Day trek from Lhonak to Pang Pema

We leave Lhonak at first light, wrapped up against the cold, with breakfast eaten and water bottles filled the night before. The trail follows the lateral moraine of the Kangchenjunga Glacier, gently at first and then with some loose, rocky sections where you need to watch your feet. The altitude makes every step slower; our guide sets an even pace, keeps the group together and calls regular stops for water and snacks.

After about 3–4 hours the trail reaches Pang Pema, a shelf of grass and stones beside the moraine. The north face of Kanchenjunga stands across the glacier, with hanging ice and long ridges leading up to the summit, more than 3,000 m above you. Our guide points out the North Ridge route climbed in 1979 and the peaks around the head of the glacier. Prayer flags left by expeditions flutter on cairns at the edge of the shelf.

We spend as long as the weather and your head allow, usually half an hour to an hour, with hot drinks from a flask and time for photographs. Then we walk back to Lhonak in 2–3 hours, often against a cold afternoon wind. If anyone shows signs of altitude sickness, we turn around early, whatever the distance left. The next day we begin the descent toward Kambachen and Ghunsa, where the air feels rich again.