300 Kilometers of the Himalayas

After two days in Gangtok, Scott and I took a shared jeep to Darjeeling to meet up with fellow ex-BCF teachers Shauna and Julian. The plan was to do a 5-day trek on the Singalila Ridge and catch views of Kanchenjunga, which is, at 28,169 feet (8,586 meters), the third highest mountain in the world, and if we were lucky, Everest. In fact, from certain viewpoints, we were hoping to see a panoramic view of the Himalayan Range from Jomolhari in Bhutan to Everest in Nepal - 300 kilometers of the Himalayas.

Even though clouds seemed to be settled in on Darjeeling, we decided to go on the trek anyways and hope for the best. Well, the best is pretty much what we got. 

 

We spent our first night in Tumling.

Sunrise at Tumling. Kanchenjunga looms behind me.

Shauna, Julian, our guide Ram, and Scott on the trail. Kanchenjunga resembles the profile of a sleeping man, from his head on the left to his large tummy in the middle to his feet poking up at the right. Can you see it?

On the trail on day three. The skies stayed clear until the afternoon. And last but not least...

Everest. From our first morning to the last, views of Everest followed us. Everest is the peak immediately to the left of what appears to be the tallest peak.