Call of the Kanchenjunga-Gochela ,Sikkim

Kanchenjunga at Sunrise

The trip to Gochela, was in one of my must do list.I wanted to do a full fledged trekking ,what I meant was travelling with food ,tent,guide etc etc.I had earlier done day hikes up to 5-6 hours a day but nothing where I required to cook and camp.I was really excited about this new trip which was decided for April -May more so I was interested to see the Rhododendrons bloom.

Growing up in the hills of Darjeeling and seeing the rhododendrons display their fiery red
colour during spring was something engrained in my memory.It was something I associated with being at home.I remember the time when my friends and I used to climb the trees to pick the flowers and eat to our hearts content.The next would be displaying a purple tongue at each other and giggling to glory.So after many years I would be home again and see the rhododendrons bloom.
Rhododendron
The dates were decided for 24th April to 2 nd May,starting at Gangtok and ending at Darjeeling.We were five people doing this trek-Praveen from Bangalore,Renju from Kerela,Nishad and Nayan my brother ,cousin and me.

I reached Gangtok on 23rd April to do the shopping for the trip,Nishad was already in Gangtok.Praveen and Nayan would join us a day later at yuksom.We bought some vegetables and packed foods from Gangtok rest of the items were bought at Yuksom.We met Renju at Gangtok,we were meeting for the first time.(Praveen,Renju and me Met through a travel forum-IndiaMike)He too accompanied us to the market as he had to buy trekking shoes as well.The evening passed away unnoticed with all of us trying to remember everything we required for the trip.
Next morning we boarded a shared jeep to Yuksom which departed at 7 am.The route we took was through Legship,Ravangla finally to Yuksom around 1 pm.We stayed at Yangrigang,stayed on the upper rooms,clean,spacious rooms with a good restaurant with plenty of Tongba.The other two reached Yuksom at 5.30 pm from Jorthang.

The remaining of the shopping was
completed at yuksom.That evening we met our Guide/Cook-Kevin,Rahul-porter and yakman-Kumar and finalized on the cost and got the material checked.The first night we had a small get-together over dinner to get to know the team members,everyone was excited.
First day of the trek and there were a lot of delays as we required one more yak and they were not available.However we started at 8.30 am by the time we did the registration at the police post and the KNP counter it was 9.30 am.With smiling faces and huge expectation of what lay ahead of us ,we started the trek.

Start of the trek






The initial walk up and down the snaky forest path was a teaser, for the rest of the day.We had to cover 16 km crossing three bridges along the way.The most difficult climb was the uphill climb from the third bridge to Bakim.





The ongoing uphill climb was relentless and we huffed and puffed all the way through stopping every 5 to 10 minutes to catch our breath and gulp a sip of water.With the final bust of energy we reached Bakhim at 5.30 pm.

At brigde two Renju scaring me
A cup of tea, sitting on a chair looking down at Yuksom far in between the hills was an achievement.Ha ha we had few kilometers uphill to cover to reach out first day's halt at Tshoka.The last few kilometers turned quite long and night descended upon us without our knowledge.

Tshoka village-last settlement before Dzongr

With no guide around it was quite difficult to navigate our way as we were ill prepared for the last bit.However finally we could see a light up on the hill,all of us were relieved.

The day ended with the first taste of walking 16 km uphill.With a bitter sweet experience we ended our day at the mountain lodge as our tent were still in Yuksom.
Morning greeted us with bright sunlight,after breakfast of chapatti and peas we started off towards Dzongri.The climb was tough along the winding uphill trek through the pine and rhododendron forests was exhausting as well as rewarding.The experience of walking itself was fruitful.The rhododendrons were starting to bloom and one could see a peek of red,white,pink and yellow throughout the forest.

The trail leads up up through the pine forest,a steep climb here and there,making us gasp for air and a constant want to wet our
mouths with water.

Resting at Phedang with no food and smiles on our face

Finally we made it to Phedang,however our yak and porters were further behind so we decided to forgo lunch.After resting for sometime and enjoying the scenery around ,then we started the last uphill climb towards Dzongri.



The uphill climb was painfully slow as we had no energy left however we were able to make it to Deorali after constant sips of glucose water .From Deorali the trail is flat then u follow a downhill path and for the last time it climbs up up and up.Once you are on top the view is rewarding with rhododendron bushes covering the hills.I sat down on a rock and visualized how this place would look when the flowers are in full bloom,the thought itself was lovely.Finally no more uphill climb the trail was flat.
We were a bit early to see the premula flowering as well but I could not miss seeing the leaf bud pushing through the wet ground with the flower bud ready to burst in joyful display.

