaking! The mountains here are even more stunning close up! It’s not likely I’ll have an opportunity to climb any on this trip. But given the chance…. It really is a world class scenic drive from the steppe near the Uzbek border to Bagram over the Salang. I want my family to see it. Not this year. But hopefully not too many years from now.
never made it. From what I heard the contractor did such a poor job on the road from Kabul to Bagram that he fled the country. It certainly made me a believer in the Toyota Land Cruiser/Lexus LX 470 we were in. It had no problem slogging along. It wasn’t so easy for the Jingle trucks. The truck drivers here work in conditions that would cause US Teamsters to go postal. I have great admiration for their endurance and resourcefulness. During the next three days I would see trucks broken down in the mud, ice, snow, tunnels, etc. The thing is, here in Afghanistan, tr
uck drivers share a great deal with European Rally drivers. If their rig breaks down they fix it… on the spot… with minimal tools. The trucks are never down long. They always seem to get them back up in a day or two, even for severe repairs. On our trip back I saw a truck with a brand new engine in a crate next to it! How often do you see that in the states!Back to the trip, it’s a good thing we had tire chains, we needed them up on the Salang, even with four wheel drive and locking hubs. The tunnel under the pass is at 11,700 ft. It’s one of the highest in the world and about a mile long. Besides the tunnel there are about 27 snow galleries. These are like tunnels but run along the side of the mountain to protect the road from avalanches. In a few places the galleries had gaps in the outside wall that let in snow drifts. It’s a very odd thing, driving thru a tunnel only to come ac
ross a snow drift covering half the road. It took eight hours to make it over the Salang. It would normally take an hour and a half or so. When we weren’t stopped we were frequently down to a crawl as cars and trucks negotiated the ice and occasional one lane sections of road. It certainly makes you a believer in Toyota Corollas and Afghan truck drivers. In a fair world neither would have to be out in these conditions in large numbers. But
this is Afghanistan and everyone takes it in stride. There is no road rage here.When we returned from Hairaton a few days later the Salang pass was clear and breathtaking! The mountains here are even more stunning close up! It’s not likely I’ll have an opportunity to climb any on this trip. But given the chance…. It really is a world class scenic drive from the steppe near the Uzbek border to Bagram over the Salang. I want my family to see it. Not this year. But hopefully not too many years from now.
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