Trek to Pikey Peak- A Travel Story

It was the month of January; we decided to go on a short trek. My college friends who were interested in trekking made a list of few trekking destinations which could complete within a week.

The main reason for the trek was Brijesh Lamichhane;my friend who came from Australia for a few weeks. His willingness to trek during the visit to Nepal, and we went out discussing different ideal destinations. Most of my friends chose to go towards the Annapurna region, but I had a dream to visit Solukhumbu. So, I offered the destination. After the inquiry with the friends who had been there before, we came up with the conclusion with Solukhumbu. Sonam and Tshering came up with the idea of Pikey Peak. Few of them had already been there, and they recommended that it's a beautiful trek and we should be there again.

The journey begins.

It was at the end of January; we decided to start our journey. We arranged a jeep from Kapan. The trip to Solukhumbhu is a long route to go that day, so we started early. The jeep came picking everybody on the way and picked me up from Koteshwor at 6 AM. In the beginning, with the excitement, we all started singing with the rhythm of the ukulele. Everyone was sharing their different memories, experiences, jokes, and many more.

After our lunch in Bhakunde Besi, everybody felt asleep, and the trip became silent. Sleeping for some time, everybody woke up from their short sleep and became more energetic. Singing and talking, we reached Okhaldhunga and decided to take a break. The market in Okhaldhunga was full of oranges. We got some oranges, and it tasted so fresh and sweet.

In Okhaldhunga, I felt the fresh air from my inner chest, and I felt like spending a day there. But, our destination was a long way to go, so we didn't stay for long and continue our trip. Soon, we reached Dhap;the border of Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu district. It nearly took 9 hours to reach there.

We had lunch at Dhap and stayed for nearly an hour there. Phurba Sherpa joined us there, who was a friend of Sonam. We later knew that he would be guiding us in our trek. We could see the peak of Everest, Lhotse, and many other mountain ranges. It was my first encounter with the magnificent view of Mount Everest, which was so amazing and close. We clicked a few photos and started to walk for another few hours.

We walked for around 3 hours, and we reached Japre, which was our destination for an overnight stay for the day.

We were so exhausted that we stayed in the kitchen until the dinner was ready. Everyone slept soon after we entered the bedroom.

The early morning was the beginning of the most challenging trek of our journey. We started our walk after breakfast at 8. The weather was cold, and the path was snowy. The snow was fascinating, but it also was difficult for us to walk properly. We needed to take the steps carefully.

The mesmerizing views of the mountains and landscape were so attractive; it made our trek even longer as we started capturing photos time and again. We reached a small tea house for our lunch after 4 hours walk. We spend some quality time with the music of ukulele and playing cards. Soon, we continued our trek, and the most challenging part of our trek was coming nearer.

With the increasing altitude, we kept on moving. The cold breeze hit our head hard even though; we had the hat. The route was slippery, with thick snow covering the area. We could see no settlements near, and we felt the way so long. With the higher altitude, difficulty in breathing is common in the trekking area. So, we took rest for some time.

Again considering the altitude, we kept moving on the trek and sometimes staying in between two large rocks, which would block the cold wind. Suddenly, we felt that we were lost. Even the friends who already had done this trek were confused about locating the place. The paths were all covered with snow and fog. Due to this, the visible was unclear and misty. Some of us even thought of returning, but it was too much long way back. So, we planned to stay in between the two large rocks which we found before.

The snowy paths were so thick that our legs were half-buried. It was already getting dark, but still,  we saw no settlements. We were a little scared.No mobile networks were working, so we just thought of walking and walked forward.Finally, Phurba found out the house that we were supposed to stay overnight. You just imagine how much we felt relieved. Finally, reaching there, we had dinner, a few conversations talking about the day experience, and soon fell asleep.

The next day was the final day to reach Pikey Peak. I was waiting to reach it. Experiencing struggle in the previous day, we requested Bhim Dai, owner of the house, to guide us to the top of Pikey. He accepted our request, and we started trekking straight upwards towards the destination. After 3-4 hours of hard walk, we reached The Pikey peak at an altitude of nearly 4065m. Pikey peak is regarded as one of the best viewpoints for Mount Everest. If the weather is clear, you will get to see the captivating views of the mountain range from Dhaulagiri in the west to Kanchenjunga in the east, including Annapurna, Lhotse, Makalu, and Everest.

It was our bad luck. The foggy weather didn't let us have a clear view of the mountains. Despite the mountain ranges, the snow-filled landscapes, the beautiful rocks, and prayer flags around were alluring. We enjoyed the moment. The cold wind hit our body hard, so we spend less time there, capturing a few photos, and went further. We had to cross the peak and go in the opposite direction where we came.

We were grateful for the help of Bhim dai, who guided throughout the way. Now, it was time to say Goodbye. Moving downwards, we enjoyed the slippery snowy paths. We kept on slipping safely instead of walking. The dense jungle-covered with snow made our trek more adventurous. Soon, we reach our lunch point after 3 hours of walk. We were so tired that we spent an hour there taking rest. After lunch, we targeted reaching Salleri; the headquarter of Solukhumbu district. Walking on, we felt so exhausted, and our speed became slow. We reached Junbesi ain 3 hours of walking, and we agreed to spend the night there thinking of reaching Salleri the next day.

Coming closer to Salleri, we felt comfortable with the temperature. The paths were easy. Sherpa dai, the owner of the hotel in Salleri, recommended us to use the vehicle, but we preferred to walk. With nearly 6 hours of walk, we reached Salleri having lunch in the midway.

Salleri is a beautiful place with many infrastructures and facilities. We stayed in a cozy hotel in the center of the market area. We were exhausted, so we decided not to go anywhere and rest in the room for that day. Another day, we visited the Salleri Bazar, encountering the shops, and enjoying the local foods.

We planned to visit Phaplu airport, which was near to the place and spend a short time there. We called a friend who stuck in Lukla and asked him if he could fly in Phaplu and spend a day with us. As the weather was not favorable, he could not arrive that day. Subin Karki took us to his maternal house in Salleri; he spent his childhood there. After spending a few time there, we returned to the hotel for overnight.

Finally, we departure for Kathmandu early in the morning. On the jeep, all of us were reviewing the trip and sharing experiences. Most of us found it as the most adventurous trek that we have ever done. On reaching Dhap, we captured a few drone shots as the weather was clear, and the view was mesmerizing. While coming back, we stopped in Vankude Besi in our friend's resort. We had a delicious meal there. A total of 13 hours and were back to Kathmandu.

Trek to Pikey Peak added in the list of my favorite treks ever. We had outstanding and adventurous memories throughout the trek. Pikey Peak Trek is a beautiful short trek offering you the magnificent views of Mount Everest and the other majestic mountains. If you are thinking of a  short trek and you dream of seeing Mount Everest closer, then I recommend you for the Pikey Peak Trek. You will feel worth it.

We are glad to make your travel stories. Thankyou Sandesh Paudel for sharing your experiences with us.