Soliloquy of a Wandering Pilgrim

mountains in our mind...mountains to climb in 2009... -- Adventure Mania www.adventuremania.com http://himalaya-raja.blogspot.com Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya t:+91 97487 61139 m:+91 92305 11139

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...

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

“…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 elusiv...

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

here is some pix from that day... -- Adventure Mania www.adventuremania.com Real Adventure Journeys Across Himalaya t:+91 97487 61139 m:+91 92305 11139

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. Altho...

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 w...

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 n...

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

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 ...

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

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,%2B...

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) ...

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 5642...

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!

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.

"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.

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 ver...

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

"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~

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...

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 a...

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 t...