C Brinkerhoff

Five Treasures of the Snow: 

Five Treasures of the Snow Celia Brinkerhoff cbrinker@interchange.ubc.ca Library 500

Slide2: 

In 1998, as part of a year long trip through Turkey, Central Asia, and India, my partner and I did an eight-day trek in western Sikkim. Our hope was to hike through a remote national park to the foot of the world’s third highest peak, Kanchenjunga (8598m), known to local inhabitants as the Five Treasures of the Snow.

Slide3: 

Sikkim lies in the far northeast of India and shares a border with Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. Political unrest since it became India’s 22nd state in 1975 has, until recently, made travel fairly restricted. We felt extremely privileged to be able to pass through this exquisite and awesome part of the world.

Slide4: 

Kanchenjunga is a sacred mountain for the Lepchas, the original inhabitants of the region, who practice a form of Tibetan Buddhism. Mountaineering has so far been kind to this peak: the only successful ascent stopped a few meters short of the summit in order to leave the abode of the gods undisturbed.

Slide5: 

The trailhead at Yuksom (1630m) was a day’s drive from Darjeeling in a 1954 Land Rover still sporting its original tires, or so the driver assured us. Great. We had arrived at the end of a late monsoon and found we had to battle some thirsty leeches at the beginning of the trek.

Day Two: 

Day Two What you need to help you on your trek: a couple of really strong dzo (domesticated yaks) to move your gear up the trail, one multi-talented cook (Pradip is in the centre), also good at cards and gambling, and two or three dzo drivers to provide levity on cold, damp mornings.

Day Three: 

Day Three Local flora was a major attraction for us. On this day we hiked through a forest of giant rhododendron. Although Sikkim is home to over 450 species of orchids, sadly, we saw none in bloom.

Day Five: 

Day Five “Pass Day!!” This meant getting up at 4am to climb 800 meters up the Goecha-La to catch sunrise on Kanchenjunga. We were lucky. This was the first clear day in a week.

Slide9: 

First light on Kanchenjunga

On the Goecha-la:: 

On the Goecha-la: At 5,000 meters it was cold and windy, and our heads really began to ache. We stayed for a bit, sipping hot tea and munching the hardboiled eggs that Pradip had packed for us. Although the trail wound down the other side and we could see the foot of Kanchenjunga, this was as far as we were permitted to go. Clouds were already rolling up the valley by the time we headed back down to camp.

Day Eight: 

Day Eight Back down at a more hospitable elevation: we celebrated our adventures, said goodbye to our helpful crew, and made plans to head to the nearest town for a hot shower. Chang, a traditional fermented barley drink.

Slide12: 

After our trek, we had enough time to make a quick stop in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, before our permits expired. We headed to the Orchid Sanctuary hoping to see some native flowers in bloom but we were unlucky, again. We also visited the Rumtek Monastery, home to the 17th Karmapa, the spiritual leader of the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Credits: 

Credits Map of Sikkim courtesy of Maps of India (http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/sikkim/sikkimlocation.html). All photographs courtesy of David Hauck.