Premula one of the few who managed to smile at me.


The walk finally brought us to the Dzongri trekkers hut ,where Martin and Greg we already comfortable with hot cup of tea in their hand.They offered us a cup as well and Martin gave me his jacket to keep me warm till our yaks and luggage arrived.Next half hour we had a nice chat and a difficult time trying to get purified water using Greg and Martin's portable water purifier ha ha what a try by everybody.I guess we did something wrong this time and was unable to get any water through the filter ha ha lol:).



On reaching Dzongri Trekkers hut

Below pics of rhododendrons few had started to bloom

But we managed after some time that brought smile to everybody's face.Once our yaks reached we had to proceed to a different place to put up out tent so we walked further leaving the American brothers behind and promising to meet next day at Dzongri top.
The camping ground had a great view of the mountains beyond however it was a bit foggy and the view was hidden but at the time of sunset the clouds parted a bit to give us an amazing view .I was tired so I had a nap for sometime,somewhere between my nap I could hear my brother chatting with someone who came to visit us.Let me fill it in,when we were planning for this trip there were three parties wanting to travel to Gochela around the same time(the discussions were made in indiamike travel forum).The first group the American brothers Martin and Greg,second us starting same day and two more brothers Prashant and Nishant a day later.As we would be staying a rest day at Dzongri ,we had decided to meet up there.So here is thread where we planned our trip(http://www.indiamike.com/india/trekking-and-mountaineering-in-india-f89/seeking-trekking-parnters-for-sikkim-goecha-la-trek-t72986/5/#post698791). I got up met Prashant he had already met up with Greg and Martin and we spent some time chatting .The excitement was evident in all of us to reach Gochela.
The next morning we got up at 3 am and started towards 'the Dzongri top' to get the view of sunrise on the mountains.The climb uphill was painfully slow but we managed to be on the top just in time for the sunrise.

The Sunrise view from Dzongri

The view was awesome but i had imagined it to be better.After the wonderful experience we went back to out camping grounds.The day was sunny (but you can never predict the weather)Praveen and me went for a day hike to Laxmi lake,rest of them preferred to stay back,Renju tried till half way but gave up and returned back to the camps.

The walk was through the rhododendron bushes,once we were at the lake we took some photographs and spent some 30 minutes,but the weather were warning us of drastic consequences if we did not start back as soon as possible.We took the clue however we were caught by snowfall midway and managed to reach camp after getting half wet.We had a great time and experiencing snowfall at 13000 feet was great.The day ended eventfully.

Snowfall at Dzongri Praveen making his way slowly > 
The next morning did not greet us with great news with Nayan getting dizzy(hallucinating) and coughing heavily with slight fever.Our worst fears were confirmed,the guides said might be its the altitude sickness and we need to get him back to lower altitude.My brother volunteered to walk back to Tshoka with Nayan and rest of us would proceed as normal.However before we could start my brother came back huffing and puffing,and said he would not be able to take him alone as Nayan had started dozing on the way.We had to decide fast and after discussion the guides,porter,yakman, Renju,Nishad would accompany Nayan till Tshoka.Half the luggage were sent back.Praveen and me started towards Thansing on our own and our yak and guides would follow later once they return from Tshoka.Throughout our trip we kept missing on our lunch but we were lucky enough to find some alternative along the way.The way to Thansing is much better,gradual uphill and it was a pleasure to walk for the first time.We followed the yaks all along the way reached Thansing in the afternoon.The rest house chowkidar(guard) was good enough to make fried rice for us,we had that and waited for the guides.Once they reached we proceeded towards Lamune the last stop before Gochela.Finally Gochale the place we heard about,read about ,discussed about was within our reach,the only concern was the weather.We had our dinner early, the night was clear and with hope of good weather the next day ,we went to sleep listening to the sound of the roaring river that flowed past our camps.
We woke up to the sound of the alarm at 2.30 am.Hurriedly we had tea ,and started towards Gochela before day break.It was dark and we had to follow our guides using a torchlight.We walked in a long file on the torturous mountain path.The trek was difficult but we walked in anticipation.

