The Center of The World.

The Center of The World., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

There is a old legend of Asia, of a great sacred mountain which is the center of the world and from its flanks emerge four mighty rivers of the east which bring sustenance to the region

There are no mountains like the Himalayas for in them lie Kailash & Mansarovar
-The Skanda Purana

To the early Aryans it was Mount Meru not only the navel of the Earth but the centre of the universe as well. On its summit is located the Swarga – the heaven – presided over by the king of the Hindu Gods, Indra, who is also the God of rains that bring prosperity to the vast food bowl of the Gangetic plains.

To the modern Hindu's it is known as Kailash (Crystal), where The Great God Shiva resides along with Parvati his consort.

To the Tibetan Buddhists it is known as Tise (Ice Peak) or Kang Rinpoche. (the Precious Snow Mountain) and regard it as the dwelling place of Demchog (also known as Chakrasamvara) and his consort, Dorje Phagmo.

The Bön,. the religion which predates Buddhism in Tibet, maintain that the entire mystical region and the Nine story Swastika Mountain ( Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring) and its the seat of all Spiritual power.

For Jains, this is the region of Mount Ashtapada, on the summit of which Rishabanatha, the first tirthankar, gained spiritual liberation.

It rises to a height of 6,638 m (21,778 ft) and remains unclimbed.
From time immemorial it has been the goal of pilgrims and explorers and the legends that surround it make it one of the most sacred and revered mountains in the world.

Mount Kailash is also the source of four major rivers: the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Karnali and the Sutlej. The comparison to the Indian legend of Mount Meru from whose summit flows four great rivers that irrigate all of Asia is hard to miss.

Eighteen miles southeast of Kailash is the circular, turquoise Lake Manasarovar, or Tso Rinpoche, [Precious Lake], a 64-mile circuit, which is rarely completed except by the most devout. Bathing in the lake, or even dousing one’s head with the holy water, is said to be of enormous spiritual benefit to those who can brave the icy water which many claim contain miraculous powers. Hindus are told that complete immersion into the lake ensures they be reborn as a god. This is a freshwater lake, three miles above sea level. There is a saltwater lake, separated by a narrow peninsula, named Raksas Tal, or "Ravan's (The Demon King of the Ramayana) lake. Pilgrims don’t bathe or circumambulate this crescent moon-shaped body of water, but do pay their respect by glancing in its direction.

Five monasteries have been rebuilt on the shores of Lake Manasarovar since 1981—before the Chinese invasion in 1959 there were eight. Fatigued pilgrims are allowed to stay in the monasteries.

Fewer than 500 Indian nationals are allowed "officially" to make the pilgrimage per year due to the Chinese and Indian governments. Most of the Indians allowed in are selected via a lottery and the ability to pay their own way (Rs. 1.5 lakhs) is evident in the fact that the majority of them are middle-aged businessmen from large cities. Lately some Indians have used the various travel tours available from Nepal to get rid of these limitations.

CCKN.(6303mtrs)

CCKN.(6303mtrs), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The summit pyramid of Chau Chau Kang Nilda (6303mtrs) peak as seen near the village of Lhossar in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh, India.

One of the first mountaineers to visit and climb in the Spiti Valley was J.O.M Roberts in 1939 and he made the first ascent of this famous peak (then known as Guan Nelda).
P.F Holmes & T.H. Braham made the second known ascent in 1955.
Since then the peak has been climbed several times and remains the first peak to be climbed in the Spiti Valley.

Bushido on the Changger Bangger

Bushido on the Changger Bangger, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The rarely seen North Faces of Kalanka & Changabang
viewed from Saf Minal, in the Kumaoni Himal Uttarakhand

• North Face Kalanaka

The Central Spur on the North Face has become one of the most sought-after lines in the Garhwal. Back in 1977 a Czechoslovakia team climbed the right side of the North Face to gain the col between Changabang and Kalanka, then up the West Ridge of the latter to the summit. Despite the use of fixed ropes, taken in the context of the era this route remains one of the most underrated achievements in the Himalaya.

Fast-forward more than 20 years. In 2001 top Americans, Carlos Buhler and Jack Roberts made the first unsuccessful attempt on the elegant Central (North) Spur.

Two years later in 2003 another American team, Sue Nott and John Varco, climbed the lower part of the spur, then used a portaledge to fix ropes through the vertical to overhanging central barrier (M6), completing all the technical difficulties and bivouacking at 6,550m before forced down by storm.

Buhler returned in 2004 with Sandy Allan and John Lyall but the attempt failed at around 6,000m.

In 2007 Nick Bullock and Kenton Cool tried another tact, climbing the big snow and ice slopes of the North East Face left of the Spur, only to be defeated on the crest of the East Ridge at over 6,300m. Another Slovienian team was also forced back later in the season.

2008 September Japanese Expedition
Thirty-one years old Kazuaki Amano, Fumitaka Ichimura (30) and Yusuke Sato (27) arrived at their 4,500m Bagini Glacier base camp on the 1st September and for the next eight days acclimatized to 5,800m. During this period they established an advanced base below the wall at 5,100m.

On the 14th they regained advanced base and the following day set off up the North East Face, taking a very similar line to the Bullock-Cool attempt. They bivouacked the first night at 6,000m and the following day made a long, almost horizontal traverse right below the upper rock walls to reach the crest of the Central Spur, where they bivouacked at c6,150m. On the 18th the three climbed most of the way through the steep section above (M5+) and bivouacked at 6,550m. They continued a short distance the following day to another bivouac at 6,600m, where they were pinned down for three long days by bad weather.

On the 22nd the weather cleared and Amano, Ichimura and Sato emerged with enough strength to go for the summit. This they reached in a 13-hour round trip from camp, and on the following day continued their descent, opting to follow the much safer line of the Central Spur directly to the glacier. After one more bivouac perched on the crest of the spur at around 6,000m, and a second on the glacier at c5,200m, they returned to base on the 24th, no doubt a trifle peckish having completed a hard 10-day alpine style ascent and descent on just five days food.

Not surprisingly, three days complete rest was necessary before they could even think about bringing down advanced base. The 1,800m route has been name Bushido.

This month, the Japanese trio’s alpine-style ascent of the 6,000-foot route won the Asian Piolet d’Or

• Changabang North Face 1st Ascent

In 1997, two Britishers Andy Cave and Brendan Murphy made the first ascent of the North Face of Changabang, a 1,600 m (5,250 ft) route involving steep, sustained ice, mixed, and rock climbing.

Unfortunately Murphy was hit by an avalanche and swept off the face to his death on the descent (Mick Fowler & Steve Sustad were also part of the same team though they were a day behind the climbers when all 4 of them teamed up to descend together because of the bad weather.)

With Andy Cave & Mick Fowler In their respective books we have two distinctive views on one of the greatest Himalayan adventures of the 1990s, the ascent of Changabang’s north face, as well as a wealth of other milestone routes from Fowler and a fascinating glimpse of Andy Cave’s background as a miner-turned-academic and mountain guide. Cave’s book, Learning to Breathe, is both unusual and engaging, giving an incisive view of hardship and tragedy from the Himalaya to the Yorkshire pit community of his youth.

Sunset over Bhagirathi III & I

Sunset over Bhagirathi III & I, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Sunset coats Bhagirathi I in Alpen Glow, as viewed from the Gangotri Glacier.

Bhagirathi I is the farthest peak of the Bhagirathi Sisters group one of the many mountains which make up the Gangotri Group. Though many attempts and routes are tried on the formidable & difficult West Buttress of Bhagirathi III (The rib of the great buttress can be seen in this shot in the shadiows), Bhagirathi I has received scant attention.

