mountains in my mind...

mountains in our mind...mountains to climb in 2009...

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Adventure Mania
www.adventuremania.com
http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
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What we did in 2008! A report from Adventure Mania...

2008~Year of the Magic Panda!

 

4 mountaineering expeditions, 6 summits, 5 treks, 1 cleaning expedition on the Singalila Ridge,1 charitable project for mountain porters,1 crazy race on Mount Elbrus, many new friends, fire in Sikkim project, no accidents or sickness in any of our trips…that's 2008 for Adventure Mania…and another year in a mountain guide's life!

 

Cold, crisp 3000m air on the Singalila Ridge, rising Sun over Tiger Hill in the distance, mighty Kangchendzonga massif shining, smiling over the North. Short of breath as I ran up the hill, I suddenly realized this is where it all started for me. Singalila Ridge has always been like home coming. I was only 4 years when I had come here for the first time. I was with my parents. Back then in 1975, they did not have all the tea houses and so many people around. Since that first visit, I have been on the Singalila Ridge, trekking with friends, leading groups; for more than 50 times! I have lost count.

 

I was lost in nostalgia and sat down on top of a boulder. It felt comfortable, I felt at home! It was then the Red Panda appeared from behind a bush. It wasn't expecting a human on top of that hill on a January morning; neither have I ever imagined seeing a Red Panda in the wild, especially on the Singalila Ridge!

 

I guess we both had that element of being surprised in our eyes. So we looked into each others eyes for a few minutes. We were both calm and then he turned and left. I wanted to follow, but I wish I could!

 

Back in my tea house room, when I mentioned the encounter, she said, it must be a 'magic panda'! Today, as I write this report, I sincerely believe that it WAS a 'magic panda'! Because, me as a 'Himalayan Guide' and 'Adventure Mania' as a company excelled in 2008!

 

In 2008, we did 4 mountaineering expeditions! They include Kalanag (6387m), Unnamed Peaks in Panpatia Glacier (we climbed 4 unclimbed peaks ranging 5200m to 5678m), Shivling- West Ridge (6543m) and unnamed peak( 6000m) in West Sikkim. We missed the summit of Shivling as we could not force a route on the blue water ice wall over 6100m. It was a tough decision to turn back, but safety rules. So after Adventure Mania's 6 years of operation in the Indian Himalaya, and 18 full scale mountaineering expeditions, we haven't had a single accident!

 

Apart from the mountaineering ventures, we did 5 treks. From North Sikkim to Himachal Pradesh, from Tholung Monastery to Rupin Pass, all the treks were successful and they kept us on our toes through out the year.

 

Me as a Himalayan Guide and Adventure Mania feel proud to organize and guide The Right Honourable The Lord Mance, and Lady Arden on their Singalila Ridge trek. I am thankful to Sri Milan Kumar Banerjee, former Attorney General of India and His Lordship Biswanath Somadder for their trust on me as Himalayan Guide.

 

Adventure Mania continues to work with Community Action Treks, U.K. and is proud to be associated with Doug Scott and his charity efforts. Di has retired, but its fun to interact with Captain Tek. Adventure Mania is also very fortunate to have worked with Alan Tees, President, Mountaineering Council of Ireland and his team in Panpatia Glacier Exploration climbing. I am thankful to The Iceland Garhwal Expedition for entrusting upon us the responsibility of leading and guiding their Shivling West Ridge expedition in October 2008. I am of course ever thankful to my friend Haukur Parelius Finsson (Nature Explorer Iceland), for standing by me and enriching me with his brilliant marketing ideas.

 

Thendup has done some fantastic work as my lead Sherpa this year again and so is Kiran. He is coming up very well with his strength and rock climbing skills. Very soon Kiran will be ready to assist Thendup in high mountains. Mingma and Indra are outstanding mountain chefs. They are the real heroes of Adventure Mania.

 

But the newest member to the Adventure Mania family is Hilde Wasserfall. Hilde is a Yoga Instructor from Germany, who is also a keen trekker. With her help we are going to introduce Yoga sessions in some of our Himalaya Treks.

 

Now, if you will excuse me, I have plans to make for 2009. Mountains to climb, glaciers to reccee, passes to cross and friends to make! If you want to join any of our trips, treks, expeditions please email me.

 

Cheers! Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!!! To one and all!

 

 

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Adventure Mania
www.adventuremania.com
http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
t:+91 97487 61139p
m:+91 92305 11139

adventuremania strikes again!

It was short and sweet! Took us only 4 days to climb this mountain from our base( 4100m), with its summit just over 6000m in Sikkim. Summit on November 28, a very lightweight style ascent and very cold indeed. I have inclinations to go back and do a proper winter climb on this mountain! Its been a succesful climbing and trekking year 2008! We have managed to remain safe and yet succesful!

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Adventure Mania
www.adventuremania.com
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
t:+91 97487 61139
m:+91 92305 11139

Quest for the Bon Manchi

“…the name given to the wild men varies according to the area. The Chitrali call them Jangali Mosh ('man of the forest, wild man'). The name Almasti ('the one who eats a lot') is rare. The most common name in the South is the word Barmanu ('the strong or muscular man') and is etymologically close to the Hindi word Ban Manus, meaning 'Man of the forest'… “- Jordi Magraner, North Pakistan Expedition


The Quest Begin

After countless black americanos with Himalayan veteran Robin Banerjee, in a coffee bar in Esplanade area of Kolkata, it was finally happening. We were off to North Sikkim for yet another adventure of the unknown. An exploration trek was ahead of us in the uncharted catchments of the upper Ringi Chu valley. In to a great valley guarded by the Eastern flanks of a so called beauty- Siniolchu and Lama Ongden, the mountain in meditation. Only this time our goal was not reaching a summit or crossing a high mountain pass. This time our goal was elusive. This time we would follow myths, old lamas’ tales, legends, folklores and some first hand accounts of locals among some of North Sikkim unseen or less known valleys, ridges, glaciers.

Escaping the hectic, humid Kolkata (used to be called ‘Calcutta’) is always a pleasure. A 12 hour overnight train and a good 5 hour drive on the Himalayan Mountain roads took us to Burtuk, in the outskirts of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. Everything started to cool down after an evening in Burtuk. We were hosted by friends Binuka Dungmali and Karma Lepcha. Karma works for the Sikkim Police department while his wife Binuka is a school teacher in the village of Bay (the last village on way to Tholung Monastery) in Dzongu. After a few rounds of Tyongba (a mildly alcoholic warm drink made from using ‘kodo’ millets), everything started to fall in to their respective places. I could see clearly now. I could think straight and I could plan the job ahead. This is what I call detoxification. Detoxification of one’s soul from the toxins of our mundane lives (well...if we can call it a life!). It was not just the drink, you see, it’s the fresh mountain air, the thought that we will be away from the social toxins for the next few weeks, had their synergistic effect on me. And I was ready!




Dzongu: the Lepcha territory

The next step was a drive. A drive to Mangan, the district head quarters of North Sikkim. 3 hours on dusty, bumpy, winding roads and we were in Mangan bazaar. The area where we were venturing in to is locally known as Dzongu. And to enter we needed a special permit, yes, even for us Indians! A few hours passed, and we had that invaluable piece of paper called the “Permit”! We were all relieved as without that piece of paper our adventure could very well end in Mangan bazaar. Sharing our joy of relief was Zamyong Lepcha. Zamyong, an old friend is the son of Bhutia Tsering Lepcha. I knew Zamyong from the 2 previous visits to this valley, in 2001 and 2003 respectively. Bhutia Tsering is the head master of Lingzya village school, our road head for the trek up Ringi Chu Valley.

Some shopping in the Mangan bazaar and we were off in Zamyong’s jeep towards Lingzya village. To drive 25 kms took 1 hour. It was like returning home. The warmth in our host’s hearts reflected in their hospitality. Next morning after a hearty breakfast, we were ready to take on 20 km uphill track up to Tholung Gompa. A long & sweaty day, starting from less than msl 4000ft. at the end of the day we were at 8160ft. 7 hours later we left Lingzya we reached the ancient monastery of Tholung. Had a very interesting afternoon spent with the Head Lama; popularly called as “Myong Thiung”. In Lepcha language Myong Thiung means the ‘Old Man of the Village’. Our Myong Thiung is actually a very high priest in the Gyelukpa sect in entire Sikkim.

Sips of ‘Chhang’ and stories dating back decades infused enough mystery and charm immediately into our drinks and to the unknown days ahead.
Our discussions moved around Yeti to Wildman, Migou to Bon Manchi.
From unknown Zumthul Phuk river catchments to Kishong la. At night, before hitting the sack, I was lost in thought. I thought and wondered about the Valley we were about to explore and what lay ahead. Needless to mention that I only fantasized about nice rewarding experiences to come and no misadventures at all!

