It has been a while since I am writing with pen on paper, more than a page, that is. I am attempting to write a Trekalog of the Singalila Ridge Trek I am doing with my friend Vasu.
The Singalila National Park is a Himalayan forest area in the North-West corner of Himalayan West Bengal bordering Nepal on the West & Sikkim in the North. The Singalila Ridge runs South to North, practically along the Indo-Nepal border & forms the Western Boundary of the park. The The Ramban River, running approximately from North-West to South East, is the border between West Bengal & Sikkim. It is also the northern border for the park. The trek is to be accessed from Darjeeling. I had never been to Darjeeling.
The Singalila Ridge Trek is advertised as an easy trek in Tropical Himalayan Forests with grand views of the Giant Himalayan peaks of Kanchenjunga, Everest, Makalu & Lhotse. These are 4 of the 5 tallest peaks in the world. The highest point of the trek is 3650m at Sandakphu. We chose the third week of October between Dusshera & Deepawali for the trek as it was supposed to give the clearest days with the clearest views of the mountains. The temperatures were not supposed to be below 5 deg. C. The trek itself was not to be very arduous. The route was dotted with lodges or Trekkers' Huts, so camping is not necessary. All in all an ideal trek for an over-aged first-timer like me. The team consisted of Vasu & myself with Vasu being the Mountain & Trekking Guru & myself the acolyte. I had never been to the higher Himalayas & I was looking forward to the trek.
As preparation I did a few walks & treks with a back-pack in the hills of Hyderabad. I also did some gym work to strengthen the back & lower abdomen. The kit consisted of a Fleece Jacket, rain-proof Shell Jacket & Trousers, Thermals, a Woollen Monkey cap, a cap, Gloves, Hiking Shoes, a few shorts, t-shirts & a pair of jeans. We also carried some Theplas, Nuts, dry fruits, chikki, energy gels & Gatorade mix. In addition, Vasu was equipped with a head lamp, a torch, a medical kit, a water purifier, a tool-kit, a camera with extra memory.The area reportedly had GSM cellphone coverage.
MAP of Singalila Ridge Trek
The Original Planned Route:
Day 1: Rimbick to a Forest Camp in the Singalila National Park
Day 2: Forest Camp to Bhikey Bhanjang
Day 3: Bhikey Bhanjang to Sandakphu
Day 4: Sandakphu to Phalut
Day 5: Phalut to Rambam
Day 6: Rambam to Rimbick
The Revised Actual Route:
Day 1: Rimbick to Gurdum
Day 2: Gurdum to Sandakphu
Day 3: Sandakphu to Phalut
Day 4: Phalut to Gorkhey
Day 5: Gorkhey to Siri Khola
Day 6: Siri Khola to Rimbick
No comments:
Post a Comment