Routes & Main Ascents
It was only in 1990 that a Japanese Expedition using nearly 2000 mtrs of rope made the first ascent via its Southeast Ridge.A small team of Alpinists from Britain made a fine Alpine Style ascent in 1983 via its West Ridge, which gave them some excellent granite but tricky snow climbing. Martin Moran , Charlie Heard & John Mothersdale made the summit in a fine effort without roping up the mountain or fancy ironmongery.. But sadly during the descent Heard fell to his death
Since then there have been other attempts amongst them some Indian Teams

Namgyal Chortens near Shey.

Namgyal Chortens near Shey., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Hundreds of crumbling chortens dot the landscape in Ladakh, the largest array is to be found in the desert east of Shey, the former capital of the Namgyal Kings who ruled Ladakh from the mid 1500's to the late 1800's

These Chortens are the Tibetan equivalent of the North Indian stupas & Chattris in Rajasthan - large hemispherical burial mounds-cum-devotional objects, prominent in Buddhist ritual since the third century BC. Made of mud and stone (now also concrete), many chortens were erected as acts of piety and remembrances by Ladakhi nobles

Some contain sacred manuscripts that, like the chortens, wither and decay in time, illustrating the central Buddhist doctrine of impermanence.

It is customary to pass a chorten in a clockwise direction: the ritual of circumambulation mimics the passage of the planets through the heavens, and is believed to ward off evil spirits.

A short way downhill from the big chorten, near the radio station, stands an even more monumental symbol of devotion. The 500-metre Mani Ringmo ( A wall made of up discarded Mani Stones), erected by King Deldan Namgyal in 1635 for his father Senge Namgyal one of the most successful of the dynasty who is still revered as he built many important monasteries (Hemis,Stakna and Chemre) & also built the Leh Palace.

Mani Ringmo
Ranging from a couple of meters to over a kilometer in length, these walls are made of hundreds of thousands of stones, each inscribed with prayers or sacred mantras - usually the invocation Om Mani Padme Hum: "Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus". They are hand carved and then discarded no matter how fine the carving again to show the impermanence of things and the curtailment of desire.

Such stones should never be removed and visitors should resist the urge to climb onto the walls to have photographs taken.

Panchchuli Range from Kasauni

Panchchuli Range from Kasauni, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

As with other peaks in the region these peaks too are revered and are named after the five Pandava brothers from the Indian epic Mahabharat.As per legend the peaks represent their cooking hearths (chulis) where they cooked their last meal before ascending to heaven from the nearby Swargarohini peaks

The Panch Chuli peaks lie in Eastern Kumaun and form the watershed between the Gori and the Darma Ganga valleys.

The eastern approaches are through Sona and Meola Glaciers. The Uttari and Dakhini Balati glaciers guard the western approaches. All of these glaciers have huge ice falls and it is because of these icefalls and approaches that the peaks are so seldom attempted.
The peaks are numbered NW to SE, I (6355m/20851ft), II (6904m/22652ft) , III (6312m/2071 Oft), IV (6334m/20782ft) and V (6437m/21120ft). Naming the peaks from west to east breaks with the tradition of giving the highest peak the lowest number, but the nomenclature has become too well established to be changed now.

Early Expeditions from the East

The mountaineering history of these peaks began with the British mountaineer Hugh Ruttledge (1929) (leader of the 1931 & 33 British Mount Everest Expeditions). He saw the group at close quarters from high up on the Sona Glacier. He examined the routes and thought that the north arete (sharp ridge) might be possible.

After 21 years two teams examined the eastern approaches. W H Murray (1950) and his prolific Scottish team followed the Ruttledge route. They intended to reach the north col and follow the northeast ridge; however, they found the terrain too difficult.

Just 20 days later came Kenneth Snelson (British) and J de V Graaff (SouthAfrican). They reached the upper Sona Glacier by early September and found that its head was a cradle of 182m (600 ft) cliffs blocking the route to the northeast summit's ridge.

Attempts from the West

The western approaches were tried one year after Murray. In 1951 Heinrich Harrer (Of “Seven Years in Tibet & Eiger Nordwand fame) and Frank Thomas (both Austrians) were joined by two Sherpas and a botanist. Though their account in the Himalayan Journal is not very explicit, their photographs in the archives clearly indicate that they pioneered the route through the Uttari Balati Glacier, bypassing three ice-falls. Together with the Sherpas, Harrer reached the Balati plateau and examined the north and west ridges. They tried the west ridge but a Sherpa fell off on hard blue ice. Harrer gave up. They spent only 16 days on the mountains but during that time they pioneered the route which was followed by all subsequent expeditions from this side.

First Ascents
The history of the Panch Chuli group continued with two large expeditions from the Indo-Tibet Border Police.

The first team in 1972 was led by Hukam Singh. They powered their way to the Balati Plateau via the Harrer route and made the first-ever ascent of peak I.

Repeating their route, Mahendra Singh led another team in 1973. The entire route on the southwest ridge was fixed with almost 3000m (9843ft) of rope. On 26th May 1973, 18 people climbed the summit of Panch Chuli II, the highest peak of the group.

The mountain was then left alone for some 18 years. In 1991 two routes were climbed via the eastern approaches by teams from the Indian Army. The first team followed the Sona Glacier, climbed the northeast slopes to reach above the north col and established a camp on the north ridge. The ridge was followed to the top, and thus the route suggested by Ruttledge in 1929 was finally completed after 61 years.

The second army team followed Murray's route to the upper Meola Glacier. They pitched a high camp following the southeast slopes to the east ridge. The summit team broke the cornice to reach the top, and thus the route suggested by Snelson-Graaff was also completed, after 41 years.

Significant Climbs
The scene finally shifted back to the west. The Indian-British expedition 1992 (jointly led by Sir Chris Bonington and Harish Kapadia) followed the route along the Uttari Balati Glacier to the Balati Plateau.
On the way the team divided into groups to climb Sahadev East (5757m/18889ft), Menaka (6000m/19686ft) and Rajrambha (6537m/21448ft).

On peak II, a team of three climbed the southwest ridge. It was a hard climb on ice, keeping well away from the hanging cornices. Compared to the earlier ascent, only 60m (197ft) of rope was fixed on the ridge. This was only the second ascent of the southwest ridge, made after 19 years.

Another team of two pioneered a new route up the steep and icy west ridge, with bivouacs. They descended the southwest ridge completing the traverse. Thus the route tried by Harrer was completed after 41 years.

The 1992 expedition later made the first ascent of peak V approaching through the Pyunshani Valley .

On this peak Stephen Venables (First Britisher to summit Everest without Oxygen through a new route of the notorious and deadly Kanshung Face of Everest) , fell 30 mtrs while returning from the peak.survived despite serious injuries and 2 broken legs

While descending to get help Chris Bonnington fell nearly 100 mtrs and to him it must have seem like a repeat of his famous Ogre Climb( Ogre is Baintha Barrak in Pakistan) where Doug Scott had broken both legs and Chris too survived a 1000 ft fall Luckily like the ogre they all survived and Venables was airlifted in a daring and difficult helicopter rescue by the IAF from the high camp.

Peak IV was climbed in 1995 by a team from New Zealand.

Peak III: it was attempted by two expeditions from Bombay in 1996 and 1998, both of which resulted in accidents the New Zealanders returned in 2001 to finally make the first Ascent of Peak III

Stoke Da Kangri

Stoke Da Kangri, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Stok Kangri (6120mtrs) gleams under a Harvest Moon and a star spangled sky.

Its the highest peak in the Stok Range which ring the valley of Leh and a very popular trekking peak which offers non technical (but steep nonetheless) climbing for trekkers and amateur mountaineers.
It is probably the most busy peak in India and has attracted a lot of official and "unofficial" groups specially in the last few years. (the situation got so bad that now a permanent LO (liaison officer) is stationed at Base Camp during the season to deter "unofficial" climbers from tackling the peak).

