Sandakphu Trek Diary

It was a rainy June evening of 2013. I sat at my office desk and kept staring at the monitor unable to work. I had read about the Uttarakhand floods the previous day and was still trying to come to terms with the devastation caused by it.

I love The Himalayas and it felt as if something close to me was getting destroyed. Well, it also meant that I would have to cancel yet another plan to visit the Himalayas and re - plan everything all over again.

I started looking at options in the Eastern Himalayas. That’s when I stumbled upon Sandakphu.

Sandakphu is the highest peak of West Bengal perched at 12000ft approx. This is the only place in the world where you get a 180 degree view of 3 of the world’s highest peaks namely, Everest, Kanchenjungha and Lhotse, besides others.  The complete range from left to right goes as Dhaulagiri, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse (In Nepal), Jano (kumbhkarna)( Head of Buddha), Kanchenjunga, Kabru dome, Kabru south, Pandim, Narsing, Siniolchu (in Sikkim), Chomolhari (the heighest peak of Bhutan). It is also said that Kalapokhri, a village 7km before Sandakphu, offers the most beautiful sunset in Eastern India. The total trekking distance to Sandakphu is 32km up and 20 km down. A major glitch here is that the views are totally at the mercy of the unpredictable Himalayan weather.

There were a lot of issues with this plan. Firstly, fitness and I have never seen eye to eye. Secondly, I suffer from motion sickness on hilly terrain. Thirdly, I had never trekked for more than 3km at a stretch. Nevertheless, I was determined to go. We formed a group of 8 and I felt braver as all but 2 were first timers like me. However, due to the political unrest prevailing at Darjeeling at the time, one by one, members in the group started dropping out. This made me lose interest in the whole affair. Finally we were just 3 members – 2 seasoned trekkers and I. The day before my flight to Kolkata, I hurt my coccyx and was finding it difficult to even walk. How on earth was I going to trek 52km?  Rains welcomed me in Kolkata. All this led me to take this as an omen that the trek was definitely going to be a failure. On the eve of my train to NJP, I wasn’t sure if I should be boarding it or not. Finally given the choice between spending my holidays in Kolkata during the Durga Puja and going to an unknown place, I chose the latter..

I must mention a few words here about my co trekkers. It was they who motivated me and constantly egged me on throughout the trek. Ajoy da is a young man all of 56 years. The years to his life did nothing to diminish his spirit or his love for the mountains. Afflicted by acute asthma, never for once did he make us feel that he was suffering from breathlessness. Rahul da is a 46 year old “boy” – you cannot tell his age just by looking at him! He had only recently recovered from a near fatal bout of jungle fever. But how could he resist the call of Shiva? Thus he too set out with us. These were the 2 crazy people I was going to travel with and looking back today, I can say I was fortunate and privileged to be in their company.

We boarded the Darjeeling Mail from Sealdah Railway Station which reaches New Jalpaiguri at around 8:00 a.m. Only I know in what a depressed state of mind I had gone off to sleep that night! I woke up early in the morning and finished my ablutions in the train and was sipping some tea. I suffer from morning sickness and eating anything early in the morning is an ordeal for me. Nevertheless, I munched on some bread I had brought for myself from Mumbai. As the train entered NJP, we got ready to alight from the train. As I hoisted my rucksack on my back I experienced a pain in my lower back (due to the coccyx injury) and I bit my lips. Thankfully I had invested in a good rucksack and was able to walk with it on my back till the taxi stand. We hired a Maruti Ritz for about Rs 2000 to a village called Maneybhanjan. This village is the starting point of the trek. I discovered that the car had a pen drive slot in its music system. This was perhaps my first joyful moment in the journey. I was elated! I would not only be able to charge my mp3 but also listen to music sans the ear phones!

Day 1 NJP to Maneybhanjan: It takes around 3.5 hours to reach Maney by a cab. The route passes through beautiful tea gardens and goes via Mirik. Then from Sukhiapokhri, we took a turn to go towards Maney. At Maneybhanjan, we were greeted by our guide (Sumanta Buddhilal Tamang). He showed us our room which was nothing but a dormitory that the local boys’ football team used. If you have a fetish for cleanliness, then carry a sleeping bag with you as the beds are quite dirty. As we freshened up and went out for a little walk outside for acclimatization, the weather turned cloudy and it started raining. Bad news!  

