Kangchenjunga Circuit

Well, where to start? By walking downhill obviously! After an internal flight to pretty much the Indian boarder and to what must be one of the lowest points in Nepal at 95m above sea level, followed by a bus journey up (and down and up again) through the foothills and tea plantations the trekking started with a morning descending. Then over the next seven days follows the valley upwards passing terraced fields of rice and millet, banana trees and cardamon crops. As the agriculture disappears the woodland takes over, the valley narrows, and the sides steepen. Somehow, each day consistently seems to be even more interesting that the last. Occasionally we glimpsed snowy peaks waiting for us higher up. Although there are small basic lodges we enjoyed camping outside, sliding into the trekking routine of 0600 wake up with bed tea, packing for before a 0700 breakfast then away by 0800. With no rush, a need to acclimatise slowly and lots to see and photograph the pace was relatively slow with plenty of rests, better for us and allowed our staff to get ahead meaning tents were up and our bags were waiting for us when we arrived in camp.

Ghunsa, 3400m is a sherpa village surrounded by steep hills, a great place to have two nights to further help us adjust to the higher altitude although the overnight frost came as shock after a week in shorts & t-shirts. Our reward, a trip to the bakery for nice coffee and cakes plus evenings in a lodge next to a warm stove. Leaving the village through stunning larch woodland more and more higher peaks came into view. Now above 4000m the trees no longer survive, the valley widens, and we get our first proper look at Jannu, a peak that is just as stunning / photographic as Ama Dablam. Due to the jump in altitude another acclimatation day, staying 2 nights at Kambachen, is taken so we took a morning trip up to Jannu BC for an even better view.

Continuing up the valley, passing more yaks than people another stunning peak, Chang Himal comes into view and dominates the righthand side of the valley all the way up to Pangpema, Kangchenjunga North BC where the 8586m giant is finally revealed. Although not the best night’s sleep camping at 5100m, the reward of a perfectly clear and still morning resulted in lots of photographs before a leisurely trip back down the valley to lunch at our previous camp before a long afternoon back to Kambachen. Then back to the comforts of Ghunsa for a well-earned day off and more cake.

The second half kicks off with a wonderful climb up through a dense forest to gain a ridge with views both up and back down the valley with our trails visible for a couple of days in both directions. A newly constructed trail traverses upwards high on the hillside crossing the Sele La, 4400m with views to Makalu before a short descent to camp, our attack point for the big day ahead tomorrow.

Surprisingly, with a long way to go we didn’t need an earlier than normal start. After 20mins we got the sunshine then 90mins later the first col, 4625m, was reached with stunning views over to Everest, Makalu and even Mera. Lots more photos before another 90mins to the second col, 4650m and lunch sheltering from a cool wind. The third col, 4700m was reached after another 45mins to reveal the Kabru peaks of the Yalung valley before the long and leg aching descent Tseram, 3900m.

Having taken our time on the Northern side the team made great progress up to Ramche for lunch before pressing on the Oktang and a view of the southern aspect of Kangchenjunga. As on the north side the summit remained hidden until the last minute. With almost perfect timing just after we arrived at the view point the summit clouded over and we had a few snow flurries. After an overnight, probably our coldest, at Ramche back to Tserum for lunch then a long-wet afternoon down to Torontan, back in the woods the team had a new member, a dog! (Un)fortunately, the camping spots were taken by another group, so we ended up with an unexpected night in a t-house. The third big day in row saw us descending to cross the river before climbing up and over the Lasiya Bhanjyang. Another really different woodland hid the huge landslide until just before the top and the crossing point. Thankfully the trail was good underfoot although exposed with views down to the river far below.

Leaving the high mountains behind us, that afternoon was spent descending to warmer climes, a great campsite with a small shop but also some rather large spiders. Our last few days trekking retained interest, passing through villages with more and more agriculture. Progress is coming, though with new roads being cut and a large hydro scheme under construction. Thankfully, the old trail is still there so we had only short sections walking on the wider jeep track before leaving it completely and re-joining spectacular trails that seemed to barely cling to the hillside high above the valley floor.

As a perfect mirror to the first day, the last morning was uphill, finishing with a final camp on a school playing field. Although we didn’t realise straight away as the spot was surrounded by trees and a short distance downhill form the school. After setting out kit to dry a quick explore found shops and the tarmac road that would eventually lead us back down the lowlands.

This is quite a long trip, but time never drags with everyday consistently more enjoyable than the last. Even retracing our steps on a couple days was pleasurable as the views were different. We were lucky with the weather and having access to lodge dining rooms and a warm stove most evenings. We were also very fortunate to have Mingma in charge working constantly to make this such a successful trip assisted by Phurba and the ever-smiling Passang. Somehow the food on trek in Nepal seems to get better with every trip so another huge thanks to cook Nara and his team

Kangchenjunga might be the headline mountain and it’s great to visit both sides but Jannu, Chang Himal and the Kabru range maybe because they’re more visible more of the time were more memorable. Both valleys are much quieter than the Khumbu but will only get busier as tourism develops. For an even more remote experience you may want to consider the Dhaulagiri circuit.

