Sunrise at Nagaor Gumba
I was not expecting a sunrise mountain view. But Raj insisted it was worth it from Nagaor Gumba. So, the alarm went off at 5am. Thankfully it was not far to the view point. And to be fair the sunrise was nice. Unlike many sunrise mountain views this one has a long stretch to it.
Tree lines here are relatively low, then there’s rolling channels of cloud followed by a ridge of mountains. Above them are the snow capped Himalayas.
Then it was back to the teahouse for pancakes, a bowl of porridge (I was hungry) and off we went. Todays trek was going to be a short one. But one that boggled my head thanks to a lot of misinformation out there about Pikey Peak.
Forests and mountains
Despite being a short day, the trail was harder to navigate today than on any other day. It’s not a well-trekked area and there are only a few lodges around. Lots of small farming trails add to the predicament of which way to go. Again, I congratulate the locals and not the officials for putting up what little signage there is. We follow the ridgeline and the trail is fairly even and enjoyable with snow-capped mountains watching us make our way closer.
This is part of the Pikey Peak trek that sets it apart from the shorter Dhap itinerary. Here we are in what feels like a much more untouched, remote area in the mountains as opposed to a well-beaten path. It’s along this route that another cheese factory appears to the south. I’ve pretty much had my fill of cheese factories in Nepal. They are a shed, where lurking in the dark are some buckets of cheese. There are no free samples. They are rarely open. Even cheese lovers will be hard-pressed to get excited. But there you go, they still make the maps.
We finally get to look down at what Raj tells us is Pikey Peak basecamp. Blue and green tin roofs cover the top of a scare few lodges at base camp. There’s plenty more being built which is a sign of what’s expected in the future.
Pikey Peak will be the new Poon Hill
The news that had my head in a spin
We’ve had multiple Deuralis, at least 4 Bhandars, and a two Nagaor’s. Yet, when Raj sat down over lunch with an all knowing grin I was still surprised.
“So, will we go up Pikey Peak today?”
“Weathers good,” I replied. “Do you want to continue on and shorted the trek?”
“No,” laughed Raj. “Tomorrow we have to do the other Pikey Peak!”
“What other Pikey Peak?”
“There are two Pikey Peaks!”
So there it is. The news that did my head in. I’ve done due diligence with research on this trek. And nowhere, not even on the less than truthful trekking companies “take a tour” websites did anyone mention there were two Pikey Peaks. I wondered if any of these agencies ever even went on the trek.
Trekking Pikey Peak II
“Climbing Pikey Peak” seems like an ambitious title. Pikey Peak is a large hill, not a towering mountain peak. At 4,060 meters, it’s nearly 900 meters higher than Poon Hill, but just over the 4,000-meter mark. So technically, it’s a trek (cough, climb). Realistically, it’s a 60-minute trek up, or 90 minutes if you’re like me and still dazzled by the fact that nobody told you there are two Pikey Peaks.
Pikey Peak I is 4,060m and Pikey Peak II is 4,068m. We were going up the 4,060m one this afternoon, just in time for the winds to kick in. Tomorrow morning, we’ll climb up Pikey Peak II and then continue with the trek. However, if you want to cut the day short, you can easily continue on from here, though probably only with enough time for one Pikey Peak. Make it the taller one – there’s no real difference, but the prayer flags currently look nicer on Pikey Peak I.
At the top, the wind was blowing. Mountains surrounded us. To the north were the towering peaks of the Everest Himalayan Range, while to the west stood the mighty Annapurna range. We had 360-degree viewpoints that seemed to span over all of Nepal. I’ll give credit where it’s due – if you’re looking for a short, relatively easy trek offering views you won’t get anywhere else, Pikey Peak is the one. Tomorrow at dawn, we’ll go the extra 8 meters up to Pikey Peak II, and I’ll let you know which summit provides the better vantage point!
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