The Plan Divine

Talung - the name itself is fascinating. It brings an air of the unknown. The mystery; the thrill; the magnetism; the challenge of the unknown. Perhaps that’s why we were there. The Zumthul Phuk Glacier, which only exists on a map. Kishong la, a rarely visited high mountain pass! Tholung Gompa- an eighteenth century Buddhist Monastery where ancient relics of Guru Rimpoche is protected along with a mummy of a dead King! Of Lama Ongden (also spelled Lama Angden), the mountain that crowns the head of the valley overlooks the pristine Kishong Lake, in meditation for ever. Everything seemed like parts of a divine plan! Next morning, the sky was clear. We trekked thorough real dense greenery. The jungle became more and more awe inspiring. It seemed as if it kept so many secrets from us. We the tiny dots soon became refreshing blood suppliers to the thousands of leeches. Tell you what; these blood thirsty creatures did not fit in my divine plan at all! No way!


After 4½ hours we reached Temrong and soon we crossed a log bridge on Zumthul Chu and found our nights shelter in a Yak Hut (locally called as ‘goath’). Soon we had a fire going and to our extreme relief, no more leech! Thank God!

Zumthul Phuk: Of Guts and Glory

Back in Tholung Gompa, we had heard about a barrier, a big black rock wall that guards all possible entrances to the unknown Zumthul Phuk valley. The story of this “Wall” had dampened some of our spirits, but we did not give Zumthul Phuk a ‘walk over’ as yet. Because, from the maps we knew, that a big glacier exists at the head of this roaring Zumthul Chu (the word ‘chu’ means a river) and that glacier is born from the SE flanks of Siniolchu. No human being, including the Lepcha hunters of Dzongu has ever dared in to this valley! That evening Zamyong’s uncle joined us and strengthened our small team.

Next morning, we prepared ourselves with food and gear and entered the virgin forests of Zumthul Phuk. The basic idea of navigation was to stay close to the river course and go upstream. Simple it may sound; but it turned out to be an extremely dangerous and difficult affair! We crossed 19 streams as we forced our way up the true left of Zumthul Chu. We traversed numerous rock bands. Moist, damp rock bands, some of them were exposing us strait down hundreds of feet to the mighty river. And then we faced the ‘barrier’. With the very first glance at the rock wall we could chalk out a route. And we climbed that blasted rock with great zeal. The monster of the ‘barrier’ seemed to be kind to us. We peeled off thick layers of moss from the rock surface and found our foot and hand holds. It was interesting! May be that was an under statement. Doing a free climb in an uncharted territory is definitely more than just ‘interesting’! But from a rock climber’s point of view it was a scramble, not a climb (after spending a few days with Alan Tees in Donegal, North Ireland!).

For eight long hours we forced our way upstream. Sometimes tackling the wet slabs, sometimes hanging shakily from the rhododendron branches and finally building a log bridge over Zumthul Chu; we managed to reach a point from where we could see the peaks of Zumthul Phuk. I took bearings and could spot ourselves on the map. Standing on top of a big boulder on the true right bank of Zumthul Chu; we could see that how close to the snout of Zumthul Phuk we were. I took some snaps in steadily deteriorating weather and visibility. One of the members had a nasty fall and a miraculous escape from getting blown away by the cascading river. Another 5 hours, and we were all back safely in the Yak hut. A long day indeed!

What we discovered from our short adventure in Zumthul Phuk is precious! A glacier is out there, waiting for explorers and climbers to play for the very first time. The climbers or explorers whosoever they are; will of course need a load of guts to reach the glacier. And then only they can expect glory! Because all the rock faces, buttresses, gullies and at the end of it all, summits are awaiting their first ascents.

Darkness came. With it came peace. As if our aspirations also needed a bed to crash. But a big animal came very close to our shelter that night and was curious about us inside. Next morning from its droppings we could figure that it was a Himalayan Black Bear! We were glad that the bear did not decide to explore our shaky shelter! We felt like trespassers in their sanctuary. It was time to move toward our next destination- Kishong La. But we came across no Bon Manchi. No trace of him, yet!


Kishong La: The Pass of Demons and Demigods

Rain, rain, and more rain. The time we had chosen, may be was not just right! But who the hell cares; especially when you are drenched to the bones. We pushed ahead, ignoring the continuous shower. No matter what, we will give it a go! And that was it. The trail conditions worsened. Uphill all the way for 2 hours and reached small meadow called Labyok (11000ft) - an abandoned Yak Hut. Another hour of uphill struggle and we were in Thijom. Lower portions of the Dawathang Valley and a glimpse of Ringi Lama were visible. Thijom is around 12000ft. We looked beyond and a big rock wall guarded our view. It reminded me of the Great Baranco Wall of Kilimanjaro. Our route lay ahead up that giant wall. But as we approached the wall, a narrow, serpent trail appeared. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a nice walk up the wall. A steady gain of 1500 ft and we reached the alpine meadows of Thalakpe (13600ft). A night was spent in the log hut of Thalakpe. To the locals it is also known as the Kishong Hut. It was nice to be in dry clothes and enjoy a nice warm dinner by the fire.

Our senses became wide awake next morning; as we waded knee-deep icy stream of the Kishong Chu. A great green wide alp was ahead of us. An hour later we reached the camping grounds of Dikithang. We pitched our small 2 person tents beside the Yak herdsmen’s rather big camp.

Next morning, we headed for Kishong La. The higher we climbed; the weather worsened. The word ‘visibility’ sounded like a big fat joke! No point exploring, right? Wrong! We decided to move on. It was difficult to stick to the right path; especially when there isn’t any! But we managed to stay on course and after 4 hours of confusion and determination, reached Kishong La (15600ft).The cairns on the top, a gentle slope rising towards Lama Ongden and the Northern slopes rolling down to the Zemu Chu valley (towards yakthang/zaktahng). I took some useless foggy snapshots. My friend Zamyong was more than happy to be able to reach Kishong La. From this day I declare you ‘guide’; I joked. Zamyong was a proud Lepcha! He can now boast about in Mangan bazaar for the rest of his life and may be get free booze!

It was time to retrace our steps back to Dikithang camp. My tired, wet pair of legs brought me back to my tent. Soon we were all together, circling around the shepherd’s fire; sipping strong black coffee. The valley wind had risen considerably. We could hear it howling over our rolling laughter. The Shepherd’s wife said, the mountain spirits are not happy, as you humans have ventured in to the sanctum sanctorum of their temple!


A visit to the Yeti Pass

But the next statement coming from her (the shepherd’s wife) was not that easy to ignore! “There’s another mountain pass here. It’s called Mige La, very close to this Yak shed even. Migou (also spelled ‘Migoo’ or ‘Migo’ sometimes) –s used to whistle from that pass overlooking this yak shed; that’s why we shepherds have named it Mige La (‘La’ means a mountain pass in Bhotia/ Tibetan language).” And there was not a shadow of doubt or hesitation in her words when she spoke of the Migou. All the others present in the yak shed nodded to their approval. Yeti, or Migou or the Bon Manchi exists; there was no denying the fact.

Now I just learnt a couple of new things from the nomadic Shepherd’s wife. One, there exists a mountain pass in the Himalaya named after the famed Migou or Yeti. Two, Yeti’s call is like a whistling note. It may look abominable (!); but it does have a big foot!

So, next morning there I was climbing towards Mige La. Not that I was expecting to make a sudden discovery; the thought of venturing to an uncharted mountain pass was exciting enough for me. It took us two hours to reach Mige La. At an altitude of 4600m, it was snow clad in April. There we found very old cairns on top of the pass, built by the yak herdsmen. Old pile of small boulders and rocks. Old, but prominent. Visibility was as poor as it could be! In spite of that I took some pictures with the cairn and my companions Zamyong and Sukhraj. On the way down Sukhraj pointed towards a strange impression on the snow. It was not big. I thought it might be of a snow leopard, or even a bear. But my companions were quite familiar with leopard or bear pugmarks. They insisted it belonged to none other than the Migou! Well, I still don’t know what it was. But at that moment it felt nice to believe in their words. May be we should and we would come back one day soon with a scientific expedition to this area and find out. But on the way back to my tent, I realized that I have started to believe in the stories of the Shepherd’s wife.

