Thangsing is cold. The ground is covered with frost over night and a layer of ice covers the tents. #Thangsing Top is not typically on the list for most trekkers as they have likely done Dzongri Top. However our guide insisted that Thangsing provided his favourite view of #Kanchenjunga and that was not a statement to be dismissed lightly. So some of us were up at 4 AM, and headed up the steep ridge to a view point to catch sunrise. We were also just in time to catch moon rise over the jagged peaks. The view from Thangsing Top is awe inspiring. A near 360 degree vista but the best part is watching the sun light up peaks and ridges one after the other. Dawn breaks on the Singalila range in the east and blues, magentas, crimsons, oranges and yellows emerge from the darkness. As light filters through into the valley, our tents seem set like cells in a yellow hive. Far below us the rest of Thangsing sleeps. And then, the distant #kanchenjunga massif lights up, it’s eternal snows blindingly white. Tye white mountain dominates the grey and black landscape. We watch in reverence as the mountain fills our minds. It is still bitter cold on our way down. We are in the shadow, it will be a few hours before the rays of the sun clear the high ridge and warm the valley. Mules graze on the frosted grass, the Prek river is rushes with a steady roar towards the plains. Along the way it will merge with the Rathong, before it is swallowed by the Rangit and finally, the Rangit by the mighty Teesta. It is a short trek today, just a couple of hours to #lamuney (La = mountain, pass, muney = base, in Tibetan). This is a near level walk with a few stream crossings in a reddish-brown landscape. Rock cairns pay obeisance to the mountain gods. The weather starts to turn as we walk. Snowfall and high winds await us as we camp at Devtaghar just before Lamuney. Early morning next day we would attempt to reach Viewpoint 1 of the Goechala via Samiti Lake. #sikkim #goechala #goechalatrek #outdoor #himalaya #trekking (at Sikkim) https://www.instagram.com/p/COiGqJ6pBVv/?igshid=18n5mcm8i3cj2