The approach to the peak via Rumbak, Makarmo to base camp at 5100mtrs through the Stok La(4,900mtrs) is quite spectacular as the mountains are vividly colored and one gets to see some very unusual folding in the rock formations

Alpenglow on Kang Yatze

Alpenglow on Kang Yatze, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Sunset on the north face of Kang Yatze (6,400 mtrs) one of the highest peaks in the Zanskar Ranges rising above the idyllic Nimaling Plains in the Markha Valley, Ladakh, India.

Along with Stok Kangri , Kang Yatze is also one of the more popular trekking peaks in the region and as it offers little technical difficulty its quite popular destination for both experienced trekkers and amateur mountaineers. Lately a lot of ski touring parties have made merry on these long gently undulating slopes

The first ascent of Kang Yatze I was made in 1982 by an Irish Team led by Trever Mitten who climbed the East Ridge to the top.

Kang Yatze II was first climbed in 1981 by a team from Nanzan Alpine Club, Japan led by Seigo Inaba. They tackled the north west ridge to the top.

In all her glory..

In all her glory.., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

nyone who's ever witnessed the sun set or rise over mountains can attest that during these daily occurances the mountains are at their most beautiful.. The constant shifting in the intensity of the light makes these times entrancing as you feverishly wish that you can capture it all on film (though film can never compare to actually being there and cannot truely convey the magnificance totally still its the next best thing)..

Also another reason I click a lot of such shots is that while climbing in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himal it is best to get the major climbing done when the snow is relatively hard and compact after a nights freeze as within an hour of the sun touching the slopes, the snow conditions start to deteriorate almost instantly and by noon its almost slush.

Its this constant freeze and melting which also make rockfall a constant danger as the snow binding these rocks becomes elastic and all of a sudden the rocks break loose when least expected.

These two reasons make climbing here quite a serious proposition and as a result the standard grade of difficulty on climbs like the Sharks Fins (Meru Central seen here) or the South Pillar of Changabang & Bhagirathi's West Buttress , South Face of Purbi Dunagiri (Still unclimbed) are amongst the highest that mountaineers have tackled making them some of the hardest technical Big Wall climbs in the world today.
Out of 30 expeditions only 2 have managed to climb the Shark's Fin and that too not all the way having had to detour from the route to reach the peak.

Shiva's Trident

Shiva's Trident, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Sunset on Trisul during the Roopkund Trek. (View Large)

Trisul I 7120 mtrs(30°18′36″N 79°46′12″E /30.31, 79.77)

Trisul II 6690mtrs(30°17′24″N 79°46′12″E / 30.29, 79.77)

Trisul III 6008mtrs (30°15′00″N 79°46′12″E / 30.25, 79.77) ;

In the Annals of Himalayan Climbing History Trisul plays an important part as it was one of the earliest peaks in the Himalayas to be submitted in 1907
Early Climbing History & First Ascent:
The legendary Dr. T. G. Longstaff made the first climbing reconnaissance of Trisul, in September 1905, focusing on the western and southern sides.
In 1907 The Alpine Club as part of their Golden Jubliee Celebrations were refused permission to climb Everest so attention shifted to Trishul. A.L. Mumm (a wealthy publisher)& guaranteed to meet all expenses.

The party was
A. L. Mumm,with his usual guide Moritz Inderbinnen
Charles Bruce with 9 Gorkhas from the Gorkha Rifles. ( General Bruce would be the expedition leader of the 1922 and 1924 Everest expedition)

Dr. Tom Langstaff with his guides, The Two Bocherel Brothers Alex and Henri. (The Canadian climber and Doctor who was the chief medical officer of the 1922 Everest Expedition)
{It was standard practice to climb with Swiss Alpine Guides in those days, except for Dr A.M Kellas who climbed with Sherpas, mostly all early explorers brought their own guides from Europe}
Bottled Oxygen was used for the first time in Himalayan Conditions manufactured by Seibb & Gormann who would later supply the early Everest Expeditions of 1922 and 1924.

The Climb:
From a camp at about 17,500 ft. Longstaff, The Bocherel Brothers, and Kabir one of the Gorkha soldiers reached the top, a fine feat of mountaineering considering that they climbed nearly 6,000 ft in just a day in fine weather.
It remained the highest peak to be climbed until the next 25 years till the first ascent of KAMET in 1931 by Frank Symthe's team.

From an Indian Mountaineering point of view Trisul was the first major peak to be climbed by an Indian Team with Indian Climbers in 1951 when Gurdial Singh ( a teacher at Doon School) with Roy Greenwood(an Englishman) & Sherpa Dawa Thondupreached the summit.

The only demonstration of joy was their homage to Mother Earth, they bent their heads low and pointed their feet skywards (a Sheeshasana or headstand) on the summit of Trishul! !!!
Gurdials Singh's Summit Photograph

Nanda Devi : The Bliss-Giving Goddess.

Nanda Devi : The Bliss-Giving Goddess., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Sunset on the magnificient and awe inspiring Nanda Devi East (7,434 m (24,390 ft))& Nanda Devi Main Peaks (7,816 mtrs (25,643 ft) Ranked 23rd highest).
Nanda Devi, the Himalayan peak known as the Goddess for her beauty and her wrath, is a fickle mistress. She has stolen other men's lives and sent a woman named after her to her grave.
She is also a shy goddess who is guarded by one of the most formidable mountain walls anywhere in the Himalayas.

The main summit stands guarded by a barrier ring comprising some of the highest mountains in the Indian Himalayas (one of which is Nanda Devi East), twelve of which exceed 6,400 m (21,000 ft) in height, further elevating its sacred status as the daughter of the Himalaya in local myth and folklore. The interior of this almost insurmountable ring is known as the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, and is protected as the Nanda Devi National Park.

Nanda Devi East lies on the eastern edge of the ring (and of the Park), at the border of Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts.


Exploration and climbing history


The ascent of Nanda Devi necessitated fifty years of arduous exploration in search of a passage into the Sanctuary. The outlet is the Rishi Gorge, a deep, narrow canyon which is very difficult to traverse safely, and is the biggest hindrance to entering the Sanctuary; any other route involves difficult passes, the lowest of which is 5,180 m (16,990 ft).
Early Explorations

During its heyday, Nanda Devi stood as the highest peak in the British Empire and drew the interest of mountaineers from the entire western world. As part of their search for trade routes to Tibet, the British also began as early as 1830 to explore the upper reaches of the High Himalayas, with the region around Nanda Devi providing the most attractive access to the “hermit” kingdom. G.W. Traill, the first commissioner of the recently acquired Garhwal and Kumaon districts (ceded by the Gurkhas to the British in 1815), crossed Pindari Glacier in search of a shortcut to Milam in the north. In the process he was snow blinded, this the local people attributed to the wrath of the Goddess for invading her sanctuary

In 1883, W.W. Graham led a small but adventurous team in search of a path up the Rishi Ganga to the foot of Nanda Devi. Encountering all manners of obstacles including steep rugged terrain and incessant snow and rain, the party also portered much of their supplies themselves, reaching beyond Dharansi Pass before turning back.

In 1905 and 1907, T.G. Longstaff resumed Graham’s efforts, exploring the eastern and western approaches to Nanda Devi respectively. In the later mission, Longstaff’s team retraced Graham’s path, ascending Trisul (23,406ft), but did not attempt another foray into the upper Rishi.

Twenty years later, Longstaff returned and with Hugh Ruttledge sought out the elusive access route to no avail.Ruttledgeas Deputy Commissioner for Almora (Leader of two attempts on Mt. Everest in the 1930's) attempted to reach the peak three times in the 1930s and failed each time. In a letter to The Times he wrote that 'Nanda Devi imposes on her votaries an admission test as yet beyond their skill and endurance', adding that gaining entry to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary alone was more difficult than reaching the North Pole.