It won’t be completely out of place if I quote another traveler’s account from the same region. Carsten Nebel who is a keen Himalayan trekker and has particular interests in less known Sikkim ranges, shares his story in an email to me. He was traveling in the same area later that year in 2006. His email is as follows:


“Hi Raja …I just realized I haven't typed in the detailed travelogue yet, so here is anad-hoc report but I'm afraid it will not help you much. Mid-November 2006 I crossed the Kishong La from the Zemu-side. I had ten porters from Lachen plus a cook from Nepal with me. We started from Yaktang (aka Zachen) and walked up the rhododendron-covered slopes. Snow became knee-high in the afternoon and we set up camp in the valley an hour before the pass. There were quite a few animal tracks around.
I went to my tent after dinner, and must have slept for an hour or so whenthe guide woke me up agitated, and told me to move the tent closer to thefire. When I asked why, he told me they heard noises and laughter from theridge above. Since no other human being is up here, it must be a yeti, hetold me. I personally did not hear any noises the entire night, and if I hadwould probably have assumed that it was just an animal. But since he wassincerely worried about me (and the crew and himself of course), I did movethe tent closer to the fire. The porters threw tsampa and salt in the fire,muttered some prayers, and did not sleep well or much that night.The next day we cleared camp, crossed the pass in deep snow and stayed inthe first hut high up in the Tholung valley. There again were many animals’tracks, but no more worries about yetis.Personally I'm very, very skeptical about yetis, but I'm sure it is worthinvestigating the area more closely, even if just to spend time up there andseeing all the wildlife. I'd love to do it myself one day, the upper Tholungvalley must be wonderful, but I guess you know that already since you spentmore time there then I did ;)If you have new information, let's stay in touch.Regards,Carsten18 November,2007”
Excerpts from Jordi Magraner’s North Pakistan Expedition
“…No animal in Chitral is able to produce such sounds. Even the jackal living in this country cannot produce such a powerful whine, and this is important. Moreover jackals howl during long periods, sometimes all night long. The whines also call to mind the moan of certain marine birds such as Laridae (gulls) or Procellaridae (Shearwaters), but no such birds live in the Kashgarian Mountains, even during migration periods. Gulls and Shearwaters keep away from forestland. The next day, shepherds who had heard the cries, maintained it was a "Forest Man" (a wild Man).”
(Note: the detailed findings of Jordi’s expedition in North Pakistan is included at the end of this article for the reader’s reference)
Tosa: a hidden haven for the Bon Manchi?
The bit of information above from the North Pakistan Expedition makes it even more interesting for my trips in North Sikkim. In June-July 2006, a friend of mine Arjun Saha from Kolkata went in to Tosa lakes region. He was scouting for our expedition which was coming up later that winter. He had quite an interesting story to share on his return from Tosa. Here are a few lines from Arjun’s journal:
"The sky became glittering blue removing the layers of cloud after the night's rain and wind. We took our way back under the soft sunlight of the morning. The returning was on the same route. When we reached Mayal Patam (a campsite and yak shelter in the Tosa Valley) we saw that, the yak shelter owner was present. A big hairy dog was accompanying him. The old man was sad. The bears had taken four of his sheep. The bears attacked his sheep during last night's storm. We spent some time in his shelter and started our journey towards Gaon-tar. We reached there in the afternoon.

Here two Goaths (Nepalese for ‘yak shelters’) are situated nearby. We took shelter at the Nepalese boy's Goath. …I don’t know when I got to sleep, but suddenly I woke up. I could see that, everybody was sleeping and the goath's door was absolutely open. Actually there was no such thing called a 'Door'. Just two wooden planks were used to block the entrance. But it was not there now. Out side was nicely visible under the soft moonlight. I could remember that the next day was ‘Laxmi Poornima’, a full moon night. I set the planks on the entrance and got into the sleeping bag. But sleeping was not being possible for me. Something strange was haunting me. As if somebody was walking outside the yak shelter. There was about one to three inches gap between the wooden planks of the goath wall. So outside was partly visible. I tried but couldn't see anything. Suddenly a loud, long whistle like sound came from the upper slopes of the forest. And after that, some short whistles started in regular intervals.

I thought that, the whistles might have been coming from the night birds of the jungle. Now sound of movements inside the goath. Figu has waked up. I could even hear voice of Tsering and Tashi. I realized that my friends were all waked like me. Have they heard anything? The wood fire was still alive. Figu poured some dhoop (incense) into it and the scent spread all over the room. I tried to sleep, but again the sound of movements outside. Some cattle of the goath owner were scattered outside the goath. I saw them in evening not interested at all to move around. Now it was midnight and cold air was blowing outside. And they would move around, was simply not acceptable. Yet I tried to see through the goath wall and saw a few of them were at a stand still. Was it a bear? Then an agitation should have come from the cattle. But nothing happened like that. So it was not a bear. Then 'who' or 'what' it was? I kept thinking and finally got asleep at late night.

When I woke up, it was morning. The kettle was set on fire. Quite naturally the incidents of the last night came into our discussion. My friends all agreed that, somebody was walking around the goath last night. Tsering's comment made me thinking .He was convinced that from the upper jungle, something or someone had walked down and circled our hut. Tsering's sense was very strong. I was very much aware of that. It was his statement that, the creature who was whistling from the jungle, invisible, walking around the goath, was nothing but 'Bon Manchi’.”
The Tosa Valley
We went in to Tosa valley twice (first during November 2006 and then in the following Christmas) and the lakes that lie at the very end of the valley. We climbed two peaks in the 4500m range near the Tosa lakes. As both were first ascents we could not resist christening them! One was called the ‘Spirit of Tosa’ as it overlooked the entire Tosa valley and the other was called ‘Jameri’. After our two visits to Tosa, I had prepared a proposal to the Government of Sikkim regarding recognizing the trekking potential there. This proposal went to the Department of Tourism and the Chief Minister’s office through my friend Karma Lepcha. I am quoting a few lines from that proposal here to give some idea of what lies there:

“The only potential trekking route in Sikkim that offers the greatest panorama of almost all the Himalayan giants located in Sikkim. While trekking to Dzongri-Goechala circuit one has to be satisfied with partial views of Kangchendzonga group of peaks only; here one can gaze at the distant Gurudongmar Range and Dongkya Range Mountains as well as the familiar Singalila Range. The trek also offers great opportunity to experience the lush green vegetation of moist, temperate forests as well as alpine meadows. From orchids to tree ferns, Tragopans to Snow Leopards the flora and fauna is rich and diverse. Starting from as low as 5000ft, one can hike up to 13000ft in about a week’s time, with plenty of camping grounds to choose from en route. Most importantly, these camping areas are free from crowding hikers, as this trail is still almost unknown; thereby making the trail a bird watcher’s and nature lovers paradise! The high point of the trek is the holy Tosa lakes. Protected by snow clad peaks, Tosa lakes have been known to the local nomadic shepherds for ages. But for some unknown reason no outsider is reported to have ventured in to the beautiful valley.”
The most striking thing about the journey to Tosa happened the very first day of our trek from the village of Phamtam. Phamtam is about an hour’s drive from Gangtok. After spending a night in Phamtam and chatting with some of the villagers, we were fascinated by the stories of the Bon Manchi. We spoke to the village school teacher, farmers, hunters, and our porters. All of them were convinced of the existence of the Bon Manchi. According to them this creature is about 4-5 feet tall. Hairy, biped and can vanish into thin air! Its capability to go invisible has given it some sort of Godly status. The invisibility thing is probably due to camouflaging capabilities of this creature in question. But whenever they spoke of it, a certain sparkle of conviction and truth glittered in their eyes.
In the first day of our trek we had to climb from 4000ft to 9000ft in 7hours (as there were no suitable campsites in between) and one of our porters gave us some yak hair. He told us to keep that bunch of yak hair in our pockets to protect us from the Bon Manchi! We came across countless pugmarks from leopards, bears near our campsites everyday, while exploring up and down the valley. While spending a night in a yak hut near Mayal Patam we also saw a red panda in the wild. That indeed was a rare privilege. My friend Kevin was able to photograph it even as it was soaking the afternoon sun. We also spent nights in the yak shelter where our friend Arjun had his memorable night and reported to have heard unknown whistling calls! Our porters, especially Tsering was not keen at all to spend another night in that Yak Shelter. We had the same batch of porters as Arjun had and they were telling us about that night. They were convinced about the existence of the Bon Manchi. They never cause any harm to the humans or cattle according to them.
We collected more accounts of Bon Manchi related stories from Tsering and his lads. And to our greatest excitement we came across a fresh track made by some unknown biped animal near Anden top. The tracks looked like footprints! More like footprints of a kid walking bare feet on snow. It was early hours in the day and we were climbing from our camp at Bushpatey towards the high point of Anden. I took some pictures of the track that seemed to have crossed our trail and went into thick bamboo clad slopes of Anden.



