My First Himalayan Trek | Sandakphu - Part 1 : The Base Camp

Hi Readers, I am starting on a new blog series called, "The New Beginning" - A series of posts which takes you through a ser...

Hi Readers,

I am starting on a new blog series called, "The New Beginning" - A series of posts which takes you through a series of enthralling thoughts as I take you through my first Himalayan trek - Sandakphu (12000 ft).

Travel far enough, you meet yourself - Cloud Atlas.

A view from our hotel at Darjeeling :)
From where it all started!!

The Base Camp

Before you continue, you might want to read my previous post "The Mountain People" 

Jaubari, The journey to base camp was exciting! Few of us trekkers shared a cab from Darjeeling to reach Jaubari. I was seeing those vast landscapes, and the curling roads gave the feel of a road trip that wasn't going to happen!

After about an hours journey, we couldn't resist asking the driver to stop for some clicks at this beautiful place. The landscape was beautiful. Imagine going to a school located at such a serene place! I envy the kids who go there to learn!

I would never miss a class, if this was my school!!

Clouds and other things!

After about 3-4 hours of journey through the beautiful hills savoring the fresh Nepali music, beautifully complimented by the surroundings along those lustrous curvy roads, we saw a sign board, which said "India Hikes Base Camp - Jow Bari"!

Yay! Finally we are the base camp! At least the sign board says so!

When I look back at the road that brought us here!

One of the fellow trekkers collecting the luggage

The base camp at Jaubari is at a good 100+ steps down the hill from the sign board. As we reached the Base Camp we settled down with our luggages backpacks. The base camp was a good sturdy- house like - built with wooden sheets for a better insulation from the cold.

Steps down to the base camp!  (PC: Sushma)

This being the first base camp for me, was exciting! The day at the base camp is always special, with so much running through your heart and mind, the soul waiting for it to happen, you feel butterflies in your stomach, not just for the hunger of food, but for the hunger of something more exciting yet to come!

READ ALSO : Dream Ride - A Bike Trip to Leh Ladakh

At the base camp, you know that its the last place where you can decide to turn back from it. The last point, where things would be comfortable, and familiar. You would want to absorb everything that's coming your way. The beautiful weather, the chilling cold, the clouds moving away from you, the clouds coming near you!

Among the clouds at base camp! So near!

For someone like me, who is on a Himalayan trek for the first time ever, everything was exciting. Even seeing the meadows, the mountain ranges, even the smallest patch of snow, those little flowers grown along the bypath and the border lines between India and Nepal was equally exciting. This was the time when I realized that this journey is gonna have a greater impact on me, compared to all other journeys in the past combined!

You can look at the Base Camp, as the farthest point on your comfort zone! Just an inch away, you are out in the chilling cold outside of your comfort zone.

Out in the cold, everything covered! Its me, in the pic!

While some people chose to take a stroll around, some chose to stay still and enjoy the beauty at a distance. The clouds moving right in front of our eyes, not far away, gave me a feeling of being very close to nature, and we truly were. When you are out in the arms of nature, you forget all your worries, all the pain, and all the worldly things that mattered a couple of days ago seemed to fade away with the moving clouds!

Another view from the base camp!

Prayer flag post in front of the camp!

It was good to spot some first timers among others, who had several difficult treks to their bucket. After a briefing session by the trek leader, dinner was served, and believe me, it was yummy! Everything that is luke warm or better always feels better in the mountains! Always!

One little thing I love about the mountains is that it gets dark pretty soon! The temperatures start dropping as soon as the sun nears the horizon. By 6 pm, it was dark, dinner at 7, and we were back to our cozy beds with a fluffy and warm sheets to doze off for the night.

The excitement, the thoughts through the night was amazing! I was all set to trek in the himalyas the next morning, and I felt was gonna be a great day!

In the next part of the series "Trek to Sandakphu - Part2", I will take you through the trek via Singhalila National Park, and the first view of snow! Stay tuned for another episode of the story. Do subscribe (button at the top) to receive updates!

Keep travelling!