It’s that time of year again where the mountain beckons and my feet are itching for a long climb.
Looking around the globe, we have to rule out Nepal (due to political unrest), South America (due to cost issues) and East Africa (also due to cost issues). This leaves us with India ~ Sikkim to be precise. Situated in the eastern Himalayas, Sikkim is spread below Mount Khanchendzonga (8534 m), the third highest mountain in the world. For more information on Sikkim, please refer here.
Our aim is to reach the southern foot of Mount Khanchendzonga, not to climb the third highest mountain itself. That I leave it to the experts. I am not a lunatic. : ) The trek we planned to do is known as the Goechala Trek, which would lead us from Dzongri to Goechala Pass, reaching the highest altitude at 4,940 m of the trek. The trek would take about 7-8 days with an average trek of 8 hours a day.
Considering our fitness level and our current work commitments, this vacation is looking to be quite an ambitious endeavour! To date, I have postponed our flight tickets once (which were earmarked to kick-off during the Deepavali/Hari Raya hols) and we look set to postpone the second one which I targeted for 10th November. It’s extremely frustrating as the longer we wait, the colder it gets at the peak. I still have nightmarish memories of trekking in the night at Kilimanjaro. The cold was beyond description. We were told by our guides that it was negative 20 degrees Celsius then. This is going to look like a repeat of our previous climb. Bbbrrrr …
We have also just started to trek again to build up stamina. Our travelling and working schedules for the last few months had been at such a crazy level that it was difficult to coordinate our fitness training. But we kicked off our training in style (or was it in insanity?) last week. Four treks in a week is a feat for me, i.e. a 3.5-hour trek in Fraser’s and 1.5-hour treks a day for 3 days at Bukit Gasing. This weekend would be difficult to train as I am travelling yet again. However, the plan is to work out on the “stepper” machine in the gym. At some point, I’d probably ask myself if I am going stark raving mad pushing myself at this level. Then again, even if the answer is affirmative, I doubt we’d stop. We are women on a mission! Hahaha …
But wait! I’m still on tenterhooks. Everything is now dependent on whether the long leave is forthcoming.
We live in hope. And after that, we have to pray hard for great weather. Dang! The lengths I go to for a climb. Perhaps I seriously have to visit the loony house. :p
Looking around the globe, we have to rule out Nepal (due to political unrest), South America (due to cost issues) and East Africa (also due to cost issues). This leaves us with India ~ Sikkim to be precise. Situated in the eastern Himalayas, Sikkim is spread below Mount Khanchendzonga (8534 m), the third highest mountain in the world. For more information on Sikkim, please refer here.
Our aim is to reach the southern foot of Mount Khanchendzonga, not to climb the third highest mountain itself. That I leave it to the experts. I am not a lunatic. : ) The trek we planned to do is known as the Goechala Trek, which would lead us from Dzongri to Goechala Pass, reaching the highest altitude at 4,940 m of the trek. The trek would take about 7-8 days with an average trek of 8 hours a day.
Considering our fitness level and our current work commitments, this vacation is looking to be quite an ambitious endeavour! To date, I have postponed our flight tickets once (which were earmarked to kick-off during the Deepavali/Hari Raya hols) and we look set to postpone the second one which I targeted for 10th November. It’s extremely frustrating as the longer we wait, the colder it gets at the peak. I still have nightmarish memories of trekking in the night at Kilimanjaro. The cold was beyond description. We were told by our guides that it was negative 20 degrees Celsius then. This is going to look like a repeat of our previous climb. Bbbrrrr …
We have also just started to trek again to build up stamina. Our travelling and working schedules for the last few months had been at such a crazy level that it was difficult to coordinate our fitness training. But we kicked off our training in style (or was it in insanity?) last week. Four treks in a week is a feat for me, i.e. a 3.5-hour trek in Fraser’s and 1.5-hour treks a day for 3 days at Bukit Gasing. This weekend would be difficult to train as I am travelling yet again. However, the plan is to work out on the “stepper” machine in the gym. At some point, I’d probably ask myself if I am going stark raving mad pushing myself at this level. Then again, even if the answer is affirmative, I doubt we’d stop. We are women on a mission! Hahaha …
But wait! I’m still on tenterhooks. Everything is now dependent on whether the long leave is forthcoming.
We live in hope. And after that, we have to pray hard for great weather. Dang! The lengths I go to for a climb. Perhaps I seriously have to visit the loony house. :p
4 comments:
if it weren't for stark raving loonies like you, nothing would have been achieved in this world! Go, L, GO!!! Good for you!
you can do it. this is nothing new to you, fren! sap, sap sui lah!
Huah!!!!! I see the training has started. Good for you! Wish I have your energy lah! My definition of training is more like walking from the lift lobby to my car. :-P
Thanks for the words of encouragement friends. As of today, my leave is still not approved yet.
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