Gosainkunda Trek: A Battling Victory Before Disaster

Author: Shankar Poudel
MBBS First year, MMC, IOM

It all began with a dream—the vision of standing within the naked hills, feeling the speedy, strong winds, and immersing myself in the calm beauty I had only seen through travel photos and videos. It was mid-September, and the monsoon stayed yet. It was my first trek planning and forcing by myself with four of us fully inexperienced. Fatalities due to altitude sickness over there in recent times and the season for folk belief of mysterious flowers blooming on the trail filled me with doubt. I thought not once, not twice, but many times before heading for this journey directly from our Community Health Diagnosis (CHD) program.

The time was too limited as CHD was in its final stages. The trek, which typically takes five days or more, needed to be completed in just three. Despite these challenges, the stage was set, and the four of us began our feeble preparations for the challenging journey ahead.

We started from Kolputar, Nuwakot, reaching Dhunche, the headquarters of Rasuwa. The trek officially began there. We trek for 4 hours, enjoying every shallow breath trying to escape from our mouth along with the rushing sound of nearby waterfalls and the mesmerizing trail through Langtang National Park. All these were unknowingly helping us to move one foot after another. We reached Chandanbari/Sing Gompa (3250m) to stay the night, and there was no sign of altitude sickness yet. The bone-chilling water everywhere, even in the bathroom, was an unforgettable and dreadful experience being in the Himalayas for the first time.

The Turning Point: Lauribina

The next day before the sun broke, we set out again and soon reached Lauribina (3,900 m). This is where the real challenge began. A team of four divided into a team of me alone and a team of the rest three. One dealing with the epistaxis and another with extreme shortness of breath with a pale face. The time limit of 3 days was running out, and my personal dream of making it not only to Gosainkunda (4380 m) but to Suryakunda (4610 m) was fading gradually. After having a discussion with my mates, I decided to literally run from there up to Gosainkunda, suggesting they come slowly. I crossed the path of 45 minutes from Buddha Mandir (4150 m) to Gosainkunda in just 20 minutes, running constantly. 

As we were from CHD, I had no warm clothes but only a thin windcheater, a T-shirt, and with a Nepali Dhaka Topi, I pressed on. Even without having basic supplies like acetazolamide—although we bought it—I rushed toward Suryakunda, covering the 1-hour-45-minute trail in just 35 minutes. It was an amazing experience passing by Lord Shiva’s holy Trishul striking point along with 2 ponds on the way. The high-altitude wind felt like it was piercing through my head and ears. But the satisfaction of completing the trail up to Suryakunda in just 9 hours was incredible.

Fig 1: Clicking Picture With The Suryakunda Board

The Price of Over-Ambition

As soon as I returned to Gosainkunda, altitude sickness hit me. Nausea, a throbbing headache, blurred vision, bluish nail beds, and extreme weakness made it impossible for me even to stand. Thankfully, my friends had just arrived and were ordering for lunch there at Gosainkunda. I was with no appetite and only struggling to skip vomiting. We quickly began our descent, but blurred vision and extreme weakness made it quite difficult for me to even walk for descent.

Fig 2: Clicking Picture With Gosainkunda At Background While Returning

Finally, we made it. That night, the muscle cramps I experienced were unbearable, yet satisfactory. It was a journey full of unpredictableness, a journey leading myself a step closer to learning the consequences of not following the rules of mighty nature and obviously lifelong memorable stunning views.

Lessons from the Trail

This trek taught me valuable lessons about preparation, endurance, and respect for the mighty mountains and altitude. It was more than a physical journey; it was an experience of self-discovery and growth that I will cherish and remember forever as the first trek. This unprepared journey enlightened me with the famous quote of Sir Edmund Hillary: it’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.