Superbly narrated,Samarth as usual...! Just reading your notes and seeing your pictures takes me back to that beautiful, magical addictive yet treacherously hostile place on this earth called Ladakh.All those who have been specifically to this region will surely identify and empathize with your physical and emotional experiences..
Just a few personal thoughts..since I've been there..
1. As the genuine passionate climber that you are..I am sure you consider this 'unfinished business' (which no doubt you will finish someday). For me ( as I mentioned to you the other day)..you have summited the top of Chamser..because I know exactly the ridge where you made the call..all that you ran out of.. was time / a fellow climber and nothing else.
2. You followed the spirit and golden rules of climbing..made a difficult call but it was the BEST call you could have made for your family,friends and well wishers !
3. I believe you have raised the bar for mental and physical toughness for yourself, not just by a few,but by several notches in this climb.This is bound to help you in your many more future climbs..
More strength to you buddy..!
Sanjay
I think you can certainly see the difference in the terrain / weather, as compared to when you climbed this.
Thanks for the kind words. I know, it was tough to take that call the other day, but I guess the mountains are there to stay - if you are alive - you can go again!
Your help in planning this is highly appreciated! Hope to do some climbing together someday. Otherwise, our training ground is always there, for us to catch up on.
What an extraordinary barren looking area! I have been further to the west in the Himachel Pradesh and was struck by the arid desert like terrain north of the Rhotang Pass - but where you were looks like a bit of the Sahara desert, transplanted to the north pole!
I am amazed that you reached about 6500m on such a tight timeline. Am I right in thinking you went that high, just 5 days out from Ley? I'm not surprised you had a headache at 4200-4500m! And you were very wise not to spend that 1st night at 5500m, when you did your acclimatisation trip up there - and instead spent a further night at 4500m before moving up. I try and keep to the rule of raising sleeping altitude by no more than the average of 300-500m per day. But I have broken the rule often enough to be intimately familiar with that headache as you described it - like having your head squeezed in a vice!
Yes, the barren landscape can take your breath away, but at the same time - make you feel very lonely and vulnerable (all the more if you are all by yourself!).
And you are correct - I did this height gain within a span of about 4 days, which is quite fast. Actually, the funny part was - my headache was OK by the day, but at night - it used to start, and worsen. Back home, when I told a couple of friends, they said - it might just be because of the extreme cold, and not because of the fast height-gain. Anyhow, it was a good learning experience for me. I will probably have to return back to finish off those remaining 100 m.
Thanks for taking the time to write this up, I really enjoyed the read.
It's a hard lesson to learn, isn't it, that 'success' in alpine climbing and mountaineering needs to be "making good decisions in difficult situations"; rather than success = summit. I find this particularly the case for guided / organised trips. You gave it a great effort, and made the right decision - that's success.
Thanks again for the write-up. I look forward to climbing in your beautiful country in the near future!
We all know, wandering in the mountains - and moreover climbing involves taking tough decisions. Also, as it is very rightly said - "Summit is optional, coming back is mandatory". I was aware of all these (theoretically), however it becomes tough to actually pick it up from a theoretical level, and implement it out there. But Yes - sitting in the confines of my home, pondering over the decision that was made - I do realize that it was indeed a correct one.
Thanks for a pat on the back from your side. You should come to climb in India - its very pretty up there. Trust me.
sanjayvaid - Jul 7, 2014 2:44 am - Voted 10/10
Spectacular!Superbly narrated,Samarth as usual...! Just reading your notes and seeing your pictures takes me back to that beautiful, magical addictive yet treacherously hostile place on this earth called Ladakh.All those who have been specifically to this region will surely identify and empathize with your physical and emotional experiences..
Just a few personal thoughts..since I've been there..
1. As the genuine passionate climber that you are..I am sure you consider this 'unfinished business' (which no doubt you will finish someday). For me ( as I mentioned to you the other day)..you have summited the top of Chamser..because I know exactly the ridge where you made the call..all that you ran out of.. was time / a fellow climber and nothing else.
2. You followed the spirit and golden rules of climbing..made a difficult call but it was the BEST call you could have made for your family,friends and well wishers !
3. I believe you have raised the bar for mental and physical toughness for yourself, not just by a few,but by several notches in this climb.This is bound to help you in your many more future climbs..
More strength to you buddy..!
Sanjay
lingana - Jul 7, 2014 2:49 am - Hasn't voted
Thanks Sanjay!Hi Sanjay:
I think you can certainly see the difference in the terrain / weather, as compared to when you climbed this.
Thanks for the kind words. I know, it was tough to take that call the other day, but I guess the mountains are there to stay - if you are alive - you can go again!
Your help in planning this is highly appreciated! Hope to do some climbing together someday. Otherwise, our training ground is always there, for us to catch up on.
Cheers!
Samarth.
markhallam - Jul 8, 2014 1:35 am - Voted 10/10
Great story!What an extraordinary barren looking area! I have been further to the west in the Himachel Pradesh and was struck by the arid desert like terrain north of the Rhotang Pass - but where you were looks like a bit of the Sahara desert, transplanted to the north pole!
I am amazed that you reached about 6500m on such a tight timeline. Am I right in thinking you went that high, just 5 days out from Ley? I'm not surprised you had a headache at 4200-4500m! And you were very wise not to spend that 1st night at 5500m, when you did your acclimatisation trip up there - and instead spent a further night at 4500m before moving up. I try and keep to the rule of raising sleeping altitude by no more than the average of 300-500m per day. But I have broken the rule often enough to be intimately familiar with that headache as you described it - like having your head squeezed in a vice!
Best of luck for next time! Mark
lingana - Jul 8, 2014 3:09 am - Hasn't voted
ThanksHi Mark:
Yes, the barren landscape can take your breath away, but at the same time - make you feel very lonely and vulnerable (all the more if you are all by yourself!).
And you are correct - I did this height gain within a span of about 4 days, which is quite fast. Actually, the funny part was - my headache was OK by the day, but at night - it used to start, and worsen. Back home, when I told a couple of friends, they said - it might just be because of the extreme cold, and not because of the fast height-gain. Anyhow, it was a good learning experience for me. I will probably have to return back to finish off those remaining 100 m.
Cheers!
Samarth.
WillP - Jul 14, 2014 2:45 am - Voted 7/10
Good decisionThanks for taking the time to write this up, I really enjoyed the read.
It's a hard lesson to learn, isn't it, that 'success' in alpine climbing and mountaineering needs to be "making good decisions in difficult situations"; rather than success = summit. I find this particularly the case for guided / organised trips. You gave it a great effort, and made the right decision - that's success.
Thanks again for the write-up. I look forward to climbing in your beautiful country in the near future!
lingana - Jul 15, 2014 11:42 pm - Hasn't voted
Thanks WillPHi WillP:
We all know, wandering in the mountains - and moreover climbing involves taking tough decisions. Also, as it is very rightly said - "Summit is optional, coming back is mandatory". I was aware of all these (theoretically), however it becomes tough to actually pick it up from a theoretical level, and implement it out there. But Yes - sitting in the confines of my home, pondering over the decision that was made - I do realize that it was indeed a correct one.
Thanks for a pat on the back from your side. You should come to climb in India - its very pretty up there. Trust me.
Cheers!
Samarth.