My Himalayan Trekking Adventure: Goechala trek conclusion (Kokchurong – Bakhim – Yuksom)

It is day 7 of the trek, May 13, 2014. I am extra motivated to get down to lower altitude as my face is swollen, most likely as a result of the high altitude. We are still high in Kokchurong at approximately 3,725m (12,200ft). Today, we will retrace our steps - omitting Dzongri - and heading directly for Phedang (3,650m, 12,000ft), then Tsokha (2,900m, 9,500ft), then Bakhim (2,750m, 9,022ft) for the night.

Toward Phedang

The descent is much easier but it requires concentration as it is not always down. There are still stretches of steep climbs up. The weather is misty and cool as we reach Phedang. I recall how I was here just a couple days ago, so tired, with Dzongri still ahead. This time, the hut is packed with trekkers passing through. Now I see where the path forks - one path to Dzongri, the other path to Kokchurong. I am relieved that I am not the one headed for Dzongri. We take a short lunch break, and have some tea. It is cloudy, but my sunglasses stay on. I don’t want to scare anyone with my puffy eyes.

Leaving Phedang, right away we meet with a steep decline. And a steep incline for those coming up. They are climbing with effort, and taking frequent breaks. I know what's going through their minds. Ahh, I, on the other hand, am going down. As we get closer to Tsokha, the clouds get thicker, and it starts raining. I stop to take my jacket out. Now, the climb down becomes muddy and slippery. I wouldn’t want to be climbing up in the rain. We are approaching the fresh green trees of the lower altitude. We pass through Tsokha. Some people have set up their tents. We are only passing through. It continues to rain on and off.

Tsokha

We reach Bakhim in the early afternoon. It is cloudy, rainy, and damp. This time we will not be camping outside. We leave our things inside the hut, but the hut is no hotel, where you can unwind, take a shower, and fall asleep on a comfortable bed underneath a warm blanket. I look forward to washing myself properly from head to toe. Just one more day.

Resting at Bakhim

We go down a little bit to a “restaurant.” It is a village house with a kitchen, and an outdoor table with the most incredible view. The clouds are so close. We could almost touch them. We rest there and occasionally warm our hands by the outdoor fire or in the kitchen. Time passes slowly when you’re not trekking. It is dusk now and our yaks and porters have arrived. Our cook will be making dinner on a portable gas stove inside the hut. I try to warm my face with a bowl of hot soup. It feels good, and my facial swelling seems to have almost disappeared. I feel relieved.

I make a toilet stop before going to bed. It is muddy from the rains, and dark now. I am happy that I don’t have to go too far for privacy. As I pull my pants up, I feel something gummy and slick on my lower back. What is it. I feel it again. Is it some bump? What is happening. First, the facial swelling, and now? I am semi-amused. I get back up to our room, and take a wet wipe to get a hold of whatever it is. And it is a little leach. You little sucker. I laugh to myself, happy that I found the guy on me in the first place.

Beds at Bakhim hut

The beds are hard, but I fall asleep without a problem. I am up with the sunrise. I grab my mirror to check out my face. The swelling and puffiness are back. Grr. Sunglasses go back on. I pack up. We eat breakfast. I am ready. It is a beautiful, fresh and sunny morning. I am feeling slightly nostalgic. This is it, the last day, the last stretch. We will be back at Yuksom around noon. The view here is fantastic.

Ravi at Bakhim looking toward Yuksom

We pass over the four familiar bridges, and I notice that the rains have changed the landscape. It must have been raining here very hard. I see mud slides and rock slides along the river bed. We pass a few fellow trekkers. They are busy doing something on the side of the path. Ravi finds out that they had buried some of their belongings here in plastic bags because they were too heavy of a load. They recovered their bundles without a problem. Good idea. I wish I had done that.

Rock slide over Prek Chu River near Yuksom

At last, I know we are getting closer to the end. The evergreen trees seem farther away, and I feel civilization looming nearby. It is not as silent and still as it was higher up. As we approach the welcome sign to the Khangchendzonga National Park, two porters with heavy blue barrels pass us by. The porters are amazingly strong. Each barrel probably weighs a good 25kg (55lb), maybe more, while I was “dying” under the weight of my, at most, 10kg (20lb) pack. And they are headed up.

Goechala trek porters on their way up

We rest one more time, have some water, and biscuits. This is it. We have finished. I did it, and I can’t wait to take a proper shower. Later on in the day, as we roam around Yuksom, we run into a group of young men, who were on their way up to Goechala at Bakhim. They couldn’t have made it all the way to Goechala and back in such a short period of time. It turns out that they decided to turn around. I am so happy that I got to do the full trek. I wonder if I will ever be back.

If you would like to trek with Ravi, you can get in touch with him at ravi4urajmishra@gmail.com - or on his Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/ravi4urajmishra or https://www.facebook.com/pages/RockRope-Adventures/845301602199466

Me at Yuksom
Until next time friends!