Directions for the future
Stories of Bon Manchi are living and actual in many Lepcha villages In North Sikkim. According to their stories it seems like a hairy, biped, which is able to camouflage itself very well. Their anatomical description has some similarity with the Pakistan Wildman and the Orang Pendek. No one describes it as an ‘abominable snowman’ or a ‘big foot’. The level of conviction in these peoples mind whenever they refer to the Bon Manchi is striking. This makes me somehow connect to the stories told by the locals of a Sumatran Island regarding the Orang Pendek. Even though, the first recorded sightings of Orang Pendek in Sumatra dates back to 1295, it took a few hundred years for the scientific community to start acknowledging that there might be an undiscovered animal in the islands of Sumatra.
Ms Debbie Martyr, former editor of a south London newspaper, has already spent two years in search of orang pendek - literally "short man". Her expedition is being carried out with the help of the Indonesian government. She is in awe of the beast and the task ahead of her. "The first time I saw it I was so shocked I didn't take a picture," she said. "I saw something I didn't expect to see and something so totally new contrary to what I expected. Here was a generally bi-pedal erect primate." Its colours correspond to those of the forest floor. "It's beige, tawny, rust red, yellow tan and dark chocolate brown. If he freezes, you can't see him."
Now this all seems very identical with the descriptions of the Bon Manchi that we came across.
Author’s note: I have added some more information and essays below on the Orang Pendek, Ebu gogo and Homo floresiensis. I am sure readers will find that enlightening and can help understand the quest for the Sikkim Bon Manchi better!

Ebu gogo to Bonmanchi: can there be a connection?
Reported from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, the orang-pendek is described a red-furred bipedal ape-man about four feet tall. It is supposed to be attractive and graceful, and has been sighted by many natives. Westerners have seen this creature regularly since 1923, but numerous expeditions have failed to find anything better than footprints and hairs that don't test as any known creature. Some people think the orang-pendek is a new species of ground-dwelling bipedal orangutan, while others favor the idea of a very primitive human.
Recently, much more attention has been focused on legends of the orang-pendek because of the discovery of the Indonesian "hobbit" or Homo floresiensis on the nearby island of Flores in 2003. Homo floresiensis is an extremely small species of human that was known to have survived at least until 12,000 years ago, which means it likely co-existed on the island with modern homo sapiens. According to local legend, which names Homo floresiensis the ebu gogo, it survived until at least the year 1900, and may still be alive today. Some researchers think that the orang-pendek is the same species as the ebu gogo. The orang-pendek is often classified as a proto-pygmy, a type of smaller, more human-like hairy humanoid.
This renewed interest, coupled with the extremely remote area the orang-pendek is supposed to inhabit, has caused even mainstream scientists to label the orang-pendek as the hairy humanoid that is most likely to be a real creature. There had been very little investigation of the orang-pendek before 2003. Like many cryptids, it was categorized as a legend early on, without any professionally funded expeditions to see whether there might be any good reasons for the legends. It often happens that when a creature has been categorized as a myth for long enough, everyone just assumes a scientist must have done the work to properly disprove its existence at some point. Now we know that the earlier investigations were little more than folklore-collecting expeditions, generally self-funded, that nevertheless managed to bring back some circumstantial physical evidence that has proved genuinely puzzling to experts. Now that the spotlight has singled out this little cousin of Bigfoot, there is a chance that it might receive enough attention to settle the mystery once and for all.
Time to pay some attention to Bon Manchi

The days in the Kishong, Tholung and Tosa valleys were like opening new windows to our conviction and beliefs. The vastness of unknown ground humbled our pride. It was about time and we were already questioning the pre conceived notions that we have, that we carry in our heads. Is Bon Manchi just a wild imagination? But the recent studies and findings in Indonesia and even in North Pakistan; suggest otherwise.
May be some day soon a ‘hominid’, an ape, or a species like the Orang Pendek will be discovered in some less known Himalayan valley. After centuries of climbing and exploring across the Himalaya, vast majority of its glaciers, valleys, small river catchments are still unseen, unknown. It is true that no big mammal was discovered for a long time; but with the latest findings on the Orang Pendek; and the discovery of the Homo floresiensis in Indonesia, its time to rethink and reconsider our judgments may be. So its time to pay some serious scientific attention to the Bon Manchi; or may be not! Because we don’t want the Bon Manchi’s existence and survival threatened as a result of its discovery, like it happened with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda!

Team in Dzongu expeditions: Rabin Banerjee, Rajeev Ranjan, Subrata Bhattacharjee, Zamyong Lepcha and Sukhraj Gurung, Anindya Mukherjee

Team in Tosa expeditions: Raghav Mukherjee, Kevin Hynes, Thendup Sherpa, Phurtemba Sherpa, Tsering Lepcha, Anindya Mukherjee

Expedition area & period:
· Talung Valley, North Sikkim, India- March & April 2006
· Tosa lakes area, North Sikkim, India- Nov & Dec 2006 - January, 2007

For further query please contact: Anindya Mukherjee (Raja): anindya.adventuremania@gmail.com

Website:
www.adventuremania.com
www.himalayaraja.co.in


Information on the Orang Pendek can be found at the following links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/3734946.stmhttp://www.jambiexplorer.com/content/orangpendek.htm

after Shivling comes Diwali!

After Shivling comes Diwali!!!

After a dull day, it's time to laugh!

After the meditation comes enlightenment!

After some hard work in the thin air it's time to celebrate!

 

When all our efforts had failed, it was surrender! A sad absent minded retreat! We did not want to do something utterly 'heroic' (to be read "stupid") on the overhang 'water ice' wall of the final serac barrier. Climbing that water ice at an altitude over 6140m seemed simply out of the equation. The avalanches ( in an average 3 per day) from the serac barrier, the 3 days of new powder snow, the knee deep old, slushy snow on the moraines of Meru glacier; we had faced them all and fought them well. We did fix rope all the way to the Serac Wall, to our Camp 3. But we were not strong enough to tackle the final barrier. Surely its features have changed from the last year's pictures that we had seen from past expeditions on Shivling!

 

When any of my expeditions fail to reach the summit, I tend to take the blame on me. I can't help but feel sorry in some way or other. This time also I feel the same.

But when I look back at my track record of accident-free expeditions, I feel re assured again. For God's sake, we don't want to lose any of my clients or any of my boys up there! It's simply not worth it! For me safety has always been ahead of summit, and so it shall be! Let that be the 'mantra' of Adventure Mania!

 

For that matter, I have seen excessive amount of carefulness among the Chamonix guides. They would not move an inch for summit, if they have a bad meteo! And the clients do listen to the guides. But we being born in the Indian soil don't yet have that air of authority over our clients. So we still have to try hard to make our clients understand their own safety (It's not always the case though, sometimes the clients are actually more reasonable and rational than I am!)

 

But I must confess that in comparison to the European guides', we take risks by leaps and bounds!

 

Now, back in the chaotic realities of my country, it's a challenge to get back home. It's a challenge just to get some train tickets for my crew, which will magically avoid the political strikes and terrors of my native land and take them home before Diwali!

 

Everybody wants to be home this Diwali, the festival of lights! Everybody wants to be near their loved ones and be in peace and love!

 

For once, for God's sake, can India come out of its mad, headless, nonstop anarchy?

 

Can't we all just live together and celebrate peace and harmony and be happy?

 

Just even once for a change?

 

--
Adventure Mania
www.adventuremania.com
Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya
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Expedition to Mount Shivling- West Ridge

The "Iceland Garwal Expedition" to Mount Shivling (6543m)- West Ridge is now happening! The 5 memeber climbing team is now in Delhi. We as the Adventure Mania team are quite excited and proud to be an integral part of this Expedition. We will have a formal briefing at the IMF tomorrow and then we will start heading for the mountains on 4 October. It will take us 3 days of driving to reach Gangotri, and then another 2 days of trekking will bring us to the Base Camp, Tapovan.

 

With a bit of luck, sunshine and smooth ride through paperworks; we might be able to climb this mountain and come back down safe.

 

I will try to post one more update before we are off to the mountains...

 

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pix from elbrus

here is some pix from that day...

--
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my elbrus story -1

It was a cold wintry night. I was checking my emails in my Darjeeling flat. A new email from an unknown sender drew my attention. It was about a certain speed climbing up Mount Elbrus! How crazy and wild an idea! It fascinated me and challenged my dreams.

 

After Kilimanjaro in July 2005, Elbrus was always in my mind. I thought of Denali and Elbrus, not knowing to which mountain I would be able to go first. For Denali, I would certainly need a partner; but Elbrus I could climb on my own. Well thats what I thought and am glad now that I was right.

 

And so I replied that email. What followed was a series of email conversation with Yulia. Yulia Chunosova, an executive working for Top Sport Travel of St Petersberg. Together with Russianclimb.com they were organizing this race for the 4th consecutive time.

 

I read the history of Elbrus race and carefully considered the average time done by the former participants. I thought I could complete the race. Although in Himalaya, I dont reccommend climbing more than 600-800m a day;  on occassions, I have climbed 1600m-1800m in day and in good time!

 

The idea of climbing Elbrus was already there, now I had a chance to make it unique by participating in a speed climb. But if I failed to complete and meet all the criterias of the race, I would be in trouble and a second attempt would be a near impossibility due to costs.

