Yuksom-Dzongri route -Corridor of world class trekking?

A trekking experience on the popular route reveals numerous concerns - from sanitation to water pollution to rethinking design elements. JIGMEE BHUTIA shares his trek to Dzongri...

The Yuksum to Dzongri trekking route is popularly known as the “corridor of world class trekking” supplementing the popular slogan of the State Government on eco-tourism. So, when we took a trek from Yuksum to Dzongri it never occurred to us that our perception would be changed by the time we finished the trip. We reached Yuksum a day ahead of our trip in order to make the arrangements. The next day, as scheduled, we were elated to have finally made it since earlier plans had been cut short due to various reasons. When we left Yuksum it was a clear and bright day and we started to walk on the village footpath paved with undulated stone surface. The path was almost straight till Pa-Khola except across landslide prone areas at two places which our guide told us was triggered due to the 18th September Earthquake. There were some big boulders precariously hanging on the slope and it is certain that this area would become totally inaccessible during the monsoon. The trail till Pa-Khola is about two kilometres and the entire trail is a stone paved footpath which certainly is not comfortable at all to walk on and we felt it should have been kept as natural as possible. We stopped at Pa-Khola and looked at the under construction concrete welcome-gate. How does it make sense to have a concrete gate that too for the purpose of welcoming people who would be embarking on a journey to be one with nature? This was something that just could not sink in, who could be that foolish to have recommended what is such a dreaded error to any naturalist.
Crossing the bridge over the Pa-Khola, the terrain starts to get somewhat challenging climbing uphill and to our dismay the stone paved footpath continued and we could only wish that it ended but it never did. After sometime we reached Prek-Chu and again for the second time we crossed a bridge which was welcoming as we felt the cold gentle breeze of the river. We halted for some water and also came across some foreigners who were returning to Yuksum. After taking some snaps and a causal interaction with them we started the actual ascend of the mountain slope. There we came across a signboard written “please do not use short cuts”. The climb was tiresome since it was an upward climb and the rugged footpath kept on daunting our advances. This time the footpath had worsened as the caravan of animals used for carrying loads had dislodged the stones and every step had to be taken cautiously to prevent ankle sprains. Slowly and steadily we reached Sachen, it is the place where trekkers are served food. The place has a wooden structure used as a kitchen and two newly constructed toilets which were locked for reasons best known to the tourism department but it caused lot of inconvenience.
After lunch we proceeded towards Bhakim, the footpath kept troubling us as it started getting dirtier with animal droppings. The animal dropping is another issue concerning the trekking route since it has infected the air with many large greenflies and other insects surviving on it. After several hours we reached Bhakim. The place has a forest dak bungalow and here the effects of the earthquake are quite visible as the support wall has developed severe cracks. The forest guard has built a wooden structure little below the bungalow where he runs a shop with his wife and they have also taken up some gardening and grow potatoes nearby. From Bhakim it is a two-kilometre uphill trek to reach Tsokha situated at an altitude of 9000 ft. On reaching Tsokha I was astounded to see that it had dwindled in every aspect. Tsokha is a popular site along the Yuksum to Dzongri Trek where trekkers halt for a day or two to acclimatise the gain in altitude. Some years back I was involved in a rescue operation on this front when a mountaineering expedition to Mt. Tingchingkhang had met with a fatal accident while descending from the summit. At that time, I had spent considerable time at Tsokha where things were then very lively. There were several Tibetan houses whose ancestors had settled here entrusted with the herds of Yaks belonging to the Chogyal of Sikkim. The latter generation had taken up tourism for their livelihood and under the stringent laws of Kanchendzonga National Park (KNP) the State Government had them evacuated to Yuksum where the families are staying at the old Rathong Chu Housing Colony. Tsokha now looks very deserted and particularly to me who had once witnessed a well flourished settlement that had treated me so well the sight was very disturbing. There are some houses left which have been leased to a travel agency from Gangtok while several houses are in a tattered condition on the verge of collapse. The place has a Monastery with a small lake in front of it which now lies in shambles. Much of the wood from the houses were used by the contractors who were awarded the repair work of trekker’s huts along the route. The toilets are unkempt and there are no partitions but bamboo vegetation cover surrounding it makes it possible to use it.
After spending a night at Tsokha we proceeded towards Dzongri and for the first time we enjoyed the wooden trail which extends to almost a kilometre. Walking on such a trail it was obvious that we could enjoy the vegetation that was slowly becoming alpine. The rhododendron was in full bloom and as we ascended newer varieties became visible with varied coloured birds singing and flying all over the vegetation. But the joy was again cut short by the never ending stone paved footpath that had become slippery, marshy and the animal droppings mixed in it that emit a foul smell.  The paths at several points are very narrow and every time a caravan passed we had to make way for the animals. At the time we discussed if it was possible to have two separate trails for the animals and the trekkers and if it could be even turned into a pristine walking trail as a heritage high altitude trekking trail since the British Empire in India had sought to establish a communication network with Tibet and China.
After almost three hours of walk we reached Phenthang which was adorned with flowering rhododendron trees. Here the horses and Dzo, cross between yak and cow are rested for some time. Another, one and a half hours later we reached Dzongri. It was a relief to have finally reached the mark destination yet we still had to wait for the moment which was due early next morning. We freshened up with some warm tea and biscuits. As we were wandering around, we were told that the students of Eklavya Model Residential School [Gangyap] who were on an excursion trip under the capable supervision of their principal and teacher would take up a cleanliness drive in the vicinity. The army of thirty students started cleaning the small stream which is used by commuters for washing and cleaning purposes. It was evident from the foul odour and the brackish water that the brooklet was extremely polluted while we formed a group amongst the porters in order to dig a pit. The task got over when it started to get extremely cold but the zeal of the students was commendable as the water in the stream looked very clean. The waste recovered had to be disposed in two big pits. The problem of toilets is more than evident in these areas.
The next morning we experienced an astounding view of the entire Khangchendzonga mountain range and took a hike to the nearby Lakshmi pokari. Back at home, the thoughts kept haunting me to write down what we came across during our trek in the hope that it would make some difference. I remember an incident where a friend of mine from Mumbai wanted to go trekking and had asked me to suggest a route. I had written him back mentioning the Yuksum-Dzongri route and after a sometime I received a mail stating that he had heard from a person who had undertaken the trek that the trail was filled with animal droppings and bad sanitary conditions.
The plight of the Yuksum-Dzongri trekking route is a serious concern that needs immediate attention of the State Tourism Department.