September - October '08 |
Hot Rock: Climbing in Nepal |
 |
After 150 years of isolation, Nepal opened its doors to foreigners in 1951 and in many respects is still a medieval society. It is a land of huge contrasts with the mighty Himalayas in the north, with eight of the Worlds 8,000m mountains, descending down to the tropical jungles of the Ganges plain.
Our expedition will wind though the Himalayan foothills en route to Kathmandu where the subcontinent stage of the trip will end. Kathmandu is one of the most amazing places on the planet. A maze of interconnecting warren-like streets, temples, pagodas and holy men hidden down dingy side streets, a chaos of rickshaws and smiling children. We will spend a few days in a central Thamel location from which you can easily walk around the compact centre.
Here
we’ll pick up a few new people and work on Birt to iron out any problems
before the most arduous and adventurous section of the expedition: the trans-Himalayan
route across Tibet. For those who don't want to simply kick back, relax and
stroll around Kathmandu there are plenty of things that we can organise from
our base in the Star Hotel.
A
very popular and worthwhile trip is to the Royal Chitwan national park, a
world famous region of subtropical forest and river margin. Chitwan is one
of the only remaining habitats for the rare one horned Asian rhino, and equally
rare Bengal tiger. Viewing these from an elephant-back safari is one of the
great highlights of anybody's trip to Nepal. Other notable species in the
park include leopard, sloth bear and Indian bison. Explorations of the park
can be made on foot (accompanied by a ranger with a big gun thankfully) or
by canoe to get a real feel for the area.
From
Kathmandu we will organise a white water rafting trip for those that are interested.
With many new rivers being opened up all the time, there is something for
everybody, be it a day trip on the Trisulu River or a three day excursion
down the Sun Kosi. For a very reasonable price, you can get a real adrenaline
rush in rapids up to grade five on some of the best stretches of white water
in the world.
It is also possible to do tandem paragliding and balloon rides above Kathmandu as well as hire mountain bikes or motorbikes to go offroading in the surrounding hills. Another popular jaunt is the morning mountain flight in a light aeroplane to get unparalleled views of the entire Himalayan chain.
TREKKING PERMITS
Our time in Kathmandu will be spent getting trekking visas for the Langtang / Helambu area which is our next destination. The Langtang Himalaya rise dramatically behind Kathmandu, and many treks and climbs can be undertaken in an area which I personally consider to be more stunning than anywhere in the more popular (and crowded) Annapurna circuit.
 |
 |
 |
There are a number of choices and the more adventurous will undoubtedly chose to enter the Langtang valley via either the Gosaikund Lake and a 4,600m pass or the spectacular and hair raising Kangja La Pass at 5,120m. For those who want to spend the time on more serious mountaineering and climbing objectives however, a day’s drive leads to the base of the valley itself where porters can be hired to carry your climbing gear for the two/three day walk up the valley to Langtang village.
The Langtang valley is dominated by the great spire of Langtang Lirung (7,234m) and populated by people very like Tibetans, cheery, tough and as Tilman wrote in his exploration of the valley, "Scrupulous to remove the lice which sometimes stray to the outside of their clothing". The valley is considered one of the ancient Shangri La's, so no animal is allowed to be killed in it, although not much exists besides the high altitude yaks and a few wild horses. The top of the valley is just a day’s walk from Tibet and from the surrounding peaks fine views can be had into Tibet itself.
There are a number of objectives within the valley such as Tserpochi Kharka with fantastic views of the Langtang Lirung and the Kyimoshung Icefall. Further up the valley is the worthwhile Cherko and Cherko Ri, rewarding isolated peaks with several non technical ascents. Jamie Mcguiness’ guide to the region describes the view from the top of Cherko as "one of the best trekking viewpoints on planet earth". A saddle links Cherko to the more demanding Yala peak at 5,520m requiring a numerous pitch 40-50 degree snow and ice field ascent which, for satisfaction, is hard to beat.
Tilmans
conversations in 1949 with the local yak herdsmen confirmed the recent presence
of an abominable snowman in the nearby caves: A couple of years back, tracks
were sighted at the head of the valley at Langshisa, so we'll have to keep
an eye out! Be sure not to suspect Hot Rockers returning to camp in the early
hours after too much rakshi (home brewed rice beer) to be the mystical beast!
It is not hard to believe in such Yeti rumours if you take the time to head
right up the valley and explore some of the remote side valleys and glaciers
that are extremely rarely visited by man.
The
main Langtang valley contains many more objectives from the steep 150m rock
walls leading to the Langtang Lirung basecamp to the glaciated peak of Naya
Kanga (5,846m). This is a technical ascent requiring adequate acclimatisation
(perhaps an ascent of Yala peak) and competence on steep snow and ice. Just
trekking in the region can be most rewarding, passing the sculptured stone
chortens and prayer wheels with spectacular views and friendly locals.
Along
the approach walks, accommodation is in lodges and tea houses. This means
you don't have to carry tents, food and cooking gear on the walk in. If that’s
not good enough, at the end of a days walking or climbing you can get back
to your lodge for a slice of apple pie and a cold beer. Anyone exploring the
head of the valley however is heading into remoteville and will need to be
fully self-sufficient.
For
anyone on the trip looking for even more of a challenge we can arrange a trekking
peak permit for Paldor Peak (5,928m) on the edge of the Ganesh Himal. The
routes up the North East and South East ridges require technical climbing
in an extremely remote location. Adequate acclimatisation will be essential
possibly involving a rarely undertaken traverse of the Singla Ridge at 4,000m.
Peak fees & porters are not included in the expedition cost, because everyone will have different objectives. One of the benefits of being with a big group of climbers is that there’s bound to be people wanting to do whatever you yourself want. At time of writing, peak fees for the peaks mentioned above were (roughly) as follows:
|
 |
We can organize groups to climb any of these objectives once we get to Kathmandu, and you should probably allow a few quid for porters too.
After
the two weeks in the Himalayas everybody will meet back up at Dunche and we
will drive back to Kathmandu for a hot shower and celebration of mountains
climbed (with a bit of luck) at one of the many excellent restaurants, such
as the legendary Everest steakhouse which has seen many a celebrating expedition
from Hillary and Tenzing ‘til now.
A
few beers will also be called for in the 40,000 and a half feet bar, with
its long tradition of writing up your achievements on a yeti foot beer mat,
which adorn all the walls and ceilings from thousands of expeditions.
There's a couple of days to have a last curry and wander around Kathmandu, buy some warm gloves and send some letters home before we set off into the most challenging stage of the expedition: Tibet, and a complete traverse of China. From Kathmandu it's not a long drive up towards 'friendship bridge' and the border. Here we will wave goodbye to the friendly and fun loving people of Nepal.
