IN THE VALLEY OF SPITI FOR CB-14
IN THE VALLEY OF SPITI FOR CB-14
Mt. Chandra Bhaga-14, located centrally in the Lahaul Massif of Himachal Himalayas offers a magnificent view of Kunzum Range, Chandra Taal Lake, and the Dhaka Glacier. With the unexplored and inaccessible valleys of the Chandra Bhaga Range and the calmness of Chadra Taal Lake, the CB-14 is one of the most attractive climbing peaks. With prior experience and sound knowledge of mountaineering, one can prepare himself to climb the summit.
A ten member team was selected for this mission by Nature & Trekkers' Club of Jalpaiguri (NTCJ). This time too I was given the responsibility to lead the team. Five of them were experienced climbers while rest were beginners. The aim of the programme was to explore the area, gain experience of high altitude & to give exposure to fresher of the club. Climbing in the Himalayas is always challenging & it is a test of one’s skill, mental endurance & good planning. My first task as a leader was to motivate the team for pre expedition training, which each member did religiously. This helps in one’s overall development physically and mentally.
From our
hometown Jalpaiguri we reached Manali on 9th July. On
11th July at about 8:00 am we the 10 members and 6 supporting staff
started our journey from Manali towards Batal. We could not reach Batal on that
very day because near Chatru a turbulent glacier stream flowed over the road
making it impossible to cross to the other side. We camped on the road side and
spent the night there which was indeed adventurous. Next morning we woke up to
find that the gushing stream had subsided and we could manage to cross the
stream and reach Batal where we spent the night of 12th July.
Apart from the team members and staff we
also had some animal friends-the mules who joined us at Batal. The 8 mules
would carry our goods till the Base Camp. On 13th July at about 9:00
am 10 members, 6 supporting staffs (including guides) along with one mule man to
guide the mules started the walk for our first day’s destination - ‘Transit
Camp - 1’. The route to Transit Camp was not so steep. It was an easy walk
beside the Chandra River but we had to cross at least 4/5 mountain streams out
of which one was quite challenging and dangerous. A human chain was made with
all of us waist deep in the icy cold water. It was a bit risky and finally we
succeeded to cross it. At about 1 pm we reached the camp site at the height of
13270ft., the Chandra River was no more visible and flowed through the gorge. Tents
were pitched on a beautiful camping ground similar to a small golf course. We
spent the remaining part of the day exploring the area around the camp site.
Next day i.e; on 14th July we
headed for Base Camp. The weather was good for a walk contradictory to the news
we had been receiving earlier that the weather would not favour us. We started
the walk at around 9:00 am. The route beside Dakka Stream was not too steep but
moderately steep. After 3 hours of walk we had to cross a terminal moraine.
Further one hour walk over the moraine led us to the Base Camp at 14460ft. The
weather became very windy. We had pitched a total of six tents. The place was
covered with patches of snow and rocks and many unknown peaks were visible
clearly from the camp site. Towards the south west direction of the camp was the
Dakka Glacier and its terminal moraine. The Dakka River flowed just beside the
camp site. A part of North East face of CB 14 was also seen from the camp.
On 15th June we ferried loads
to Camp -1 at a height of 16070ft. All members and supporting staffs except our
cook took part in the process. The whole route was through the moraine zone of
Dakka Glacier. The sharp edges of the stones made walking through the moraine
quite difficult and as a result we suffered from several bites due to our
climbing boots. At the end of the way to Camp – 1 a steep climb of around 100
metre through loose stones and scree had to be traversed. We dumped our loads
in a kit bag and returned to Base Camp at about 3:30 pm. The weather for the
whole day was good and in the afternoon there was light rain. As three members
of the team faced some medical problems it was decided that two members i.e;
myself and Sujoy would occupy Camp – 1 the next day. That night we further sorted
out our loads and packed the necessary items to be carried the next day to Camp
- 1. The night sky was clear but the air was very cold.
