Meru turns golden during sunrise

Meru turns golden during sunrise, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Mt. Meru'su 6672m
North WALL turns golden during sunrise

Meru peak is situated in the center of Gangotri glacier in Garhwal Himalayas between the famous Shivling & Thalay Sagar, and opposite as well famous group of Bhagirathi Peaks. In fact Meru peak itself doesn't need to be introduced in the alpinist world. It's steep walls have long ago become the testing area for realization of the mountaineering ambitions of the world most famous climbers. And if the main massif summit - the Southern (6,600m) - and the Northern (6,450), are already climbed,

The Central Pillar is known as the Shark's Fin and had defeated all comers including some of the leading aces in today's Climbing fraternity..

Each year since 1987 at least one expedition had tried to get up but to no avail constant rockfall and sweeping overhangs presented formidable odds on this route (over 20 expeditions have failed on this route, last year 4 more tried only 1 succeeded)

The route was finally climbed by the Ace Alpinist Valery Babanov
(though controversy remains whether he climbed the pillar direct or took a sideline to get to the top of the climb )and got him shortlisted for the Piolet D' Or for this amazing solo climb in 2001. He beat a strong team of Doug Chabot, Bruce Miller & Conrad Anker who were also on the mountain that time.

Last year another Australian Expedition also managed to complete this route via the west face Two members achieved new world record for altitude base-jumping in bat suits... . The leader Dr Glen Singleman with Heather Swan leapt down wearing wing-suits from a ledge at 6604 m.(They will do another jump in 2008 this time from Shivling in the Garhwal Himalayas)

In Hindu Mythology Meru is the name of the mountain on which the Gods Live.

Last Light on the West Ridge of Mt. Pandim.(6191 mtrs)

Last Light on the West Ridge of Mt. Pandim.(6191 mtrs), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The West Ridge is lit up with Alpenglow as another day sets over Mt. Pandim, viewed from the huts at Zemathang and the terminal moraine of the Onglakhing Glacier. This is the base for climbing attempts on Pandim. It also marks the beginning of the climb up the moraine to Samiti Lake (4200m) the sacred source of the Prek River..



Early Explorers:

John Claude White: White traveled extensively in Sikkim and Bhutan. He was mainly responsible for opening up roads and bridges which made access easier for later explorers. In 1890 he crossed the Goecha La to the Talung Glacier south-east of Kanchenjunga and followed the Talung valley to the Tista, being probably the first European to investigate the gorges between Pandim and the Simvu group.”

The first Europeans to come to this area to climb were Von Dechy the Hungarian Mountaineer in 1879, who fell ill and so little climbing or exploration was done.

He was followed by the Englishman W.W. Graham. *(his accounts of his climbing exploits were so full of discrepancies that they have been a source of argument to this day. He reportedly claimed climbing Kabru, an 18000 ft peak, though he was forced to return to Darjeeling after only a week, of having set oout from Darjeeling not enough time to get to the mountain let alone climb it.)

Douglas Freshfield set out with his party in 1899. He was to be the first mountaineer to trek in a circle around Khangchendzonga, from the North. He was also the first mountaineer to examine the great western face of Khangchendzonga, rising from the Khangchendzonga Glacier.

He also traveled to Green Lakes along with the famous Italian photographer Vittorio Sella’ who had photographed Siniolchu from Zemu Valley. Freshfield has described Siniolchu as “The Most Superb Triumph of Mountain Architecture and The Most Beautiful Snow Mountain in the World”

His travels resulted in one of the classic books in mountaineering literature
Round Kangchenjunga: A Narrative of Mountain Travel and Exploration,

He always traveled with two Swiss Alpine Guides and the whole trip which was made along with a party of 60 including 7 Europeans & the rest local Coolie's cost him a then lordly sum of 200 Pounds

When he finally arrived safely in 1899,at Dzongri after 8 weeks , he lit a big bonfire, which was visible as far as Darjeeling. The Governor of Bengal ordered 10 Gun Salute to be fired in his honour.



The modern trek routes followed by thousands today are the same routes pioneered by Freshfield and though many things have changed the mountains still have the same allure and like sirens call out to your soul.

