Sandapkhu Phalut- Chapter 2

“The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what matters.” —Conrad Anker

Day 3: Samanden to Molley

On any trek, to avoid AMS, over-exhaustion or any kind of fatigue, it is advised that one should climb not more than 2000-2500 ft in one day. Our route on this day was going to be quite tough on all of us, as we were to climb a 1000 ft above the usual threshold. We climbed 3500 ft that day and this is what we were preparing for. But my morning didn’t start with that thought. I woke up quite early as always, and went outside our dorm room. It was quite frigid and it was pretty dark still. As the beam from my headlamp fell on the ground, it reflected back like shimmering diamond dust. Everything around me was frosted; from the grass, the wet soil, to the table top.

Frozen Earth

Wherever dew had fallen was now crystallised. I switched off my lamp and looked up and my eyes met with zillions of stars in a clear night sky twinkling down at me. It almost felt like the sky was smiling down on me as I smiled back from ear to ear, a feeling of ecstasy filling me up with warmth. Soon a gust of chilling wind brought me back to reality as I made a hasty retreat to my humble dwelling and went deep inside my double quilt. A symphony of deep nasal baritone rose and fell on either side of me which didn’t allow me to go into a deep slumber for the rest of the night and we were up early for a much needed cup of hot black tea.

Samanden is a quaint village surrounded by tall trees and speckled with beautifully appointed wooden houses with thatched roofs. Samanden in local tongue means “The Golden Plate”. If seen from a really high point, like Phalut, it looks exactly like a golden plate due to its golden brown landscape. Legend has it that this was once the land of Yetis thousands of years ago, and there were often skirmishes with the local people over agricultural land and space. A truce was eventually called and the land was divided amongst the two; a huge rock was placed in the forest by the yetis to mark their territory, which still exists and the village was blessed with peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, we took another route to reach the village and missed seeing the rock.

After waking up in the frosty morning, I decided to take a walk around the village; I climbed the terrace field behind our stay and walked into the depths of the village, marked by man made trails, few houses with smiling faces at the balcony acknowledging my presence. I was a stranger in their village but everyone I saw, had a warm smile on their face. Samanden is also known as the silent valley and true to its name, even though, it has a population of about 50-60 odd houses with ample livestock, I could only hear the sound of wind rustling the leaves on the trees at quite a distance. There was a faint sound of birds chirping in the distance and that was that. I took a few videos and decided to sit down there on a rock. I sat comfortably looking out into the village and across the field to where fluttering white flags in the distance marked the path that would take us through to Molley that day. That was the same route I took back In 2019 to come down from Sabargram and it was quite a descent to this village.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The peace was too alluring to not sit and do some meditation. The slight chill of the passing breeze was brushing across my face and I could feel it passing through my body, almost giving me goosebumps. My breath deepened further as I sank slowly into a peaceful state, unnerved by my already peaceful surrounding. The sounds of the birds became a bit prominent as I centred myself further, and my senses becoming more aware as the clutter of thoughts began to dissipate. I almost forgot where I was and just wanted to be there, in the middle of this beautiful village serenaded by its peacefulness and nothing else.

Like all good things in life, this had to end as I was brought back to reality by the breakfast call made by our TL Teena. I slowly opened my eyes and with great reluctance got up, thanked the elements present there and made my way back to the homestay. On the way, I visited Rupesh’s animal stable and got a glimpse of their goats and chickens.

They didn’t have the rabbits anymore, which was quite a bummer. Breakfast was as usual pretty fancy for a trek. Hot potato curry with fried Tibetan breads and some snack for the trek. We needed to carry our lunch today as we were supposed to reach Molley by early evening. It was our TLs last batch for this trek, so Rupesh and our guides gave her a fitting farewell in local tradition. After saying goodbye to Rupesh and Samanden, we started from this beautiful village towards the mountain in front of us. Today’s climb would be a massive push for us and test of our endurance. We were to climb almost 3500 ft, which was more than one usually climbs in a single day. The trail was not unknown to me; it was going to be beautiful as the climb was through some really dense forest with varieties of Pine and Oaks, followed by an amazing bamboo forest, but it also reminded me of the steep sections where climbing down the last time was quite challenging, so climbing up wouldn’t be easy either. We went across the fields and crossed the man made wooden bridge across a small trench and made a beeline for the white prayer flags.

Tibetan Bread for breakfast

Saying goodbye to samanden

Our climb started almost immediately, even before we could reminisce on the village we were leaving behind. The trail was a proper jungle trails where we found our footing on protruding roots and stones and rocks laid over the years to form into a rudimentary yet prominent trail. Green oak trees across the trail marked our path along with other local trees and plants spotted amidst them, eventually giving way to the golden oaks. They stood like giants in the forest, covering the trail with very little sunrise coming through. We were fascinated by the size of these trees and their humongous trunks.

Samanden Village

About an hours climb later, we stopped at a clearing to take some much needed rest and rehydrate. We had some of the snacks we were carrying and spent some time with the trees which was once again a wonderful exercise for me. One of the trekker I found had a beautiful voice and she sat lovingly, leaning on the trunk of a tree and singing songs from the yesteryears. It felt as if she is addressing the tree and singing for it, and I felt it was a beautiful gesture. We rarely ever take time out of our busy lives to appreciate what they do for us, and this was a good opportunity to show our gratitude towards them.