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We walked past Samiti lake but could not see anything apart from the sound of the small stream flowing that fed the lake with water from the mountains above.Once past the lake the steep uphill climb was one of the challenge,when we were almost near the top ,day broke to give us the first view of the mountains.The weather was not satisfactory ,we could see the cloud cover over the mountains,my heart sank.My mind was working overtime,we walked all this way to see the mountains behind the clouds, that was a terrible feeling.The guides were also not so sure if we would be getting clear view.

By the time we reached the first view point,Martin and Greg were already there,waiting for the sunrise.The day was foggy but it did clear a bit to reward us the view of the Kanchenjunga way beyond.After the initial excitement of the view,we settled down to memorize the landscape at the back of our minds to talk about it in the years to come.It was amazing!

First rays on the mountains >
Once the sun rays extended their arms towards the mountains and the mountain glowed back with an orange hue,we quietly set our camera to capture the moment we were experiencing.And of course of ourselves ,posing with the mountains on fire at the background.We had to go further to the second viewpoint where we would get a closer view of Kanchenjunga,I guess at this point nobody had guessed what was to come ha ha

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The first drop from the top of first viewpoint towards the second was dangerous,it was a rough path down the hill.My legs almost turned to jelly,thank God it didn't ,otherwise the results would have been disastrous.

The path was full of loose pebbles making it difficult to get a grip on the ground.However we managed and then the long walk across a dried lake was long enough,the only motivating factor was the cry of the monal peasant as told by our guides.The view of Kanchenjunga from the lake floor was lovely I guess up till this point we can see quite a bit of the peak ,once we reach second viewpoint we can see the height not the breadth as it will be hidden behind the hills.The last task was in hand ,the uphill climb was tedious and scary with large pebbles all along the way,the height made matters worse as we ascended.

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I was scared to sit down in fear of slipping when I got up,ha ha but those moments have passed and I can look back and laugh at it now(not then :( ).I was doing quite good as all my trek partners were lagging behind,I was in reach of the second view point when I got a terrible feeling that I will not be able to go one step further.My brain was doing a great job by convincing me to stay put at that place till the group would go till the second point and return.But finally my final resolve to reach the top did the job and I slowly and steadily reached the second view point.Thank God I did that.WOW!! it was an amazing feeling to be surrounded by mountains all around.








The Kanchenjunga kept eluding us even till this point as the cloud cover was intact at the tip.

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However rest of the peaks were cloud free,a special mention would be Mt. Pandim which loomed on top of our head with power and might.

Finally we were at 14000 feet trying to breathe in the thin air and taking away with us the experience of a lifetime,face to face with Kanchenjunga so close it felt within our grasp.Amazing amazing amazing!!!

Clouds part and we get the full view >

The clouds finally parted for a few moments to give us a view of the Kanchenjunga from tip to toe (I could not see the bottom anyways but I'll mention tip to toe).Now one thing that was unsettling me was the return journey to Yuksom zeeeze...

View fron the second view point-lovely !

We retraced our way back to Samity lake, where I did see some blue sheep grazing however my lens were not that great to catch them crisp,the final image displayed by the camera was unfocussed.

After spending some time at the lake I reached out camp site had lunch and then started for Kokchurung the first halt on the return trip.

Premulas had just started to bloom at Kokchurung >

Kokchurung is a sleepy place a bit scary as well amongst the forest trees,with the river flowing with thunderous speed.Our guide managed to scare us with stories of ghost,I had a fitful sleep,I am sure same with the others.My only aim was to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night and not be able to go to sleep again.
The next morning was a relief and Kokchurung looked lovely in the bright sunlight(better than night).We used the short cut to Phedang rather than climbing towards Dzongri and back,but as the path was small the yaks had to go through Dzongri.Once at Phedang we were happy to be in close proximity to Tshoka our last halt before we reach Yuksom.We walked nonstop till we reached Tshoka stayed overnight ,we had camped at the rest house grounds and how can I forget the experience the last night .The whole night I was bothered by a loose horse.I guess I was scared it would accidently knock off my tents and fall on me(I was not the only one having problems,Praveen had the same problem,and we laughed our heads off in the morning).Again a second fitful night of sleep.The mobile phone signal was on but I had no charge to check about Nayan's health,I had to wait for one more day till I reached Yuksom.The last 16 km was the toughest part and never-ending but we managed to reach on time .We met Renju at Yangrigang and found out Nayan and Nishad had left for Darjeeling.Once my cell was charged I called home to find out about Nayan.He was recovering and it was altitude sickness.Thank God they returned on time for health check up.