Ridges after Ridges of the Singilla Range

Ridges after Ridges of the Singilla Range, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Perched on a hillside lies the idyllic village of Tshokha in Sikkim, It has a small gompa and a small oval lake and reminded me the first time I visited of the village of Nako in Spiti HP.. Both seemed eerily familiar.. Had a hearty breakfast here and lolled around for a rest day here before continuing on with the trek. It was one of the most pleasant of days without too much cloud cover, so the views to be had were excellent on all sides.

A golden sunset on placid Pehwa Lake in Pokhara Nepal.

A golden sunset on placid Pehwa Lake in Pokhara Nepal., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

This beautiful lake 4.4 sq km lake is the pearl in Pokhara's necklace, in the middle sits an island with a temple.. nothing better than spending an afternoon boating and a dekkho of the temple..

The sunsets are stunning too with Annapurna, Dhaulagiri & Machuphucharre (Fish Tail) all 7000- 8,000 mtrs looming in the distant horizon.

Phewa Lake is also used for commercial fishing. The tourist area is along the north shore of the lake (Lake Side and Dam Side). It is mainly made up of little shops, little hotels, restaurants and bars.
On a hill overlooking Phewa Tal from the south is the World Peace Stupa (at 1,113 m) it is built by the same Japanese Organization which built the Shanti Stupa in Leh and a similar one in Rajagiri & Darjeeling.

The relative calm I enjoyed here on my first visit in 1998 was something I will always remember (of course these days it is much more commercial and touristy

This beautiful region is now under siege mainly due to the Maoist trouble and the increasing popularity of the Annapurna Trek Circuit, every year the number of people coming here increases and this puts increasing burden on this fragile ecosystem with which it is struggling to cope.

With its dwindling natural resources you now see many previously pristine trails littered with the detritus of the Huge Trekking Groups and increasing deforestation as more firewood the traditional source of fuel is burned.

The Reclusive Changabang 2

The Reclusive Changabang 2, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The one night I spent at the base camp 4ft. of new snow fell covering the landscape in a quilt of white. Where there had been black rock(see earlier pic) now only white gleamed.
It made route finding very difficult and concealed deadly crevasses eagerly awaiting a careless step. Often we had to retrace our steps to find the right way to get to Shipton's Col on the shoulder with its nearest neighbour Kalanka, where a Slovenian team was making an attempt on its formidable North Face.

The Reclusive Changabang 6,864 m (22,520 ft)

The Reclusive Changabang 6,864 m (22,520 ft), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Changabang (THE SHINING MOUNTAIN)

Elevation 6,864 m (22,520 ft)
Location Garhwal Division, Uttarakhand, India
Range Garhwal Himalaya
Prominence circa 300 m (1000 ft)
Coordinates 30°29′N, 80°01′E
First ascent June 4, 1974 by Indo British Team under Chris Bonington.
Easiest route Southeast Face/East Ridge (snow/ice climb)

It is part of a group of peaks that form the northeast wall of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary Changabang was first brought to prominence by that legendary explorer and climber Eric Shipton, who was very impressed by the Grey granite walls when he made it as far as a col which is now named after him and joins the mountain with its neighbor Kalanka

One has to cross the Rahmani Glaier to reach the Shipton Col and the Upper Bhagni Glacier establishing camp at the head of the Changabang Glacier.

Though it does not have a high topographic prominence, being slightly lower than its near neighbor Kalanka to the east, and lower than many other peaks in the immediate vicinity its steep rocky profile has acted as a siren song on climbers for the last 100 years & has inspired some of the most compelling mountaineering books of our times

It is a particularly steep and rocky peak, and all routes on it are serious undertakings and have become test pieces (like the North Face of the Eiger) for climbers to pit their skills against as reaching the summit entails climbing the white ice, green ice and mixed rock sections in between.

The North Face of Changabang rises in an impressive steep wall peppered with a liberal amount of snow and ice. In places the ice looks white, friendly and probably easy to climb. In other areas, though, a shiny bluish -green reflection (which gives it the name SHINING MOUNTAIN) is hard, uncompromising shields which appear to be stuck to near vertical ground.

It was first climbed on June 4, 1974 by a mixed (Indo - British) team Tashi Chewang, Balwant Sandhu, Chris Bonington, Martin Boysen, Dougal Haston, Doug Scott via the Southeast Face, leading to the East Ridge.
Doug Scott called it the hardest test for sustained difficulty on any mountain in the Himalayas.
This is the "so called" easiest route on the mountain, and one of the few that is primarily a snow/ice climb,

Other notable ascents include some of the hardest climbs ever done in the Himalaya.

