GREEN LAKE TREK

Duration -	18 DAYS.
Best times -	April to November.
Altitude -	2728 mtrs to 5600mtrs.
Cost -	1300 Euros

INTRODUCTION

Khanchendzonga was first discovered by Surveyor General, Col Andrew Scott Waugh in Nov.,1847. He did it with the help of a Theodolite,half a ton heavy.[The Great Trignometrical Survey].

Col William Lambton started Trignometrical Survey of India from St.Thomas Mount near Madras in 1802.

THEODOLITE : used to measure vertical and horizontal angles & indispensable at the time to calculate mountain heights.

Col Waugh declared the height in 1849 and the declared height held its position till 1856.

James Nicolson first found Mt. Everest as the highest mountain in the earth in 1846 but  it was not until 1854 when Col. Waugh started working on Nicolson’s calculations, Mt.Everest became and remains the tallest mountain in the world.

Celebrated botanist Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker(30.06.1817 to 10.12.1911) was travelling in the Sikkim Himalaya in 1948, at around the same time (“Himalayan Journals” by Hooker).

Survey works began in Sikkim in the earnest in 1852 and it was almost a decade later in 1861 that Captain W.Sherwill, a revenue surveyor, reached GUICHALA travelling through DZONGRI. They waere not allowed in Central Sikkim, hence kept themselves busy in the western district around Khanchendzonga. It was mentioned in the book “JOURNAL OF A TRIP UNDERTAKEN TO EXPLORE THE GLACIERS OF THE KANCHANJINGA GROUP IN THE SIKKIM HIMALAYAS’, though the book was never traced.

Lhonak, in North Sikkim was first reached by a British Political Officer, Claude White in 1890.

First attempt to Zemu Glacier was done by Dr.Joseph Dalton Hooker in May/June, 1849 after he tried to ascend Lama Amden(Lamgebo Peak) from Lachen several times. Hooker repeatedly tried to reach Zemu glacier, but failed to do so. Here he says in Himalayan Journals “ Rhododendrons occupy the most prominent place, clothing the mountain slopes with a deep green mantle glowing with bells of brilliant colours; of the eight or ten species growing here, every bush was loaded with as a profusion of blossom as are their northern congeners in English garden.”

In all, Hooker’s collection consisted of upwards of 200 plants, all gathered above 14000ft elevation.

Hooker’s companion, all through, was Dr. Archibald Campbell, a British Political Agent to Sikkim. Campbell was at Kathmandu earlier and was now at Darjeeling. ‘MAGNOLIA CAMPBELLII’ was named by Hooker in showing gratitude to Dr.Campbell.

Two year exploration in Sikkim( 1848 – 49) by Dr. Joseph Dalton Hooker resulted  in two books: A) Himalayan Journals; 2) Rhododendrons of the Sikkim Himalaya.

 

Next exploration: Under the guidance of Capt Thomas George Montgomerie since 1862, Babu Sarat Chandra Das, the Headmaster of Bhutia Baording School, Darjeeling, Lama Ugyen Gyatso of Pemayangtse Monastery, Rinzing Namgyal  and Kinthup travelled to Tibet through North Sikkim in 1879 and SCD again in 1881. The name of the book which portrays the entire episode is : THE PUNDITS: BRITISH EXPLORATION OF TIBET & CENTRAL ASIA by Derek Waller.

 

Douglas William Freshfield, the first westerner to complete a circuit of the great montain(ROUND KANCHENJUNGA) in 1899.

Zemu is the longest glacier in the Himalaya. Claude White, the first British Political Officer to Sikkim, was  also the first European to reach the glacier flowing down from Kkangchendzonga’s northeast spur. That was in 1894. Hooker tried, but could not reach that far and Freshfield tried in vain in 1899 to find a new pass into Nepal from above Zemu.