The climb from here on was quite arduous to say the least; the trail kept getting steeper and I was worried about a couple of trekkers who had a foot injury. One of them got hurt on the very first day and another was recovering from a ligament injury. We took ample rest on the way as we slowly but steadily made the climb and as a team, tried to do it together. The golden Oakes slowly gave way to the famed bamboo forest. As soon as I saw them, it reminded me of the descent back in 2019. The whole forest was covered in snow and it was still falling when we were coming down. It was so enchanting to say the least, but this was a different view to behold. Green bamboo trees rose way high in the air on both sides, creating almost a wall on either side. The forest floor was strewn with fallen bamboo leaves, which gave a golden brown hue to contrast the green leaves still growing on the bamboo stems. Some sections were quite steep and we had to look out for each other, ensuring everyone walks together and no one is left too far behind. At some places the terrain was almost level, where you can pick up your pace comfortably. It was evident although that preparing for the trek well in advance is an absolute necessity.

The Enchanting Bamboo Forest

About an hour and half from the resting point, we reached the lunch point. I vividly remembered this place, as this was covered in snow back then and we took so many photographs in the amazing clearing. It looked like as if someone made this clearing for people to tent up and stay. It wasn’t a lunch point back in 2019, but for the new route it fits the profile perfectly. We were surely drained and quite hungry as well.

Same month, different year

Top - 2019 Jan

Bottom - 2023 Jan

Food went down in no time and the sun was feeling so good on our backs. After a much needed photo session with the guides and to make some new memories, we decided to rest for half an hour. The time was quite well spent with the singing and merry making. Our journey started again and as we were making good time, we were tempted to reach the next campsite early, so we can rest a bit and then go and watch sunset from a nearby hill. Amidst hilarious jokes cracked by Lakpa Dai and words of encouragement from Tikaram and Chhetan Dai, we made our way towards Molley. It was a little over 2.5 hours of walking from that point and we started getting glimpses of Mt. Pandim, faintly visible through the thick cloud cover. We were filled with excitement just by seeing that and increased our pace soon. I could see that the tree-line was slowly fading away, which meant that we had crossed the 10,500 ft mark already and it was only a matter of maybe another half an hour of climb and we would reach our site which was at a little over 11000 ft. Very soon we saw a concealed and rudimentary bench with some cover placed at the top of the trail. It was a makeshift post for the SSB and we found a couple of soldiers sitting there manning the post. 200 meters from the post we could see the telltale yellow tents at a distance, flanked by the huge campsite of the SSB. In another 10 minutes, we had reached Molley.

After a day long trek through those beautiful forest, what lay before us, was quite arid and devoid of the verdant cover we were enjoying through the day. Molley marked the starting of the actual grassland and the trail that we would be seeing in the days to come.

Before I could absorb what I was seeing in front of me, a couple of tiny puppies came running to greet us and one literally started rolling near my feet. I forgot at that moment that I have developed an allergy to dog dander a few years ago. I picked one of them up and enjoyed the unconditional love being delivered on my fingers and face. Our mule handler, took the puppies and kept them in a warm place to be taken to his village later where they can grow. We layered up and went to the dining hall where steaming hot momos were awaiting our lunch boxes. After three rounds of god only knows how many momos we devoured, we reminisced back on the day's climb and congratulated each other for making it there in one piece. After an evening of games and a hot meal, we retired to our tents for a much needed rest.

As I laid down finally for the day, I contemplated on the route we took from Tumling to Kalapokhri on the old route. The breezy morning start from Tumling amidst the chaos of other unorganised trekkers and our route taking us through the motorable road till the gate of Singalila National Park. Our trail taking us up and down through various turns and the long and strenuous final stretch till we reached Kalapokhri; the muddy dark water which never freezes, and our homestay where we made some fun memories. Trekking on the new route from Samanden to Molley has a stark difference from the old route, with just one thing in common; the Sweet Lull of sleep after a long day of trek.

Day 4: Molley-Sabargram-Phalut

I had read about this chapter of the trek many a times on the Indiahikes website. I was unable to go to Phalut the last time due to bad weather and we probably made the right choice as it snowed pretty heavily that day. But that made Phalut quite beguiling to me. I felt like my trek in 2019 remained incomplete. It was time to put an end to it.

It was 4 in the morning when we were huddled in the dining hall, wolfing down our breakfast. It was so cold and windy outside that all of us would yell if someone kept the door open for even a little longer while going out or coming in. Let’s not even dwell into how we managed to wash our lunch boxes using the freezing water; our families back home would cringe at our level of cleanliness certainly.

A mesmerising morning

It was still dark when we started from Molley; whilst only a few at the camp were awake, our team moved out with our head lamps on. The stars were still sprinkled across the night blue sky but a tinge of scarlet was already slivering on the easter horizon. We weren’t sure whether we would be able to see a good sunrise as the previous day was not quite encouraging. We trudged on in the dark, following our guides ahead. Bushes silhouetted ahead of us and the light from the guide’s mobile phone was our way marker. Just as we were pondering about what laid ahead of us, we made a turn and Mt. Pandim lay in all glory right in the middle of the horizon.

