Day 3
Tuesday 2 May 2017
Sachen (7100 ft) to Tsoka (or Tshoka 9685 ft)
Total distance: 5.8 kms Time: 3 hrs 45 mins (without break timing)
Though the call for the day was 6-7-8, most of us woke up very early. Babu and MP got up at 3:30 am only, admired the beautiful night sky full of stars, had finished their pranayama session and were ready to leave by 6 am!! There were hardly 1 or 2 (including me) who were late to get up and be ready. (I maintained my position till the end of the trek). I was having oxymeter in the pocket, and quickly measured the values... O2 97% and heart rate 59 bpm !!!
Everybody packed their mule bags and were ready by 7:10 for the breakfast. By the time we finished our breakfast, support team had quickly dismantled the tents and started pack up.
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| Hot tea served in our tent !! |
The trail from Sachen till Bhakim is in dense forest with initial ascent of 520 ft for first 40 minutes followed by steep descent of 360 ft. On this descent, we met a trekking group who were returning from their Gochela trek. Some interaction with them worked as a good booster for us. After this descent, we faced one more iron bridge on our way on river Prek Chu. The traditional Budhdhist prayer flags were tied on the bridge which also gave nice feelings for Gochela trekkers. We spent some time here, ate the energy bar and obviously photography too!
Now the trail from here is a steep ascent with height gain of ~2100 ft. Prateek told us that there are 2 routes- one little easy but longer with zigzag path and other very steep but shorter due to short cuts involved. We got divided into 2 groups, those who opted for zigzag path came with Nabula and others who opted for shorter path followed Prateek.
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| The bridge on the river Prek Chu |
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| Group at the bridge |
I chose the shorter path along with other enthusiasts!! This part of the hike was very much demanding, testing our strength and stamina with every small height gain. (यही पे मैने सोच लिया था की आते वक्त zigzag रास्ता लेना पडेगा!!)
Close to 1.5 hrs of hike and we saw a small hut of Bhakim. This was the spot for next pit stop. (8600 ft) This is a good scenic spot for photography. One can easily see Yuksom from here. Once everybody reached here, we ordered 2 plates of Momo's and ginger tea. Those (including me) who initially said no to momo were also jumped on the delicacy once it was served !!
Bechara Babu, who ordered a plate did get nothing for self and had to order one more.!!
Before leaving for Tsoka, we also enjoyed the hot ginger tea.
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| Leaving for Tsoka from Bhakim |
Bakhim to Tsoka is again an ascent, not steep though. Typically this patch is done in 30-40 minutes, however we took more than an hour to reach. We saw erstwhile Bhakim campsite building (forest house) on the way, which got damaged in earthquake a decade ago.
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| Peace of mind !! |
The forest till Bhakim is full with big trees; whereas the forest afterwards is colorful with
the beautiful flowers of Magnolia and Rhododendrons. There are 3 types of Rhododendrons: white (big leaves), pink (medium leaves) and red (small leaves)
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| White Rhododendron |
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| Red Rhododendron |
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| White Rhododendron |
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| White Magnolia |
Though the call for the day was 6-7-8, most of us woke up very early. Babu and MP got up at 3:30 am only, admired the beautiful night sky full of stars, had finished their pranayama session and were ready to leave by 6 am!! There were hardly 1 or 2 (including me) who were late to get up and be ready. (I maintained my position till the end of the trek). I was having oxymeter in the pocket, and quickly measured the values... O2 97% and heart rate 59 bpm !!!
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