Trek Gordom-Shrikhola – Little buggers buzz around you like crazy

20. April 2025

 

 

The accommodation had set up a stand with catering for crazy runners! A Hell Race was taking place here, the Buddha Trails. The Hells Race offers crazy runs for enthusiastic people in various areas of India. There are usually different programmes for different levels. Here is their website: https://thehellrace.com/.

 

The Buddha Trails offers an optimum of 65 kilometres, which must be completed in 15 hours. You have to climb over 3,000 metres in altitude and descend again. The first 17 km alone include 2,000 metres in altitude. At my accommodation, they had just completed 9 km and 600 metres in altitude. There were actually around 100 people registered for this route. The lodge’s daughter kept a record: 95 had also arrived here. They were all still in a very good mood and seemed quite relaxed. Incidentally, they were all local names, no westerners among them. The proportion of women seemed quite high to me.

 

I filmed more, but here are a few photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The conditions of participation state what you need to have with you: Mobile phone, headlamp, hydration pack – and also running shoes. This gentleman did not fulfil the latter requirement:

 

 

Unfortunately, I only saw the first one run past from my bed – it was Som Bahadur Thami, who ran it in an incredible 6 hours 44 minutes and 27 seconds. A new course record. Here is his Instagram. Everyone in the lodge was already on their feet, applauding, cheering and in a good mood. And I was very pleased to have experienced that too.

 

Later, the 30 km runners arrived, we had breakfast and then I got to see a little highlight: very young 3-day-old kittens:

 

 

I really liked it there, but finally we left.

 

 

So it continued to go well downhill. My thighs were a little sore and my knees told me that they had already been strained the day before, but it wasn’t too bad.

 

 

There was a large landslide nearby the river:

 

 

It was actually quite pretty here – but there were zillions of mini beetles buzzing around you and sitting on you, driving you crazy. So I just took a few photos and moved on to where the wind drove them away.

 

 

 

It was getting warm, the air humid, but we soon made it and reached Shrikhola.

 

 

I think this photo was taken back then, but I couldn’t find the exact spot:

 

 

In Shrikhola there was another race refreshment station, a car with a German banner and interesting road construction:

 

 

 

 

Our taxi was also waiting here, which we used to pick up the luggage I had left behind and drive to Darjeeling.

 

 

On the way to Rimbick we met other runners and were able to see the finish line. The first one was already there, but had disappeared somewhere. I would have liked to stare at him in awe.

 

 

The journey took some time. We had lunch and then it rained again.

 

 

 

The rest of the day is told quickly: Darjeeling was still bursting at the seams because of the ‘Easter holidays’. However, Asish had booked me cheap accommodation with a gentleman who used to be a guide at the DAV Summit Club and so on. Now he worked as a teacher and homestay owner. It was interesting to chat to him. I enjoyed a great shower, went out for the evening but was completely overwhelmed by the crowds and quickly crawled back in.

 

Conclusion of the trek: Quasi disappointing, which I had already thought beforehand. But not quite to the same extent. And the weather also played its part. Perhaps I would recommend the short loop. But even if the vegetation and fauna are varied and interesting, it’s not really my kind of mountain world. Despite all the challenges, I’m still very glad to have done the tour and to really know more about it.

 

However, this was also suboptimal: a physically and mentally exhausting family trip and then a trek, which is also exhausting on both levels. I had hoped for peace and quiet and happiness in the mountains, which was a good thought, but not the reality.

 

My time was short and I still wanted to go to Sikkim (after 9 years!) and see Gopal and family again and discover a bit more! I also had the urge to learn as much about tourism as possible for myself and Diamir. But I actually felt exhausted.

 

So what awaited me in Sikkim? Next blog post!