Mt. Pandim

As if we found a lot of extra torque in our legs, we all started rushing towards the view point. The tricky trail, the thorny bushes; nothing seemed to bother us at that time. We climbed a hillock from the trail and as if the curtains were raised to show us a wondrous site… there laid the sleeping buddha covered in patches of white clouds. We almost stopped on our tracks for a while before scampering to get the best spot for ourselves to enjoy the view. The wind was so chilly that we had to cover ourselves to the core and wear gloves, but the beauty we beheld at that point was warming our hearts. As the golden brown terrain stretched before our eyes, it hit a patch of trees and right beyond that was a sea of clouds, engulfing the lower mountain ranges, but bowing down before the majestic range of Mt. Kanchenjunga with its complete entourage standing tall to form the mystical Sleeping Buddha.

The eastern horizon was turning from a crimson hue to a brush stroke of golden lines and as if the clouds were lit on fire above Mt. Kanchenjunga, the whole range looked alive and pulsating with life. Although we were not able to see the mountain in its full glory, we were able to see the much anticipated Alpenglow on top of Mt. Kumbhakarna that forms the nose and on Mt. Pandim that forms the feet of the Sleeping Buddha. We had a long day ahead of us, so reluctantly we started going down and up again towards Sabargram.

Sabargram was not very far from the sunrise point on the way from Molley and very soon we could see the yellow tents and the forest house a little below it. This was quite a different experience for me, as the Sabargram I recalled was covered in snow that year. We weren’t able to pitch our tents and most of us stayed in the wooden rest house. I was lucky enough to share a tent with my cousin and experienced at least one day in a tent on my first day. I went to say hello to the kitchen staff; they obviously didn’t remember me, but when I recounted the people who were with me on that journey and how the weather changed on that particular day, we at least reconnected back on some level. At Sabargram we kept our large backpacks and took up our day packs and snacks for the way. It was going to be a 6-7 kms long journey to Phalut and return. We were told that we would be skirting through Nepal at many places, in fact part of our camp in Sabargram was built across the border.

We started for Phalut at the earliest possible as the sun was coming up pretty strong and we wanted to spend a good amount of time in Phalut. The road to Phalut had ups and downs like a roller coaster and the trail, although quite broad, was filled with rocks and stones. It had steep descents at some points and steep ascents as well, all the way to a point called Phalut Bungla, a trekkers hut just before the way to Phalut’s summit.

Everest Entourage Partially Hidden In Clouds

The sleeping buddha was quite visible to us all through the way and the Everest range was also almost clear, but there was still some cloud cover because of which all the peaks eluded us. Since we were well above the tree-line and we were almost walking on a ridge, we were able to enjoy the route. It took us a good 2-2.5 hours to hit that spot and we decided to rest up a bit and eat some snacks, before taking on the steep ascend to the Phalut top. The ascend looks quite daunting, however; having climbed up to the Gidara Top, it didn’t feel that tough for me. My mind was ready to take it on and slowly yet steadily we all reached Phalut top.

Way to Phalut

Hidden Sleeping Buddha en-route to Phalut

At the top we found some SSB soldiers keeping vigil at the top near a very old stupa. On our

right was the cloud covered Sleeping Buddha and on the far left was the entire range of Mt. Everest flanked on one side by the mighty Mt. Makalu and on the other side by Mt. Lhotse as the Chamlang twin peaks shine on. We all sat down in our own space for some time and kept looking at the wonderful mountain ranges in front of us. Although cloud covered but Mt. Kanchenjunga looked so near and evidently so as we were told that the mountain is just at an arial distance of 38kms from where were standing. We took a lot of photographs and thanked the TL and guides for bringing us there. For me it felt like a massive accomplishment and that someone up there was listening to my prayers. A big tick on the checklist was finally made and we started our descent towards Sabargram.

We celebrated our summit climb at the Phalut Bungla with some much needed tea and coffee. The trek back to Sabargram was quite uneventful, except at one point where there is a natural rock climbing place where some of the trekkers, lead by our guides and TL went to explore. I decided to sit out this one and engaged with the others about their previous trek experiences. Eventually we came back to Sabargram and the temperature fell like a stack of cards, and as if that was not enough, it got quite windy. After a long session of chat over tea, followed by soup, we relished our dinner and went up to our tents to rest for the night.

I thanked by stars for missing out Phalut the last time. If we ventured for Phalut in that weather, enduring snowfall and going 7 kilometres to phalut, come back and then went for Gorkhey, it would have probably killed us. The distance alone was way too long and it wouldn’t have been easy on our legs. Once again I realised that everything happens for a reason. I thanked the mountain gods for their blessings and prayed that the sunrise next day, be clear, so we can enjoy the sunrise from this beautiful place. What we saw the next day can only be described as a miracle…

The Story Teller

Abhisek (@alpine_shek)

#sandakphu #trekking #highaltitudemadness #indiahikes

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