Trek to GUICHA-La in W.Sikkim:

Day 1: Gangtok to Yuksom

Day 2: Yuksom to Tsoka via Sachen and Bakim, 16Kms, 6-7 hrs.

Day 3: Tsoka to Dzongri via Phedang, 10Kms, 5-6 hrs

Day 4: Dzongri to Doring-Tor, Acclimatization, 2Kms, 1 hr

Day 5: Doring-Tor to Thansing, 8Kms, 4 hrs.

Day 6: Thansing to Guicha-La and back to Thansing, (11Kms+ 11Kms= 22Kms), 15 hrs

Day 7: Thansing to Kokchurang, 3kms, 1.5 to 2 hrs.

Day 8: Kokchurang to Tsoka via Phedang, 12-14 Kms, 5 hrs

Day 9: Tsoka to Yuksom via Bakim and Sachen, 16Kms, 6 hrs

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Team:

4 member team: 2 – Americans, 1- Canadian & an Indian, with 3 porters, a Guide & 3 Dzo’s.

Vikram (Self) – 30 yrs/ M/ Bangalore, India
Levio Bestulic – 48 yrs/ M/ United States – www.dirttreks.com, liviobest@yahoo.com,
Seth Bestulic – 19 yrs/ M/ Canada- sethbest@gmail.com,
Paul German (BokaDari) – 33 yrs/ M/ United States – germanpaul@gmail.com,
A Guide, 3 Porters & 3 Dzo’s (X between Yaks & Cows).

8:40am: Gangtok to Yuksom in a Savari (4 wheel MTU) via Tasiding.
4:00pm: After, refreshing took a small hike in & around Yuksom. For my surprise, came across a small pond – Kathog Tso – hidden among the trees – silent, green, beautiful & pleasant. The Buddhist prayer flags around added colors to the fresh ‘n green surrounding. Beside the lake is a monastery- silent & serene as expected. Yuksom is the last point where we get electricity to charge our batteries & where we have cellular network.
We stayed at the Dragon House for the night.

Day 2/ May 2nd

8:00am: Pancakes for breakfast prepared us for the day ahead.
After loading the Dzo’s & sorting out as to what the porters would carry, we started the trek from Yuksom.
12:40pm: Reached Sachen, our lunch point. The porters & cook were here already. The table was laid & we had lemonade.
For the 1st few hours the track is undulating & we cross 3 bridges. We climb down around 500mts to the 3rd bridge to cross the valley & just after this the track starts to climb. This time it’s a tiring ascent to reach Bakim. After Bakim we climb again to reach Tsoka.
2:00pm: Reached Tsoka.
Tsoka is a small Tibetans settlement on a small platform of a ridge & has a dozen huts accommodating trekkers. I bought a water bottle, candy bars etc. We stayed in the Sikkim tourisms log hut for the night.

Day 3/ May 3rd

8:30am: Tsoka to Dzongri.
This is a gradual ascent. Just after Tsoka, the track ascends for 200mts among the Rhododendron trees. The track is majorly flat & ascends only at times. The trail is laid with wooden sleepers, to avoid foot from getting stuck in the slush, which would be 6-12inches deep, in rain-water. After the ascent we reach Phedang, which is a flat ground, pre-occupied by the porters/ Dzo’s returning from the trek. The water point is around 200mts away. Hence, we had to skip our expected plans of having lunch here. After recharging with dry fruits, we hit the track to Dzongri.
2:30pm: Reached Dzongri. It was wet & foggy. The lunch was delayed as the 12 member team from Bangalore had returned, which had created the confusion as to what was returned with them & what was taken ahead. The tents were pitched. We strolled to the adjoining ridge to have a look at the surrounding. Facing us at the distance was the Sangalila ridge, bordering Nepal, from which we were told that we can see Mt.Everest, post-monsoon. We sat on the ridge for a while expecting the clouds would clear & discussed about the Sangalila trek route.
4:00pm: We had a late lunch. The whole thing was not managed well & these guys need experience.
Seth & Levio shared a tent & I shared another with Paul. Porters cook & the guide managed to sleep in the only available Sikkim tourist log-hut. After lunch Paul managed to taste TUMBA (locally brewed Barley drink). We went early to bed & sipped dinner.

Day 4/ May 4th

5:00am: Hiked to Dzongri-Top. But, could not see anything. As we were covered by clouds/ fog all around. Returned back to tent & slept.
Later in the day shifted the camp near the Yak house at Doring-Tor, Which is just around 1-2 Kms away from Dzongri & Black-Kabru or Kabru-Dome in the background, surrounded by other prominent peaks. I hiked to Dzongri-top & got excellent views of all the 5 prominent peaks – Mt.Narsing, Kabru, Pandim & Mt.Kanchenjunga. The later was on the horizon silently guarding the young ones. This was my 1st impression of Mt.Kanchenjunga. Unlike other mountains in the region its light brown ridges are shadowed by the snow reflecting the sun.
Had lunch & a lazy evening at the camp while others went to explore the chrotens on the distant horizon.
The past 2 days have been good for acclimatization.

