Goechala Trek in Sikkim by T P Prabhakaran
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Hiking along with the family is something that I love the most. We have done numerous hikes in the past where we go to a certain hilly terrain, stay there overnight and go for day hikes. This would mean that we come back to our base and comfort by the end of the day
However, I wanted to push myself to the next level and go on a Trek involving multiple days in the wilderness and away from the civilisation and basic comforts. My younger son and I started searching the web for options
A search on the web led us to a very inspiring trek to Goecha-la in Sikkim. The trek involves traversing the Himalayan range in the Kanchenjunga National Park
With all travel arrangements done, we reached New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (West Bengal, Darjeeling district) which was the designated place for us to assemble, per our club 'Trek the Himalayas'. We were a group of about nineteen and were picked up in three SUVs. From Jalpaiguri, we left for Yuksom, Sikkim which incidentally was the first capital of Sikkim
The Journey literally began with a bang, as en route we narrowly escaped a landslide within a couple of hours from the commencement of our Journey. One of the shooting stones hit the left side of our vehicle, but luckily there was no damage. Only later, when we stopped for refreshments did we come across the news of a major earthquake that shook Nepal. We continued our Journey and reached Yuksom about 9 hours from the time we started after covering a total distance of about 160 Kms. The road conditions between Melli and Jortheng were very bad and it took us almost two hours to cross a short distance of around 26 Kms
On reaching Yuksom (5670 ft), we were greeted by our Team Leader for the Trek, appointed by the club. As per schedule, we were supposed to stay there that night and begin our Trek the next day. However, the Team Leader informed us that due to the earthquake, the Government of Sikkim has held permission for entry into Kanchenjunga National park for a day. This delayed our departure but gave us an additional day to explore Yuksom where we visited certain Monasteries and Lakes
We left on the third day of our itinerary for the first segment of our trek. Our destination was Sachen (7150 ft) which is a good 7 Km trek from Yuksom (5600 ft) that took almost about 4 hours due to the nature of the terrain. A Support team that carried food, tents and some of our bags left before us and were at Camp Sachen to welcome us. This is after providing us with packed lunches at Yusom, but well on time to receive us with hot tea and tents already pitched. The Scenery en route was simply great and we truly relished the sight. We did experience the aftershocks of the tremor but nothing beyond while at Sachen. We spent that night at Sachen and left for the next camp viz., Tshoka the next morning after breakfast
Enroute, we stopped by at a place called Bakhim for tea sold at a small shop before proceeding to Tshoka. It took us almost 6 hours to reach Tshoka (9700ft ) which is an important transit camp where trekkers from both directions invariably meet. The location has even got some small lodges and restaurants to go shopping. We also came across some trekkers who had gone up to the next camp (Dzongiri) and returned, as they feared that weather conditions would be tough beyond Dzongiri
Tshoka provides a panoramic view of Yuksom and another hill station called Phel Ling. On a clear day, both these cities are clearly visible to the naked eye. One can begin noticing the Rhododendron flowers from Tshoka
The initial trek for about a kilometre was steep, but that was followed by a well laid out trail using wooden logs. These were laid for the next two kilometres to overcome the slush; it was apparently, an initiative taken by the Government with the help of the locals. At the end of this wooden trail, it was a steep climb and by this time the sky had turned dark and it started to rain. We all covered ourselves with ponchos (rain coats that also covered our backpacks) and trekked very cautiously. We reached Phedang, an intermediate camp site for lunch. It started to snow while we were in Phedang, but we managed to have our packed lunch and started proceeding towards Dzongiri
The trek from Phedang to Dzongiri was of ascents and descents in gradients. This was coupled with Snow and rain, making the trek difficult. There was visibility though, but it was too cold, almost sub-zero temperatures. On reaching Dzongiri, most of us chose to stay in the log huts put up by the Government fearing snow in the night. However, four of our group members chose to stay in the tent. Although we were 19 (nineteen) of us at the start of the trek one of them had to back out after Tshoka. However, the rest of us by this time got to know each other better and the stay in Dzongiri made us come even closer. We spent the rest of the evening playing cards, chatting and pulling each other's legs, before we retired for the night
The next morning we got up early at about 4 am to see a very bright sky. We could spot some who were already on the top to catch a glimpse of the Kanchenjunga range. However, the whole of Dzongiri was covered with Snow
Our original plan was to have a rest day at Dzongiri, before we proceed ed to the next camp. Oour team leader decided to proceed to Thansing, our next camp, as we had a delayed departure but well backed by the fitness of our group. We departed at about 8 am amidst very murky conditions to Thansing (12900 ft). Enroute, we could spot some mountain yaks happily grazing the meadows. We descended a mountain for about 1000 ft to a campsite called Kokchurang, crossed river Prek Chu and climbed back 700 ft to reach Thansing (12700 ft)
