Day 1 Yuksom to Tsokha
- crossed 3 bridges and some rockslides along the way
Rocky path
after lunch, passed one bridge and uphill all the way
bypassed Bakhim before reaching Tsokha
Tough hiking day, but i think i did pretty well going up hill.
Day 2 Tsokha to Dongzri
Uphill again
Passed by wooden planks on flat road leading into enchanted forest
Looked like paradise in the mist
Stopped by an area to rest where there was views of the mountains when it wasnt cloudy
Dongzri was cold huge camping ground
Another tough day uphill but it paid off. Stopping to enjoy the scenery makes hiking easier.
Day 3 Stayed at Dongzri
Hiked to see the sunrise and stayed at dongzri to acclimatize
Locals came to camp and were singing throughout the night
Freeezing cold and very windy at the top while watching sunrise, it was crowded with Japanese team.
Did not manage to capture very good pictures because of the crowd
Day 4 Dongzri to Thangshing
Best hiking day, walked along the mountains saw beautiful views of the himalayas.
vast green land valleys crossed dried up riverbeds horses and yaks
went downhill in the forested area
reached kokchurng at the bottom
looked like an enchanted forest with a wooden hut
beautiful river stream with rapids
perfect for white water rafting
walked along the river valley surrounded by huge mountains and greenery.
did some miniature rock climbing to reach thangshing
Thangshing is an open big field, surrounded by mountains.
I still remember the sight when we walked back to the tent after dinner at night.
It was pitch dark, lit up by uncountable shiny twinkling stars in the dark sky, and glowing snow mountains in the back ground. It was a breathtaking sight. The mountains looked so magical, it was a pity we could not capture the sight on camera.
Day 5 Thangshing to Lamney
short walk, crossed several small streams that involved stepping on rocks to balance.
beautiful scenery as it was walking along the river valley again. getting nearer to Mt Kanchendongza
Start snowing at night
Beautiful winter wonderland experience, trudging back to camp in snow. Hearing the pitter patter of the snow falling on to our tents while drifting to sleep. Going to the toilet in the snow. :P
Day 6 Lamney to Thangshing
Woke up with thick snowfall on our tent, it was nearly drooping on both sides.
The brave souls went for a mountain sunrise climb, while i stayed back in the comfort of my sleeping bag.
Managed to catch the sunrise from our camp site, where the beautiful sun rays were cast on the mountains, turning them into shades of yellow. The magical mountains looked like they were glowing in the sunlight.
Went to samiti lake in the morning, short hike abt 30 mins away.
Trekked in the snow so experience was different.
Samiti lake didnt look that impressive from far.
But went down to take a nearer look and it was beautful.
Known as the holy lake.
Played by the lake with koala (snow man and snow ball fight)
Met up with shing and bob.
Trekked back to camp and headed for kokchurung.
Were told that kokchurung was full so we had to stay in thangshing for the night
We were freezing cold again..
Day 7 Thangshing to Tsokha
Long hiking day that involved packed lunch- yummy calzones.
Beautiful morning hike as we were walking back the same way along the valley again.
Started the forest trail from kokchurung.
Felt a bit like ophir.
Some parts of the trails were really muddy and we were trying to avoid getting dirty
everyone fell except for shing.
emerged from the forest to get to the lunch place where we had lunch on day 2.
reached tsokha shortly after lunch.
Bittersweet feeling at Tsokha because we knew that our trip was about to end.
On one hand i couldn't wait to enjoy a hot shower after so many days, and on the other hand, i didn't want to leave this magical place.
We had a wonderful sumptuous party with our entourage and had great fun.
Day 8 Tsokha to Yuksom / Darjeeling
Another long hiking day back to yuksom.
Stopped by one of the bridges to enjoy our packed lunch.
Finally reached back to yuksom where we hurriedly bought water, and rushed off to Darjeeling due to the time.
I am glad i embarked on this trip, even though you are focusing on the basic necessities of life most of the time:- aka the physical pain, not bathing, battling the cold, food cravings, it changes you inside and gives you a deeper appreciation for the things that we usually take for granted.
I could sit there and gaze at that sight all day long.
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