Day 5: 19/11/2011
Sandakphu to Phalut
Dawn was scheduled for 5:00 & I scramble dout of bed at 4:30. As I stepped out of the Hut with all my warm wear I looked up at the sky anxiously. Thank God, I could see stars & the morning promised to be clear. As I scrambled up the rock which is the favoured view point here, Banerjee & I were the first to arrive for the show. A grand Sound & Light Show. The sound was provided by the the wind rushing through the valley & the Sun provided the Spot Light.
In the cold morning, the white mountains slowly emerged from the darkness as silhouettes. With the soft light of dawn, as the mountains took shape, they looked like they were made of cotton. As the sun rose, the shadows highlighted the sharp ridges & the mountains took on character.
Kanchenjunga was massive & with Kumbhakarna, dominated the panorama to the north. I read later that Kanchenjunga is the largest mountain in the world & it fills the panorama not only because of its proximity but also because of it sheer expanse.
Kumbhakarna, also known as Jannu, gives character to the Kanchenjunga range. The range presents us the Sleeping Buddha formation with Kumbhakarna forming the head, Kanchanjunga the torso & two other peaks forming the feet. Kumbhakarna is aptly named. The shadows on Kumbhakarna create the appearance of a closed eye between the its two peaks which form the forehead & the nose. Kanchenjunga was with us for the next 30 hours & whenever I looked at Kumbhakarna, I marveled at the eerie resemblance to a shut-eye.
As we look left & West, Makalu dominates the view. To its left is Lhotse & between & behind the two is Everest. These three are the fifth, fourth & the highest peaks in the world. From here Makalu appears like an icy throne. You can just imagine a God reigning from up there.
The mountains rise from the west & the Yak shaped Chamlang is the first of the high mountains on view. The peaks then rise to Lhotse, Everest, Makalu & Chomo Lonso. Then the procession of peaks descends & climbs again into the Kumbhakarna-Kanchenjunga range. After the K-K range the peaks decrease in size eastwards.
I sat for an hour and absorbed the scene. Sandapkphu, and later Phalut, must be unique in presenting such a wide uninterrupted panorama. Hopefully, one day, I would get closer to these grand peaks. The HRT runners clambered up & set up their tripods. I wandered to other places to get an uninterrupted view.
Around 7:30 the HRT runners set off for the day's Stage. It was a 32 KM stage which will take them 3/4 of the way to Phalut & back. So we would be meeting them later on. Most of the runners were Westerners with a couple of orientals & South Asians. Many carried a pair of metal poles which I was told were trekking poles. They looked like Ski Poles. I suppose trekking is similar to Cross-country Skiing.
Breakfast was the same as last night's dinner. Banerjee was going back to Siliguri via Manney Bhanjang & we said farewell. We had enjoyed his company.
The day promised to be lovely as we set off at around 8:30 for the 22 KM trek to Phalut. Phalut is at the same elevation as Sandakphu so I did not expect continuous climbing.
We set off in the NW direction so the view was of the Everest trio & as we changed direction northwards we walked towards Kanchenjunga. We are now on the actual Singalila Ridge Trek. The last two days was in the forest climbing up to the Ridge. On the ridge we had Valleys on both side. The entire route is along the Indo-Nepal border with Nepal to the left & India to the right. There are several Border stones along the way. The Valley on the Nepali side was wide & long & we could occasionally see habitation. The Indian side was a narrower valley with no sight of any habitation.
Vegetation on the Nepali side was mostly scrub & meadow while the Indian side had some trees, although it was sparse. Could it be that we were above the tree line? Along the way on the the right we went through groves of Rhododendrons. The valley is reputed to bloom with Red Rhodendrons in March & April. It should be quite a sight. This season they gave us occasional shade along the route. We also came across Oak groves. Stems of blue flowers stood along the way like distance markers. A stream tumbled downhill, but we could hear it but not see it.
The path is motorable by Land Rovers. Many places it is paved by large boulders. It was easy walking but one needed to watch ones foot on the stones. It could not have been easy for the HRT runners.
There were sections where the ridge was quite narrow; like a bridge. It had been fortified by masonry on both sides. There was another outpost of the Sashastra Seema Dal & clicked a few pictures.
We met the first of the runners returning around 10:00. The leader was a man in his 30s & was going strong. Surprisingly, the next two were older runners around my age & were struggling a bit. But they were game. A woman from UK
As the day progressed the clouds raised the curtain on most of the mountains. Only Makalu on one side & Kumbhakarna & Kanchenjunga on the other rose above the clouds. Lunch at a meadow overlooking Nepal. We polished off the last of the Theplas & munched some nuts. It has been an enjoyable walk. Besides the HRT runners, we met only one bunch of trekkers going to Sandakphu. One of them was wearing a Shirt with a picture of Ho Chi Minh. Must be from Bengal. We did not meet any others the rest of the trip.
The cloud came in fully around 2:00 & it became chilly.
We saw some cattle & so we must be getting closer.
The last 3 KMs was a climb. I was getting tired. Pratap pointed to a hut high up in the distance. Phalut. I despaired. It seemed far away. But it was closer than I feared & at 3:30 we came up to the Phalut Trekker's Hut. It was a solitary structure & a lovely sight, not only because I was tired. Made of stones with large windows & a red sloping roof, it was a pretty sight on the hill-top.
However, that was not our destination. Our Hut was just out of sight, below the edge of the hill. Only two Huts here. That is all there is to Phalut. Nothing else in sight except the valley below. We were also the only trekkers in either of the Huts. We were in a truly lonesome place.
It was cold here but without the biting wind as in Sandakphu, although we were closer to Kanchenjunga. There is a stream here, but electricity is from an Inverter to light a dim bulb each in the kitchen & our room for 2 hours. Our room was luxurious; we had an attached bathroom!
Dinner was in the cozy kitchen at a small table. Daal & Potatoes with Rice & an Omelet. Hot tea to close. We talked to the landlady. They are from Gorkhey, the nearest village & our next destination. They have a farm there. Their sons are in high school in Darjeeling.
It had been 3 days of trekking & as I reached the destination each of the days, I was bushed. But each day had been an adventure & I had enjoyed every bit if it. What made it easier was also the comfortable Hut at each destination with hot food. Had been camping, things would have been harder. That is a different story.
The difficult part of the trekking is done. Tomorrow we descend into the valley.
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