On 16th July Sujoy, myself and
three supporting staffs loaded with mostly personal gears and food started our
walk at 8.30 to occupy Camp - 1. A known route helped us to reach Camp – 1
easily. We were lucky enough to see a group of Himalayan Ibex on the glacier
most probably from the same family. We
pitched two tents at Camp - 1 at an altitude of 16070ft.Towards the south was Mount
CB-13 & CB-14 which could be clearly seen from the camp. On the other side
the Dakka Glacier was also seen. Weather was varied with hide and seeks between
sun and light snow fall. It was decided in the evening team meeting that five
of us would occupy the Camp - 2 next day.
On 17th July we could not
make further progress as it was rainy and snowy. The whole day weather was bad
so we could not move out of the tent. We took a decision to take rest for the
day and move towards Camp – 2 next day. Later in the evening the weather
started clearing up which was good news for us and our hearts lightened. Our
supporting friends today got ample time to prepare nice and tasty food for us
which we enjoyed.
It was decided earlier that as our team
was small we would not fix ropes on the mountain but will carry climbing rope
for rope-up purpose. We had carried two coils of fix ropes. It was also decided
that we shall carry dry food, chocolates, cooked food and water for Camp – 2 as
there is no such water streams and proper place to pitch tents.
On 18th at about 11 am we
five (Me, Sujoy and our supporting staffs: Harsh, Rohit & Akhil) started
our walk for Camp – 2. The route to Camp – 2 was again through moraine and
loose stones. It was steep ascent through the northwest face of the peak. We
avoided snow slopes as it was soft and took the rocky ridge part. We could see
some old fix ropes fixed on the snow slopes probably by the previous expedition
teams. At about 4 pm we all reached at Camp – 2 at an altitude of 17430ft. With
difficulties we managed to pitch two small tents on the ridge. There was hardly
any place to pitch tents more than two! The peak 14 was visible clearly as we
were on its shoulder! We could also view the moon lake at the northeast
direction. The Base Camp area was also seen but we could not see any tent. The
food we had carried had become cold but we had no choice. After having dinner we went early to bed with
a decision to move for summit at 4 am. We could not sleep properly as I was
wondering about the weather as snowfall had started at mid night and Sujoy was
quite nervous as our tent was just on a sharp ridge and he was sleeping on the
slope side!
Weather was not clear at 4 am also so we decided to wait for good weather. At 5:30 am the weather became better and we got ready with all gears. After eating something light we ultimately started for out summit attempt at 5:45 am. The steepness of the route was increasing with time. The route was through moraine and snowy slopes. The loose rocks and stones again created problems for us. We had to follow the northwest face and north ridge to move towards peak. The snow condition was favourable and could be gripped properly by our boots. After 3 hours of climb we got bad weather again. There was soft and wet snow fall. We took several stops for drinks and quick rest. Our lead guide Harsh was opening the route smoothly as he had climbed the peak several times. We continued our climb and ultimately reached at the summit area at about 9:30 am. There was continuous snow fall so we could not spend much time there and took a few photographs. The top of the peak was oval shaped and look like a big ground with stones. Due to some religious beliefs we stopped 10/12 feet before and offered our prayers. We spent hardly 20 minutes and then started descending. Because of rain and snow fall it was quite difficult to go down as our legs were pushing into the soft snow up to knee height. The stones were loose also. We took several halts to reach back to Camp – 2. We spent 30 minutes over there and after packing the tents and bags we started again for Camp – 1. At about 4.30 pm we ultimately reached Camp -1 fully exhausted and tired. We couldn’t take sufficient food due to lack of appetite and exhaustion.
On 20th of July we all
returned to the base camp and celebrated our success with other members
stationed at the camp. We spent the next day cleaning up the entire area before
leaving the Base Camp. We collected all non-biodegradable items to be disposed
properly. On our walk back to Batal we took alternative route to avoid crossing
the streams again. We used an improvised rope way to cross the Chandra River
and took a steep ascent to reach Batal - Chandra Taal road.
On 27th July 2019, we all
reached our home town Jalpaiguri safely in good health and with sweet memories
of the expedition engraved into our minds.
Climbing in the Himalayas needs mental & physical endurance. Beside this, behind the success of any expedition there is need of a very good planning. Our success was hidden in this planning & good team spirit for which we are proud always.
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