A quick dash (5 day) to Dzongri at 4050 Mts and a morning walk at 4.30 am in biting cold to view the first rays of the Sun illuminate the peaks of kanchenjunga, Kabru, Pandim and numerous other peaks of Singalila range...Enchanting walk through the rhododendron forests, numerous waterfalls with glorious views off and on...3 days of superb flying to end a short but memorable trip....
On a whim decided to go to Sikkim for a few days of paragliding this March, which though pretty much winter time in the mountains is ideal for Paragliding in the lower altitudes. Wrote to a friend in Gangtok who runs a PG business and happens to be the pioneer of the flying sites out there. Booked my seats on the Jet Lite flights to Bagdogra via Kolkata. As the word spread about my plan, a few friends said that they would want to go as well if there was a trek involved. Now, Paragliding is an exhilarating sport to the one who practices it. The onlookers may find a take off or a landing exciting to watch, that apart the sport offers precious little to the spectator. If I could somehow stitch in a short trek people were ready to join me.
 |
| Misty weather |
 |
| Fern Alley |
A quick change of plans led to a couple of friends joining me for a short trek to Dzongri right under the shadows of Mt. Kanchenjunga in West Sikkim. Early March, not exactly the season for the walk but managed to secure the services of a Guide, Cook, Helper and 3 ponies complete with their owner. My companions to be on this trek happened to be two lovely ladies, Latha and Suma, dear friends from Bangalore since nearly 15 years. Both leading rock climbers of the country from a decade ago, still very active and practice Cycling, Trekking, hikes etc. Suma is also an avid bird watcher and was thrilled to be in Sikkim at this time which happened to be the main birding season.
Reached Yuksom in West Sikkim, nearly 13 hours after leaving Bangalore. Flew to Bagdogra via Kolkata and then hired a tourist cab to drive us to Yuksom some 6 hours of grueling drive from Bagdogra. It was a shivering 10 pm when we checked into our Hotel in Yuksom but since we had called earlier, piping hot dinner was waiting for us and so were our Guide Baichung and his assistants who were to accompany us on this trail for the next 5 days.
A gloomy and cold morning, with low clouds and drizzle, a sickeningly sweet chai followed by an oily omelette prepared us for the day ahead. Baichung was in charge and went about doing the purchases necessary for the trip that included food for 5 days. He also helped us with the mandatory paperwork to get us the police clearance and Kanchenjunga National Park permits etc. We spent the day taking in the surroundings of Yuksom which included a short walk up to Coronation Point which has a small Monastery and a Stupa and is surrounded by trees. We also decided to hike up a hill for an hour to see the Oldest Monastery in Sikkim which was under renovation. The afternoon we decided to drive to Kecheopalri Lake or the Wishing Lake, which takes nearly an hour and a half by road. The usually picturesque lake wore a dull look reflecting the gray sky. The gloomy weather continued as darkness descended on the place like a wet blanket by 4.30 pm.
 |
| Start of the trek at Yuksom |
Day 1 of the trek, we completed all formalities at the KNP office and set off at a leisurely pace. The trek ascends nearly 2300 meters from Yuksom which is at 1750 meters above sea level and the first day is a mixed bag of ascents and descents. We cross two rivers over suspension bridges and to reach these one has to drop down from the mountain slopes to the river bed far below and start climbing up again. After about 4 hours of walking we reached the Log Hut of Sachen (2400 Mts) about 10 kms from Yuksom. The hut is in a small clearing in a dense evergreen forest. The weather closed in and it became dark and cold in the middle of the afternoon as we sat shivering waiting for the cook to get us warm soup, lunch etc.
The cloud cover had thinned a bit as it was a brighter morning that greeted us the next day. An hour's walk with a steep descent brought us to the third bridge enroute and then began the climb in earnest. The trail now climbs relentlessly through the dense forest for nearly an hour and a half when we suddenly come across the Forest Rest House of Bakhim and a few log huts. Nice place to stop and view the valleys all around. We planned to go up to a place called Tsokha for the day which was another hour or so of stiff climb away. The day had brightened enough to reveal patches of blue skies and that cheered us up as we slowly made our way to Tsokha which is a small seasonal village hugging the ridge top. The place was deserted except for a few hardy souls who were trying to make their way up the trail in this pre-spring weather. We barely dropped our bags and had a warm soup at this windy 3200 meter high place when rolling mists climbed up from all sides and visibility and temperature dropped rapidly in sync. Another log hut provided us shelter and once inside we enjoyed the food dished out by the cook at frequent intervals and generally waited out the bad weather. We tried feeling our way up to a small monastery here but could not see anything and made our way back to our hut for the night.
