Goechala Trek — Day 5 — Lamuney

Day 5 was supposed to be the longest day in terms of km. Yesterday, proved to be a great rest day and the body recovered pretty well. The dinner hall last night was jam-packed and was full of groups to our irritation. Luckily, this was the only time in the entire trek. We had a great conversation on the evolution of mankind before hitting the sack. Here is me at the start of day 5. Luckily clear skies and fantastic views :)

Unfortunately last night, I didn’t sleep well and was pretty breathless thanks to the smell of kerosene. The aunty who had offered the warmth of her kerosene heater yesterday when I was feeling sick had decided to switch on her heater in the night :D. I was still fresh, however, in the morning. The day started off with a steep 45 min climb and immediate majestic views.

Me and Harsh, the slow pos, had started off today’s trek about 30 mins earlier than Saurabh and Gaurav. Saurabh had some stomach issues and needed more time you know where :P I got some great shots today from this first viewpoint from our start from Dzongri. This is Mt. Pandim. Remember the name of this mountain for now.

Don’t know the name of this one. Don’t think it is Kanchenjunga. But an amazing view nonetheless. Today we were going to go from Dzongri (4000 m) to Lamuney (4150 m), roughly about 14 km in distance. We were first going to descend to Kockchurang at about 3700m and then climb back up to Lamuney.

By the time Saurabh and GG caught up with us at the first viewpoint, it had turned cloudy and they couldn’t get the views me and Harsh got. However, the trail itself was beautiful through the meadows.

Everyone seemed to be in a good mood as the trek was gently sloping down mostly. We were in conflict about whether the trail would have been more beautiful had there been no clouds and clear skies. Probably, but who knows :D

We finally reached the edge of a mountain from where there was a strong 200m, 1 hr, steep downhill descent to Kockchurang. The view at the top was breathtaking. The river flowing below is the Prek Chu with Mt. Pandim in the background.

Group shot at this amazing location. We all pretty much ran down to the bottom post this shot. Very hard on the knees and toes. Also, in contrast, a horrible Android pic vs the previous iPhone pic.

Post lunch shenanigans at Kockchurang. The food-borrowing group met us here and we also met the army folks there. They were on their way to Thansen, a campsite 2 hours prior to Lamuney. We took a group photo shot with them as well. Somehow can’t find it :/

After lunch, we walked along the Prek Chu for some time. It was starting to get really misty. I didn’t have a big lunch. Was surprised why I wasn’t hungry. Indicator of times to come, I should have realized :D

There was no trail as such and we walked along a stony muddy path. One had to be really careful as they were pretty loose.

Harsh trying to pose like a mermaid next to the river on some rocks. ‘Mermaid’, the main character, in our story game. This story for another day.
Dom got really scared as we were taking this photo as he thought the rocks were gonna give way.

Here is us crossing a bridge across Prek Chu before entering the forest on the other side of the river. We filled our water bottles, washed our faces, and marched on.

From there on, my energy levels really dropped. I started having the same feeling I had as I entered Dzongri. I was burping, not feeling great and my pace really dropped. Dom waiting patiently for me.

To add to that, the climb to Thansen, the next rest point, was pretty steep and the weather was really deteriorating. Here is me waiting for yaks to pass by on a narrow walking trail before I continued up.

Finally reached Thansen :). It was a fantastic campsite. It was surrounded by mountains that were literally in your face. Horses and yaks grazing the campsite added to the beauty.

I was really feeling low by then and was basically dragging my feet. I just took a short break and decided to push on to Lamuney our campsite for tonight. To make things worse, I had a really bad cough outburst while resting. It continued for quite some time and I was on the verge of puking.

Could barely smile despite the amazing views. The headache had also come back. The trail from Thansen to Lamuney was actually pretty flat yet I felt the constant need to take a break.

As we continued on, Dom was getting pretty concerned because of our slow pace and because Lamuney is known for its bad weather. Also, not to forget, a snowstorm was on the way :D. I started panicking a little and was not sure how I will make it.

The amazing views continued. What was really irritating was Dom’s estimate of how far Lamuney was from Thansen. He had said it was about 2 km but it seemed like much more. Our GPS confirmed my feeling later on :D

My GI issue eventually caught up with me again and I had to do the deed in the middle of the meadow. Harsh doing a photo session meanwhile.

Post that, I felt incredible again and we could finally pick up the pace. We walked quickly towards our camp as the storm was closing in.

We finally reached Lamuney and Dom and his team quickly set up the tents while we relaxed and clicked photos. We were the only people at the campsite and it felt surreal.

On arrival, we even spotted a pack of mountain goats. Quite a rare experience. See if you can spot them. I almost deleted these pics while cleaning up my phone thinking they are rock pics.

Here is a video of the mountain goats chilling on a steep rock face. The existence of mountain goats implied there might be a snow leopard too. We crossed our fingers for a sighting.

I washed my face and hands in river water that was bone-chilling. All the other 3 also had some minor GI issues and were pooping left/right/center :D

By the time the tents were up, the storm had really picked up. All of us were super cold. It was super windy and while we were having soup inside the dining tent trying to warm ourselves up, the tent collapsed on us. Luckily, we were all fine and rushed inside the cooking hut. Here is the kitchen hut where we finished our dinner.

By 7 pm, we hit the sack inside double sleeping bags accompanied by the sound of raging winds and an alarm set for 2 am. Tomorrow would be the summit day. An iconic shot from our trip.

Dom told us to wake up every few hrs and to tap the top of our tent so that the tent doesn’t collapse under the weight of the snow. Here is a video of the entire campsite.

We learned later from the Army folks that Lamuney won’t be used as a campsite going forward. The weather justifies it I guess :D