It’s been 2 weeks since I have
returned from my trek to Sandakphu /Phalut in Darjeeling district of WB. I
can still visualize the spectacle of Kanchenjunga getting lit by the first rays
of the rising sun. It simply refuses to fade away in the midst of the
hustle, bustle of my beloved Mumbai. And in the cacophony of this city, I can still
hear the sound of the wind rustling through my ears as I stand on top of the
mountain watching the clouds beneath me getting colored red by the setting sun.
The mountains are beckoning again!
This was my 2nd high altitude trek
after the Kashmir GLT in July last year. And this was an unplanned trek! A last
minute change of plans as the ‘Chadar trek’ for which I had originally planned was
cancelled due to a landslide in that region. I had booked this trek with mixed
feelings. With the images of Kashmir GLT still fresh in my mind, and the
disappointment of Chadar trek cancellation, Sandakphu, to me seemed a poor
replacement. Going through the reviews, as a routine pre booking
preparation, trekking to Sandakphu in the month of March didn’t seem a good
idea. It seemed a bit late to get the snow covered slopes, a tad too early to
see the Rhododendrons in full bloom and not the right time to see the
Kanchenjunga range, as the skies were expected be foggy at this time. We all
these doubts in mind, I flew out of Mumbai unsure of what to expect in the
coming days.
A motley group of 19 with the very
able team leader Soumya Mitra and guide Chorten Sherpa took off brimming with
enthusiasm from Maneybhajang in WB, which is about 4 hours drive from Bagdogra
airport/NJP rly station. It was a misty morning. The surrounding hillside
enveloped in a thick layer of fog which seemed to worsen as we ascended up
through the dense and tall pine trees and forests of Rhododendron. Visibility
was just a few feet as we trudged on. Some trees were in full bloom, and
occasionally the rocky path was strewn with fallen bright red flowers. 
“How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!” ― John Muir
Providence seemed to have smiled on me in the morning. The sun rose to an absolutely brilliant dawn & I couldn't have asked for more... I haven’t seen a dawn more beautiful as sun made its way out gently through a thick layer of cloud. The distant snow peaks of Kanchenjunga shone in the morning rays. It seemed that she finally had decided to lift off her veil and reveal herself and her surrounding peaks of Kumbakaran, Kabru and Pandim, which together form what the Buddhists in India and Nepal term as the 'Sleeping Buddha'. My prayers seemed to have been answered. I remembered reading a Nepali quote about Mount Everest or ‘Sagarmatha’ as they call her. “You do not summit the Sagarmatha, she lets you summit her” Similarly after my seeing the heavenly Kanchenjunga I felt ”one does not see the Kanchenjunga, she lets you see her”
The second day of the trek was a 13
km walk from Tonglu to Kalpokhri through the Singalila National park. It wasn't
much of a gain in altitude but a descent to Gairibas and then an ascent to
Kalipokhri. Most of the times we were weaving our way in and out of Nepal. Some
residences and teahouses dotted the route. It’s a nice feeling to have such a
friendly country as a neighbor where one can just stroll in. No questions
asked! Many a teahouse where we had our refreshments were in Nepal. How many
times during the trek I wished that it could be the same with
Pakistan!! The Kanchenjunga was now visible through out our trek. The pine
trees had become sparse. The Rhododendrons were still in a budding stage
waiting for the right time, unlike at the lower altitude where they were in
full bloom and seemed to set the forest on fire. An occasional Magnolia blessed
us with large white flowers on a leafless tree. Plenty of pink flowers
presumably orchids lined our trekking trail. Kalipokhri is more of a large pond
than a lake and water is brackish and black in color, hence the same.
Nevertheless, worshipped by the locals, colorful prayer flags fluttered over
it.
“Never waste any amount of
time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be
sitting under!” - C. JoyBell C.
This place was to be our night halt on day 3.
The tents were already up when we reached and hot lunch awaited us. I crashed
into my tent unaware of the spectacle that I was to witness a couple of hours
later. If the sunrise was one of the most beautiful events I had witnessed in
the morning at Tonglu, I have no words to describe the sunset that was on
display that evening.
The sky was a canvas awash with all possible hues of red
and orange. I wondered if any artist ever could prepare so many hues of one
color. The mountain ranges below with the clouds between them welcomed the
sinking sun as it slowly melted into them, leaving behind a myriad of glowing
red. As darkness crept in, a hue of purple replaced the red in the horizon. It
was simply hypnagogic. This vivid image of the evening will remain etched in my
mind forever. And yet again a canopy of silvery stars covered us and I went to
sleep without praying for anything tonight. I had got more than I had prayed
for!
