Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [175]
One hour beyond Soe is the settlement of Takethang, a cluster of stone houses on a plateau at 3940m. The villagers grow barley and a large succulent plant called kashaykoni that is fed to the yaks during winter.
The trail follows straight across the plateau, high above the river. It then crosses a little stream on a bridge made of big stones laid on logs. On the opposite side are a white chorten, an outreach clinic and the few houses of Dangochang. The people of this village raise yaks and a few sheep, and some households grow potatoes, turnips and radishes. This area is snowbound from mid-November until the end of March; one resident said the snow can be so deep they have to pee out of the second-floor windows, but this sounds like another Bhutanese myth.
It is slow going uphill beside a side stream to the camp at Jangothang (4080m) and a spectacular view of Jhomolhari. The ruins of a small fortress sit atop a rock in the middle of the side valley that leads northwest to Jhomolhari. A chain of snow peaks forms the eastern side of the Paro Chhu valley and it’s often possible to spot blue sheep on the lower slopes.
There’s a community hall with a kitchen and several large flat spots for camping. This is a popular trek route and Jangothang is one of the most spectacular camping places in the entire Himalaya. You are unlikely to have the camp to yourself.
The guidelines for pack animals require that you now exchange your horses for yaks from Soe or horses from Dangochang. Don’t be alarmed when your loads get dumped at the camp and the animals disappear down the valley, leaving you alone with a mountain of baggage. If all goes well, the replacement pack animals will show up on schedule when you are ready to leave.
Day 4: Acclimatisation Day & Exploration of Jangothang
If going on to Lingzhi, you should spend a day here for acclimatisation. If you are returning to Drukgyel Dzong on the Jhomolhari trek 2, a day in Jangothang is the highlight of the trek; the views don’t get any better than here. There are lots of day hikes you can make and a day here is very well spent.
There are four major possibilities for day hikes. The first, and best, is a three- to four-hour excursion up the ridge to the north of the camp. There’s no trail, but it’s a broad open slope and you can just scramble up it. The ridge is endless, but after an hour or so of climbing there is a good view of Jichu Drakye, although the upper part of the ridge blocks the view of Jhomolhari unless you continue to the highest ridge at 4750m. You are likely to encounter grazing yaks, and occasionally blue sheep, on the upper slopes.
A second alternative, which can be combined with the walk up the ridge, is to trek up the main valley towards the last house, then continue up the valley towards Jichu Drakye. You will see much of this country if you trek over Nyile La to Lingzhi.
A third hike is to go up towards the head of the valley in the direction of Jhomolhari. There is a very rough overgrown trail that cuts across moraines and through brush that leads to the foot of the mountain. You can’t get very far, but there are good views in the upper part of the valley.
The last alternative is an expedition to Tshophu, a high-altitude lake. High on the opposite side of the river to the east is a bowl with a lake that has a good supply of spotted trout. To get to the lake, follow the trail north to the last settlement in the valley (as described in Day 5 of the Jhomolhari trek 2). It takes about one hour to get to the top of the ridge and then another 30 minutes following a stream to the lake.
Day 5: Jangothang to Lingzhi
18km / 6-7 hours / 840m ascent, 870m descent
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