Final thanks to the team for not falling off the path, the chat, the cards, the quiz (well most of the questions!), the games and the laughs. It really was a pleasure. Hopefully catch up on the trail next time

Wow - what a trek!  Much as I like familiarity (albeit with different team members), the chance to go somewhere new in Nepal was an exciting prospect indeed for me, and the Kanchenjunga Circuit did not disappoint, in fact it’s blown me away. 

A true adventure from beginning to end, new experiences every day, remote, challenging and immensely satisfying, this is certainly one for your bucket-list.  Tucked in the far northeastern corner of Nepal, between Tibet and Sikkim, it’s an area still very much untrodden by tourists.  Following international and domestic flights, we began our journey at Bhadrapur at the lofty elevation of 95m - easily the lowest I’ve ever been in Nepal!  The Terai countryside here is very much of rice fields and bananas, really very hot and far removed from the usual mountainous picture we have of Nepal.  Following good roads these days, we had a incredibly  interesting day and a half of travel through this landscape at either end of the trek, the route rising and falling over ridges and bridges, stunning vistas of endless tea plantations and of enormous white mountains in the distance. 

Initially the first week of the trek was through little Hindu farming villages of the Limbu people, seeking shade and glad of our sun-hats, camping on terraces at the edge of rice fields.  We also seemed to be firmly in the land of the golden welly for some reason….. It was delightful walking, following and criss-crossing a river, sometimes right down beside it, the crashing and roaring of its progress almost deafening.  At other times we were high above it, marvelling at the views and the sometimes airy walking.  

A few days later, the valley widened out and we reached the larger village of Ghunsa at 3415m, and now obviously in Sherpa territory.  Although we’d only been gently gaining height so far, it was very pleasant to take an acclimatisation day here, catching up with laundry, taking the opportunity to use the teahouse phone and even to send postcards! (anybody’s arrived yet gang?)  From here onwards, we were swapping shorts for down jackets as the sun went down, and now it was great to feel really amongst the mountains as they towered above us over the following days.  The day leaving Ghunsa was just magical: along through beautiful woods of golden larch and juniper, and up over the terminal moraine of the Kanchenjunga Glacier.  As we climbed ever higher we finally got a good view of the shapely summit of Jannu 7711m, and passed the intimidating north face of Chang Himal 6802m (massive kudos to Bullock & Houseman for finding a way up THAT in 2009!).  Eventually, after 11 days on foot, we reached the north Base Camp of Kanchenjunga, and our highest point on the trek at an impressive 5136m.  The north face of this, the 3rd highest mountain in the world at 8586m, was a real treat to behold, and having a night camping there meant we could take some stunning photos both at dusk and dawn, capturing the mountain in all its glory.  We’d seen no more than 5 other groups by this stage - just compare that with other more well-known areas!

But the journey wasn’t yet at an end, and after retracing our steps for a coupe of days, we puffed our way up and over 3 high passes in real big-sky country, to reach the southern side of the massif.  Five days after leaving the north base camp we were aiming for the south face, and I have to say, the day we headed for south Base Camp ranks up there with any day I’ve had in the Himalayas.  The surrounding mountains evoked an incredible mix of beauty and awe, and as we gazed at the south face, where the first ascent took place in 1955, there were huge smiles on our faces.  We’d seen even fewer people on this side, and as we walked out, still with some big long days through fabulous scenery, we hardly encountered any other tourists whatsoever.  Far from the walk-out being an anticlimax, right up until our final camp, we were marvelling every day at the interest and attractiveness of the trekking - and once more at the golden wellies too. 

In case you hadn’t gathered by now, I’d highly recommend this trek; from start to finish, it’s easily one of the best in the world.  It really is “A Complete Nepalese Adventure’. 

My sincere thanks for their company and mutual support, and congratulations on their achievement go to Sue, Jerry, Mick, Ann & Alwyn, Bob, David, Edward, Kate and Diana. 

In memory of Ken Robinson. 

KANGCHENJUNGA CIRCUIT TREK 2014.

