Jomolhari treks in Bhutan
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 | Helping Hand
Jhomolhari, aka Chomolhari or Jumolhari, whatever the spelling of Bhutan’s second biggest peak, trekking to Jhomolhari is the most preferred trek in Bhutan for trekkers that truly feel they are in a fair enough shape. Praised as distinct from trekking in Nepal, Bhutan treks lead through very few villages thus offer significantly reduced contact with native people. Bhutanese Himalaya only have handful of out of the way communities and to reach there demands to struggle over a number of Himalaya’s most formidable passes. In Nepal, on the other hand, trekkers pass through a lot of villages that appeal to all their wants and needs, in particular providing comfy places to stay. Trekking in Bhutan is camp out only. Even though Bhutan provides two or three soft treks well suited for a recreational hiker, all high altitude treks in Bhutan package not only steep ascents and descents everyday and traverse multiple high passes, requiring one needs to walk perhaps 8 or 9 hours a day, most importantly it is the high altitude which is the major worry for all trekkers. Many folks appear to still wrongly assume that being young or in good physical shape they’ll not have to endure the side effects of high altitude. But the premise is incorrect as altitude effects each of us in a unique fashion, for this reason before you may start encountering altitude sickness on the Jhomolhari trek it makes sense you make a decision on your alternatives how to proceed when that may happen to you prior to leaving Paro.
Jhomolhari trek Bhutan is just the trek you get best informed about before you sign up. First four days are fairly easy and you should arrive at Jangothang. You should plan on some seven hours per day on the trail with altitude gain of some 1,200 to 1,800 feet a day. Once you get to Jangothang you will have arrived at a destination with a magnificent view of Jhomolhari, and quite simply that is what you came for.
Though there may be some pursuit to be done when you get here, it is likely that by this point you will start sensing some signs of the altitude sickness on account of being over 12,000 feet above sea level. The decision time will be here. Rest a day doing as little as possible and see if you get acclimatized. If your headache and sickness will ease off you’ll have two choices. If you’ll think you are really have no problem with altitude, then go on the following day to the remote village of Lingzhi. But fact is it is not a stroll. Picture the Bactrian double-hump camel and you have the trek profile for what lies ahead regarding getting to Lingzhi and beyond that on to Thimphu. After you get started you’ll have to continue on. No turning back!
Those two humps are two major passes of some 15,000 feet, and Lingzhi is way on the bottom in the middle of those two humps. So that implies you will encounter long and intense trekking up and down and up and down again. If you like a number envision 3,000 feet steeply uphill, then 3,000 feet steeply downhill and you will get to reiterate that more than just couple times to get to Thimphu. Regarding distance that translates to some 10 to 17 miles a day. If you were in self-denial that you were feeling fine and felt no harmful effects of the altitude, never mind the physical suffering you might be experiencing, be prepared you will go through consequences of your bad call. No reason to scare you with the phrases the likes of pulmonary edema or cerebral edema, only the absolute lethargy and nausea will do you in well to where at the end you likely remember next to nothing of the attractiveness of the Chomolhari trek.Should you be frank with yourself and conclude you can take on additional passes but alternatively go with a touch less difficult route than the one via Lingzhi, then choose trekking back to Paro via “Chomolhari trek 2″ over the passes of Bhonte La, Thakung La and Thombu La, each progresively lower but nevertheless above 12,000 feet.
If you are truly out of it, with gigantic headache, nausea, not eating, barely managing to put some hot tea into yourself, tell your guide you prefer to return to Paro the way you got here, back down via Drukgyel Dzong, the very same gradual way, retracing your steps, no surprises. Good job, you most likely made a correct decision which is beneficial to all, you as well the fellow members of your party and your guide.