Flight to Kathmandu with Quatar airline (very nice).
26.09.2000
Trip arrangements with Ang Rita Treck & Expedition Ltd., Lazimpat, Kathmandu, http://www.webnepal.com/angritatrek, http://www.overmire.com/arte/newarte.htm
6$ per Porter per day.
300$ permit + 50$ service charge.
The price was good! The porters were nice although at the end they made a small theater wanting more money.
27.09.2000
Kathmandu shopping
28.09.2000
Kathmandu – Pokara
29.09.2000
Taxi to Phedi , Phedi – Tolka
30.09.2000
Tolka – Chomrong
01.10.2000
Chomrong – Doban
02.10.2000
Doban – MBC (this was a little bit too many altitude meters in one day)
03.10.2000
MBC – Tharpu Chuli BC : one crosses the glacier easily near the ABC
and goes up the river cut in the moraine on the other side directly at
the BC. The fastest we walked this distance over the next trips that
we did was 2 hours.
The BC is located next to the shepherd ‘s hut left of the deep gorge
seen from ABC.
Our 3 porters left after depositing their loads at the BC.
04.10.2000
In the morning carried some stuff up to 4,700m. with a lot of headache at this altitude. Went all the way back to MBC because of the headache. The way above the BC goes up the steep grassy right side of the deep river gorge.
05.10.2000
MBC – BC small headache (Susanne felt better than me all those days).
06.10.2000
With the rest of the stuff went up and made a camp at ~ 4700m. - small flat place in the middle of a grassy hillside at the last possible running water. (strong headache which went away through the night). We carried the previously deposited climbing stuff higher to 4900m in the evening.
07.10.2000
Went up to the base of Rakshi Peak and established a camp on the moraine
next to the glacier ~5000m. No running water! Had to collect
drops from the glacier icicles.
In the evening went up to mark the beginning of the way up for the
next morning. (little headache).
08.10.2000
Started from the tent at 4am.. ½ hours to the beginning
of the glacier just right under Rakshi Peak. Put up the harnesses
and other climbing stuff and at 5:30 we were on top of Rakshi Peak just
when it got bright (~5300m). Easy leveled crossing to the right to the
base of Tharpu Chuli (not very cravassed). We took up the crest of
one of the flutings leading up to the edge connecting Singu Chuli and Tharpu
Chuli, climbed it without a rope (~45-50 degree most of the climb, with
55-60 degree short at the top section). I had headache when
reached the leveled ridge on the top of the fluting. Susanne was
better and went on making the way up the ridge toward the summit (~55 degree
at its most steep part - short) before the start of the not so steep summit
section of the ridge connecting 3 small summits together.
On the way down for the most part one of us rappelled and second one
down climbed belayed from down. 2 short sections we rappelled completely
on some old pickets found in the snow.
09.10.2000
From this side it looked difficult to reach the west face of Singu Chuli
or the base of the south ridge. The weather was also not very stable
and it snowed a little bit every evening and the fog and the clouds were
think in the evenings. There were no traces of other people making
an attempt to cross the glacier in this direction, so we decided to go
all the way down and up the next valley to try to climb it from the other
side.
Carried all the climbing gear + more food picked up from out BC on
the way down and went all the way down to MBC carrying VERY heavy backpacks.
On the way down we made an attempt to cross at around 4600m toward the
valley on the other side of Tharpu Chuli, but there is no visible trail
and the clouds and the fog started gathering early so we gave up on this
idea. Latter it turned out that this is possible!
10.10.2000
We hired a porter (the father of the girl running the most upper lodger
at MBC – very nice and strong man!) to help us carry our stuff and help
us faster find the way to the Singu Chuli BC : across the glacier,
through a narrow gorge and up the valley to a base camp at ~ 4600 m. right
under a grassy moraine leading up toward Singu Chuli. It took us
4 and ½ hours from MBC (pretty fast walking) and 1500 Rp approx
20$ for our porter guide, (he left after we arrived at the BC).
In the evening we carried climbing gear up to ~5000 m. and deposited
it there.
11.10.2000
BC – camp 1 : at ~ 5200m. at the beginning of the glacier right under
a buttress which is part of the East ridge. We ended up there because
some Spanish people that were making an attempt on the south ridge had
established a camp there and it was easy for us to follow their traces.
They gave up their attempt this day because of deep snow and avalanche
danger from the south east face (the one climbed by the 2 Slovenians) and
the south ridge, after reaching the base of the face.
We went up to camp one twice from 5000m carrying our prev. deposited
stuff.
12.10.2000
We followed the trace of the Spanish to the base of the south-east face
and went up to the right of it up a Serac buttress right before the south
east face - toward the east ridge. We made a camp at the top of the
buttress just under the east face, under the ridge which meets the face
slightly higher. We reached the top of the buttress climbing some
pretty steep slopes in a snowstorm. Only about 2-3 tents would fit
together at this “camp site” after a lot of leveling snow work: ~ 5800
m.
The weather was bad in the afternoon but latter just before getting
dark it got better and during the night all the clouds were gone.
It was a very cold night.
13.10.2000
Woke up at 4 to go to the summit, BUT: it was –12 C in our tent, I had
headache the previous evening, we were not able to examine the place of
our camp the day before because of the snow storm and none of us wanted
to spend another night there, the weather was unstable and it just had
added some 15 cm. of new snow + …,
I was uncertain that I would really like to make the attempt this day
after sleeping much higher than being before on this trip, having had all
the headache problems all along (and this was unfortunately our last day
left for a summit attempt) … so after cooking some morning tea at 4 am.
we went on sleeping J Susanne would have liked to make the attempt more
than me and if I have been slightly more motivated we would have at least
tried it … but it was a difficult decision that we didn’t make somehow…
SO we went down to the BC and the day, and then to MBC. I sold
my old plastic shoes to some guy there who went back and picked up some
of our stuff which we left behind after reaching the narrow gorge on the
way back.
14.10.2000
We went up to our Tharpu Chuli BC and carried back to MBC everything which was left there. Our porters came from Kathmandu and showed up in the evening at MBC which made us very happy.
15.10.2000 – 18.10.2000
back in Kathmandu!