Nishad,Praveen Me and Nayan at the background,pic taken by Renju.

We stayed at Yuksom that day returned the tents and paid our guides and tipped them for their help.Next morning Praveen left for New jalpaiguri to catch a train to Kolkota and we to Darjeeling.With this came the end of the eventful ,exhausting,wonderful,fruitful and amazing trip,until next time! :)

Car trip Mussorie/lakhmandal/chakrata

We were planning for an overnight bike trip to Shekhawati region of Rajasthan in February, however due to unavailability of leaves most of my friends had to cancel the trip. As the traveling bug had caught us, the remaining who could get leave, could not have let go the opportunity. That’s when we decided to drive to Chakrata.
The route decided was to drive from Delhi - Dehradun - Mussorie - Chakrata and back to Delhi. The distance from Delhi to Chakrata is approx 350 km or little more. Our group consisted of Manmohan, Rajeev, DJ, and me.

Above the vehicle we used for the trip
We planned to start from Delhi at 7 am however as usual we were delayed and could only start from Delhi by 9 am. By the time we crossed Ghaziabad it was 11 am. The day was bright and sunny and we all started with high spirits. The road took us through Ghaziabad, Meerut, then to Roorkie. from there we took a diversion towards Saharanpur to Dehradun.After leaving the hustle and bustle of Dehradun, we started towards Mussorie. The winding roads reminded me of my hometown, Darjeeling. On the way we halted at the roadside shop for tea. The roads were clear and we could see the sun making its way behind the far hills, bringing night unto us. The sun set was a magical view from the roads. We got off the car to enjoy the last burst of color thrown by
the descending sun. We took some photographs as a reminding memory of the magical moment we spent on the roads.














Sunset view before reaching Mussorie..on the road
We started uphill towards our first destination, Mussorie. Mussorie is a very famous hill station established by the britishers, and frequented by the North Indians every summer. It is a quite hill station with the mall starting from picture palace in the east to the public library in the west. We reached around 7.30 pm, landed in Everest hotel in the mall. We took a stroll in the mall and hopped in almost all the shops. The mall is dotted with shops, eateries and hotels.



































View from the mall-Mussorie
Next morning we will be heading towards Lakhmandal and then to Chakrata. Lakhmandal lies 75 km on the Mussorie-Yamunotri road. Lakhmandal according to legends, was the shelter made of Lac, by Kauravas, who conspired to burn the Pandavas alive here. Lakhmandal is a quaint village on the banks of Yamuna.The temple is situated in the middle of a small village.










Yamuna pul and dip at the yamuna

By the time we started from Mussorie it was 11 am. We had planned to start latest by 9 am, but got delayed coz my travel partners liked to sleep late. The morning sunrise gave enough warmth to open the window of the car and experience the fresh air hitting our face with vengeance. The winding road took us to Kempty falls. There was nothing much to see, as the falls had dried up and some construction work was going on. It was not a pretty picture as I had expected


Four of us at Kempty,next pic-Kempty falls

After a few photographs we headed towards Yamunapul. We happened to miss the mark towards Lakhmandal and reached the Yamunapul only to realize we had to retrace our path back to the diversion and follow the Yamunotri road to Lakhmandal. As soon as we saw the clean and clear Yamuna, we could not hold back. Like children all excited over a candy, we dashed towards the river to soothe the heat accumulated from the far plains below. After spending an hour or two we realized we had spent more time than we had for the day. We hurriedly retraced the road up to the diversion and then followed the Yamunotri road.

The roads were clear of traffic as well as habitation. Few clumps of houses were visible on the way where we stopped for a cup of tea. The landscape was not very captivating, on and on we went looking for Lakhmandal. After an hour or two of driving we finally found the diversion towards the left to Lakhmandal village. The roads were quite bad but the scenery got better and finally we reached the village of Mahabharata fame.



Lakhmandal- temple courtyard

The temple is situated in the middle of the village, it is an ASI protected site. The temple is made of stone and you get to see a lot of shivling around. It’s believed there are around one lakh shivling.

Behind the temple excavation is still going on. The temple itself sets a pretty picture amongst the village houses and the hills around. The quiet village looks lovely with a grayish tone displayed by the slate roofs.

The temple













A quick mention of a shivling which is located a little away from the main temple. While pouring water you can actually see the reflection on the shivling . We reached during late afternoon so the light was not that great to get the reflection.