In 1934, the British explorers Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman, with three Sherpa companions, Angtharkay, Pasang, and Kusang, finally discovered a way through the Rishi Gorge into the Sanctuary.

When the mountain was later climbed in 1936 by a British-American expedition, it became the highest peak climbed by man until the 1950 ascent of Annapurna, 8,091 metres (26,545 ft)by the French . (However higher non-summit elevations had already been reached by the British on Mount Everest in the 1920s.)
It also involved steeper and more sustained terrain than had been previously attempted at such a high altitude The expedition climbed the south ridge, also known as the Coxcomb Ridge, which leads relatively directly to the main summit.
The summit pair were H.W. Tilman and Noel Odell; Charles Houston was to be in place of Tilman, but he contracted severe food poisoning. Noted mountaineer and mountain writer H. Adams Carter was also on the expedition, which was notable for its small scale and lightweight ethic: it included only seven climbers, and used no fixed ropes, nor any Sherpa support above 6,200 m (20,300 ft). Eric Shipton, who was not involved in the climb itself, called it "the finest mountaineering achievement ever performed in the Himalaya."

After abortive attempts by Indian expeditions in 1957 and 1961, the second ascent of Nanda Devi was accomplished by an Indian team led by N. Kumar in 1964, following the Coxcomb route.

Nuclear Controversy
Attempts were made from 1965 to 1968 by the CIA to place a plutonium-powered listening device high on Nanda Devi, to monitor possible Chinese nuclear activity in Tibet, but the device was lost in an avalanche. (Recent reports of samples taken from the sources of Ghori Ganga by Pete Takeda indicate that radiation traces from this device have been discovered in sediment below the mountain.) The actual data is not conclusive, however, but the absence of Pu-238 (the isotope that powered the device) in the sample proves that any Pu present could not have come from the device. As a result of this activity, the Sanctuary was closed to climbing by foreign expeditions during much of the 1960s, and was not re-opened until 1974.

A difficult new route, the northwest buttress, was climbed by a thirteen-person team in 1976. Three Americans, John Roskelley, Jim States and Lou Reichardt, summitted on September 1. The expedition was co-led by Louis Reichardt, H. Adams Carter (who was on the 1936 climb) and Willi Unsoeld, (along with Tom Hornbein, he was the first to traverse Mt. Everest and climbing the West Ridge and descending the South Col route during the 1963 Everest Expedition) Unsoeld's daughter, Nanda Devi Unsoeld, who was named after the peak, died on this expedition due to Altitude sickness at around 24,000. (This expedition remains a controversial one in which climbers approached the mountain with huge ego's and instead of climbing together often resorted to blatant one upmanship , a trend which is sadly still very prevalent amongst the professional climbers of today.)

In 1981, the first women to stand on the summit were part of an Indian led expedition.

Nanda Devi East

Nanda Devi East was first climbed in 1939 by a four-member Polish expedition led by Adam Karpinski. They climbed the south ridge, from Longstaff Col; this is still the standard route on the peak. The summit party were J. Klarner and J. Bujak Karpinski and Stefan Bernardzikiewicz died later in an attempt on nearby Trishuli.

The first attempt to traverse the ridge between the main summit and Nanda Devi East resulted in the death of two members of a French expedition in 1951. Team leader Roger Duplat and Gilbert Vignes disappeared on the ridge somewhere below the main summit
Tenzing Norgay was in a support team on this expedition; he and Louis Dubost climbed Nanda Devi East to look for the missing pair. Some years later Tenzing was asked what was the most difficult climb he ever did, expecting him to say Mount Everest; he surprised his interlocutors by saying Nanda Devi East.

The standard approach to the south ridge route, from the Milam Valley to the east, passes through Lawan Glacier via Lawan Gad and thence to Longstaff Col. The trek to base camp goes through the villages of Munsiyari, Lilam, Bogudiar, Martoli, Nasanpatti, and Bhadeligwar. An alternate route climbs the southwest face, from a base camp inside the Sanctuary.

Partial timeline

* 1934: First entry into the inner Sanctuary by Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman
* 1936: The first ascent of Nanda Devi by Odell and Tilman.
* 1939: First ascent of Nanda Devi East by Klarner, Bujak.
* 1951: Attempted traverse and death of Duplat and Vignes. Second ascent of Nanda Devi East.
* 1964: Second ascent of Nanda Devi by Indian team led by N. Kumar.
* 196?: Covert ascent by Indo-American expedition?
* 1975: A 13-member Indo-French expedition led by Y. Pollet-Villard including Coudray, Renault, Sandhu, and Chand ascend climbed both Nanda Devi and Nanda Devi East but failed to accomplish the traverse of the connecting ridge.

* 1976: A 21-member Indo-Japanese team approaches the south ridges of main peak and Nanda Devi East simultaneously, and achieves the first traverse, going from Nanda Devi East to the main summit.

* 1981: An Indian Army expedition attempts both main and East peaks simultaneously. The southwest face of Nanda Devi East is climbed for the first time, but both Premjit Lal and Phu Dorjee are killed in the descent. Three others – Daya Chand, Ram Singh, and Lakha Singh – also fall to their deaths, leading to the highest ever number of casualties on the mountain.


After the re-opening of the Sanctuary in 1974 to foreign climbers, trekkers, and locals, the fragile ecosystem was soon compromised by firewood cutting, garbage, and grazing. Serious environmental problems were noted as early as 1977, and the sanctuary was closed in 1983.

Currently, Nanda Devi forms the core of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (which includes Nanda Devi National Park), declared by the Indian government in 1982. In 1988, Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, "of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humankind."

The entire sanctuary, and hence the main summit (and interior approaches to the nearby peaks) are off-limits to locals and to climbing expeditions. An exception was made in 1993 for a 40-member team from the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army to check the state of recovery and remove garbage left by prior expeditions.
The expedition also successfully scaled the peak. Nanda Devi East remains open from the east side, leading to the standard south ridge route.

The Fortress of Nanda

Nanda Kot Seen from Chakori, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Elevation 6,861 m (22,510 ft)
Location Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand,
Range Kumaun Himalaya
Prominence 1,592 m (5,223 ft)
Coordinates 30°16′54″N, 80°04′06″E[1]
First ascent 1936 by Y. Hotta
Easiest route Lawan Valley

Nanda Kot (Hindi-नन्दा कोट) is located in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state in India. It lies in the Kumaon Himalaya, just outside of the ring of peaks enclosing the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, 15 kilometres (9 mi) southeast of Nanda Devi itself. The name Nanda Kot literally means "Nanda's Fortress" and refers to the abode of one of the sacred forms of the Hindu Goddess Parvati who in legend has made her sanctuary amongst the ring of lofty mountains in the region.

Nanda Kot is connected to the Sanctuary wall by a high pass known as the Pindari Kanda, 5,269 m (17,287 ft). This pass, Nanda Kot itself, and the ridge proceeding south from the peak together form the divide between the Pindar and Ghori Ganga River valleys, with Dana Dhura Pass connecting the two sides. The Kaphni (or Kafani), Pindar, Lawan, and Shalang Glaciers drain the south, west, north, and east sides of the peak respectively.

Climbing History: The first attempt to climb Nanda Kot was made in 1905 by T.G. Longstaff, who proceeded by way of the Lawan Valley and Lawan Glacier. The first successful ascent of the summit came in 1936 by a Japanese team led by Y. Hotta. A new route involving a direct ascent of the south face was successfully undertaken by a British expedition led by Martin Moran in 1995. Mountaineering expeditions to Nanda Kot today typically follow the route through Loharkhet, Dhakuri Pass, Khati Village to Dwali base camp.

