Up in The Clouds

As I clamor up the rocky pathway my breath turns to clouds of vapor as it comes into contact with the frosty air. A goat bleats but otherwise all is silent. My teeth chatter as I struggle up to the highest vantage point in the village. Immediately I am struck with a moment when nothing else seems to exist but what I see before me. As I look up, a predawn sky of pale pink and orange has helped form silhouettes like paper cut outs. Crisp profiles of jagged edges line up in the distance.

Stretched before me lie the Himalayas.

It is 5.30am and we are in the Darjeerling-Sikkim region of Northern India in the village of Sandakphu and it is literally freezing cold. A glacial wind whips around us as we stand at the apex of The Singalila Ridge. Utam, our guide tells us that for him this is the definitive moment that makes the hard slog of getting here worthwhile. This is the moment when the mind stops chattering and is totally absorbed in something bigger than itself.

A white wall of snow, ice and rock is revealed moment by moment in different shades and shadows as the sun climbs into view. A sense of peace and wonder overtakes us. Utam smiles broadly. Quietly he points out Mt. Kanchenjunga. For two days, framed by alpine forest its vast white mass was projected against a cloudless blue sky. It had been our constant companion as we have trodden, tripped and traversed up a thousand meters, down a thousand meters, up and down, for roughly 25kms. Utam then points to Everest and The Three Sisters nearby. They are only 144kms away as the crow flies but the illusion of perspective suggests they could be close enough to touch. For each mountain Utam relates folkloric tales that highlight the influence these giants have had on the spiritual and cultural lives of the people of his region. He has led literally thousands of people on treks here. To all he speaks of this place with a humble authority which has helped inform and inspire them to care about this environment.