 |
| Tsokha |
I woke in the middle of the night and saw moonlight streaming into the hut through a window. I stepped out in the bitter cold to take a better look. I realized slowly that the whole place was aglow in moonlight and distant peaks shimmered in the night. There was no trace of any mist, fog or clouds and the sky was studded with a million stars. I walked back and woke up my companions and recommended a walk which they readily accepted and silently enjoyed the quiet of the night in the incredible surroundings.
 |
| Latha and Suma preparing to leave from Tsokha |
As expected next morning was all blue skies and a beautiful sunrise. We marched on with a spring in our steps and climbed the ridge above Tsokha with a clear view of the village. After about twenty minutes of walking we ran into snow and ice on the trail. Then on it was tons of snow all around, dropping from the trees above, melting on the mountainsides forming shining Icicles. It also meant slow progress over slippery terrain. The christmas landscape held us spellbound for the next two hours as we climbed on until we came upon a clearing in the forest with a log hut. This place is called Phedang (3500 Mts) . It had superb views of the lower Singalila range to the left and the slopes of Mt. Pandim to the right. Trees and bushes were plastered with snow all around. The Cook had decided to make a quick stop here and serve us hot lunch which was a welcome idea.
 |
| Icicles |
 |
| Christmas Tree |
 |
| The team at Phedang log hut |
 |
| Frost on thorns |
 |
| Frozen Lake near Dzongri |
After midday however, mists started rolling in from the valleys along with stinging cold winds. The hands went numb despite wearing gloves. We walked up in silence wondering what was in store for us at the next camp at nearly 3900 mts. We reached the top with some prayer flags fluttering in the cold breeze. From this point the walk is on the ridge top exposed to the winds. A small frozen lake shrouded in mists looked like a perfect setting for a chilly whodunit. The leafless branches of the rhododendron bushes looked like a million scrawny hands reaching out from under the snow. We hurried past and climbed a small hill that blocked our view to the north west. As we slowly made our way to the top of the hill, we reached a vantage point overlooking the entire west and north west. That is when the the mists above cleared and revealed a snow covered Kabru South face. The sudden fleeting glance of a snow covered peak against dark blue skies was breathtaking or was it just the walk...we stood there unmindful of the cold winds lashing at us and took out our cameras and clicked away until our fingers froze and the mists drew the curtain over the peaks.
We could now see the Log huts of Dzongri and the Dzongri Top which was about 200 mts higher up with its prayer flags. We made our way to the log hut and dropped our bags. Cold winds and mist made it impossible to sit outside so we spent the rest of the day inside our sleeping bags. As the night fell we had our dinner and made our way back to our hut. My watch was showing 4 degrees below Zero. We settled down to a cold night trying to make the most of the sleeping bag and all the thermals and other warm stuff we had carried with us. Tossing and turning, we were skeptical about our plan for the next morning which was : Tea at 4.30 and start marching at 5 am. The idea was to reach the Dzongri Top before sunrise and watch the action. We were actually glad to get up and start moving our limbs in the - 10 deg air in the hut. A quick cup of steaming tea and we got ready for the freezer. As we made our way up the prominent trail using our head torches, the setting Moon made a nice backdrop for the peaks to the west. After taking a few pictures we labored hard to climb the remaining 100 meters to the top. The Sun beat us to it and while I was still 20 meters below the top, I could see the entire South Face of Kabru light up to the first rays of the Sun. I ran the rest of the way and stood panting on the top taking in the panorama of peaks glowing in the Sun with the third highest mountain in the world, Kanchenjunga, majestically towering above all else, glowing radiantly in the morning Sun. Baichung pointed out to the famous peaks in the area as we took in the grand scenery around us. Some mental notes for potential Paragliding flights in the area and we were ready to go down, tuck into the breakfast kept ready by the team and head back.