Nanda Devi/Nanda Kot Nuclear Controversy:
During 1965-1968 there was series of seven mountaineering expeditions — four to Nanda Devi and three to Nanda Kot – as part of the most exotic and hazardous intelligence operations of the cold war, backed by the CIA. During this most unusual mountaineering venture n 1965, a covert mission was launched by an Indo-American team with the goal of installing a surveillance device on the top of Nanda Devi mountain to monitor Chinese nuclear and missile activity in Tibet. Shortly after delivery to the mountain, the thermonuclear generator designed to supply power to the sensor was lost during a storm and threatened to become a source of radioactive contamination to the area. Following upon at least three futile attempts between 1966-1968 to locate and recover the lost apparatus, it is said that in 1968 a similar device placed only the year before on Nanda Kot was dismantled. After more than a decade of secrecy, this story hit the Indian news media in 1978. There is still debate over these expeditions and whether any remnants of the radioactive materials remain in the vicinity of Nanda Kot to this day.
The Nanda Devi Sanctuary remains closed to visitors ever since, on "ecological grounds" as per the official version.

India team was led by M.S. Kohli (leader of the successful 1965 Everest Expedition) and included Sonam Gyatso, Harish Rawat, Sonam Wangyal and G.S. Bhangu – all Everesters. The Americans were represented by Lute Jerstad , Tom frost, Robert Schaller, Barry Corbet and a Barry Prather (Most were members of the 1963 Everest Expedtion)

Zanskar Landscape

Zanskar Landscape, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Constantly shifting Cloud Shadows reveal the Myriad colors of the Zanskar Valley as a half frozen Zanskar River meanders by..

Across The Changthang 2

A group of Bactrian camels across the Changthang.

These twin humped camels of the domesticated variety are found all over the Changthang and also in Ladakh from Nubra Valley onwards.

They are different then their wild cousins who are now only found in the Gobi Desert and less than 700 are said to be alive making them one of the most endangered species in the world.
The wild Bactrian camel has a special place in evolutionary history. The herds remaining in China and Mongolia are the remnants of herds which crossed from North America on the Bering Strait land bridge 3-4 million years ago. Some Bactrian camels were domesticated 4,000 years ago, but the wild Bactrian camels in the Gashun Gobi (Lop Nur) area, and Mongolia avoided domestication and are now genetically different from the domestic Bactrian camels. Moreover, research has shown that in their embryonic stage, one-humped camels have a small second hump that does not develop further. This suggests that the ancestors of all camels on earth looked like the wild Bactrian camels of today.

The Bactrian (two-humped) camel is adapted to arid plains and hills where water sources are few and vegetation is sparse. Shrubs constitute its main source of food. Herds of these wild camels move widely, their distribution being linked to water. The animals tend to concentrate in and around mountains, because most springs are there and snow on the slopes may provide the only moisture in winter. Concentrations of up to 100 camels occur near the mountains, but most herds contain 2 - 15 members



Wild and domestic Bactrian camels readily interbreed, but physically they are quite different. The wild camels have a sandy, gray-brown rather than a predominantly dark brown coat; and their body form is small and slender, rather than large and bulky like that of the domestic Bactrian camel (The Mongolians call the wild camel "havtagai", which means "flat."). The most important difference, however, is in the humps. The humps of a wild camel are small and pyramid-shaped, with a round base and a pointed end. The humps of a domestic camel are distinctively large and irregular.

*** Approximately 2.5 million domestic Bactrian camels occur in Central Asia

In recent years scientists have been taking keen interest in this species to study their biological and evolutionary make up as they survive in the most harshest of terrains, where there is little or no water, are not effected by viruses like other 4 hoofed species and often are not susceptible to extreme temperature differences. In Winter when there is no water these camels survive by eating snow along with the shrubs they can dig up given their cloven hooves

Mystical Light in Zanskar

Mystical Light in Zanskar, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The Old Zangla Castle, Zanskar Ladakh

.The old castle now in ruins except for a small chapel and nearby nunnery , it sits on a precarious aerie overlooking the valley below and offers some spectacular views on the surrounding countryside. Sometimes it seems that it has become as much a part of the rocks on which it stands. (there are around 34 Chortens around this castle spread all over the route to the top)

Until 1989, Zangla had its own ruler but for more than a century prior to that the king had held only a nominal title, his lineage was traced back to when the royal lineage in Zanskar was split. One side of the family ruled from Padum(the old capital some 35 kms away), and the other from Zangla

Both factions were able to reach an accord which allowed the King of Zangla to retain a nominal rule over the nearby villages of Honia and Chazar, and the villages of Hanumil, Pidmu and Pishu on the far side of the valley.

The head monk at Spitok is related to this family, and also administrators the Zangla monastery, which is situated in the nearby village of Tsa-zar & houses some exquisite frescos dating from the 16th century and some refurbished in the 18th century . The monastery is run my monks of the Gelugpa sect. This village lies mid-way between Thongde (Stongdey) and Zangla.

Kanchendzonga

Kanchendzonga, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Alpenglow during Sunset on Kancha on the Yuksom- Dzongri -Goecha La Trek , through the Singilila Ranges in Sikkim.
Kabru glacier in foreground and Kanchenjunga with its 5 summits behind.
Kabru Dome slopes on the left hand side.

Mt Kangchenjunga 8,586 m is the third highest mountain in the world (after Mount Everest and K2). & the highest mountain in India. Kangchenjunga translated means "The Five Treasures of Snows";, as it contains five peaks, four of them over 8,450 metres. The treasures represent the five repositories of god, which are gold, silver, gems, grain, and holy books. Kangchenjunga is also called Sewalungma in local Limbu language and considered sacred in Kirant religion.

Three of these five peaks (main, central, and south) are on the border of North Sikkim district of Sikkim, India and Taplejung District of Nepal, while the other two are completely in Taplejung District.

Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world, but calculations made by the British Great Trigonometric Survey in 1849 came to the conclusion that Mount Everest was the highest and Kangchenjunga the third-highest.

A brief time line is below:

1852: The height of Mt Everest is calculated based on the results of the 1849 British Great Trigonometric Survey, and it is discovered that Kangchenjunga is no longer the highest mountain in the world as previously thought, but the third highest at 28,169 feet (8586 meters).

1899: British climber and explorer Douglas Freshfield and famous Italian photographer Vittorio Sella are the first to circumnavigate the mountain. Illegally traveling through Eastern Nepal, they are the first mountaineers to view the great Western Face of Kangchenjunga.

1905: Alistair Crowley (the famous Occultist) sets up a camp at the head of the Yalung Glacier in Nepal. He establishes a high camp at 21,325 feet (6500 meters) when disaster strikes. A party of porters and climbers, including climbers Alexis Pache and Dr Jacot-Guillarmod, insist on descending in the afternoon to Camp 7 at 20,500 feet (6250 meters). The inadequately supplied porters - reportedly climbing barefooted! - repeatedly slip on the icy slopes, and eventually on a traverse a fall triggers an avalanche. The sad result is that Pache and three porters are killed. Hearing their shouts, Crowley reportedly refuses to descend and help, remaining in his tent drinking tea. He is quoted in a newspaper as saying he was "not over-anxious in the circumstances...to render help. A mountain accident of this sort is one of the things for which I have no sympathy whatever".

1920 Dr. A. M Kellas makes his last of 6 trips to Sikkim and along with Howard Raeburn (a fellow team member of the 1921 Mt. Everest Expedition) reach 23,500ft.

1929: German post-monsoon expedition led by Dr.Paul Bauer attacks the NE Spur starting from the Zemu Glacier in Sikkim. Utilizing a series of snow caves in bad weather conditions, the team reaches 24,300 feet (7400 meters). A five-day storm buries most of their equipment so they are forced to retreat.