The first of these is the ascent

Joe Tasker and Pete Boardman made their generation-inspiring 1976 ascent of Changabang’s West Face. The route took over 25 days to ascend, and their use of big wall climbing techniques to overcome the serious, sustained difficulties was revolutionary step forward in Alpine Climbing .
Peter Broadmans book THE SHINING MOUNTAIN is a classic of the genre and describes this climb as the hardest he had undertaken along with his climbing partner Joe Tasker.



In 1997, 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.

Fowler’s underplayed and wry tales from high, uncomfortable places" On Thin Ice" (which I think even surpasses his first work, Vertical Pleasure). It is interesting to note that Changabang, which plays a central role in both books by two of the most promising Alpinists of the present generation, also provided a defining moment in the careers of Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker,

On October 12, 2006, two Mexican climbers, Andrés Delgado and Alfonso de la Parra, were successful in climbing Changabang by a new route.

However, while descending, they encountered a storm and have been reported missing since October 15, when they made a contact via satellite phone. India put on a rescue effort despite harsh weather conditions and by Oct the search for them had been canceled due to inclement weather.

Searching for Shangri La

, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Searching for Shangri La

I grew up on stories of ancient yogis and fearsome sadhu's and mystics who meditated for thousands of years rooted to a particular spot somewhere in the Himalaya.



They were supposed to have performed legendary feats and there are thousands of natural formations one can find all over India which are still attributed to these ancient supermen standing on one leg and not moving lost in their penance to please the gods much like the giants of Ancient Greece.. Some turned into stone (some became ant-hills or trees as different legends say) and others who became gods themselves.


Of course at some level you never truly believed such stories and such was the case with me too.. it till I saw this "lepcha" which I half expected to get up and start walking alongside me..
.
After this chance meeting I could easily believe that stones could come back to life and show me the way to that hidden Shangri La or Middle Earth of Tolkien

Walking through the fairy meadows:
Nestled as it is in such a surreal setting with Autumn in full bloom and colors galore of different ferns, lichens and wild flowers.which flourish at this altitude of around 13,000 ft.during the descent from Lamuney viewpoint on the Yuksom - Dzongri La Trek in Sikkim..This was one of the best treks that I have done.in the last few years .

Sikkim still retains a lot of character and isn't as commercialized as other hill stations in northern India like Manali have become.

Some of it could be attributed to the hard mountainous terrain where we started off at 9000 ft with almost tropical rainforest's and interspersed with copses of Golden Bamboo forests and finally giving way to alpine rhododendron forests fed by the wet climate and the abundant glaciers of the singilla ridge

The landscape, flora and fauna add that crowing touch which makes the legend of Shangri La come alive for me. It is a lost world in itself a unique ecosystem and one which is constantly under threat.. There is something deeply mystical yet very elemental which you can almost feel surrounding you by spending time walking around such locales.

The Land of the eternal mist inhabited by a smiling people is always a joy to visit..

{This is one of my shortlisted photos for the Banff Mountain Photography 2008 Photo Contest}

Colors Of Ladakh

Colors Of Ladakh, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Mountainsides on the way to TSO MORIRI Ladakh,

Sunset at Alappuzha (Alleppey) Pier.

Sunset at Alappuzha (Alleppey) Pier., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Postcards from kerela.

The pier in view is around a 140 years old and not that sturdy these days.


Allaphuzha or Alleppey as it was known is famous for its fabled backwaters but the beach here has its own charms.
I had stayed on the backwaters during a previous visit in 2002 and thought that they were much too over hyped and the ad guru's had pulled one over me (not for the first or the last time)..

Even during that stay on the last day I had the good fortune of visiting this beach and this time made a straight beeline for it to watch the graceful descend of the sun for yet another day...and wasn't disappointed at all in fact quite mesmerized by the palette of colors and play of light arrayed by the gods that be...

Sweetloaf mountains near Tso khar, Ladakh

Sweetloaf mountains near Tso khar, Ladakh, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Taken during Traverse and circum navgation of Tso Khar shorelines...

During the day these sweet loaf mountains seem much lighter in color but as evening falls the pastels become more muted and the stark reds and rusts stand out..