Day 5/ May 5th

From Doring-Tor trekked towards the chrotens after which the trail steeply dipped to Kokchurang for 600-1000mts. At Kokchurang there’s a Sikkim Tourism Log-hut, just before crossing the river Prek. Here the trail splits into 2, the one heading right would connect us to Phedang & the other crossing the river would take us towards our destination- Thansing & then to Guicha-la. The trail from Kokchurang crosses the river Prek & runs along the boulders in the valley & then again enters the tree-line engrossed in moss all along. After reaching Thansing at a leisurely pace, we pitched tents. Had a small chat with the Sikkim Tourism minister with regard to basic amenities at the camp site & had lunch. We decided to leave for Guicha-la at 1:00am, to catch the 1st light on Mt.Kanchenjunga.

Day 6/ May 6th

1:00am: Levio woke me up. I was the last one to wake-up. Levio, Seth & Paul were already out of there tents. Got a hot cup of black-tea & I was out of my tent in 5 minutes. I had everything packed before going to bed the earlier night. We left the camp-site without the guide, who joined us after a few minutes on the trail. Though we had head-lamps we had them switched off as the trail was well lit with the moonlight. It had just been 2 days past the full-moon day. The sky was clear. The initial 4 Kms is flat till we reach Lamune. The trail starts to gradually climb after Lamune. We crossed Lamune in 1hr 30 min’s i.e. 2:30am. I started to take breaks every 50 mts, the trail passes beside Mt.Tenzing-Khang, till we reach Samithi Lake. It’s a slow & tiring climb. Paul was in front followed by Jeevan (Guide), Levio & then Seth. I was being trailed by the other 2 porters (Dinesh {radio}/ Lal-Bahadur) who had joined us. We took a few minutes break at Samithi Lake. Could not make out the beauty as the water was reflecting the moonlight & nothing much. I was coughing in this stretch, till I reached the 1st view point. The trek from Samithi Lake to the 1st view point is steep & I ended up taking breaks every 10-15mts, while others pushed on & gained distance. It’s tough because the oxygen level is comparatively lesser than normal. I took my time enjoying the majestic mountains lit in the moonlight & the occasional meteors falling. Luckily, we all made it to the 1st view point on time for the 1st light. With-in minutes of reaching the view point the sun-rays started to fall on the surrounding peaks. Right in front of us was Mt.Kanchenjunga, dominating over the rest. Mt.Pandim seems to be her younger brother – majestic & magnificent. After a short photo session we cross over the 1st view point & slide down a face of loose rock debris for around 100-150 mts to enter a valley of Sand – called Balwatar. This might have been a glacial lake which has dried out. We cross this sand dune for around 1500 mts & enter a different terrain, where the trail starts to ascend again. The terrain is filled with soft mud & dotted with boulders. The trail heads on the left periphery of this terrain & crosses into a moraine. The climb from here is steep & tiring. Every step counts. I was back in form & had started taking breaks every few minutes. Now the breaks had progressed to sitting on the nearest boulder. The time on break was more or less equivalent to the time I trekked in between. After a long & tiring trek I reached the 2nd view point – Jemathang. It’s a breathtaking 360^ view & was worth the climb. To the left is a hanging glacier feeding the blue, frozen glacial lake below. The silence in the valley is disturbed by the small chunks of ice breaking away from the glacier occasionally.
Paul, Levio & Seth were already relaxed by the time I reached. All the 3 started to follow another guide to the Guicha-la which was on sight. But, still was at least 600-750 mts away. The trail from here to Guicha-la is not well defined. It’s through the pile of boulders & snow. But, right ahead & took twice the energy. By the time I reached the edge of the ridge, the team had dug steps in ice to cross over the valley to Guicha-la. The trail dips down for 50 mts & climbs again to drop you at Guicha-la which is marked by Buddhist prayer flags. The pass is very beautiful & faces Mt. Kanchenjunga, which unfortunately, was covered in clouds. After a brief photo session we started back. On the way back took a break at Samithi Lake. The log-hut nearby has been abandoned & broken as trekkers started to dirty the surrounding. By pulling myself, reached campsite by 4pm. I was totally tired without breakfast & lunch. It took me 15 hours. After reaching the camp topped myself with half a liter of hot water with lime & sugar. Though I was hungry I did not have enough energy to have dinner & stayed at the tent. In an hour Lal-Bahadur brought a plate of poori ‘n sabji which was good. That made up for my lunch & dinner. As usual I went to bed early.

Day 7/ May 7th

Levio & Seth had decided that they would break away & leave as they were unhappy with the way the trek was organized. As per Itinerary, we had to take a hike to Lampokari Lake around, 12 Kms. But, decided against & same was Paul’s decision. After lunch & a lazy day at Thansing, we shifted to Kokchurang for the night. It had started to rain. Took a casual hike around Kokchurang in the evening & slept at the log-hut.

Day 8/ May 8th

Kokchurang to Tsoka via Phedang. The route is flat & passing through the rhododendron forests, the whole patch is wet with rain. Rhododendrons had started to bloom in different shades from off-white to pink. If I had delayed the trek by another 3-4 days then I think I would have got the whole valley colored. The trail runs around the hill & just after 1 simple climb connects us to Phedang. From here it’s a down hill to Tsoka. When I reached Tsoka, everyone was searching for Paul, who walked in a bit late, as he was often away from the usual trails enjoying the beauty. It was a long lazy afternoon. The weather was cloudy & there were no views.

Day 9/ May 9th

Reached Yuksom after 1pm. It was a casual trek on a well laid path. On the way encountered lots of tourists & Dzo’s starting the trek. We stayed at the night at Yuksom.