ìWhatís the point?î A fair enough question at six in the morning, the seventeenth morning of sticking our heads out the tent door to greet yet another spectacular view, only this morning to peer into dense hill fog. Today was to be the highlight of the trek; we've already seen the North side of Kangchenjunga, the huge North face of Jannu, mountain scenery to compete with any in any range on any continent, are almost saturated by now with the myriad experiences of trekking through Eastern Nepal; but today the itinerary says we go to Oktang for the views of the South face of ìKangchî - and itís all foggy! Right enough, day 21 says Oktang (and itís a tight itinerary, absolutely no spare days), so doing the positive mental attitude bit with some inspirational leadership and a dose of blind faith in believing, of course the fog will clear (and thereís nothing else to do today anyway), get everyone to crawl out of their pits, pull on their by now rather grubby clothes, scoff their breakfast and shuffle off up the hill. Only to be rewarded by one of those moments in life that is theatrical, bordering on mystical; at the exact moment that we arrived at the cairn and prayer flags that is Oktang, the sun burnt through the fog and as the cloud vaporised and dissolved the whole south face of Kangchenjunga and surrounding mountains appeared before us. It would be too much to claim that even Jagged Globe and Summit Trekking between them had arranged for this to happen, but thereís no harm cashing in on the credits, and makes the case for the premise ìdo it anywayî; it might have been the Sherpa chanting good karma into the sky that made the difference ñ it certainly helped make the experience spooky if not downright spiritual.

It is for moments like these that so many of us go into the mountains; read the poets and great writers of mountain literature and we learn that itís not so much about the route, how hard it was, itís name, the success or failure of a climb ñ itís how the experience has affected us. That quite extraordinary hour or so at Oktang literally screamed at us how lucky we were ñ just to be there, to be able to share something so special, to get not the icing on the cake but to the very core of this trek. And lucky indeed we were not just today but with the whole trip; being pretty much out of contact (even local sim cards were struggling to keep in touch) we had only heard brief news of the terrible consequences of the typhoon that had struck Nepal (we had a few hours of torrential rain which must have been right at the edge of the storm) and had enjoyed mostly blue skies and a dry trail. No one got sick, we had a team of Sherpas, cooks and porters as good as they get, we followed the itinerary and achieved all the objectives, we got on well together and got what we came for.

There aren't sufficient superlatives to do this trek justice; O.K. we were lucky ñ to complete the circuit, to see the views, to have perfect conditions, to be a happy, healthy group. This isn't a trek for first time trekkers though ñ there are some physically demanding days; some long haul ups, and some very long way downs; landslides and rivers to cross; steep, exposed slopes to negotiate; itís committing and potentially serious ñ but it is trekking in the High Himalaya after all. The trek is a journey through rural Nepal and, although it is becoming more popular and there are other trekking groups about, there is none of the congestion like in the Khumbu or Annapurna regions, and in the villages and countryside not a tourist in sight. Starting and finishing with a day and a half on a bus from and back to Biritnagar in the very south of Nepal through the foothills to wherever the road-head has got to (like so many roads being bulldozed into the Himalayas) is a travel experience in itself. Trekking through forests, woodlands, bamboo and rhododendron, intense terraced cultivation, then up into the high mountains ñ that incredible world of rock and ice ñ every day different, every corner or ridge on the trail another view, another photograph, so much to see, to experience, to remember.

This trek has to be up there with the very best of them ñ it has all the ingredients and delivers the goods; and being able to share it with strangers who have so quickly become friends, being supported and inspired by the Sherpas and porters who live in these mountains, taking home memories that will take a long time to fade ñ thatís surely the point. This is the first Jagged Globe group to complete the Kangchenjunga Circuit Trek ñ it certainly wonít be the last.

Thank you to the 2014 team who have made our month together so much fun, for staying on the path (most of the time!), for your good humour (and patience with mine!), for such a variety of in-depth knowledge of from obscure grasses to submarines, all things surgical to landscape architecture, ski technique to aeroplanes, intensive care to literature (weíll just not mention the not-so intellectual stuff!!). We've been there, done that ñ if you havenít, get yourself there, itís a fabulous walk.

Thank you Jagged Globe and Summit trekking for the organisation and support of a fantastic trek ñ definitely one of THE great walks in the world.

Apart from Lizzie & Alexander, who were each travelling independently & would meet us at the Summit Hotel, we met up at London Heathrow for the flight via Delhi to Kathmandu. The flight was problem-free and we were all impressed by the now-completed, very large & modern Delhi Airport.

At the Summit Hotel, those who had just arrived envied Alexander & Lizzie’s rested & relaxed state, as they’d had a day or more already in Kathmandu. As always, by the time briefings had taken place, safe deposit etc had been arranged, it was time for drinks in the welcoming Summit bar. The group started to get to know each other and then continue chatting over an excellent dinner. We didn’t stay up late as we had an early start for the 35 minute flight to Biratnagar, in far eastern Nepal. Biratnagar is only 72m above sea level so tablets to prevent catching malaria have to be started before travelling here.

We met our Sirdar, Sangbu Sherpa, and the wonderful Sherpa and cook teams at Biratnagar. A number of porters had also travelled with them, by bus from Kathmandu.

