Goechala Trek Experience Part-3
Continuing from part-2
Day 4: Tshoka to Dzongri
Who would have thought we would get besan chilla for breakfast. Today is the day we need more fuel as we gain altitude. Today is the test of fitness, it’s going to be rocky with a steep climb, toughest of all the days. We started at 8:30am with our packed lunch as paratha and some salad. On the midway, we reached Phedang, where we had coffee, omelette etc around 12:30. We took a small break as we waited for others to reach. It has two ways, one for Dzongri and other for Thansing that we will use while coming back.
Using pole: Using a pole is very important, in steep ascend/descend pole can be your 3rd leg. It helps you in balancing and reduces the load on the knee if used wisely. It gets much more important to descend as your body becomes a little tired, and with rain, it becomes slippery. So there will be moments when you might slip a little bit. But the idea is to minimise the impact if you fall.
We reached table top with winds flowing, low visibility, we decided to take break for lunch.
We reached Dzongri village, and there were 2–3 small shops for tea/coffee. It was the time I decided to buy a hat, which will eventually lead to a lot of leg pulling in the trip. It had all the colors, so people warned me about its significance but I had no other choice.
We reached the campsite at 4:30pm, and everyone’s reactions were saying the sense of achievement. It was a tough day fighting the winds, climbing, and taking the big stairs. We never felt so eager for a good massage. It was also the time we started discussing our food fantasies after going from the trek. Someone said paneer lababdar, others said chocolate brownie, someone said Chhole bhature and list went on while we were sipping the tea.
Trek is about having a different life for a few days and appreciating things that we get so easily in normal life. Personally, it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey that gives more fun. Leg pulling, serious discussions, sharing experiences and connecting with people, playing games at night etc.
Day5: Rest day
This day was kept for acclimatization. So we woke up at 3:30am for sunrise, got prepared. It was just 20–30 min hike with magnificent views. Waking up early is always challenging but somehow on trek it’s never too difficult.
The first ray of sunrise that falls on top of the mountain forming a golden layer, it looks so beautiful.
This was also the start of a banter. There were 2 girls who also had the same yellow jacket and multi-colored hat, and our member fixed up a photo session with a lookalike. Little did I know what it might become. After out little forced annoying photo session, first thing i said was “I guess i am going to Yeman.” as they had taken my phone number.
After a good sunrise, it was time for our yoga practice. We were enjoying a little sunlight and starting proper yoga asana and meditation. Because why not, we can get a little sunlight (vitamin D) in windy weather.
The rest of the day, the sun played luka chuppi with us, while we enjoyed playing frisbee, a variation of football with frisbee, mafia, uno cards etc.
Day6: Dzongri to Thansing
Thansing is at the same altitude as Dzongri, so it was a comparatively easier day. We descended through the forest to reach Kockchurang river. It gave a good look of Mt Pandim and dense forest on the other side.
IndiaHikes believes that India must trek because trek changes lives and you learn new things. They also promote DIY trek and have mentioned information about the DIY section. Our trek leader, Darshan gave up tips for DIY trek and on one fine evening he showed us a small gas that people use to cook food. I got the opportunity to make soup for all of us. And another day, he chose 4 people who would act as trek leaders and decide how the team is doing, communicate with walkie-talkie, and decide when the team should take a break so that everyone is together.
We passed through Kockchurang river where we could spot Pandim at one side and dense forest on other side. Looking at rocks and bit of land slides, one could understand why trekking is now allowed in monsoon season here.
Green trail project: IndiaHikes runs a programme called green trail. The idea is to avoid using plastic on the trek and collecting the waste generated by other people. While trekking with heavy bags on challenging trails it’s never easy to pick up something. But you must respect mountains and to maintain it we should do whatever is necessary. It’s really annoying to see a fruity packet/ centre fresh on the lush green trail. We saw people eating and throwing here and there and we picked it up. Whoever comes on trek, comes from a big city with good education, it’s not too much to be little considerate about env.
Here are my fav lines from the song which talks about our nature and treatment of the mountains.
Taang ke basta, utha ke tambu, jaaye door pahadon men,
wahan bhi DJ daaru masti, chaahe shahar ujaadon men,
fir shahar bulaaye usko to jaata hai chhod tabaahi peeche,
kudrat ko kar daagdaar sa, chhod ke apni syaahi peeche,
aur wahi aadmi wapas jakar,
fir se wahi hariyaali chahta hai..
Aadmi chutiya hai, kuch bhi chahta hai.
We decided to have lunch at the river side and chill for a bit as it was an easy day. Some of us decided to take a small nap break after having tomato rice, using the stone for wind protection. This was also an end to dense forest. That’s the beauty of trek- you encounter different terrains from dense forest to small trees to little grass to snow.