1930: International Expedition led by George Dyhrenfurth and including the German Uli Wieland, Austrian Erwin Schneider(famous for his Schneider Maps nowadays) , and the Briton Frank Smythe. & Wood Jhonson, Surprisingly they are granted permission to approach the NW side from Nepal. During an attempt on the North Ridge the porter Chettan (who was then considered one of the best Sherpa's around) and Schneider are swept away in an avalanche - Chettan is killed but Schneider miraculously survives. A new attempt is made on the NW Face, but the expedition is eventually called off because of hard climbing and poor snow conditions. They however make an ascent of the Jomson Peak

1931: Second German Expedition led by Paul Bauer, again attempting the NE Spur. The attempt is plagued by bad weather, illnesses and deaths. Bauer has to leave the expedition and a Sherpa and porter die - all due to sickness. After another accident where a climber and Sherpa are killed in a fall, the expedition retreats after climbing only a little higher than the 1929 attempt.

1955: FIRST ASCENT - British Expedition led by Dr. Charles Evans (Deputy Leader of the Successful Mt. Everest expedition of 1953) via the SW Face using oxygen. The now classic route follows the Yalung Glacier to the base of the SW Face, over the Western Buttress to the Great Shelf which lies below the amphitheater formed by the Main summit and Yalung Kang. Above the Great Shelf the route is pushed up The Gangway to near the West Ridge, where the pinnacled ridge crest is avoided by climbing the headwall until the summit ridge can be reached. The first assault pair of Joe Brown and George Band (Band was also the youngest man on the successful Everest Expedition) are successful, followed by a second successful ascent by Norman Hardie and Tony Streather. Out of respect for local beliefs, the actual summit itself remained virgin, a tradition that continued until recent years.

The summits of Kancha are:

Kangchenjunga Main 8,586mtrs 28,169ft
Kangchenjunga West 8,505mtrs 27,904ft (Yalung Kang)
Kanchenjunga Central 8,482mtrs 27,828ft (Middle)
Kanchenjunga South 8,494mtrs 27,867ft

Sunrise Behind Hardeol.

Sunrise Behind Hardeol., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Hardeol : "The Temple of God" is backlit during a fiery sunrise viewed from the Sandalya Kund (4200mtrs) during a sidetrip on the Milam Glacier Trek.

Elevation: 7,151 m (23,461 ft)
Location Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India
Range Kumaon Himalaya
Prominence 1,300 m (4,300 ft)
Coordinates: 30°33′36″N, 80°00′36″E
First ascent: May 31, 1978 by Indo-Tibetan Border Police Expedition


HARDEOL is one of the major peaks of the Garhwal Himalaya. It is the highest peak on the northern side of the ring of peaks guarding the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, and lies at the northeast corner of this ring. It is situated at the northern end of the Milam valley, in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India.

To its immediate north lies Trishuli, and just south is Rishi Pahar, on a north-south trending ridge leading eventually to Nanda Devi East. Hardeol is also sometimes referred to as Trishuli South.

Climbing History

First was a reconnaissance in 1939 by a Polish team (who had just climbed the formidable Nanda Devi East) however they lost 2 members in an avalanche which wiped out their Camp 3 on Trishuli and withdrew.
In 1964 a team led Maj Kohli too withdrew after their camps were destroyed by an avalanche.
1968 Saw Harish Kapadia and other members from a young team fail on the unstable icefall after approaching from the Ikualari Glacier. .. clearly the Icefall was the major bug bear of climbing this peak. In his book Harish Kapadia described this icefall between Trishuli & Hardeol to be seemingly hollow.

In 1968 a determined effort of a team lead by CK Mitra climbed Trishuli but could not climb Hardeol due to the onset of the Monsoons.

In 1974 four members (2 Indians & 2 NZ team members) of an Indo-New Zealand ladies team lead jointly by Ms. Shashikanta and Magaret Clarke were killed in its lower and highly unstable Icefall while attempting the mountain from the South.

In 1975 an I.T.B.P team under Hukum Singh was unsuccessful from the North .(They however had success on Trishul)

In 1978 first ascent of Hardeol was made by a team from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police led by S. P. Mulasi, on May 31, climbing from the ridge connecting the peak to Trishuli climbing it from the southern side.

Only one further ascent, in 1991, is listed in the Himalayan Index.
This ascent, by a large expedition from the Indian Border Security Force, put five members on the summit on September 24.

The best approach to Hardeol is from the eastern side, through the Ikualari glacier and thence to the right, up the Trishuli valley towards the Hardeol icefall.

Blue Men of the Desert

Blue Men of the Desert, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Twaregs are berber people and with their camels, are found all over the Sahara.. They are the original inhabitants of this sandy desert and still live a nomadic life
This was taken last year during my trip to Morocco and the southern tail of the Anti-Atlas mountains (named Djebel Bani) in Morocco, about 350 miles southeast of Marrakech.
We traveled south by bus from Marrakech, arriving late the night before for the yearly camel market in Goulemim, officially known as the ‘gateway to the Sahara’ and undertook a 3 day camel safari with our twareg guides.


The indigo-dyed garments worn by the Tuareg, from which they were nicknamed ‘blue men of the desert,’ are most prized. Because water is scarce in the desert, the indigo is pounded, instead of boiled, into the cloth. This method of dying the fabric imbues the cloth with a shimmery blue-black patina. With wear, the color seeps into the pores of their skin, casting a bluish-violet hue. Since indigo is precious and expensive, their bluish skin has become a status symbol among them: the darker blue a man’s skin, the wealthier he appears.

Also only the men go veiled not their women which is quite different from other Muslim Societies around them.. They have a feudal system and inheritance is through the maternal line. They also have their own written language which is descended from old Libyan writing. They were the original founders of the city of Timbuktu.

Flower Sellers Varanasi

Flowersellers Varanasi, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Planet Earth

Go to ImageShack® to Create your own Slideshow

Everyone I know who has seen the BBC's phenomenal Planet Earth has been blown away by its astonishing photography.

Four years in the making, the ground-breaking camera work is some of the best ever put on screen and shot for . Each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the most astonishing sights and sounds you'll ever experience from the comforts of home.

It's easily on par with recent Oscar-winner March Of The Penguins, and those non-verbal classics Baraka and the Qatsi Trilogy.

Narrated by Sir David Attenborough and a musical score from George Fenton it's set the benchmark for nature documentary.

The series has an extensive website (although parts of it are restricted to U.K. users). The Discovery Channel is one of the series co-producers, and is currently airing on the Discovery Channel across India.

Each episode is packed with images so beautiful or so forcefully impressive (and so perfectly photographed by the BBC's tenacious high-definition camera crews) that you'll be rendered speechless by the splendor of it all.

I'll post some more about this v special Documentary and some of my fav parts and video's so keep tuned in for more.

• Planet Earth Resources

  Planet Earth Screensavers

  Two screensavers
  

  Planet Earth Wallpapers

  Nine new images of animals and places
  

  Planet Earth on the IMDB

  Internet Movie Database listing.

  
  
  

Lamayuru Gompa

Lamayuru Gompa, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Built in the 10th Century by two practitioners of Tantric Buddhism it is located in the most fantastic geological folds and schist's rock surroundings and popularly called MOONSCAPE and it certainly looks like an alien planet..
Lamayuru also marks the meeting place of the Great Himalayan Wall & of the East Karakorum Ranges.

I've been through Lamayaru 5 times now but have never once seen the light or the color of the landscape remain same.. It is always different but never fails to makes you gasp in awe each time you pass through or decide to stay...
The gompa itself has been undergoing renovations for the last 2 years and now is restored completely
It is located in between Bodhkharbu and Kha-la-che, on a steep rock mountain. It lies at a distance of approximately 127 km to the west of Leh town. Lamayuru Monastery belongs to the Red-Hat sect of Buddhism and houses approximately 150 Buddhist monks. The monastery is made up of a number of shrines and also has a very rich collection of thankas and magnificent wall paintings. At the outset, the Lamayuru Monastery consisted of five buildings, out of which only the central one exists today.