DAYS	ITINERARY For Green Lake To Theulacha Trek in Sikkim.
01	Pick up at Bagdogra or Bhadraput Airport. Drive to Gangtok (1,547m) Overnight hotel.
02	Sightseeing of Gangtok and Rumtek Monastery. Overnight at hotel.
03	Drive to Lachen in north Sikkim (2728 M).  Lodge or Tent.
04	Start Trek to Talem (3120 M). Overnight Tent.
05	Trek to Jakthang (3240 M). Tent.
06	Trek to Yabuk (3810 M). Tent.
07	Trek to Rest Camp (4500 M). Tent.
08	Trek to Green Lake (4934 M). Tent.
09	Exploration day hike to Zemu Glacier (5600m). Tent.
10	Trek back to Rest Camp. Tent.
11	Trek before Thieulacha (5200m).Tent.
12	Trek to Theulacha (5000+ M). Tent.
13	Continue trekking to Langbo. Tent.
14	Trek to Muguthang (4520 M). Tent.
15	Trek to Chopta (3920m). Tent.
16	Trek to Thangu. End of Trek. Drive to Gangtok. Hotel.
17	Free day in Gangtok. Optional day trip to Tsomgo Lake. Hotel.
18	Early morning drive to Bagdogra or Bhadrapur Airport. End of Trek.

TREK REPORT BY PATRICK

Day 1  We waited for the jeep to pick us up on our way to Zema, a point from where you start your trek. It did not arrive on time; hence we started on foot for the 5km walk on motorable way. The pick up van screeched to a halt next to us about a km away from Lachen. We got in.

At Zema the old route was nowhere to be seen as the entire path was washed away by a flash flood in 2007. Hence the car sped up to another point, little higher than the original point. And lo, there was no path either from here and we searched from top of the side hill to the bottom to discover a route.The Puris with Khokan ventured and grappled with the vertical hill side. Puris shouted from top which was inaudible ‘cause of the thunderous roar of ZEMU CHU and Khokan toppled, head down first. All came down with drooping heads back to where we were standing. That was our starting scene with promises of many more such tales to unfurl.

We now looked to the non-existent, perilously perched way to the river bed which allowed us a view, a little upstream of an obscure track, lost in the myriad insanity of boulders/rocks.

I led. And I ended that day’s trek last, defeated with profuse shame.

The journey sometime takes you to the river bed, sometimes to the upper slopes, scree area, rock fall zone, above old ice bridge blocking your way completely by avalanche, forest of fallen trees and so on and so forth. They say: “morning shows the day”. I thought of the days ahead. The first day’s harrowing experience dried all of my energy and I felt that if I lie on the earth now, I may lie as neutralized as cow dung!!

The trek took me six hours to reach Tallem, the first camp, with a view to Lama Angden range and with Mount Simvo peeping at a far distance. A small stream next to the Tent sings lullaby.

Food was excellent and we feel rejuvenated.

 

Day 2 We started at 7am and immediately the forest engulfed us. I followed the sound of the river and shortly landed before a rickety log bridge. This is the famous Lhonak Chu coming down from Lhonak Valley and meets Zemu Chu. I ventured five steps atop the bridge and had five cardiovascular attacks. The river looked ominous and roars, thunderous and the bridge swayed violently. I shouted for any body. No body came out of woods. I looked upstream and saw another concrete bridge with prayer flags tied to the hand railing and fluttering. I had to take a detour to reach that bridge and thankfully crossed over. The dense forest looks ghostly. You get to see one track sometime and you loose it next moment. The Rhododendrons, the Primulas (Primuli ??), the varieties soothe your senses and let you know that you are alive. You fall in love with this lost paradise. The way to Jakthang is essentially through a never-seen primitive forest with impregnable tall and short moss laden tress. You bend , you crawl and wriggle to extricate yourself to stand again full length to look for your path. At certain places you land your feet in ankle deep mud which leads you to assess your wisdom in buying the pair of shoes you are wearing.

