Goecha La - The Intro

My legs feel shaky under the altitude as I peer down at the sheer vertical drop of a several hundred feet.

A hoarse, cold wind descends from the peaks above.

Thin, grey clouds rise against the turquoise blue sky.

Sometimes you would feel the crack of a thunder.

And sometimes you would feel the pounding of the snow.

By the time, I have reached the place where I stand now, incidents of turbulence and tranquility haunt me.

The fierceness of a snow blizzard.

The warmth of the camp fire.

The treachery of the unforgiving blue ice.

The slow rumble of the mountain stream.

Sips of the hot chang.

Isolation of the lone tent.

Endless, rocky spires that seemed to rise from the bottom of the ocean.

And endless meadows that were burnt yellow.

A very paradoxical world indeed. An experience through heaven. And the roasting of hell.

In the climb of over 2 hours that stretched from the darkness of the night, into the light of the early dawn, the white glow of Pandim and Kanchenjunga in the moonlit night gave away to massive snow fields, icy cliffs and crystal heights that blind the eyes. Those peaks that were pearly white have turned into fields of a golden hue. The beauty is surreal, and even though I feel that I have lost all strength to go further, it pulls me towards it.

Sometime back I had argued that God does not exist. But this sheer beauty in the calmness of things where everything is so turbulent makes me believe that I was wrong. And, as I take another step closer to the pass,I feel like I am marveling at the gateway to the mountain Gods - Goecha La.

Goecha Peak with a trekker in the foreground