I was already feeling cold and this gloomy weather surely did not help things. My co trekkers discovered that I did not carry a wind cheater. They said it was an absolute necessity. Being the stubborn person that I am, I insisted that I could manage without it but they wouldn't budge. So I ended up buying one from the local market there. We walked for a km and back on the same route that we were to tread on the next day. While returning we stopped for tea at a local tea shop. After this we went into our rooms. As evening set in, the weather became colder and the light in the room was just enough to see each other. It was so dim that reading a book was just not possible. I was completely exhausted. As I lay on my bed in the absolute silence, I still wondered if I really should embark on the trek. I would have to trek 12km the next morning! Even the thought of it was scary at that moment. I decided that if I didn't feel up to it, I’d just tell my team mates to go on while I stayed back at Maney. Thinking thus, I fell asleep. I woke up a couple of times in the night. 

Finally, when the sun shone into our room, I jumped out of bed thinking that we were already late. I looked at my watch. It was just 5:20 a.m.! Then it dawned on me that we were in the Eastern part of India. As I went out of my room, I was greeted by the happy and warm day and the warmth of the sun flowed like an energy drink within me as it were. I may have compromised with an unclean bed and linens but I simply couldn't bring myself to start out without taking a bath. Water is at a scarcity there and hot water even more scarce and a luxury as it has to be warmed over firewood which takes time and of course wood. All I got was 3litres of water for taking a bath. But something is always better than nothing. It reminded me of my childhood days in Shillong when there would be water scarcity and we would have to take our bath with small quantities of water. I freshened up and got dressed up. It was around 7 am then. There was some delay in starting the trek as our ponies had not yet arrived. We also had to take a permit for our cameras as were entering into Singalila National Park area. By 8:00 a.m. we were all set and ready to go!

Day 1: Maneybhanjan to Tumling (12km). After procuring necessary permits, we started our trek finally at about 8 in the morning. It was a steep ascent for the first 2km. The route was lined with pine trees. After around 2km, we reached Chitrey Monastery. We came across triangular shaped flags hanging from ropes from one end to the other. I later came to know that these were known as prayer flags hung to ward off evil spirits. The sun was shining brightly and we started feeling quite hot. After walking for 6km on that steep path, we came across the village Lamidhura. There was a tea stall there and we decided to take a break over there. As we sat there, the weather suddenly turned foggy. We had tea followed by soup and noodles and again followed by tea. It’s a local north-eastern noodle known as Wai wai. I was having this after almost 15 years and I was surprised that I could immediately recognize the taste!

Refreshed, we started again. After around 4km, we reached the village Meghma. It’s a beautiful little hamlet. We again had to make an entry there and take a pass to go further. 
We came across the first chorten on our way to Tumling from Meghma. The chortens found here are simply the images of a “real chorten” painted on a square brick wall. Prayer flags flutter over these chortens

The final few km to reach Tumling was quite steep and extremely exhausting. The last lap of around 500m sort of tested me the most with only the thought that my guest house was just half a km away egging me on. We reached Tumling at about 2p.m. Tumling is at a height of 8000ft above sea level. It actually falls in Nepal. Be careful to set your mobile phones on Manual Network Search as the network automatically catches on to the Nepal base stations and you may incur exorbitant roaming charges! I went into my room and just as I had sat down for only 10min, I started feeling quite cold. As if reading our minds, Suman got us steaming cups of tea which my aching bones and muscles accepted with the deepest gratitude. We freshened up and went down for a late lunch. Climbing down the stairs was difficult with my leg muscles aching. Suman served us some noodles and a red chili pickle. For those who are not aware of the North-eastern chili, let me warn you that do not underestimate it by thinking it to be a normal chili pickle. Just one bite of that chili could make you break into a Bhangra! I was feeling so cold that I decided to take a minuscule bite along with the noodles. That much was enough to make my ears go red! Well, it at least made me feel warm for some time. We went back to our rooms. The peaks were covered in white snowy clouds. I didn’t mind. I was feeling happy that I had made the first day. At about 5pm, While we were resting inside our rooms over the warmth of cups of tea, our team mate Rahul suddenly sprinted out of the room and urged us to follow suit. Limping with my aching muscles, I climbed down the stairs and went up to a little patch of land across our cottage. The mountain peaks had revealed themselves. The mountain peaks had revealed themselves. The valley below was covered in white clouds and it looked like an ocean. Far on the horizon, the peaks shone in a serene light against the back drop of the setting sun. I looked around to see a few more trekkers running around to get their cameras from their rooms. I was familiar with this kind of a scene in Mumbai. The only difference was that in Mumbai, the scampering and running around would be to catch the glimpse of some celebrity.

