Bhutan's Druk Path Trek. Day 3.

After a refreshing night's sleep,our second in the wilderness,I woke up to bright sunshine beating down on our tent.With the last day's experience I did not bother to try to view the sunrise.Instead I woke up leisurely and took a stroll around the campsite.The ground was damp with dew and it was still a bit cold even with the sunshine.The area nearby was a mess with the horse droppings.Gingerly avoiding these droppings I made my way around and took a complete circular stroll. The weather was still hazy denying us,for the third day,any views of the snow capped mountains in the distance.

After a leisurely breakfast we started off on our trail. We set off exactly in the opposite direction of where we came from the day before.Our trail today took us through another rhododendron filled section of the forest. The flowers shone bright red against the green of the other trees.Had I had a better camera than my Panasonic Lumix I would have been able to capture much better pictures of these beautiful flowers.

Sangayji having some fun while Durgaji and Satya look on.

We had started off at 3610 MSL at 0740 Hrs in the morning and our goal was to reach Jana Tsho which was at 3830 MSL. There are multiple ways to reach this campsite and taking stock of our group Sangayji decided to take the shortest one. This was because satya was feeling sick.He had headache and a slight fever. It looked like he did not acclimatize properly as usually he doesn't get sick easily.Also Ishita didi's stomach travails did not subside completely. So it was decided to take the shortest and the most easy route to Jana Tsho.The one thing we missed is a lake that lies on the long route. We weren't disappointed though instead we were glad of the less distance to cover.

The terrain initially was similar to the previous days.Green forests for most of the time.Midway into the day's trek we came across a stream.The sound of the gushing water reached us much before we even had a glimpse of the waters.We walked along the stream for sometime and then came across a small bridge over it.Here we stopped for a while to take much needed rest and shoot some pics as well.We resumed our walk and 30 mins later had a small snack break under a cool shade.After that break the landscape seemed to be changing as we neared our destination.From the green belt in the initial part we marched into a rocky and barren landscape.We were now on the top of a hill and we could see layers of hills in all directions surrounding us.We walked over this desolate landscape for over an hour to finally reach our campsite at 3830 MSL at 1145 Hrs.

This campsite nearby the lake Jana Tsho was the best of all the campsites this trek has to offer. Our tents were set up near the lake which was nestled cozily along the foot of a hill.There was the lake and the hill behind it on one side.On the opposite side there was a gradual drop into the valley.The other two sides had our trail,passing through the campsite.Far away we could see the mountains but again no sights of any big peaks.

As soon as we reached we sat down on the warm grass to give our tired legs some rest as we took in the wonderful atmosphere.Our support team served us lunch there itself.It was on one of the most scenic and memorable lunches I ever had next only to the apple I ate near the Roopkund lake the year before.After lunch we chose our tents and tucked inside the sleeping bags for a quick nap. Our brief reverie was broken by a gentle patter of rain drops on our tent roof.We rushed outside to have a look. Sangayji was rushing around gathering some branches of the nearby bushes.We asked him what he was upto.To which he replied that he was going to build a fire and drive those rain clouds away.I was incredulous. Ravi said that what sangayji was doing was indeed correct.Technically it could be done but the success probability was very less. Anyway we watched him do it and to me it didn't seem to make any difference. Later with some more dry branches he built a small bon fire and we all gathered around its warmth. A little later it started raining again.This time it was a mix of rain and snow. We ran back to our tents and settled down inside the warm sleeping bag.I flipped open my tent covers now and then to just look at the snow.It was all very beautiful. Late evening we had our dinner early and slept after idle chatter late into the night..

Quick Facts
Starting Point- Jangchulakha (3610MSL)
End Point - Jana Tsho (3830 MSL)

Other Days Posts-
Prologue
Hike to Taktsang Monastery
Day 1
Day 2