 

So, I had one and only one chance. I had to do it. Defeat was not acceptable!

 

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Elbrus SpeedClimb

On September 16, I climbed Elbrus succesfully! It was a very cold and windy day. This strong wind made life hell after the saddle and till the summit. But I must say, that it felt very good to be on top the highest mountain of Europe.

Total participants of the race was 34. During the qulaifuication race on Sep15, some climbers were shortlisted. Total 22 climbers were finalists.Needless to say, I qulaified too.

 I took 1 hour 57 mins and 57 secs to climb 1200m during the qulaification race. We were supposed to get a rest day after the qualification race. But due to bad weather forecast, the main race took place the very next day. This was not good for us, because we did not get any chance to recover at all. On the final day,I was one of the 13 climbers who were able to finish the speed climb. I took 6.30 hours to climb to the top. During the race we had to climb 1900m ( approximately 5800ft) non stop.

I am very glad that I was able to finish the race climb safely and succesfully without any training or idea of what a high altitude mountain race can be. I thankful to all my friends and would be sharing all the photos and information in details soon.

The participants of this race were from Germany, Indonesia, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bellarus and India.

In a few hours I am on my way to catch a train to Moscow and then will be back in Calcutta on September 24 morning.

--
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elbrus

Reached Baidayevo,a tiny village in the foothills of Elbrus. Lovely little place. In a few mintues we will be taken to the opening ceremony of the Elbrus Race and then to the barrels up the mountain. We will have a qulaification climb tomorrow. In the qualification race we have to climb 1200m and back down within 3 hours. Then we have a rest day. I plan to come down to the valley on that day and goback up the mountain again next day. The main competition will be held on Wednesday, if the weather holds.

I have been training,i.e, going up and down the mountain for last two days, so am feeling a bit tired today. have decided to rest in the barrel today, may be walk around a little bit.

Been struggling with Russian food sofar. Hope the barrel food will be better. Russian beer is light though and I have been exploring different brands for last 2 days as well!

I hope to finish the race in good time. Mountain racing, and over 5000m is not my cup of tea. But I think I am always ready for a new challenge and fun!

Hope to get back safe down the mountain after the race and write another update.

cheers!

--
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Moscow!

I must say,it was a shock even for an Indian, to arrive in Moscow. In short the city is cruel and full of cold hearted people and it IS dangerous at night. So far I have survived. But I have a 30 hour long train ride coming up and I have already contracted a tummy bug! Still looking forward to Elbrus and hope that it will be nice. Hope to write in details about my time n Moscow when I get some time and cheaper internet access.

--
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Mt Blanc

Back in Chamonix and the Sun is shining again! Not fair on me though! The 3 precious days I had for climbing Mt Blanc had been miserable, weatherwise. Stormy wind, snow, rain, bad visibility! Perfect!

 

But I was succesful to reach just below the summit ( around 4600m), alone and on my own. The wind was 100km/hour and it was not safe to climb on that exposed last section any more. I was quite happy with myself that I went this far and came down safe. All the guided parties turned around from the dome de Gouter and I was not crazy or stupid enough to carry on. I think I still have not lost that sense. The sense to know when one should turn back. I think I still havent forgotten my limit! May be thats what keeping me alive..still!

 

I think looking back climbing the grand couloir to the Gouter hut alone and miserable, has been the highlight in this trip to Mt Blanc. I  learnt to be more composed ( at least while climbing) and patient.

 

I hope to write in detail and put some pix when I get back to India. But now I must get myself mentally prepared for the next part of my adventure.

 

Russia! Elbrus!!!

 

Tomorrow I have long journey to Frankfurt and then fly to Moscow.

 

I know theres a lot of adventure waiting.. a lot of learning too..

--
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chamonix

Finally after travelling for two days by car and train from
Schmallenberg through Strasbourg and Lyon, reached chamonix this
afternoon. My travel plan is complicated this time as I dont have a
Swiss visa and so I have to detour a lot, and only stay within
Schengen countries.

Found a campsite just outside the village. Went to the mountain office
only to get some discouraging weather forecast. Its going to be bad
weather on Mt Blanc for next two days. So I am going to head off to
the mountain day aftertomorrow and hope that the next will be better.
I only have 4 days to spare here and it will be such a pity if weather
spoils all the fun for me. So far the plan is to climb Mt Blanc by the
Gouter Route. Its the normal route and one can stay in huts. And right
now it's probably the safest.
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Jagdhaus-village of hunting lodge!

Apart from the small bottles of French Red wine, the flights were uneventful! kolkata to Dubai and then to Frankfurt. My friends Hilde and Konni were there to pick me up. And then a 2 hour long drive to this small and beautiful village called Jadghaus, Schmallenberg. What a contrast after the heat, dust, smoke, noise, litter, and crowd of my home town! Well, the chaos and stress can now stay behind. Its time for the little globe trotter in me to come out and play!

 

Now let me share what I found about this place:

 

Jagdhaus:

 

Literally meaning the Hunting House or Lodge, the village is about 8 km south of Schmallenberg in 650 m above sea level. In Jagdhaus wohnen 65 Einwohner (Stand: 31. Dezember 2006). Today, here we have almost 75 residents.

 

 http://translate.google.co.in/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdhaus_(Schmallenberg)&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=4&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djagdhaus,%2Bschmallenberg%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

:-)


Adventure Mania
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t:+91 97487 61139
m:+91 92305 11139

Participants of Elbrus Race 2008- an interesting bunch!

1. Dr Rasoumoff Ted (USA), 10/17/1967Mountaing Racing background: Trail races and runs on peaks up to 4,000 meters. Multisport ski/snowshoe/run/bike winter events. Won Silver State Marathon 2000 (altitude/trail factors)Mountaing Climbing background: Several 14,000 ft peaks in USA. Some requiring glacier skills.

2. Mr.Mukherjee Anindya (India), 06/19/1971Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: climbed beyond 7000m in Indian Himalaya, work as mountain guide

3.Mr Klim Yuri (Ukraine), 22.02.1985Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: Elbrus

4. Mr Sergey Surmonin (Russia, Moscow/Tbilisi) 02.03.68 Sergey Surmonin is a skier and marathon runner, who participated in 100 km supermarathons. In 2001 he climbed Khan Tengri (7010 m), in 2002 – the peak of Lenin (7134 m), and a year later he participated in a very interesting ascension to the peak of Khan Tengri, where he took 5th place. In 2005 he climbed the peak of Evgeniya Korzhenevskaya (7105 m) and the peak of the Communism (7495 m), and in 2005 he climbed the peak of Evgeniya Korzhenevskaya at a glance without any preliminary acclimatization. In the mountains of Zailiysky Alatau (Kazakhstan) he became the prize winner in climbing to the peaks of Amangelda, Abay and Nursultan for many times. In July 2006 he took 2nd place in the speed climbing competition to the peak of Nursultan. He also took part in the expedition to Everest in 2006. In September 2006 took 4th place in Elbrus Race competitions in class "Extreme" with a result 6:22:38, in 2007 in class "Extreme" took 2d place with a result 6:14.
5. Mrs Surmonina Nadezhda (Georgia,Tbilisi)

6. Mrs NagovitsinaVera (Russia,St-Petersburg), 29/06/1958Mountaing Racing background: no Mountaing Climbing background: higher 3000 m

7. Mr. ARRASULI ZULFAHMI (INDONESIA),03/07/1978Mountaing Racing background: Mt.DEMPO,SOUTH SUMATRA,INDONESIA NATIONAL ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPMountaing Climbing background: CARSTENSZ PYRAMID,PAPUA 2005 and 2006

8. Mr. Jamaludin (INDONESIA), 01/12/1987Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: Raung Vertical Climbing 2007

9. Mr Aymaz Seyhan (Turkey), 08/26/1982Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: mount ararat5137mt, mount kaçkar big glacier 3932mt.,mount damavand 5671mt(iran), most of turkish mountains

10. Mr Zherlygin Boris (Russia, Moscow)Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: coach of mountain running

11. Mr Brylev Nikita (Russia), 16/01/86Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: Aibga ridge

12. Mr Mahin Dmitry (Ukrain), 16/09/68Mountaing Racing background: fan-)))))Mountaing Climbing background: 3 years working guide in Prielbrusie

13. Dr.Scheibehenne Gunther (Germany), 18.07.1948Mountaing Racing background: 53 MarathonsMountaing Climbing background: 4 Mountain Climbing Racings

14. Mr Muecke Martin (Germany), 13/11/1979Mountain Racing background: NoMountain Climbing background: several 4000m peaks in the alps, climbing attempt on Chan Tengri (7010m)

15. Mr Bullerjahn Robert (Germany), 06/06/1979Mountain Racing background: NoMountain Climbing background: has climbed some 3000m peaks in the Alps

16. Mr Dmitry Filippov (Russia, Magnitogorsk) 05.11.68 Mountain Racing background: Elbrus Race 2007, 4 place in "Classic"Mountain Climbing background: 2004,2005 — Ski Mountaineering Russia Championships (Khibins), result of 2005: Team Cup-4 place, Single Cup-6 place. December, 2006 — Ski Mountaineering Russian Cup (Magnitogorsk), result: Vertical Cup-3 place, Team Cup-3 place, Relay race Cup-2 place. March, 2007 — Ski Mountaineering European Championship (Morzine, France).