A slow trudge downhill on the iced up trail, now half melting and very slippery brought us to Phedang, then down to Tsokha where we stopped for Lunch. A quick downhill dash brought us to Bakhim. We decided to pitch our tent instead of sleeping inside the crumbling old building of the FRH. A sunny morning saw us making our way back to Yuksom covering 14 kms of ups and downs through the dense forest. I decided to take a vehicle and head to Gangtok immediately while my companions decided to stay back the night in Yuksom and take a vehicle in the morning to Bagdogra and head home. After a refreshing lunch at Gupta's Restaurant in Yuksom, I hired a brand new Bolero for my drive to Gangtok which took about 5 hours. I checked into a hotel recommended by my Paragliding contact in Gangtok walked out to have Dinner with the tourists in the market.
Raju Rai, the local PG Pilot and Manager of Sikkim Paragliding, reached the hotel at 9 am on his Bullet and we made our way to his office somewhere in the valley below Gangtok. As it happens, the office is right next to this athletics stadium which also serves as the Landing field for the Paraglider pilots. Raju gave me the required local "gyaan' wrt the peculiar conditions at landing and the recommended approach. We then drove to the Lower Take off point half way up the hill opposite Gangtok. The vehicle stops near a monastery and the remaining way is on foot. Carrying my glider bag of about 15 Kgs, I and my new friends from Sikkim panted our way to the take off slope.
There was no other possible landing spot in the vicinity hence I decided to head to the landing anyway. When I reached the landing I was about 20 ft high and was in tail wind. I cleared the top of a building next to the stadium and was just 10 ft from the ground with no time or height to turn into headwind. Made a quick decision to do a tail wind landing which makes you touch the ground at 50 to 75 kmph depending on the strength of the wind. As the astro turf athletics surface rushed at me at a great speed, I simply lifted my legs and went in for a 'Bum" landing while applying full brakes to kill the wing. My Harness has an airbag for such situations and I comfortably touched down and stood up all in a single action with no damage done. With pounding heart and parched throat, I noticed Raju and a few other locals peering anxiously at me. I waved to them to convey that I was still in one piece. A bit of disappointment at the badly executed landing marred my first experience of flying in the Sikkim Himalaya and I was thinking about it while sipping tea at Raju's office a little later. Someone said that the vehicle was going back to the take off as there were a couple of tourists who wanted to do tandem flights. I went back with the vehicle and slogged my way uphill with the glider bag. The wind had become a little cross and was now coming from the right of the take off. A couple of false starts followed by a perfect launch saw me in the air again. This time I headed straight to the landing and crossed the building while at 40 ft from the ground. I continued along the periphery of the stadium looking at the road embankments and tree tops rushing at me at a great speed. Once I reached the end of the stadium I made a gentle 180 degree turn and landed like a feather in the middle of the field. The memory of the bad landing wiped out I made my way back to the office and ordered some Momos for lunch.
Raju Rai was satisfied with my skills and suggested that I should give the higher take off a shot in the evening. This one is high on the ridge above the town and is at an altitude of 2200 mts about 1100 mts from the landing and at about 6 kms away as the crow flies. Four pilots reached the landing at about 5 pm in fading light. The wind was pretty cross and too gusty to my taste. One of the pilots using a 'less performing' read 'safer' glider like mine tried launching and started getting blown backwards. His Wing lacked the penetration required to cut through strong head winds. After a lot of struggle he managed to leave the hill side lift and was off. The other experts struggled with their take offs too and when my turn came I was trembling like a leaf to use a cliche. I knew my wing could not penetrate the wind and the conditions were too strong for my skill level. I decided to give it a shot and struggled to control my wing in the high wind. Three botched attempts made me realize that I was better off waiting for a better day than to madly attempt another launch. Told the boys that I wanted to pack up and firmly decided against flying that evening. No regrets. I have been told that it is a lot better to be down on the earth wishing you were up there than being in choppy winds wishing you were down on the ground.
We were back on the high launch first thing next morning. The conditions were lot better than last evening. The wind was straight and steady. A clean and effortless launch and I was 600 mts above the valley in no time. To my right I could see faint outline of the great peaks hidden by the haze. A long and exhilarating flight later executed a beautiful landing to the applause of a few kids gathered in the stadium.
A couple of more days and a few more flights later, I drove back to Bagdogra and headed home after a really memorable experience in the Sikkim Himalaya.
It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
ReplyDeleteFlights to Abidjan
Cheap Flights to Abidjan
Cheap Air Tickets to Abidjan