Trip Reports

Kangchenjunga Circuit 10th Oct to 8th Nov '14

$Looking up to Kangchenjunga from Lhonak in October \'11 after the storm$

Written by Leader Mungo Ross, November 2014

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.

Mungo Ross, Expedition leader for Jagged Globe.

Ed's note - we have updated the Kangchenjunga Circuit itinerary based on this successful trip. Have a look at the itinerary. « Previous report | Next report »

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