We went into our rooms. Soon Suman got us pop corn and garlic soup. I was a bit curious about this uncanny combination. He explained that both pop corn and garlic were good at high altitudes.

Day 2: Tumling to Kalapokhri(13km). We were again greeted by a bright sunny morning and were lucky to have a beautiful view of the peaks

Today we had decided to leave early for our trek. We started on our trek at about 6:15a.m after sipping some tea and munching on some biscuits. 
The first part of the trek towards a village named Gairibas was relatively easy with a gradual descent. We stopped at a small tea shop midway in a village called Jaubari for some tea. The tea had a peculiar smell of burnt wood and I couldn’t bring myself to drink it. We walked on and reached Gairibas at about 10 a.m. The onward trail from Gairibas was quite steep and we decided to break here for a heavy breakfast. After having our fill, we resumed our trek. The climb from here was very steep and the path was boulder laden. I was running out of breath much more frequently now.

We stopped at a tea shop en route in a village named Kaiyankantha. The tea that I had over here was one of the most refreshing cups of tea I had had in my entire life! Kalapokhri was 4km more from here and the route from here was a very gradual ascent. From here, we didn’t come across other trekkers. I was walking on my own. Soon there was a mist enfolding us. It was surreal walking through mist with dense pine trees lined along the way! 

In no time, we arrived at Kalapokhri(10000ft). “Pokhri” in Nepali means lake and “kala” means black. This lake is considered sacred by the locals and the waters of this lake, believed to have medicinal value, never freezes even in the winters! Again prayer flags fluttered above the lake. It is said that Kalapokhri offers the best sunset view in the entire Eastern part of India. Well, it is also said to be the most elusive of all. Looking at all the mist and fog around me, the prospects of seeing a sunset were quite dim but it didn’t really matter much to me. I was elated that I had made my second day too! We were greeted by lush green meadows with a flock of sheep grazing. Not very far away, I also spotted a herd of yaks and jabbu (a hybrid of a yak and a buffalo). It’s a sleepy little village with just a couple of shops around and a few small huts. We were taken to our rooms in a humble cottage called Pandim lodge named after one of the mountain peaks. I loved the small wooden room with the small beds in it. As I have said earlier too, no form of luxury can be expected at these places. Nevertheless, at that moment I felt as if I could live forever in that small cottage in that small hamlet.

Suman was quick to arrange for some tea and refreshments. Oh! What would we have ever done without him! I was feeling the effects of the high altitude. My breathing had become long and deep. I found it weird that usually we never realize that we are breathing, but here I was able to hear each and every breath of mine! Because of the fog, no one really expected to see a sunset but we still braved the cold and went out. I was unable to walk much, firstly because my legs were tired and secondly because it was very cold. There were a group of foreigners who had camped on a patch of land close to our cottage. I suddenly saw one of them running past me with a camera in his hand almost held like a gun! On an instinct I ran after him. Just a few metres behind my cottage, I witnessed the most divine sight I had ever beheld in my life. Before me was the green meadow and on its edge, there were two mountain – goats sitting serenely oblivious of the fuss around them. Beyond this, the vast expanse below was filled with white fluffy clouds conjuring up the image of white foamy waves. The waves merged as it were with the sky that was smeared with shades of scarlet and crimson. Someone shouted out to me to hold the camera in this angle or to click the photograph from that angle. At that moment, none of this made any sense to me. I was awestruck with what I saw and for once the photographer in me took a back seat. The scene lasted only for a few moments but the memory will last for a lifetime. I went back quietly into my room and just sat down on my bed. 

After a few minutes I rose up from the bed and lifted the curtains of my window. As I did so, I witnessed the most beautiful twilight of my life. The sky was a deep ink blue with some shades of crimson and it wore the beautifully curved moon as a crown. It was ethereal. All these days of toil and hardship were totally worth it. Kalapokhri will remain etched on my mind forever. 

Temperatures dropped as the night drew closer. It was about 2-3 degrees but the wind chill factor made it feel colder than this. We somehow managed to finish our dinner and headed back to our rooms. As I lay down on my bed that night, I thanked the Almighty for giving me the privilege to see and feel Him in His full glory. I didn’t hear Him but he must have said then, “Hang On! There’s more to come!” 

Day 3: Kalapokhri to Sandakphu (7km). Last night was the first night that I slept well since I had left Mumbai. This morning’s trek was the last lap to reach Sandakphu. It was a comparatively shorter stretch but since we were now trekking at over 10000ft, it was not going to be a cake walk. We set out at about 6:00 a.m. We were on our way to a small village Bikhey Bhanjan which is about 4km from Kalapokhri where we would break for a quick tea and breakfast. En route we spotted the flower aconite, a poisonous flower found in that region. All through the trail, we were rewarded with beautiful blue skies and peaks were visible at many places.

