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The last day of the trek and the last day that we could see the snow capped mountains of Sikkim. The 0500 hrs start was getting to be a habit for the more mature trekkers. The view up the valley to the Pandim Range was stunning and it was also a reminder that we were almost at the end of the expedition. The rain from the night before had cleared the air and the sunshine lit up the valley providing warmth for the dzo and the horses that were already grazing on the fodder that the herdsmen had collected. We sat out and watched the locals and our support team go about their business preparing for the day ahead. A Blue Magpie flew from house to hut looking for some breakfast and some loose horses were fighting with the tethered ones until the horsemen chased them away down the main street. The street was narrow, steep and muddy with rocks at intervals to keep the whole thing from sliding away. Bed-tea was at 0610 hrs followed by a bowl of washing water 15 minutes later. As usual, our support team looked on in amusement watching 10 grown men trying to have a strip wash in half a bowl of warm water.
After a hearty breakfast out in the sunshine we reluctantly set off on our descent to Yuksom. We were retracing our route up the mountain and it soon became apparent that we had covered a lot of miles over some very tricky paths. The birds seemed to be making a lot of noise in the forest but they were difficult to see without binoculars. However, one beautiful sunbird rewarded our patience with a display of his red, blue and yellow plumage. There was also a powder blue bird the size of a starling that flitted from tree to tree around us for a while before swooping over us and down the steep valley bank. The forest was quite dense with bamboo, pine, orchids and a myriad of plants from nettles to banana. We saw a lot of wild strawberries and plenty of orange coloured raspberries. One of our trekkers was particularly taken by the raspberries and he grazed his way down the hillside. Many of the plants that had only been in bud the week before were starting to blossom. We saw begonias, primulas, cobra lilies, cardiocrinum and many orchids. The river was constantly rumbling and roaring in the distance and we crossed several streams cascading through pools down to the main river at the bottom of the valley. As we crossed one footbridge the temptation for a swim was too much and several of the team climbed down to the rock pool for a swim in the cold but refreshing water.
Our lunch stop was at the site of a landslide where a suspension footbridge had been washed away in last year’s monsoon. The river was flowing quite fast but it was a mere trickle compared to its potential depicted by the steep rock banks and boulders around us. The chef spoiled us yet again with soup and popadoms, spiced potato, salad, pasta, tuna, chapatti and stewed fruit, followed by black tea. It was difficult to get going again after the lunch break and the humidity and the threat of rain made it even harder to climb up the steep bank back onto the track. Each step brought us closer to the end of our trek and some of the team slowed down to savour the last hour in the foothills of the Himalaya. As we approached Yuksom and its cultivated terraced small holdings people were busy in the fields. Each hut seemed to have a small vegetable garden and some livestock (cows, pigs, chickens) and there were lots of colourful flowers surrounding the various dwellings. As we got further into the town the buildings became recognizable houses and the tracks became roads. There was a lot of repair work going on to the roads and houses to repair the damage left by a massive landslide that had swept through one part of the town engulfing some houses and washing around others leaving them half covered in debris. Thankfully, our trip was in good weather. However, as we approached the hotel it did start to rain and it kept going for several hours with the thunder rumbling above us. We put our bags in our rooms and had a short presentation ceremony for the support team to say thanks and goodbye. The only person staying with us until the end of the trip would be Tega. The dark clouds did little to help with the lack of electricity in the hotel. Initially, the dashed expectation of luxury in the hotel had dampened spirits, but the beer and the chat made the time pass quite quickly. In addition, the barber shaved the majority of the team with at least 2 having their heads done at the same time. The electricity finally came on at 1830 hrs to a cheer from the team. Outside the rain and thunder was accompanied by lightening to provide some dramatic illumination in the night sky. Our evening meal was good and it included chicken and beef, a rarity on the trip so far. We ended the evening by presenting Tega with the Jenga, his favourite game. Tega of course insisted that we play it one last time.
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