17. Mr Andrey Puchinin (Kazakhstan, Almaty), 06/08/1972 Mountain Racing background: Andrey Puchinin (Almaty) is a constant participant of speed climbing competitions in Kazakhstan. In 2000 he climbed the seven thousand meters high peak of Khan Tengri (7010 мm) for 12 hours (together with the descent it took 19 hours 02 minutes), and took 3rd place. In 2003 he took part in Khan Tengri speed climbing up to 6800 m and took 2nd place. In July 2006 he became the winner in the speed climbing competition to the peak of Nursultan. Winner of Elbrus Race 2006 in «Classic».

18. Mr Kolyshev Sergey (Russia, Zhukovskiy), 06.09.1958Mountain Racing background: Elbrus 2008 MayMountain Climbing background:

19. Mr Polovinkin Nikolay (Russia, Bronnitzy), 02.06.1957Mountain Racing background: 50 run marathons, 50 ski marathons, speed climb Mt Belukha 2008 Mountain Climbing background: Elbrus, Altay

20. Mr Dobrolet Mikhail (Belarus, Soligorsk), 27.07.1965Mountain Racing background: noMountain Climbing background: Elbrus East summit-2003, Elbrus West sumit - 2005,2007

21. Mr.Nugraha Enos ( Indonesia), january/18/1987Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: high than 3000 m

22. Mr. Wahyudi Ade (Indonesia), 05/22/1986Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: Carstensz Pyramid 2008, higher than 3000 m mount in Indonesia

23. Mr. Achmad Fandhi (Indonesia), 09/27/1983Mountaing Racing background: noMountaing Climbing background: Carstensz Pyramid 2005,2006, and 2008, higher than 3000 m mountin Indonesia

Count down to Elbrus Race!

Yesterday, coming out of the Russian Embassy in Kolkata, I realized, it's now getting real. With only one week to leave the country and less then a month for the race, the count down has begun! All the elements, all the last minute work, commitments, organization for the trips and work ahead has to be done now!The Shivling Expedition and Singalila Ridge trek in October, followed by the North Sikkim trek in November with my friend Haukur has got be arranged now. The flights, hotels, helicopters, train tickets for staff, and paper works! Its fun though and amazing to find out that it all works out in the end, with some tense moments of course! Because we live in country that believe in red tapism and paperworks religiousy. And all your plans can abruptly come to an end due to a political strike!



As for the race on Elbrus, it's something totally new for me. It's true that I work in high altitude and altitude itself is not a problem for me. Elbrus with it's altitude of 5642m should not pose any altitude related problem apparently. But when one has to climb (or should I say 'Race') to 5642m from 3700m within a time span of 6 to 8 hours; its a different equation altogether. So far the Elbrus Race 2008 has 20 participants.



Chances of getting AMS is extremely high...with only 2 nights in hand for acclimatization on elbrus, things going to be interesting. So far have not been able to train at all for this. But hoping to spend some good training days in the Alps, before I fly into Russia from Germany.



But here's how I am looking at the whole thing, it's going to be a new experience for me and I am going to learn a lot from it and in the end will be climbing Elbrus any way, the highest peak in Europe, thus it will be my second summit (after Kilimanjaro in 2005) of the 7 summits! I have got nothing to lose at all!



cheers!

Panpatia Blog!

Observing the growing interest in Panpatia Glacier I have created a blog, a webspace, where I will try to post and publish all the news, views and reviews that is related to this area. Panpatia has a huge potential still for exploration, be it climbing or trekking! There is still a lot to be done on the Vishnu Garh Ridge. The main summit of Parbati Parbat (6257m) still remain unclimbed! And countless 5000m peaks to be scaled! Connecting this Glacier with adjacent Satopanh Glacier or the Gondherpongi Valley also might offer great challenges! So if you have something to share regarding this fantastic area, please email me at: anindya.adventuremania@gmail.com

And here is the link to Panpatia:

http://panpatia.blogspot.com

cheers!

Explore- Forum

If you have a passion for travel or exploring the hidden Himalaya, this is your forum to share your dreams & plans or experiences. Its brand new and basic and I hope to moderate it whenever I am free and have access to the net. :-)
http://www.orkut.co.in/Community.aspx?cmm=53570246

If you are planning a trek or expedition in the Indian Himalaya, and if you have some queries, you can post here.

Reports on the Irish Panpatia Expedition May 2008

"It's the most exciting thing I have done. For anyone to climb and unclimbed peak is very good. "Most of the highest peaks in the world are all over 8,000 metres. They would include the likes of Everest and they have all been climbed on numerous occasions. Also, most of the 7,000 metre peaks have been climbed but there are literally thousands of unclimbed peaks between 5,000 and 6,000 metres. They are technically difficult to climb and for anyone to do this is simply fantastic. .." Alan Tees

Read the whole story here as the Sunday Journal and other Irish media reported:
http://www.sundayjournal.ie/features/Peak-to-Peak.4205167.jp
http://www.inishowennews.com/08CuldaffHimalayas.htm

Brief Expedition Report:
http://www.pete-smith.co.uk/dynamic/log_details.php?i=362

Me and my team of Adventure Mania (http://www.adventuremania.com/) were proud to be able to support this exploration climbing programme.

Elbrus Race 2008!

Speed Climbing to Elbrus, 5642 m will be held on September, 17, 2008

Elbrus, the highest peak of Russia and Europe, is a well-known peak of the Caucasus. Its white-snow double-headed peak is beautiful not only as a geographical object, but also as a symbol of the high achievements, grand size, crystal pureness and triumph of its conquerors. Elbrus is located in 12 km from the Main Caucasus Ridge. A high-quality road enables you to get to the foot of the mountain from Mineralnyje Vody Airport, Pjatogorsk and the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, Nalchik. The regular shape of the volcanic cone and slopes, which are covered with glaciers over 300m high, form a sort of a mountain stadium.

The speed climbing path follows the classical route: Azau clearing – Bochki – Pastukhov’s Rocks – Sedlo – Western Elbrus. During the high days of the Soviet climbing school, the alumnae of which still get the world astonished by their high results in climbing, Elbrus speed climbing competitions were held very frequently and were the elimination competitions for those who wanted to take part in serious expeditions to the Himalayas. In the post-Soviet era Elbrus is visited by a great number of groups of climbers and tourists, both independent and supervised by professional guides, but its opportunities as a mountain for serious sports events are used insufficiently. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world the highlands become more and more popular as a place for speed climbing, but with the routes with smaller altitude change, and thousands of sportsmen take part in the competitions (for example, climbing to Mont blanc, , Mount Rainer, Jungfrau etc.).

In September 2005 TOP SPORT TRAVEL and Information Server for Climbers WWW.RUSSIANCLIMB.COM decided to revive the tradition, which existed before the 90s, Elbrus speed climbing competitions. The pilot event was successfully held on September, 15 2005. Now these competitions are held annually.

The competitions are purposely held in September. According to the multi-year statistics, the weather at that time in Elbrus Region is good and steady, and there should be no be no extensive ice section on the route.

For the majority of people a simple climbing to Elbrus by a classical route is a dream, which is not so easy to come true, because in order to climb this not easy and sometimes severe peak, besides for a good physical training one should acquire strong mountaineering skills. The competition among the strongest sportsmen in the high mountains, fight for the fastest covering the route from the foot of the mountain – Azau clearing (2400 m) – Western Peak (5642 m) is unique and challenging, because nobody in Europe arranges speed climbing competitions with the altitude drop for more than 3000 m. Such fighting will become a great challenge for the participants, as a usual climbing to the peak from Bochki hut, located at 3700m in average takes 7-8 hours, so the competitors have to cover the route from the foot to the peak practically running.

History of Speed Climbing on Elbrus
In the Soviet period speed ascent competitions on Elbrus slopes — from Mir station till Garabashi station and from Priut 11 till the col — were the part of training program for the members of the soviet Himalaya expeditions (1982, 1989). Elbrus was well-known for all seriuos Soviet mountaineers, as the mount's location is very comfortable and its height is enough for the race. It was considered to be a prestigious action — to take part in these races, and the strongest USSR climbers had competed there.