People hardly undertake trekking and most of those who do, do not start very early in the morning. This was a blessing for us as we practically owned the trekking route with just the 3 of us and our guide walking briskly. After walking for about half an hour, I came across a point where there were a group of small temples. I could hear the sound of some mystical music emanating from one of those temples which sounded strangely familiar. As I strained my ears, I recognized it. It was the Sanskrit chanting of the Mahishasura Mardini. Of course, it was the Durga Puja time, the annual festival when Goddess Durga is worshiped. This was a whole new experience. There I was standing at almost 10000ft on the narrow trail surrounded by the mighty Himalayas, the blue sky over my head and the divine music blending perfectly with the serene and calm silence. The weather was so clear that even from that height, the river Mahanadi flowing through the Siliguri plains was clearly visible. At first we found it hard to believe that the Siliguri plains would be visible from that height. I didn’t even tell anybody that I thought I had seen a river. Hallucinations were known to be common at high altitudes and I thought I was experiencing the same and that I had mistaken some cloud formation for it. Ajoy da and Rahul da exchanged meaningful looks with each other and we finally came to the conclusion that we were indeed witnessing the Siliguri plains from that height. “Yay I wasn't hallucinating!” said I to myself. Ajoy da, who was coming to Sandakphu for the 11^th time, said that this is something that he had never witnessed ever before. With a lot of gratitude in my heart, I proceeded further on the trek.

En route, we also came across a small hamlet with about a couple of huts. There was the man making a hut that he hoped would last the onslaught of the upcoming winters. The lady of the house was lovingly giving her toddler a bath. It was fascinating to see small huts and people who actually make a living in these harsh conditions.

I’d like to mention here a very special moment that we shared on our way from Bikhey Bhanjan to Sandakphu. There was a large group that was also trekking with us and we decided to let them pass. So we sat on a patch of grass on the side of the trail. It was nothing really but just small things like sipping tea together, chatting away mindlessly and laughing without any particular reason. But that particular moment is very close to my heart. I realized at that moment that things like age, sex, caste, and creed were just creations of a bigoted human mind. At the end of the day, we were only beings with a heart that doesn't know discrimination, but only knows how to love and embrace life in all its forms.

Our little tea break was over and we rose to continue our journey. The last 1km to Sandakphu was very exhausting. After tedious boulder hopping and climbing, we finally reached our destination. I made it!

Sandakphu: It took me a while to get adjusted to the rarefied air but acclimatized to it quite well enough. We stayed at the PWD guest house at Sandakphu. Water is extremely scarce at Sandakphu and one has to be very frugal with it. In the afternoon, we went out for a little walk. My legs were aching badly now and I was barely able to walk. By evening it was extremely cold and my teeth were chattering. We had a very early dinner and retired early to bed. We had to wake up very early the next morning. It was so cold that I slept with my feather jacket over me and then covered by a blanket. Probably out of excitement, I woke up earlier than the alarm bell at 3:30 am. I freshened up and then dressed up. Well, I had only heard that the Kanchenjunga peak from here looks like the Sleeping Buddha. Moreover, where else would you find a sunrise that lasts for over an hour? Well, as they say, you’ve got to see it to believe it.

We went out by around 4:20 am. It was so very cold. It must have been around 2 degrees outside but the wind chill factor made it feel less than 0. We were frantically searching for a strategic point to watch the rising sun but the biting cold and the chilly wind were making it almost impossible to walk fast. After a lot of argument and deliberation we settled for a potential watch – point. As the eastern sky began to glow in a somber red, I waited with baited breath and fingers crossed. Would I actually be witnessing the Sleeping Buddha? As the first light of the day shone on one of the peaks on Mt. Kanchenjunga, I was filled with a nervous excitement. Slowly, but surely, one by one the peaks lit up. There was the Sleeping Buddha glowing in a golden light. I saw the outline starting from the Buddha’s crown till his toe! It seemed so close that I almost felt as if I could touch him. I saw Suman bowing his head with folded hands. It is said that mountaineers scaling the Mt. Kanchenjunga do not climb till the peak but put their flags at some designated level below the peak because it is believed that Buddha rests on this peak. Not only did we see the Kanchenjunga, Everest and Lhotse but every other peak that is possible to see from here! It was nothing short of a miracle!