Thansing had a small log hut and it was lot colder than Dzongiri, as we were getting closer to the Himalayan range. All of us chose to reside in the log hut that made the evening an enjoyable one. Again, we played cards, dumb charades and sang for while. We could see that the camaraderie was building up, a sign of a well knit team, ably guided by the team leader on treks. We were all delighted when we went past Dzongiri. We had braved the uncertainties and the weather to reach this level
Our team leader mentioned during the Dinner brief that we have an option to get up early in the morning and climb a small peak to have a look at the kanchenjunga range. We did get up early at about 4 am and climbed the peak on a clear sky to have some spectacular views of the range
We started for Lamuney (13600 ft), a short trek of about 3 hours or less from Thansing. We started at about 10 am, as we had returned after our early morning climb only by 7 am
Mid-way during the trek, there was a thick mist cover and it also started to rain heavily followed by snowfall. We reached Lamuney to be greeted by more rains and snow. There were no log huts for stay, hence we all stayed in the tents. The support staff braved these weather conditions to provide us a hot lunch, followed by evening tea. Few of us continued our cards session inside the tent before being provided with hot dinner as early as 6:30 pm
This was to help us to retire early to bed, as we had to leave at 2:30 am the next morning for our final destination Goecha-la
The support team woke us up at about 1:15 am with hot tea. We came out of our tents to see a very clear sky with shining stars. The full moon day was only about 2 days away, but its reflection on the snow capped mountains of Pandim and other ranges were spectacular
The scene was inexplicable and only a naked eye could relish such a scene
It was freezing cold and our toes and finger nails were numb, as we started our trek to Goechala. We were lead by our team leader and two of the support staff. All of us had our head torches on and headed for view point 1 (15000 Sft) of Goechala which is about 1500 ft higher than Lamuney
It was a difficult trek, as we had to climb in the darkness, could not walk faster due to the high altitude and above all it was sub-zero temperatures. Five of us could reach the view point by 4:45 am, the sun had slowly started coming out and it was a wonderful sight to see the whole range turn gold in colour. The rest of our team members also joined us in the next 30 minutes or so. We were so thirsty, but the water bottles that we carried were frozen. We had boiled eggs and boiled potatoes to regain energy for our descend
Panoramic View of the Range We stayed at the summit for about 75 minutes in sub-zero temperatures. It was an exhilarating experience and we all left with a feeling of being seperated. Yes, by this time, we had all fallen in love with the mountains, snow, lakes and terrains.
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We had trekked past Samiti lake on our climb but could not see it in the dark. On our way back, we had a spectacular view of the lake which was a nice greenish colour
We returned back to Lamuney and had a brunch of sorts. We left for Kokchurang, which was the next camping site on our way back. We took about 4 hours to trek a distance of about 4 kms, as we were all tired after the early morning trek to Goechala and back. Some of the team members reached earlier but after allowing our support team to overtake us
Once again, we stayed in the log hut at Kokchurang. Now with the mission accomplished, the team was joyful and started playing pranks on each other with some good natured ribbing doing the rounds. This amidst playings cards and other games
The next morning we left for Tshoka which would be the last camping site before we reach Yuksom, our base camp. This is a long 16 kms trek via Phedang but it took us through some very picturesque places en route
Some of the members took about 5 hours while most of us reached within about 6-1/2 hours, including a little break at Phedang. We stayed at log huts in Tshoka, as we all wanted to be together instead of the tents where only two people can stay. We did not play cards but ended up chatting and recalling the trek thus far. A great way to unwind
The support team surprised us with Pakodas and cake, special dishes on the penultimate day of the trek. One of our members thanked the support team which consisted of sherpas, cooking staff, tent staff, Dzow(Yak) men etc., It is worth mentioning that but for their precision, timings and movements, we would not have completed the trek on time
Secondly, they were always cheerful, smiling and ever helping which helped us to overcome our tiredness. Not to forget the food, which was a balanced die,t to address the altitude, energy requirements etc., The next morning, we all left at 8 am for our final destination, Yuksom, a 15 Kms trek downhill. We were zipping through the trails, finding short-cuts and suddenly we found the distances getting shorter. Few could complete the trek in little under 4 hours, but the majority could complete in under 6 hours. It was a great celebration time that evening considering the uncertainty caused due to earthquakes. Most of us had to balance family concerns back home with our urge to go the peak. In the end, it turned out to be a good adventure
The next morning, we left in batches to New Jalpaiguri (NJP). Some of us did a detour to visit Kanchenjunga falls and Phel Ling. We reached NJP by evening, refreshed and followed it up with a 'Rasagolla' hunt
'Trek the Himalayas', who conducted this trek have to be admired for their effective handling of the logistics, the team etc., It is worth mentioning that Padma, the Team leader handled situations very well and was patient enough to answer all questions
We all thoroughly enjoyed the adventure and it left us refreshed, heart, mind and soul. To quote John Muir, " In every walk with nature one receives more than he seeks."