Now the Mount is the object of the International program «7 Summits» (climbing the highest tops of all continents). Elbrus is especially lucky nowdays — in spite it is the part of Caucasus, one can reach its bottom without special frontier guard's permit, the way along Baksan valley is comfortable and safe. Hotels in Terskol, Bochki huts, Priut 11 and the new modern hut some meters higher than Priut — do Elbrus climbs more and more comfortable, and from day to day a lot of groups go to their dream — Elbrus tops. But, exept some events — all of these climbs are of «tourist class». But 15-20 years ago those slopes were the place for serious mountaineers ambitions battles!

Vladimir Balyberdin was the first who had understood the annual Elbrus speed climb Championship perspectives. In 1987 he organized there the first Fall Elbrus Race — from Priut 11 till the col. September was not the occasional choose – it is the best season here. There is no ice on the route usually in September, and the whole way to the tops is more safe than in other seasons. Next races were in 1988 and 1989. Anatoly Boukreev is a legend of that Races — he won in 1990 — and his result was 1 hour 47 min (Priut 11 — East top).

They live in close proximity!

Sounds unbelievable, but it's true! Even after the categorical concrete death of our nature, here in the suburbs of Kolkata, some wild life survives.

I live in Bally, a small town in the district of Howrah. When we were growing up in the 70's this area used to be full of ponds and trees. Unfortunately it's not like that anymore. They have built multi-storied buildings at the cost of filling up all the water bodies and lush green fields. Many of the birds that we used to see when we were young, don't come here any more.

But recently, me and Chhotu were thrilled to see Indian Civets in our neighbourhood. Talking to our neighbours, we learnt that they have found a deserted house and made it their den.

We just got curious about this animal and wondered how it could survive our rapid and mindless urbanization!

here is link to the Common Indian Palm Civet:

http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=109

Surprise Surprise!!!

"How many roads must a man walk down, before we call him a man..."-Bob Dylan

I can't help but say today 'how many times must an Indian be reminded, that he is born in a third world country...???'

A visit to the Consulate General of Russia today was such a shock!

• First an Indian citizen can not travel independently in Russia, he or she has to book through a tour company based in Russia.
• This makes the whole proposition much more expensive of course
• you only get visa for the number of days mentioned by the Russian Company who is supposed to send you an invitation letter and hotel voucher!

So much for my plans of backpacking in Russia~

'The Financially Feasible Five'

Not so long back, I used to dream of climbing the highest mountains of all the seven continents on earth...'the seven summits'. But it did not take me long to realize that, getting the fund is always much more difficult than actually climbing any of the seven!

Back in 2004, my good friend Haukur Parelius of Iceland (www.mountainfriends.com) made a very interesting comment. Back then, he had already climbed 5 out of the 7 and he called them the ' Financially Feasible Five'! Take Everest and Vinsson Massif out of the dream project, and it becomes a lot more feasible indeed! He did inspire me that day and even to this day, I have not given up my dream.

But, let's accept the fact that, for an average Indian citizen, it still is very 'financially challenging proposition'!

But I have always welcomed challenges in my life, I think they are fun anyway. I don't have to do a speed record. I can take my whole life to reach the summits of these 'famous five' and thats exactly what I am going to do!

In 2005, I hiked up Kilimanjaro. It was a great experience indeed! Now this year, in 2008, I am all set to hike up Mt Elbrus. But this will not be just a tourist visit for me, because I have commited myself to yet another crazy thing; I will be taking part in speed climbing race!!! Blimey!

Atleast, If I get AMS, I won't have to blame any one else, but me!

For more info on this unique and crazy race you can log on to: www.elbrusspeedclimb.com

2008: Year of the Magic Panda

A tranquil January morning.I was trying to meditate on top of a hill near Tonglu. Tonglu is on the Singalila Ridge and over 3000m above sea level. Considering January, it was quite nice and warm that morning and I could see the sun rise over the ridges of Tiger Hill. I dont remember how long I sat there..but soon I heard something close by. As I leaned forward to locate the source of the noise; I saw a red panda! For the very first time I saw a red panda in the wild, and from so close proximity! When I came down to Tumling and shared the incident, every one exclaimed on how lucky I was! Alice had said," may be that was a magic panda!"

Well, magic panda or not, this year so far has been harsh, hectic and humbling for me. I have led 2 treks on the Singalila Ridge, led a climb on Mt kalanag in West Garwal, led an exploration climbing in Panpatia glacier, took a group over Rupin Pass in Himachal Pradesh. I have started building a guest house in a remote North Sikkim village and also hope to keep my Porter Shelter and Medical Post in Bhujbas to move forward!

Lot of hard work, lot of commitment, and no short supply of dreams!

More than half of 2008 now behind, and dreams, at least some of them are now a bit challenged! I am not confident to say ' that one should follow his/her heart' anymore. I am hurt, injured. But not crippled! A fire in the North Sikkim village destroyed all the logs and bamboo I bought for the construction of the huts! And some one who brought a lot of colour and music in my life is not there for me anymore!

But here I am, still standing! :-)

Right now I am getting prepared for a trip to Germany and then on to Russia. I am participating in a speed climbing competition on Mt Elbrus. Interesting and very challenging proposition indeed!

But I neither have the experience, nor I am able to train myself properly for that competition. Still am hoping to find some sponsorship, so that I dont have blow away all my savings...again!

North Sikkim Adventures

Short Explorations & Unlimited Adventures in North Sikkim

The Burtuk Detox

I first met Rajeev Ranjan in the crowded humid platform of Sealdah. For the past few months, we had known each other through emails. But now that he is actually there, waiting to board the Darjeeling Mail, it was finally happening. We were off to North Sikkim. For yet another adventure of the unknown. An exploration trek was ahead of us in the uncharted catchments of the upper Ringi Chu valley. In to a great valley guarded by the Eastern flanks of a so called beauty- Siniolchu and Lama Angden, the mountain in meditation. But now, at that very moment, all I wanted was a good night’s sleep. The thrill and excitement of exploration can wait! I felt exactly that way. Because mountains and adventure are part of my job and I do deserve my day’s rest. Don’t I?

This happens to me all the time. For months ahead any scheduled adventure trip, I have email contacts with potential clients. Gradually these emails add up to a conversation and I start anticipating. Generally by the tune of their mails, the way any person frame a sentence; you can sort of build up a sketch of that person at other end of those emails. This is very important because, I will be spending days and nights with this unknown guy; trying to help him achieve his dream adventure. And what is may be a perfect adventure holiday for him, is a normal business activity for me.

But? Wait a minute! The point that I am trying to make here is not that I am a macho guy who a really has a cool profession! My point is…hey...this can also be a profession, a decent way to earn one’s daily bread! But of course, my intention is to inspire; not to push my readers in to boredom. So here comes the story…

That very night, somehow I did not have a relaxing sleep. Not even a short nap. Spending a whole night, in a noisy sleeper coach, with others blissfully snoring around you, isn’t easy! Specially, if the following day’s drive to Burtuk turns out to be an equally torturous 5 hours; does not make your life exactly comfortable either! Well, so far my life and business does not seem to be very cool, right? Wrong!

Everything started to cool down from that evening in Burtuk. After a few bouts of Tyongba, everything started to fall in to places. I could see clearly now. I could think straight and I could plan of the job ahead. This is what I call detoxification. Detoxification of one’s soul from the poisons of our mundane life. It was not just the drink, you see, it’s the fresh mountain air, the thought that I will be able to stay away from the social toxins for the next couple of weeks, had their synergistic effect on me. And I was ready!



The Next Step

The next step was a drive. A drive to Mangan, the district head quarters of North Sikkim. 3 hours on dusty, bumpy road, and we were in Mangan bazaar. The area where we were venturing in to is locally known as Dzongu. And to enter we needed a special permit. A few hours passed, and we had that invaluable piece of paper called the “Permit”! We were all relieved as without that piece of paper our adventure could very well end in Mangan bazaar. Sharing our joy of relief was Zamyong Lepcha. Zamyong and old friend is the son of Bhutia Tsering Lepcha. B.T. Lepcha is the head master of Lingzya village, our road head for the trek up Ringi Chu Valley.

Some shopping in the Mangan bazaar and were off in Zamyong’s jeep towards Lingzya village.25 kms took 1 hour. It was like returning home. The warmth in our host’s hearts reflected in their hospitality. Next morning after a hearty breakfast, we were ready to take on 20 km uphill track up to Tholung Gompa. Long, sweaty day. Starting from less than msl 4000ft. at the end of the day we were at 8160ft. 7 hours later we left Lingzya we reached the ancient monastery of Tholung. Had a very interesting afternoon spent with the Head Lama; popularly called as “Myong Thiung”. In Lepcha language Myong Thiung means the ‘Old Man of the Village’. Myong Thiung is actually a very high priest in the Gyelukpa sect in Sikkim.

