A FAILED QUEST
Lets start with the facts first.
Target: Goecha La - a 4950m pass over the Talung glacier in Sikkim facing the Eastern face of Kanchenjunga.
Group: Bishu (Biswajeet Guha), Billa (Billa Nishanth) and me. Tsering Sherpa was our guide while Subba and Naoraj were the porters.
Starting date: 9th October from Kolkata.
Duration: 9 days
Starting point: Yuksam
Approach route: Kolkata - Siliguri - Jorethang - Yuksam (involved considerable detour, landslides, torrential rain and passing 'through' a waterfall!)

Day1: Yuksam - Bakhim, warming up our hamstrings.
The depression over Bay of Bengal had hit the Sikkim Himalayas head on. The result was not just torrential rain but also extensive landslide. The day we reached Yuksam (rather night is more appropriate) Tsering was already waiting for us. The evening was spent discussing about the options, rations and porters. Next morning, it cleared out a bit - enough for my (and others) spirits to soar and after the spending an hour and a half shopping for food supplies and getting necessary permits, we were off.
The trail starts just behind the Eco-tourism office. The most striking feature of the trail is that its difficult to get lost. Whenever in doubt, just follow the yak shit thats found all over the trail. Since the trail is well marked these natural markers tend to be of more trouble than help. I was especially careful with my brand new hiking boots! The first part is through dense forest with side streams crossing the trail every now and then. The recent rain has increased their volume greatly, providing good photo opportunities at the cost of the ease of walking. It was extremely humid and very soon my favourite 'Vodka' t-shirt was totally drenched. I was walking at a slow pace, occasionally stopping for a yak train to pass by and using the opportunity to grab some rest. Though the scenery was very beautiful, I hardly took any photos. I knew that if weather cleared out, more was to come. And if it didn't clear then the return journey is always there.
The walk was more or less uneventful. The regular 10 steps, one deep breath pattern suits me well and I stick to it when there is no hurry. The plan was to reach Tsoka the first evening and then proceed to Dzongri the next day. Since we were running short of time, this was a hard decision that we had to take. This meant an altitude gain of nearly 2.3km in 2 days, which is considered to be well above the acceptable rate of height gain. Also the trail being uneven and made worse by the recent rain, it sounded overambitious but we had no choice. On that day there were 2 major river crossings over 2 substantial bridges - the first was Kalikhola and the next was Prek Chu. The trail being very rocky and uneven, takes its toll on the feet, especially while descending the steep slippery parts. The constant rise and fall of the gradient along with the rain made the first day especially frustrating. The bridge on Prek Chu is preceded by a steep descent and followed by a very steep, almost back breaking ascent to Bakhim. By the time we reached Bakhim, it was 4pm (we started pretty late at around 9:45am) and we were at the end of our strength. There was a serious chance of sustaining leg injury if we didn't stop there for that day. But it would also mean that our target of reaching Dzongri on day 2 would become more difficult now. Nonetheless, we decided to stop there for the day. A small injury at such a place is enough to jeopardize the whole plan, so we decided to play safe and stop at Bakhim. Luckily there was a forest rest house and we didn't have to pitch tents in the rain. By the light of a single candle, we changed over to dry clothes, had our dinner, rearranged our stuff, rubbed pain balm and went into the sleeping bags.
Overall, it was a very boring and tiring day. The tempo that we had at the start of our journey was beginning to ebb. The sleeping bag was not very comfortable and I fell into an uneasy dreamless sleep.
Below are a few picks from day 0(journey to Yuksam) and 1.From the jeep that we were traveling in - Mahananda Wildlife sanctuary, Siliguri. Leaving the plains and heading for the mountains.
The river Rangit in spate. The recent rains turned the gentle emerald green river into a muddy torrent.
The village of Yuksam, from the balcony of the lodge where we were staying.
Kalikhola - the first major river crossing over a substantial bridge. The trail can be seen on the left.One of the side streams that cut the trail.
The bridge over Prek Chu, about 2.5km before Bakhim. The trail rises from the left.
At Bakhim. The clouds show a gap in the south. The village of Yuksam is on the flat region just next to my right shoulder, partly covered in clouds.