Dzongri trek - Day 1 - Yuksom to Sajan

Light walking my arse! This was tough going from the outset - probably not for alpine pro's but for a couple that had spent the past few months chowing down on curry and lounging on exotic beaches the prospect of 10km of undulating terrain was in all honesty quite frightening!

A dirty 6am rise was rewarded with stunning views of the, soon to be entered, Khangchendzonga range (including peaks such as Pandim at 6691m, Narsing at 5825m, Kabru at 7338m and Siniolchu at 5780m) and a breakfast that boasted more carbs than a Indian paddy field.

With the formalities of additional permits - necessary to enter the national park - out of the way and a quick glimpse of Sikkim's "greenlake" (it's deemed sacred by the indigenous Buddhists but the idea it's overgrown with algae seems more plausible) our intrepid group, lead by Chungda, set off through wheat fields along the valley- clinging track to Sajan.

Despite reports of heavy snowfall (every group we passed had given up on a summit attempt) the sun hung high above us as we clocked up kilometer after kilometer through steaming yak crap (it's amazing that an animal can walk, pee and poo at the same time), across pulse-racing bridges and round gravity defying ledges on the way to Sajan where tents would form the shelter for our first night.