This day was the high point of out
trek, figuratively and literally. The distance from Kalipokhri to Sandakphu is
about 8 km and an altitude gain of about 1600ft to reach 12000 ft. Sandakphu is
the highest point in WB. It means land of the poison plant, so called because
of the Aconite plant found here in large numbers.
As we reached Sandakphu, an 180º
view of the Himalayas welcomed us! The Everest was clearly visible in all its
glory, flanked by the Lhotse and Makalu on sides. I stood transfixed as
I took in the view, my first view of the Everest. Our halt for the night was
still a km walk away and we had to trek through a narrow snow filled path to
reach there. The tents were put up at the edge of a cliff. The clouds
floated
below and a gentle mist arose from the lower hills to gradually engulf us. The
setting sun cast its diffuse red glow on them. The next morning began with a
climb to the adjoining hilltop to have an unrestricted view of the sunrise and
a panoramic view for the Everest and Kanchenjunga. It was a heavenly sight to
witness the world’s tallest peaks lit by the 1stt light of the day. I
was literally on top of the world!
The trek to Phalut is a long one covering
21kms though there’s no
altitude gain. It’s a pleasant trail through wide-open
meadows unlike the previous days when most of the trails were narrow and rocky.
The mountains seemed to watch our every step. And the panoramic view of the
Himalayas continued for a large part of the walk to Phalut. We reached our
camp, which was partly surrounded by snow late in the afternoon. Phalut in
local language means wind and this place lived up to its reputation. To add to
the wind, unlike the previous evenings it had started becoming misty again. It
seemed as if the veil was falling again on the mountain peaks. The show was
probably coming to an end. The peaks were no longer visible. To see them again
in the morning I would have to climb a mountain just behind out campsite at 5
in the morning, said our guide. In that chilly and windy evening that thought
was not very welcoming, nevertheless as I retired for the day I was determined
to give it a shot the next morning.
“The world's big and I want to have a good look at it before it
gets dark.” - John Muir
I woke up at 4.30am to find a layer
of ice over our tents rendering it crisp. The opening flap of our tent crackled
as I parted it to step out to be greeted by an icy darkness and the barking of
stray mountain dogs. My tent mate and I
braved our way up the mountain, cameras in hand to witness the last sunrise of
this trek. We reached the top well in time to see the day break as the
Kanchenjunga slowly started getting lit up followed by the other surrounding
peaks and then it spread to Makalu and the Everest and Lhotse.
Through the thin
haze that hung over the air, the view was surreal. The peaks seemed like
icebergs floating in an ocean of clouds. Both of us spent more than an hour
there taking in that beautiful vista, embedding it in our minds and making sure
that it lasts for a lifetime. This was the last day of visualizing the tallest
peaks of the Himalayas. No other place in the world offers such a view. Standing
in one place I could see four of the five tallest peaks in the world and I felt
lucky to be a part of that vista.
After breakfast we began our descent
to Ramman, a 25 km beautiful walk down through bamboo and pine forests. The Rhododendrons
reappeared as we trekked down the mountains. Flowers in shades of pink and
white were in full bloom as we neared village Gorkhey.
Located in a picturesque
valley Gorkhey has all the trappings of a film set. Colorful houses, Pine
trees, a plateau and the Gorkhey river passing by dividing Sikkim and West
Bengal. It is a place worth spending a night.
On the drive back to Darjeeling, I
reminisced. This trek was all about sunrises and sunsets. Though cliché, in the
mountains they were extraordinary, each more remarkable than the other. What
has been happening for probably millions of years will continue. I just
happened to witness that celestial spectacle. The sun will continue to rise and set whether
anyone sees it or not.I had come alone to this trek without expectations and a
blank SD card in my camera. I was going back after meeting wonderful people,
making good friends, a mind full of memories, a heart full of emotions and an
SD card filled with glorious images of the mountainscape.
We are now in the mountains
and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling
every pore and cell of us.” - John Muir
PS: My gratitude to India Hikes and their team of Trek Leader Soumya, Guide Chorten Sherpa and Buddha Lepcha for making this possible.
PS: My gratitude to India Hikes and their team of Trek Leader Soumya, Guide Chorten Sherpa and Buddha Lepcha for making this possible.