Every year the Lamayuru Gompa plays host a masked dance, which takes place on the 17th and 18th day of the 5th month of Tibetan lunar calendar. The monks from the monasteries of the nearby areas also come to take part in the celebrations. There is an interesting legend associated with the Lamayuru Gompa of Leh Ladakh. It is said that the Lamayuru Valley used to be a clear lake, at the time of Sakhyamuni (the Historical Buddha). And, Nags (holy serpents) used to reside in the lake.

Bodhisattva Madhyantaka had once a prediction quite a long time back that the lake would eventually be dried, making way for the construction of a Buddhist monastery. The legend moves further to state that Mahasiddhacharya Naropa, an 11th century Indian Buddhist scholar, sat in meditation for a number of years in one of the caves in Dukhang. He was the one who caused a crack in the hillside surrounding the lake.

Through this crack, the lake started draining. When the lake dried out, the scholar found a dead lion lying inside it. On the same spot, where he found the tiger, he constructed the first temple of the area, known as the Singhe Ghang (Lion Mound). Another legend has it that the building of Lamayuru Monastery was constructed, as per the instructions of King of Ladakh, under the direction of Rinchen Zangpo, the Translator. After this, the monastery came under the administration of the Zhwa-mar-pa (Red Hats).

Later, Dharmaraja Jamyang Namgial offered the monastery to Chosje Danma. And this led to the observance of the rituals of the Digung Kargyud School, with the monastery being renamed as Yungdrung Tharpaling. Today, the Lamayuru Monastery is served by the successive reincarnations of Skyabsje Toldan Rinpoche.

Riders Of The Storm

Riders Of The Storm (Duststorm), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

A sudden dust storm sends both riders and spectators packing from the Polo Ground.

Shiva

Om Namah Shivaye!!, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Shiva portrayed as the Mahayogi meditating, A statue in Rishikesh, the gateway to the "DEVBHUMI : The Land of the Gods" where amidst the soaring mountains of Garhwal & Kumoani Himal he is supposed to reside..

Frank Smythe in his now famous book : THE VALLEY OF FLOWERS quotes and old Indian sage who wrote:

Not in a hundred ages of the gods I could not tell thee of all the glories of the Himalaya where Shiva lived and where the Ganga falls from the foot of Vishnu like the slender thread of the lotus flower.

Bhagirathi - I (6512 mtrs)

Bhagirathi - I (6512 mtrs), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Bhagirathi I is the farthest peak of the Bhagirathi Sisters group one of the many mountains which make up the Gangotri Group. Though many attempts and routes are tried on the formidable & difficult West Buttress of Bhagirathi III (The rib of the buttress can be seen in these 2 shots), Bhagirathi I has received scant attention.

Routes & Main Ascents:

It was only in 1990 that a Japanese Expedition using nearly 2000 mtrs of rope made the first ascent via its Southeast Ridge.

A small team of Alpinists from Britain made a fine Alpine Style ascent in 1983 via its West Ridge, which gave them some excellent granite but tricky snow climbing. Martin Moran , Charlie Heard & John Mothersdale made the summit in a fine effort without roping up the mountain or fancy ironmongery.. But sadly during the descent Heard fell to his death.
Since then there have been other attempts amongst them some Indian Teams.

Goecha peak (6127 mtrs) at Night

Goecha peak (6127 mtrs) at Night, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Goecha Peak (6127 metres) below the towering East Ridge of Kangchenjunga is about a 1000 m higher than the Goecha La Pass.. As of 2001 under the Places of Worship Act the Sikkim Government classified it as a Buddhist Sacred Peak along with
Kanchenjunga (main, south and west summits), Fork Peak, Gabur Gangtsen (Kabur Dome and north and south summits) Mt. Pandim, Paunhari,&; Simvu, Sinochlu, Narsingh and no expeditions are allowed to climb it now.

Sudarshan and Its Neighbours

Rosy Fingered Dawn., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Dawn over Sudarshan Parbat (6507mts), Saife (6161mts), Yogeshwar, Chattrabhuj Peaks during the Kalindi Khal Trek going towards Gangotri in the Garhwal Himal, Uttarakhand India
All the peaks except Yogeshwar were climbed by and extremely successful Indo French Expedition in 1981 led jointly by Harish Kapadia & Bernard Odgier this team of 11 climbers climed 5 other peaks in the region..

• Sudarshan Parvat Altitude: 6,507 Mts.

Sudarshan Parvat has beauty as well as challenge. It gets its name from Sudarshan Chakra. the weapon which Lord Krishna or Vishnu holds in his hand. It is believed to be released in the ultimate crisis.. (another theory is that it is named after a Raja of Jumla, Chakra Sudarshan Shahin the the late 18th Century when this region was under the control of the Gurkha kings)
The climbing history of Sudarshan is brief though spread over 19 years. Situated above the Gangotri Temple, it has been a challenge to mountaineers. It was attempted by as many as five expeditions, the last being in 1979 before an Indo -French team jointly led by Harish Kapadia & Bernard Odier made the first ascent in 1981

• Saife Altitude: 6,161 Mts.

South-southeast of Sudarshan Parvat lies a gentle yet deceptive peak. Saife in local language means 'Sword' or the weapon carried by Lord Ram, who is also known as the God with the white complexion-Swetvarna. This peak lies near Koteshwar-'God of the Edges'. Thus with sword edge -like ridges, the name is appropriate.

• Yogeshwar Altitude: 6,678 Mts.

Situated northeast of Sudarshan Parvat lies Yogeshwar. It takes its name from Lord Krishna, in a serene mood and thus can be aptly applied to this high snowy peak. Yogeshwar was first climbed by Ramakant Mahadik in 1991. It was again climbed by a British team in 92. After that there have been no noticeable attempts on these peaks. Yogeswar was climbed by the south side through Shyamvarna glacier its west ridge which connects to Chatubhuj is still unclimbed

• Chaturbhuj Altitude: 6,655 Mts.

Chaturbhuj, situated north of Sudarshan Parvat, literally means ' one with four hands'. This is the name for Lord Vishnu who has four hands and holds the Sudarshan Chakra. This peak has four distinct ridged falling in four directions, thus both mythologically as well as topographically this name is appropriate.

The summit of Chaturbhuj is a conical pyramid, very steep, 15 Mts. long and 2 Mts. high.

Since the first attempts these peaks have become very popular with Indian Teams as they are open peaks and this area remains filled with teams with the season every year.

Satopanth (7075 meters, 23212 feet)

Satopanth (7075 meters, 23212 feet), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The Summit Pyramid of Mt. Satopanth lit up in alpenglow during sunset as viewed from high up on neighboring Vasuki Parvat in the Garhwal Himal in Uttarakhand India.

The 7075m high pyramid of Satopanth belongs to the select 7000+ mtrs club and is a spectacularly beautiful peak which is easily recognizable due to its unique summit plateau which stands out distinctly in the sea of sharp spires of the other peaks around it.

As compared to other climbing peaks in the Garhwal Himal it is technically less demanding and has fewer objective hazards than peaks of similar altitude.

Another factor which contributes to its popularity is its relatively easy access from the road head and Vasuki tal is as idyllic a basecamp one can hope for.

For the last few years it has been used for training young alpinists and mountaineers as it gently introduces climbers to that magic 7000 mtrs mark and is a useful training peak frequently used by UIAA and other International Mountaineering Clubs as well as the ones in India for conducting their advanced mountaineering courses.

