Trails and Treasures

A day of adventure!

We were ready to leave camp at 7:30 a.m., but our local guide hadn’t shown up.  He finally arrived looking like a preppy in a white shirt, blue pullover, and tennis shoes.  We walked by his house where he at least changed into hiking boots.  In the village, the steep paths were muddy from the previous evening’s rain and very slippery.

Nimshong to road: 4 mi/6.5km; 3-4 hrs; alt. gain 2050’; alt. loss 2952’

After we left the village the path was not so muddy and slippery.  It alternated between steep declines and gradual lengths along a road in progress.  Then, as we neared the river we heard blasts and suddenly a huge cloud of dust came around the corner.  Everything—camera, binoculars—became coated in dust.  I quickly pulled up my buff.  The 3000’ descent to the Mangdichu (Mangde River) took about an hour.

When we got to where the road ended and they were blasting, we discovered the suspension bridge was inaccessible.  A temporary bridge had been erected just over the rocks. 

Final bridge over Mangde Chhu

More importantly, the road trail couldn’t be used.  One had to descend a huge pile of rocks.  Note the person getting ready to ascend the pile in the following photo.

Rocky descent from road trail to river

All the villagers thought nothing of traversing this pile loaded down with supplies, but it was not my cup of tea.  Peldenand the local guide moved rocks and created short stops for my feet to guide me down and then over another pile to the bridge.

Rock pile at river

Once across the Mangdichu we waited a bit for the other porters.  Only three had left with us—one woman and two old men.  But we soon gave up waiting and started the hot, dusty, 2000-ft. climb up the mountain to the road. 

We started around 7:45 and got to the road a little after 11.  Our driver was waiting, but the van was on the other side of the avalanche.  He had climbed over the huge pile of rock still on the road along with the driver for the cook and his helper.  We waited some more for the cook and the rest of the porters, but we soon gave up and headed for the rock pile in the road. 

Avalanche on road

 Some of the porters crossed without problem, so Pelden, the local guide and our driver helped me over.  It really wasn’t too bad except for the fear of further avalanche.  Of course, it was a long ways down.

Mangde Chhu Gorge

Dust from dropping rocks from road into Mangde Chhu gorge

The driver went back over again to help the other porters while we waited and waited and waited. 

Porters waiting and waiting

Finally about 12:30 Pelden served me lunch.  I was surprised we had my lunch with us. 

Serving lunch beside the road

The workers clearing the avalanche had been absent when we reached the road, but they returned from lunch around 1.  Then it got really dusty as they lifted loads of rock and tipped them over the side of the mountain. 

Excavator at rest

The cook, driver, et al arrived around 2:15.  The cook had waited at camp for more porters, but they never showed up.  Instead he had to go round up two people to act as porters plus carry a load himself.  They had finally left camp at 11, more than three hours after we did.  Our driver had gone down to the river and helped them move all the equipment across the river and up to the road.

 We finally headed for Trongsa around 2:30.  Along the way we saw more langurs.

Black-faced Langur

Nabji to Nimshong (4265’): 6.2mi, 4-6hrs; small ups and downs.

 After a relatively short downhill from Nabji, we crossed the river on logs. 

Crossing river on logs

Then the trail climbed only a short way up the mountain before contouring around the mountain on a wide flat trail.  We passed individual farms, rather than a village.

Most of the bridges on the trail are simple affairs.

There were a few rocky places before we took a break about 10:30.  Then we began a small climb with the porters out in front.

The terrain was easier than on previous days as the trail passed through lush broadleaf forest without any steep climbs or declines.

We ate lunch (12:30-1:10) at a chorten on a hill just before reaching the village of Nimshong. 

Of course, to get to the village we had to  walk down and then up.  Nimshong is a small farming village of about 58 households (465 people).

The camp (4397’) was located above Nimshong near the school.  We arrived around 2 p.m. 

From here we could see the road—blocked by an avalanche—and two huge excavators working to remove the rock.  Every so often the machines would move away and there would be blasting, throwing up huge plumes of dust.  To find the blue excavator look about half-way up about one-third of the way towards the right from the left side of the picture.  The road essentially bisects the picture.  The yellow excavator is obscured by the dust.

Unfortunately, the avalanche was between the end of the trail and where our driver would pick us up.  How were we going to get around it?

Kudra (Kubdra) to Nabji (4,000′): 7.5mi; 5-6 hrs; small ups & downs.

If the humidity hadn’t been about 99%, this would have been a lovely walk.  The air just seemed to hang with the clouds, dark and heavy.

The vegetation in areas cleared of trees but no longer farmed was thick with brush.

I saw my first hornbill,

more marijuana,

waterfalls,

and great views down to the Mangde Chhu.

The trail reminded me of the Appalachian Trail–lots of leaves, rocks, and tree roots.

The elevations were higher than the AT in Maryland and Pennsylvania where I’ve the most miles, but the vegetation was far more tropical.

Banana Palms

Enormous Philodendrons

With two breaks and a lunch stop, it took me about 6 1/2 hours to reach Nabji, which was very different than the small Monpas villages of Jangbi and Kudra.  The people of Nabji live in a cluster of homes on a small hill above their extensively terraced rice fields.

From the point where these photos were taken, it was another 3/4-hour walk downhill to the village as the fields extend quite a ways to the right of my photos, and it was down!

Zhangbi  (Shangbi, Jangbi) to Kudra: 8.7 mi (13-14.5 km), about 6 hrs; couple of steep climbs/descents 

We left Jangbi at 7:30a; it was cloudy. 

Marijuana along trail

We headed down and stopped after an hour at a chorten.  