From Biratnagar (as Suketar Airport where one would normally fly is being up-graded), we began two long days on a bus to reach Taplejung and the start of our trek. However the journey was very interesting: there were wonderful contrasts as we gradually left the tropical lowlands behind and slowly gained height to over-night at Ilam, a famous tea-producing area of Nepal. The neat middle hills, covered with tea plantations and the misty, cool conditions reminded me so much of Darjeeling in India.

We began trekking from Taplejung, walking up deep river valley systems to access the heart of the Kangchenjunga massif. The first 3 or 4 days were still very hot & humid and despite being below 2000m, it was found by all to be very tiring. The area is very undeveloped & unfrequented, compared with say the Everest or Annapurna or even Langtang areas. The footpaths are very small and many areas of landslides come down each monsoon. We decided the catch-phrase was ‘concentration’ all the time to foot placement. However, it was quite special to walk in such a quiet area, slowly working upwards (with lots of undulations!) to the temperate zone then coniferous forests.

On reaching Ghunsa, everyone was really happy to have a rest & acclimatisation day and a chance to bathe, wash clothing and dry out gear after days of demanding walking in humid conditions. We started to enjoy the ‘high mountain feel’ at Ghunsa (3595m). After another acclimatisation day at Kambachen, 4100m, we headed up to the wonderful alpine pastures at Lhonak, 4785m. We saw more and more of the bigger, snowy peaks, including Chang Himal (climbed in 2009 by Bullock & Houseman). Tom Briggs on his reconnaissance trip accompanied these elite climbers, his friends.

Unfortunately, after a night at Lhonak, it was decided that Chris, due to worsening altitude symptoms, would be safer to descend, with a trusted Sherpa, to Kambachen and then down to Ghunsa the next day (where he was previously well), to await our descent. Consequently, the rest of the group were a bit subdued as we made our way up challenging paths to Pangpema 5100m (North BC of Kangchenjunga). Awesome views but also ominous clouds greeted our arrival at the small and stunningly-situated campsite; high on a lateral moraine above the Kangchenjunga Glacier.

The beautiful but scary clouds had indeed been harbingers of bad news – we woke during the night to heavy snowfall and the Sherpas clearing snow from our tents. In the morning, a very cold and white one with continuing storm and snow and already 30cm of snow on the ground, we packed as quickly as possible and headed down to Lhonak. The wind was very strong, rocking even the men and driving stinging snow into our faces & eyes. For much of the time, there were white-out conditions and we had to be really careful about not trapping feet or legs between the many boulders on the moraine. Everyone in the party did incredibly well in these dangerous conditions, but I was very concerned for the porters. A slip carrying a load could lead to serious injury.

We were storm-bound for a cold & uncomfortable night in Lhonak; as the Sherpas felt the winds were too strong, some slept in a yak herders’ hut and two tents were pitched inside the shells of buildings. The storm lasted 12 hours then good weather returned and we were really glad to be able to see well to cross the extensive boulder fields, covered in 40 cm of snow and with much deeper drifts abounding. We pushed on down to Ghunsa in a punishing 10 hours. The snow-level went to within 150m of Ghunsa and it was very cold indeed as cold air flowed down into the deep valley from totally white slopes all around.

Everyone needed a rest the next day. Chris had been relieved to see us get down from the storm! Careful consideration and seeking more local advice made me decide that it was simply not safe to try to exit over the Sele Le side and towards the South BC of Kangchenjunga, as planned. We did not have the 4 or 5 days needed to let the snow melt either. With great regret and disappointment, I explained my decision to the group and they were very understanding.

While somewhat of an anticlimax, our descent the way we had walked in was still enjoyable but also very tough physically. There were helicopter rescues for 2 consecutive days as we descended from Ghunsa and we heard the terrible news that very sadly, a porter had died over on the Sele Le side.

So, while we did not complete the itinerary as planned, we did experience a very unspoilt & pretty undeveloped part of Nepal. This trip provides an amazing trek from tropical climes to high, cold Himalayan areas. The walking, even low down, is constantly challenging and requires constant concentration during the fairly long days. Together with the undeveloped nature of the area comes the difficulty of access and rescue so while I would recommend this as a very special trek, I do think one needs to keep in mind it is tough and best suits those who are fit, not nervous crossing lots of landslip debris, are experienced (and have been well) at altitudes above 4500m and are experienced in walking on snow.

I cannot stress how well the group, Sherpas, cook team and porters did in the awful conditions. During our days back in Kathmandu, we all started to say how challenging a trip it is, even without the bad weather. Of course we are all disappointed but, as we know what it was like in the storm, we also know that we came out safely from a potentially serious situation. The mountains will always be there for us to enjoy.