Sips of ‘Chhang’ and stories dating back decades added enough mystery and charm in our adventure ahead. At night, before hitting the sack, I was lost in thought. I thought and wondered about the Valley we were about to explore.

The Plan Divine

Talung - the name itself is fascinating. It brings an air of the unknown. The mystery; the thrill; the magnetism; the challenge of the unknown. Perhaps that’s why we were there. The Zumthul Phuk Glacier, which only exists on a map. Kishong la, a rarely visited high mountain pass! Tholung Gompa- an eighteenth century Buddhist Monastery where ancient relics of Guru Rimpoche is protected along with a mummy of a dead King! Of Lama Angden, the mountain that crowns the head of the valley overlooks the pristine Kishong Lake, in meditation for ever. Everything seemed like parts of a divine plan! Next morning, the sky was clear. We trekked thorough real dense greenery. The jungle became more and more awe inspiring. It seemed as if it kept so many secrets from us. We the tiny dots soon became refreshing blood suppliers to the thousands of leeches. Tell you what; these blood thirsty creatures did not fit in my divine plan at all! No way!


After 4 and ½ hours we reached Temrong and soon we crossed a log bridge on Zumthul Chu and found our nights shelter in a Yak Hut. Soon we had a fire going and to our extreme relief, no more leech! Thank God!

Zumthul Phuk: Of Guts and Glory

Back in Tholung Gompa, we had heard about a barrier, a big black rock wall that guards all possible entrances to the unknown Zumthul Phuk valley. The story of this “Wall” had dampened some of our spirits, but we did not give Zumthul Phuk an walk over as yet. Because, from the maps we knew, that a big glacier exists at the head of this roaring Zumthul Chu and that glacier is born from the SE flanks of Siniolchu. No human being, including the Lepcha hunters of Dzongu has ever dared in to this valley! That evening Zamyong’s uncle joined us and strengthened our small team.

Next morning, we prepared ourselves with food and gear and entered the virgin forests of Zumthul Phuk. The basic idea of navigation was to stay close to the river course and go upstream. Simple it may sound; but it turned out to be an extremely dangerous and difficult affair! We crossed 19 streams as we forced our way up the true left of Zumthul Chu. We traversed numerous rock bands. Moist, damp rock bands, some of them were exposing us strait down hundreds of feet to the mighty river. And then we faced the ‘barrier’. With the very first glance at the rock wall we could chalk out a route. And we climbed that blasted rock with great zeal. The monster of the ‘barrier’ seemed to be kind to us. We peeled off thick layers of moss from the rock surface and found our foot and hand holds. It was interesting! May be that was an under statement. Doing a free climb in an uncharted territory is definitely more than just ‘interesting’!

For eight long hours we forced our way upstream. Sometimes tackling the wet slabs, sometimes hanging shakily from the rhododendron branches and finally building a log bridge over Zumthul Chu; we managed to reach a point from where we could see the peaks of Zumthul Phuk. I took bearings and could spot ourselves on the map. Standing on top of a big boulder on the true right bank of Zumthul Chu; we could see that how close to the snout of Zumthul Phuk we were. I took some snaps in steadily deteriorating weather and visibility. One of the members had a nasty fall and a miraculous escape from getting blown away by the cascading river. Another 5 hours, and we were back in the Yak hut. A long day indeed!

What we discovered from our short adventure in Zumthul Phuk is precious! A glacier is out there, waiting for explorers and climbers to play for the very first time. The climbers or explorers whosoever they are; will of course need a load of guts to reach the glacier. And then only they can expect glory! Because all the peaks are awaiting their first ascents.

Darkness came. With it came peace. As if our aspirations also needed a bed to crash. But a creature came very close to our shelter and was curious about us inside. Next morning from its droppings we could figure that it was a Himalayan Black Bear! We were glad that the bear did not decide to explore our shaky shelter! We felt like trespassers in their sanctuary. It was time to move toward our next destination- Kishong La.

Kishong La: The Pass of Demons and Demigods

Rain, rain, and more rain. The time we had chosen, may be was not just right! But who the hell cares; especially when you are drenched to the bones. We pushed ahead, ignoring the continuous shower. No matter what, we will give it a go! And that was it. The trail conditions worsened. Uphill all the way for 2 hours and reached small meadow called Labyok (11000ft) - an abandoned Yak Hut. Another hour of uphill struggle and we were in Thijom. Lower portions of the Dawathang Valley and a glimpse of Ringi Lama were visible. Thijom is around 12000ft. We looked beyond and a big rock wall guarded our view. It reminded me of the Great Baranco Wall of Kilimanjaro. Our route lay ahead up that giant wall. But as we approached the wall, a narrow, serpent trail appeared. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a nice walk up the wall. A steady gain of 1500 ft and we reached the alpine meadows of Thalakpe (13600ft). A night was spent in the log hut of Thalakpe. To the locals it is also known as the Kishong Hut. It was nice to be in dry clothes and enjoy a nice warm dinner by the fire.

Our senses became wide awake next morning; as we waded knee-deep icy stream of the Kishong Chu. A great green wide alp was ahead of us. An hour later we reached the camping grounds of Dikithang. We pitched our small 2 person tents beside the Yak herdsmen’s rather big camp.

Next morning, we headed for Kishong La. The higher we climbed; the weather worsened. The word ‘visibility’ sounded like a big fat joke! No point exploring, right? Wrong! We decided to move on. It was difficult to stick to the right path; especially when there isn’t any! But we managed to stay on course and after 4 hours of confusion and determination, reached Kishong La (15600ft).The cairns on the top, a gentle slope rising towards Lama Angden and the Northern slopes rolling down to the Zemu Chu valley. I took some useless foggy snapshots. My friend Zamyong was more than happy to be able to reach Kishong La. From this day I declare you ‘guide’; I joked. Zamyong was a proud Lepcha! He can now boast about in Mangan bazaar for the rest of his life and may be get free booze!

It was time to retrace our steps back to Dikithang camp. My tired, wet pair of legs brought me back to my tent. Soon we were all together, circling around the shepherd’s fire; sipping strong black coffee. The valley wind had risen considerably. We could hear it howling over our rolling laughter. The Shepherd’s wife said, the mountain spirits are not happy, as you humans have ventured in to the sanctum sanctorum of their temple!

A visit to the Yeti Pass

Tell you what; I do not buy that kind of crap any more! Do you think I should? But the next statement coming from her was not that easy to ignore! There’s another mountain pass here. It’s called Mige La, very close to this Yak shed even. Migou (also spelled Migoo sometimes) –s used to whistle from that pass overlooking this yak shed; that’s why we shepherds have named it Mige La (‘La’ means a mountain pass in Bhotia/ Tibetan language). And there was not a shadow of doubt or hesitation in her words when she spoke of the Migou. All the others present in the yak shed nodded to their approval. Yeti, or Migou or the Banmanchi exists; there was no denying the fact.

Now I just learnt a couple of new things from the Shepherd’s wife. One, there exists a mountain pass in the Himalaya named after the famed Migou or Yeti. Two, Yeti’s call is like a whistling note. It may look abominable (!); but it does have a big foot!

So, next morning there I was climbing towards Mige La. Not that I was expecting to make a sudden discovery; the thought of venturing to an uncharted mountain pass was exciting enough for me. It took us two hours to reach Mige La. At an altitude of 4600m, it was snow clad in April. There we found very old cairns on top of the pass, built by the yak herdsmen. Old pile of small boulders and rocks. Old, but prominent. Visibility was as poor as it could be! In spite of that I took some pictures with the cairn and my companions Zamyong and Sukhraj. On the way down Sukhraj pointed towards a strange impression on the snow. It was not big. I thought it might be of a snow leopard, or even a bear. But my companions were quite familiar with leopard or bear pugmarks. They insisted it belonged to none other than the Migou! Well, I still don’t know what it was. But at that moment it felt nice to believe in their words. May be we can come back later with a scientific expedition to this area and find out. But on the way back to my tent, I realized that I have started to believe in the stories of the Shepherd’s wife.


May be some day soon a ‘hominid’, an ape, or a species like the Orang Pendek will be discovered in some less known Himalayan valley. After centuries of climbing and exploring across the Himalaya, vast majority of its glaciers, valleys, small river catchments are still unseen, unknown. It was true that no big mammal was discovered for a long time; but with the finding of Orang Pendek; its time to rethink may be.


Team: Anindya Mukherjee, Subrata Bhattacharjee, Rajeev Ranjan, Rabin Banerjee, Zamyong Lepcha and Sukhraj Gurung. Text: Anindya Mukherjee

Period: March- April 2006
Area: Talung Valley, North Sikkim, India


Information on the Orang Pendek can be found at the following links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/3734946.stm
http://www.jambiexplorer.com/content/orangpendek.htm