Why Should You Do Sandakphu In Winter, Or At All
To admit my bias upfront, Sandakphu changed the course of my life. I did not know anything of trekking before Sandakphu – until my sister told me about it in 2012. Now when I say it changed the course of my life, I think of one specific moment on the trek that I did solo in December 2013. That moment changed it all for me. It was one cold evening in Tumling, where I spotted the campfire the owner of the guest house had set up for us. As I emerged from the hut and looked up at the sky, I was struck dumb. There was an ocean of stars, twinkling above my head like fireflies. I saw not one, but two shooting stars… It felt like looking up at heaven.
This euphoria, the feeling of being in a magical place where the sun glowed over four of the highest mountain peaks in the world is what I carried back with me. The unfit, 98 kg me who had struggled up Sandakphu, much to the exasperation of my guide back then. That first trek was a wake up call for me about my fitness and I noticed the difference with me each time I came back to it, fitter. I returned to Sandakphu again and again – a ritual with my family after that.
Sunrise from Sandakphu.
PC : Kalindi Manek
So here are couple of reasons I go to Sandakphu during winters and why I want to share that very experience with people I trek with.
Everyone I know has talked of the sunrises and sunsets on Sandakphu trek. I would add the night sky as well – all for the simple reason that Sandakphu trek has low horizons. Which means you get to see more of the sky than you would if you were camping in a valley.
There is nothing quite like watching the first rays of sun fall on the Everest and then the sun setting on the mountain that is your companion for the length of the trek, Kangchenjunga. The sun makes snow clad mountains take on shades of fire… and to think, on 1st day of 2019, you would be watching the sun rays hit Everest, Makalu, Lhotse before it begins lightening the rest of sky.
After all, on 31st night, we will be out on the top of Sandakphu with our binoculars, negotiating the constellations in the night sky. You can spot Andromeda galaxy, the farthest object you can see with your naked eye, star clusters, planets and their moons, the constellation of Cassiopeia, Perseus, Pegasus, Big Dipper, Orion, Gemini, Taurus.. What better way to usher in the New Year than to find them and hear myths and legends surrounding their names?
These are the constellations you can spot on a winter night sky and they are by far my favourite. The great thing about winter is that unlike summer, where night skies can be obscured by cloud cover, the weather is dry and cold. Winter has clearer skies: which means better views of night skies and the mountain peaks.
I have already talked about the peak views – this is one of the few treks that you can spot four 8000-ers from a relatively low altitude of 12,000 ft. The fun part of this is, you spot mountains from three different countries: Everest, Makalu and Lhotse from Nepal, Kangchenjunga in India and Chomolhari in Bhutan.
Lhotse, Everest and Makalu at dawn
That is not all. The positioning of Sandakphu as a trek is such that the trail winds through Nepal and India: a lot of the campsites are entirely in Nepal while there are places, such as Tumling, where one foot is in India and one foot in our neighbouring country. It is this geographical positioning that makes Sandakphu a unique trek and a great way to experience Nepali culture: the teahouses, the food, wonderful chats with the local folk..
Tea houses en route to Sandakphu
One of the reasons Sandakphu became a New Year ritual, apart from the allure of Kangchenjunga, is also because of the solitude of the trail at that time of the year. Sandakphu is fairly popular trail which can be done through most of the year, except during monsoon. However, in winter, the footfall is much lesser, as the snow treks like Brahmatal and Kedarkantha see more crowd. Sandakphu barely sees more than 20 people at that time of the year. The experience of the sunrises, sunsets and the night sky is not going to be marred by a crowd – it is all yours to experience.
Sandakphu was a trek of many firsts: the first trek I ever did, the first time I saw the night sky like this (full disclosure: night skies in the mountains are the best and why I love my job), and my first paranormal experience (which I will narrate during the trek)… Sandakphu altered me, and then Goechala solidified my plan to take up a career in the mountains. It is this joy of my first time on Sandakphu that I want to share.
