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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 t
he 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
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 t
he 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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The Kanchenjunga kept eluding us even till this point as the cloud cover was intact at the tip.
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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.
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! :)