My Himalayan Trekking Adventure: What has happened to my face?! (Kokchurong)

We are spending the night at the Kokchurong hut. We sleep in our sleeping bags on the wooden floor. I wake in the middle of the night, and feel fluid on my cheek. Is my eye watering? I wipe off the fluid. I don’t feel any pain. It will have to wait until morning. It is too dark to see anything.

Yaks arriving at Kokchurong

The sun is rising, and I feel my cheek. Something isn’t right. It feels puffy, swollen. First, I grab my contacts so I can see. It is a chore getting them in. My eyes are swollen nearly shut. The right side is worse than the left. Somehow I manage to get my contacts in, and look for my mirror. I haven’t seen my face in days. I am too afraid to look.

Rhododendron at Kokchurong

I look. Oh dear God! Has something bit me? Maybe a spider. I had a spider bite once on the leg, but I don’t see any bite marks, and there is no itching. Once a bee bit me in the face when I was little, and my face swelled up, but it also hurt. My eyes are swollen beyond belief. I have never experienced this type of swelling. I have had a swollen ankle, but this puffiness is to the n-th degree. I look like a blowfish. It must be an allergy, but I am not allergic to anything really. Maybe it’s the trees.

Trees at Kokchurong

Everyone is still asleep. I’m having a mini panic attack. Ravi stirs awake, and looks my face over. He says very calmly, it’s a cold allergy. What? But, I’m not allergic to the cold, I think to myself. I live in Chicago. I’ve felt arctic winds on my face before, and I have never experienced anything like this. Whatever it is, I try to look through my medicine for anything that might be of use. All my aspirin is nearly gone. I find antihistamine. It's good for allergies. I take it.

Prek Chu River, Kokchurong

I say to Ravi, but I look awful. He says put your sunglasses on. Right. I will be wearing them morning to night. I should have taken a photo at this moment for documentary purposes. The swelling will take two days to go down, and we will have finished the trek.

Ravi at Kokchurong

On a side note, after the trek, I did some research, and I arrived at the conclusion that I suffered from facial edema. See a case study here, which seems to match the conditions I experienced almost exactly: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1708-8305.2008.00192.x/full

I suffered from facial swelling due to too rapid ascent in altitude for my body. Swelling may occur in arms, legs, and face. In retrospect, upon examining some of my photos, I believe the swelling began at Dzongri, which is at the altitude of 3,950m or 13,000ft. This is the same altitude as the lady from the case study who developed her facial edema while ascending Mt Kilimanjaro.

Prek Chu River, Kokchurong

I am super motivated to get down to lower altitude since I suspect it could be related to my facial swelling. Vanity. It can also motivate. Goodbye Kokchurong!

Next: Phedang – Tsokha – Bakhim.

My Himalayan Trekking Adventure: Goecha La – Lamuney – Kokchurong

We continue on from Samiti Lake. We haven’t gained that much in altitude. We are at 4,300m (14,100ft) and the steepest climb is yet to come. We will make it to 5,000m (16,400ft).

The closer we get, the harder it gets. I try not to think how long it will take. I will get there. It becomes more difficult to breathe and I have to take frequent breaks. Everyone is moving in slow motion. It is as if we are on the moon. I develop a headache and stop to take an aspirin. Everyone is spread far apart, but I can see people in front of me - up above - and behind me - below. We keep at it, step by step.

The sun is rising. I walk in segments and rest. And walk and rest. One last tough incline, and I am there. Ravi has reached it. Others from our group are already there, celebrating and taking photos. I made it. Amazing. My face is numb and my nose is runny. I am so numb from the cold, I can’t feel my nose dripping.

Me - Pankaj Hotchandani - Ravi Raj Mishra
in front of Mt Khangchendzonga
(Photo by Varoon Desai)

I made it. Even our fellow trekkers’ - Pankaj and Varoon's - dog who has followed them all along the trek has made it to the top. The dog doesn’t belong to anyone. He follows the trekkers and lives off the food shared with him. I bet he’s done this many times and could be a guide by now.

Good dog!
(Photo by Pankaj or Varoon)

I take out my thermos and we share the hot tea. The hot liquid feels good. I feel good, and I am so grateful that high altitude sickness has not affected me. I try to let this moment sink in. I try to memorize the view. I am in the presence of majestic Mount Khangchendzonga. She is a sacred mountain to the local people, and is the 3rd highest mountain in the world, with an elevation of 8,586m (28,169ft).

The descent is so much easier but very steep, requiring focus. There is some snow on the ground but not deep. We go back the same way we came. We reach Lake Samiti again. I must say, she is my favorite attraction on this trek. This time she is in hues of blue ranging from lightest blue to azure to emerald green. The sun is out and it feels so nice to warm up. I feel radiant inside. I don’t want this feeling to pass.