The site which is in progress-excavation going /shivling -catch the reflection

A group of devotees from Uttarkashi had come to pay homage to Lord Shiva, their distinctive attire and jewellery caught my attention. Their friendly smile was like a warm embrace to transport me to a different world of love and simplicity. The women were gracious enough to entertain us with a folk song and dance. The few minute spent were so magical that it will always remain as a cherished memory.
































Local people at the temple
I have always treasured the moment spent with local people, the joy on their faces reflects the inner happiness which we city dwellers have forgotten in the rat race.
Time was running faster in the hill than we could calculate, and we had to travel further. Our night halt was at Chakrata, which was around 40 km of hilly roads. So with a heavy heart we had to leave those people still dancing in front the temple. The beat of the drums could be heard till we boarded the car and left the sleepy village never to return, with a mist of memory etched in a part of our brains of such simplicity and beauty that India has to offer.

















Sunrise Chakrata

The drive uphill was quite slow and the roads were not in great condition, to allow us a smooth ride. We left Lakhmandal at around 5.30 pm and reached Chakrata by nightfall. We had not made reservations so had to look for hotel, which was not available though it was off season. Finally one of our friends, by chance met the brother of snow view hotel. We settled for the night, two double bedrooms for 600 rupee. It was a good bargain courtesy the guys. We were already tired from the days ride so we had dinner and settled down for the day. We had planned for deovan as well however the guys were not early risers so had to drop the plan .


Next morning I got up early enough to view the beautiful sunrise, making its way from the hills stretching its arms through the thick deodar forests to caress my cheeks with its warmth in the
cold morning.



















I have always been lost, watching the sun unfold its glory amongst the sky and earth painting everything on its way with different hues of yellow and orange. Every time I view the sunrise or sunset I get so excited to capture the moment with my camera that I forget to enjoy the moment.


pics taken while morning walk-chakrata

I hope a day will come when I calm down and just enjoy and live the moment ,as night gives way to day. After the sunrise I went for a short walk amongst the mighty deodars. The trees around chakrata are very big and tall. Chakrata is a cantonment town above the Yamuna valley of the Garhwal Himalayas. It is reached from Dehradun, Mussorie, from where we came and the last one from Kalsi. Chakrata is still untouched with very few hotels and lots of nature to relax and rejuvenate



















Its a nature lovers paradise. We had to get back to Delhi the same day so we had to hurry up as we did not want to miss the tiger falls after Deovan. Tiger falls is around 23 km from Chakrata, there is a landmark at the start ,after that there is nothing to indicate where the falls lie. Again we went on and on it was already an hour and still no sign of tiger falls, for sometimes we thought the falls had dried up. Every bend and corner we expected the fall to appear and we had to stop at each passerby to check if we were on track. The road twisted and turned and gave way to habitation and there on the road next to a shop was a small board, signaling towards tiger falls.


















Tiger falls

Ha ha Tiger falls was 1 km downhill, the shopkeeper showed us the way, we thought he was joking as we could not hear the sound nor any suitable place from where the water dropped. All we could see was a small stream flowing on the valley floor below. After driving so far we did not want to miss the falls so we walked down hill. The small path lead us to fields, still no sign of Tiger falls, rest of the guys might have felt' where this stupid girl is leading us',(as I had suggested the falls after reading about it in Indiamike and other sites) as I could read it in their faces. But I was not willing to give up, I took a path kind of small space where a nallah is built to divert the water and ended at a dead end. Feeling hopeless and not knowing what to do I was trying to locate the falls when I spotted a man on the other side .

We gave him a call and he came running towards us. He asked us to crossover the small stream and lead us towards the falls which was
hidden behind the hill. Ha ha, it was a relief to see the beautiful fall out of nowhere, as one will not be able to locate the water source from the road above, so the best way to locate is ask the locals.
The guys went mad after seeing the falls and they could not hold themselves and dived into the cold water pool. The Tiger falls is beautiful in comparison to Kempty falls.

The reflection of the sun on the water particles created a beautiful rainbow at the base of the falls, it just felt like a fairy tale spot. After getting ourselves wet, we started the uphill trek, which was torturous, brought us back to reality from the fairy tale destination. It was time for us to head back to Delhi so for the last time with heave heart we bade goodbye to the hills A short ,adventurous ,fun filled trip came to an end with us getting lost at the Delhi border Ha ha.Cheers!