“JAK  THANG”, the place of MUD, advocates justification of the name from long before you reach the camping place. April was rightly chosen for the trek since the forest glows with so many flowers. After 5 hours and 8km, I see the glimpse of a wooden hut through the branches of rhododendrons. A flat marshy land keeps you totally busy with ankle deep mud and then you reach Jakthang. A hot brew awaits you. So are the smiles of Mr. & Mrs Puri. I slumped to the bed of primula and looked up to the sky, already half filled with clouds. I felt the cold coming from the north.

 

Day  3  Early start has become the routine and my departure, though tried hard, never matched with the Puris or with Khokan’s. And I lost my track again. Instead of heading straight to the jungle , I hit the track leading to the river bed. Back home at Calcutta, I chanced upon a report which stated that there existed the original route by the Zemu chu, now vanished after the 2007 flood. I looked back and saw the yellow plastic cover of a porter gradually getting hidden in the dense forest by every tick of a second. I went back to his trail and found him some distance ahead in the thick upward landscape. This 12km trek to YABUK is straight climb many a hills away.The marshy area, the mud, the altitude drained me off my energy and my halts became increasingly frequent. The cold windy and rainy morning turned into early evening when, from atop a ridge , Subrata showed me the wooden two storied hut of Yabuk which has become famous, having been figured in almost all the pictorial reports of Green Lake. The tents were pitched and smoke billowing from the Kitchen tent allured me to rush fast. A hot brew and then I dropped my backpack. The cloudy weather and intermittent drizzle made the whole place damp. I went inside the tent. Tomorrow’s the rest day.

 

Day 4  The morning remained cloudy. Chirping sounds of four or five varities of birds sought our attention and all were ready with our cameras. We never felt like leaving the camp fire site. I wandered and went to the point from where our future track winds down to the river bed and crawls up to the Zemu glacier. The day passed by reminiscing. Nature did not open her door the entire day.

 

Day 5  Ameeta’s voice drew us outside the tents. Tent peak is aglow in the rudimentary sunlight. The blue sky never gave you the faintest idea of the gloomy,cloudy yesterday.

The clear weather came to us as God’s blessing. We started our trek as usual early. We planned to trek beyond Rest Camp and pitch tents.

The narrow winding track on the precipitous hill took us down to the Zemu torrents first and then trees bade adieu and we were engulfed by the sea of rock and boulders and dwarfed by huge terminal moraine of Zemu glacier looming large on your left. You tend to get lost every moment had it not been the cairns guiding you through the non descriptive ,featureless track going up and up and up. The altitude kicks in. The person ahead looks like a speck in this amphitheatre. The rarified air, the sun, the cruel surrounding has one happy note singing onto your ear all along and that is the gradual unfolding landscape at every height you gain. The mortal me could not behold the mesmerizing beauty of distant Siniolchu, Simvo, Khanchendzonga for a longer time. The fatigued lung desired for the camping site. I was at half way. Being the last man has many disadvantages. The alien country, the hostile landscape, the everpresent danger of loosing your way, the precarious snow-turned-ice laden slant path ---- all add to your woe. I saw the porters smoking biris and laughing together at a point which is called Rest Camp. The landscape suddenly changes here. There are no ups and downs. You are facing a vast plain of moraine crisscrossed by numerous streams. The God’s country lies ahead. A few leaps on unstable rocks in gushing torrents saw me across  and to the waiving hands of our group. The camp was established about one km after Rest Camp for the convenience of making our trip next day to Green Lake shorter.

Now I regained my composure to fully capture the magnificent view unfolded before me.

The azure sky, with not even a speck of cloud, cradling the lofty mountains, is a picture which shall remain in my mind till I breathe my last. The crags, the crevasses of Siniolchu, the flutings of Simvo, the white alabaster like snow of Tent Peak, the huge mass of Khanchendzonga sitting in monastic silence, Twin Peaks , Nepal Peak all seem to be present in the royal durbar of the universe. We, mortals, fear to talk here : such is the  sombre attitude of the montains in ageless meditation.

I feel gratified and humbled.