Chorten along trail below Jangbi

Before we left this resting place, the cook and Pelden did some pack readjustments on the ponies while the local guide watched. 

Pack readjustment

It was the first day of March and I expected to see wildflowers in this temperate climate.  But alas, there were few to be seen, so this was a rare find. 

For the most part, the forest consisted of broadleaf trees, 

but occasionally there was a small grove of chir pine. 

Then it was down some more along a stream 

before crossing a bridge (10am) to start up again.  

Before crossing the bridge we passed along a rocky cliff face. 

The sure-footed, barefoot villagers have used these trails for centuries, but they do not resemble our well-groomed trails. 

After climbing for about an hour we reached some fields.  The building was not a house, at least not one used year-round. 

After another 15 minutes of climbing we found the porters taking a rest.  Many of the porters were women.  As to why some things were transported on ponies and others were carried on people’s backs, I don’t know. 

There was one more final push towards the top. 

Well, it really wasn’t the TOP, but soon we began to descend along the cliff face. 

Guru Rinpoche passed this way when he traveled from Nabji to Bumthang, and he left imprints of his footsteps, dagger and phallus in the rocks.  But all Pelden ever pointed out was Guru Rinpoche’s foothold.  

As the trail continued its route around and out of the ravine, there was a good view of the trail along the cliff face. 

Cliff face with Guru Rinpoche's foothold

Just before we stopped for lunch around 12:15-12:30, we saw two black-faced langurs.  

Not long after lunch it started to rain, so I have no more pictures for the day.  

It was very hot and HUMID walking in the dense forest with a poncho on.  By the time we reached camp 1 1/2 hours later at about 2:45, I was as wet inside as out. 

At Kudra (1500m), they pitched my tent under the thatched pavilion roof.  I at least had lots of space to spread out my stuff to dry, which of course it didn’t as it rained most of the night. 

I had popcorn(!) with my tea, but no meat with my remaining meals since there was a month-long Buddhist prohibition against meat. 

The porters who had carried our baggage to this point began their trip home to Jangbi at 3:30.  It had taken me 7 hours with several stops to get here, but it had taken them less and they were returning with empty backs. 

Like at Jangbi, I had visitors in Kudra even though only three households lived there.  A mother and son, along with a woman neighbor who lived 15-20 minutes away, brought me red-boiled eggs and two bottles of brew.

Nabji Trail Map

Within the boundaries of Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, the Nabji Trail uses pathways long traversed by the villagers living in Jangbi (Zhangbi, Shangbi), Kudra (Kubra, Kuda), Nabji, Korphu, and Nyimshong (Nimshong).  The trail opened in November, 2006, and is the first community-based ecotourism project in Bhutan.  The villagers manage the trail and provide services for trekkers, including camping sites, porters, ponies, and guides. 

Trailhead for Nabji Trail

 Day 1:  Tongtonphey to Zhangbi (Jangbi, 4560’); 3-4 hrs.; 5mi/8km; alt. gain 3116’; alt. loss 1968’ 

Tongtonphey to Jangbi map; note the zigzags in the road and in the trail

The local guide, Pelden and I left the trailhead at Tongtongfey (3,537’ or 3,280’) around 10:30 a.m.  The cook, his assistant, the porters and the ponies with their drivers followed later, giving us time to make the long 1800′ descent to the suspension bridge over the Mangde Chhu (11:10a).   

Crossing the Magde Chhu

Note that for trekking, Pelden wore western-style clothes.   We met quite a few people on the descent and for a while after we crossed the bridge.   There were houses scattered here and there on some of the mountainsides. 

Scattered homes on the mountainsides

 It was hot and dusty with little shade for the first hour or so of walking, but we eventually reached the forest. 

Local guide leading the way through the forest

Note that the local guide was barefoot, as were some of the porters.  The path climbed gradually for a short while, but eventually we began to climb in earnest.  We stopped several times as we caught up with the porters, et. al.  Around 12:30 p.m., we stopped for lunch at a place where the trail was reasonably level and there were a few rocks to sit on. 

The local guide and cook's assistant at lunch spot

The food for lunch on the trail was no different than in a hotel.  There was rice and a selection of four or five dishes that were carried in metal pans that fit in the large grey thermos by the cook’s assistant’s right knee.  And there was tea.  They also gave me a juice box first thing when I stopped.  Nobody but me carried water. 

The rocky trail up to Jangbi

After lunch the trail climbed steeply to Jangbi, which we reached around 2 p.m.   The campsite was very nicely situated with a view over the Mangde Chhu valley. 

I was served tea in front of my tent with a view.  The porters had brought a canvas folding chair for me to sit on.

Jangbi

 Zhangbi is a Monpas village with a community school.  The Monpas are thought to be the first settlers in Bhutan.  According to one source, there are only 42 households with just over 250 Monpas left in region.  For more on the Monpas, see this scholarly article.

A house at Jangbi

I think the green strips in the following photo are bamboo.

Bamboo drying on fence

The village-provided campsite included a cookhouse with a kitchen-area and a sleeping area for the cook, his assistant, and the trekkers’ guide.

Cookhouse at Jangbi

Note the solar panels which provided enough electricity for recharging Pelden’s cellphone and my camera battery, along with a single light bulb.  Next to the cookhouse was a similarly constructed latrine.

After dinner which was served on a tray table, six local women came to visit, bringing a bowl of oranges and sugar cane, as well as three bottles of their home brew.  With a little persuasion they drank some of the liquor.  Since neither Pelden or I drank the stuff, I’m not sure what happened to the rest.