Lake Samiti

As we approach Lamuney, we come across sections of what looks like piles of rocks to me. But they are sacred tablets with ancient writing – prayers etched into them. I am fascinated by these ancient stones. I wonder who brought them and why. They look heavy. It wouldn’t have been an easy task.

Sacred stones near Lamuney

We reach Lamuney camp by 9:00 a.m. I am relaxed and relieved. Fellow trekkers come out to congratulate us. It hits me just now that I accomplished something special. We rest outside in the sun. I even fall asleep a bit. We have been up since 3:00 a.m.

We pack it up and return to Thansing. It is an easy hike. We gather up all the things we have left overnight at the hut and head back for Kokchurong. We are back to the rocky path of ancient boulders. It is much easier on the way down. We reach Kokchurong in the afternoon. It is cool and damp here. The Prek Chu river flows next to us.

I rest in the hut, and keep scrolling through the pictures I have taken so far. I try to figure out when was the last time that I communicated with the outside world. It has been 5 days. We go to sleep. From Kokchurong, we will bypass Dzongri and go straight to Phedang to Tsokha to Bakhim, all in one day.

Next: What has happened to my face?! (Kokchurong – Phedang – Tsokha – Bakhim)

My Himalayan Trekking Adventure: Dzongri – Kokchurong – Thansing

It is Saturday, May 10, 2014 - the fourth day of our trek. I am not in tune with the days as prescribed by the calendar though. That it’s the weekend, has no meaning to me. I have no deadlines. I am up with the sunrise, and what matters is that we make it to our destination before sunset. I like this break from stiff work hours.

We have breakfast, and the usual accompanying beverage of chai - hot milk and tea. We pack up and tidy up trying not to leave any trash behind. I wrap my knee for extra support, and I am ready to go. Ah, and don’t forget the backpack. It’s back on. Today, we are headed for Thansing via Kokchurong. It will be a 4 to 6 hour trek at approximately the same altitude. 

I start my day off by tripping over some ropes which tie together a couple of mules. My pack pulls me forward as I fall, but I am okay. Get up and keep going. The ascent here is minimal compared to the other two days. We are trekking through an open hillside. I realize at some point that Ravi and another member of our group have separated from the rest of us, and I have separated from the remainder. I know I can’t catch up with Ravi. I look back, no one is there. I look around and I wonder if I’m on the right path.

It is different here. I am in the middle of an open field, and there is more than one path. I keep going, I hear the familiar jingling of bells, and I see a herd of yaks coming my way. I figure I’m going in the right direction, but I am not certain. I don’t want to keep going by myself. Just to be sure, I stop and wait for the rest of my group to catch up. I rest next to a big boulder and have some water, hoping I will see them soon. I tell myself, they will be here soon.

Kokchurong

A few minutes and a few yaks later, thank goodness, I see them. I am relieved. Trekking is as much an individual challenge as it is a team effort. You can only trek as fast as the slowest person. We pick up again and move on. It is a long and steep climb down to Prek Chu River requiring focus. We descend over big rocks and windy corridors. I have learned that where there is a descent, there will soon be an ascent. We reach Kokchurong. 

It turns out that we have missed Ravi. We rest, have some water and snacks, take a few photos, and get ready to move when Ravi shows up. He has gone to Thansing, left his pack, and has come back to meet us. We get going again. We cross the river over a bridge and begin the next section of our trek.

It will be a shorter hike, but it will be a little more challenging. We will be trekking through oversized ancient boulders, and a misty forest of trees tall like skyscrapers, or maybe they just seem that way. I feel like I am in a magical Himalayan forest. It is another world indeed.

It is a tiring trek up to Thansing over many rocks of various sizes. It is cool and damp here, but we stay warm from the effort. I get a headache and try to remember where I may have put my medicine. I have to take my pack off and search through all the pockets. Frustrating. Finally, found it. Strap the pack back on, and get going again.

The "mammoth" boulder

A boulder draped in brown moss welcomes us to Thansing. It looks like a mammoth to me. It is much taller than I am. We make our way to the wooden hut where we’ll be spending the night, and unload our things. The six of us will be sharing one room. There are other rooms in this hut, and other trekkers are staying here. There isn’t much to do except hang out. It is cloudy and chilly, and you have to keep moving to stay warm. We have a nice close up view of Mount Pandim from this location.

Mt Pandim from Thansing

Some of us are attracted to the kitchen which is in a nearby hut. The cooks have started a fire. We huddle around and warm up. The smoke permeates our clothing. It is nice to get the chill out. After dinner, we get ready for bed and get all wrapped up in our sleeping bags. The night is chilly. Tomorrow, we head for Lamuney, our last camp before we hike up to Goecha La – the highest point and the highlight of the trek.

Next: Lamuney – Goecha La – Thansing