This play of colors lasted for more than an hour.

It is impossible to describe in words what it feels like witnessing the sun lighting up the mighty Himalayas.

It is like watching a live painting where the Sun is the painter and the Sky and the Majestic Peaks its Canvas. 

Once this was over, I simply sat in silence for some time. We were to leave for Srikhola the next day. So that left us with one more day at Sandakphu. One can also go on to trek further until Phalut from Sandakphu which is 22km from here. However, due to time constraints, I hadn’t planned for Phalut. The next morning again greeted us with clear skies. We were again up early and this time we decide to go to a secluded spot on the Phalut route to view the sunrise. From here, the sunrise looked even more divine. Like a mad man I went on clicking photographs. I was wearing woolen gloves but I had to take out the one on my right hand to be able to click better. When the play was over, we returned to our cottage. On our way back, I realized that the rigors of the trek had finally begun to take its toll on me. My right leg was cramping badly and I was feeling quite tired. I decided to rest for some time. I was barely being able to walk and I wondered how I was going to make the 22km to Srikhola from here. 

Day 5: Sandakphu to Srikhola (22km): This was the day that tested me the most. The trail to Srikhola is a steep descent for the most part. Even as we started from Sandakphu (8 am), I realized that my right leg was not in a very good condition. My thigh had cramped badly and I was barely being able to walk. I started the trek and after walking a couple of km, I had a fall. As time passed by, my steps were reduced to baby steps and we were losing a lot of time. The one thought that kept haunting me during this time that if I had to be carried down now, all this would’ve been for nothing. However, the red and white wild flowers, the dried grass which glowed in a golden color in the sun, the blue sky, the jungle trail lined with bamboo trees lending a creepy and eerie feel to the scene and the trees hacked by sudden bursts of lightning, made me forget my pain momentarily. We were supposed to complete the trek in 6 hours as it was downhill, but we reached the village Gurdum (16km) at 2pm. 

We stopped at Gurdum for lunch. From Gurdum, it took us 3 long hours to reach Srikhola.

We reached our guest house at 5:30 p.m. As I limped in extreme pain up the staircase to my room, the realization that I had actually completed the trek dawned upon me. I did it!

As I came at the entrance of our guest house, it was 5:30 p.m. I did it! I realized that there was not a single moment in that day when I didn’t fear that I may not be able to make it to Srikhola on my own. I had read somewhere that Courage is not the absence of fear but the realization that something else is more important than the fear itself. That day I actually understood what this line meant. As I went into my room with painful steps and sat inside, I realized that the terms Difficult, Easy, Pain all are relative terms. It is the mind that controls all of these. At hindsight I feel that I had taken too much of a risk by undertaking the return trek to Srikhola in that state of pain. However, I followed my instinct and decided to go on. I did pay the price for this reckless decision as the area around my pelvic region had gone into a spasm and it took over 4 months for the pain and discomfort to subside. But when Suman, our guide, told me over dinner that he was impressed by my determination to complete the trek even in that condition, I felt very proud of myself and that was a priceless moment!

The next morning we had to walk for 2km before getting on a shared jeep to Rimbick. I limped all through the 2km but again was rewarded by a very beautiful morning. On the way to Rimbick, we saw some happy faces of the hills which livened up our journey. We then travelled to Darjeeling and from there took another cab to NJP. The total distance by road was 180km. I was quite apprehensive at first about it but was happy that I reached NJP without nauseating even once! We boarded the Darjeeling Mail at night and finally I reached Kolkata to my aunt’s home. I had a long bath and it felt great! It was my first real bath since I had left Kolkata a week before and I had not taken a bath at all in the last 4 days! As I sat in my room refreshed I looked at myself. Here I was barely able to walk, a deep tan on my face especially over the nose and cheek bones making me look like Lady Hanuman. I turned the palm of my right hand and saw that the reverse of my palm was a charcoal black. I recalled that this must have happened at Sandakphu when I had taken out my glove in the chilly wind to click photographs. I had travelled almost 2000 miles to walk over boulders at low oxygen levels for 52 km with bare minimum amenities. Was I crazy or was I a fool? I closed my eyes and looked into myself. I found a calmness and serenity that I had been looking for since such a long time. Every bit of hardship I had faced, every little pain that I had experienced was totally worth it. Finally I was ALIVE… It was a privilege discovering the Himalayas in all its glory as it led me to discover myself and it would be an even greater privilege if the Himalayas granted that I may discover him again – hope that time is soon enough!