Satopanth was first climbed in 1947 by the Swiss alpinists Andre Roch and Alexander Graven via the North East ridge, which they called ‘A Ladder to Heaven’, due to its
Aesthetic beauty and summit views.( This expedition also made First ascent of Kedarnath(6940 m), Kalindi Peak (6102 m), Balbala (6414 m), Nanda Ghunti (6310 m), and made a fine attempt on Chaukhamba (7138 m)..

It wasn’t till 34 years till the next ascent was made in 1981 but since then the speed and number of ascents has increased very much with over 10 ascents for the last 5 years every year.

Neelkanth (6596 mtrs)

Neelkanth (6596 mtrs), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Elevation 6,596 metres (21,640 ft)
Location Uttarakhand, India
Range Garhwal Himalaya
Prominence 1,200 m (3,940 ft)
Coordinates 30°43′12″N, 79°24′00″E
First ascent June 3, 1974

The Satopanth Glacier lies on the northwest side of Nilkantha, below a 2,500 m (8,200 ft) face of the peak. The Panpatia Glacier lies to the southwest, and feeds the Khir Ganga, a stream running under the south side of the peak. Further away, to the west of the peak, lies the well-known Gangotri Glacier and its associated peaks. Across the Alaknanda valley lie the Kamet and Nanda Devi groups.

A shining pyramid of white crystals, overlooking the famous Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand. It is often called the GARHWAL QUEEN due to its fragile beauty.

That legendary mountaineer Frank Smythe (who made the first attempt to climb this mountain in 1937), called it the most mountain he had ever seen.
Its undeniable beauty often belies its difficulties and make it one of the harder climbs in the Garhwal Himalayas.

With its steep ridges and faces, Nilkantha resisted at least nine climbing attempts, beginning with Frank Smythe in 1937, Hillary & Lowe in 1961.Till last year only 4 successful ascents had been recorded though not for the want of trying. .

The peak was first climbed on by a team of the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) led by S.P Chamoli on June 3, 1974 by Sonam Pulzor, Kanhiya Lal, Dilip Singh, and Nima Dorje. After unsuccessfully attempting the west ridge, they reached the summit via the north face, making three camps above base camp.

Last year the first Indian civilian expedition sponsored by the Himalayan Club (Calcutta), made what only the 5th successful ascent was following the route of the Scottish 2000 expedition in an epic 57 hour climb without camps they managed to return after a successful climb.

Panchchuli II (6904 mtrs)

Panchchuli II (6904 mtrs), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Elevation 6,904 m (22,651 ft)
LocationPithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India
Range Kumaon Himalaya
Prominence 1,614 m (5,295 ft)
Coordinates 30°12′51″N, 80°25′39″E

The most visible symbol in the Munsyari valley are the peaks of Panch Chuli, as with other peaks in the region these peaks too are revered and are named after the five Pandava brothers from the Indian epic Mahabharata.

The peaks represent their cooking hearths (chulis) where they cooked their last meal before ascending to heaven

Spectacular sunsets & sunrises turn these peaks into Virtual Baskets of Alpenglow and the peak tops almost seem ablaze and its not hard to imagine why they were named thus..

Road Work in Ladakh HIMANK Project.

Road Work in Ladakh HIMANK Project., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Every visitor to Ladakh comes away with an awe of the roads in Ladakh.. I for one was blown away the first time I visited there.. marveling at the kind of men required  to build roads in such inhospitable terrain..Most of the road gangs were workers from Bihar who are more used to the heat of the terai plains then to the icy locales of Jammu & Kashmir..
Till 1960, Leh was connected with Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh by mule tracks only. The first jeepable road to Leh from Srinagar was thrown open to traffic on August 1, 1960. In order to construct and develop the road network in Ladakh, BRO (Border Road Organization) was inducted.
Project Himank was raised exclusively for development of road communication and other works of BRO in Ladakh region, in December 1985. The need for creating a separate Border Roads project exclusively for Ladakh arose owing to increased work-load in the region. The quantum of work and long distances from road-head and inhospitable terrain was just another roadblock to be overcome
Project Himank, with its HQ at Leh, was given the task of creating and maintaining roads and airfields in the most inhospitable terrain in the world, where most of its roads are above 10000 to 18000 feet in height. In such altitudes, the efficiency of men and machine is adversely affected due to lack of oxygen in the rarefied air and extreme cold conditions created as a result of high altitude and icy high velocity winds. The long harsh winter of seven to eight months permits a working season of only five months from June to October. The summer temperature rarely exceeds 32 degree centigrade and winter temperatures plummets to minus 30 degree centigrade with the temperature at Drass falling to minus 50 degree centigrade; thus earning for it the distinction of being “the second coldest inhabited place in the world”.
In such adverse working conditions and hardly a working season to write home about,
Project Himank is unique by itself as all the roads of the Project are located in high altitude areas. The Project boasts of the highest motorable road in the world at Khardungla at a height of 18380 feet.
One of the most challenging and demanding tasks of the Project is snow clearance. There are nine major passes in the jurisdiction of the Project.
These are 

the notorious Zoji La (11578 feet) (Where in 1948 in what is now known as "Project Bison" saw Indian Army Tanks managing to cross the pass on a trail built by the Indian Sappers in nearly impossible conditions and this action saved the Ladakh Region from the encroaching Pakistani Army Units .) ,
Namika La (12200 feet),
Fotu La (13497 feet),
Hamboting La (13620 feet),
Khardung La (18380 feet),
Chang La (17356 feet),
Kajukongta La (16626 feet),
Taglang La (17582 feet),
Lachalung La (16616 feet) and

Trisul I, II , III & Mrigthuni

Trishul I, II , III & Mrigthuni, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Location | Bageshwar, Uttarakhand,
Range | Garhwal - Kumaun Himalaya
Prominence | 1,616 m(5,302 ft)
First ascent | June 12, 1907 by Tom Longstaff, A. Brocherel, H.Brocherel, Karbir
Easiest route | North east flank/north ridge: snow/glacier climb
Trisul I 7120 mtrs (30°18′36″N 79°46′12″E /30.31, 79.77)
Trisul II 6690mtrs (30°17′24″N 79°46′12″E / 30.29, 79.77)
Trisul III 6008mtrs (30°15′00″N 79°46′12″E / 30.25, 79.77)
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Early Climbing History & First Ascent:
In the Annals of Himalayan Climbing History Trishul plays an important part as it was one of the earliest peaks in the Himalayas to be submitted in 1907

The legendary Dr. T. G. Longstaff made the first climbing reconnaissance of Trisul, in September 1905, focusing on the western and southern sides.

In 1907 The Alpine Club as part of their Golden Jubilee Celebrations were refused permission to climb Everest so attention shifted to Trishul.
A.L. Mumm (a wealthy publisher) guaranteed to meet all expenses. The party was
· Mumm, with his usual guide Moritz Inderbinnen

· Charles Bruce with 9 Gorkhas from the Gorkha Rifles.
( General Bruce would be the expedition leader of the 1922 Everest expedition)

· Dr. Tom Langstaff with his guides, The Two Bocherel Brothers Alex and Henri. (The Canadian climber who was the chief medical officer of the 1922 Everest Expedition)
{It was standard practice to climb with Swiss Alpine Guides in those days, except for Dr A.M Kellas who climbed with Sherpas (or coolies as they were then known), mostly all early explorers brought their own guides from Europe}

Bottled Oxygen was used for the first time in Himalayan Conditions manufactured by Seib & Gormann who would later supply the early Everest Expeditions of 1922 and 1924.

It remained the highest peak to be climbed until the next 25 years till the first ascent of KAMET in 1931 by Frank Symthe's team.

Mrigthuni was first climbed in 1958 by an Indian Team which included Aamir Ali (brother of noted Indian Orinthologist Saleem Ali)