The rains have passed and it is a pleasant and sunny day. At 8:00 a.m., we are served a light breakfast at the hotel. There are 6 of us in total, 3 males and 3 females. Ravi can’t wait to get going, so the two of us begin to head toward the check post and park entry point where we will have to present our permits. I am wearing my hiking boots, long hiking slacks, and, last but not least, I have my pack strapped on. It weighs around 10 kg.
We walk just a few minutes and reach the check post, a small hut. There, a young woman sits behind a desk with some documents in front of her. A large map and a poster decorate the otherwise bare walls. We present our permits and register each of our names in a large book. Many people before us have registered their names in this book and trekked this route.
The rest of our group catches up, and we are ready to go. We have started late. Noon is close and the day is getting hotter. Even before we are too deep into the trek, I begin to feel the heat of my black pants and hiking boots. We begin climbing almost immediately. I am feeling the load on my shoulders. It is not easy to climb with weight on your back.We are still at relatively low altitude though. Yuksom is situated at approximately 1,700 meters or 5,500 feet altitude. We will steadily climb over a period of 6 days to an altitude of 4,940 meters or 16,200 feet. Our aim is to view the sacred Khangchendzonga mountain from as close as possible. On the way back, we will turn around and descend almost the same way we went up, except the hike down will take only 2 days.
We trek slowly. I am hot. My back is sweaty. The weight of my pack feels uncomfortable. But, the serene beauty is incomparable. The trees are grand in stature. There is a feeling of majestic presence. Ancient evergreen trees. Magnificent magnolia trees. Shades and shades of green.The trekking path is very narrow at times. We share it with yaks and mules, which are carrying our - and other trekkers' - tents, cooking gear, and food supply. The yak is a big animal that can carry a heavy load, easily climbing the rocky path. They seem slow and sluggish, but they move much faster than we do. We hear the bells on their necks as they approach. When they are close, we scramble off to the side to let them through. Three, four, or five in a row. They don’t stop for us. They are coming through.
We stop a couple of hours into our trek to rest and eat. I am happy to take my pack off. It feels so good to take it off. But it’s almost better to leave it on than to feel the weight of it press down on me when I strap it on again. And we are back on the trail again. It is a 6 hour trek to Bakhim, the destination for today.We will cover 14 km or 8 miles and we will cross four bridges. As we approach each bridge, the air cools and feels more damp. The trail becomes rocky and steeply descends. I know when we will be crossing the 4th bridge before we get there. After we cross the bridge, the rocky path steeply ascends. Slow and steady. I will get through it. After this, we get to rest for the night.
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| Ravi on 4th bridge |
My body immediately starts to cool down as soon as I stop moving. I am getting chilled now. I want to change from my sweaty t-shirt. I climb into the tent, change and try to wipe the sweat off my body with a wet wipe. This will be the extent of my hygiene during the trek. We eat and go to sleep. I fall asleep without a problem but find myself sliding down during the night as the ground is on an incline. It is a cool and damp night. I wonder how my body will feel in the morning.
Next: Ha, and you thought the first day was tough!
