The
team's training climb to Mera Peak in Nepal in October/November
2001 was a great success.
On October 30, Robert, Mok and
Edwin summitted the 6,476m mountain in alpine style
- a first by a Singapore team. Two days later, Robert
and Mok summitted a second time, also in alpine style.
Setting off from Lukla
The team (minus Chee Mun who had to remain in Singapore
because of an urgent personal matter) flew from Kathmandu
to Lukla, from where they began a five-day trek to Mera
Base Camp in Khare. The party, which included 27 porters,
four cook-boys, a cook and two climbing sherpas, was
led by the sirdar Gyan Magar.
Along the way, they enjoyed some of the most breath-taking
scenery, through forests of juniper pine and rhododendrons,
along rocky banks of gentle streams and gushing rivers,
with the occasional waterfall. All around were magnificent
peaks, some clad in greenery, others bare and rocky,
and further beyond were the pristine, snow-capped mountains.
At dawn,
early sun rays paint nearby peaks
in brilliant orange.
Pitching
camp at Chutanga,
Gyan's
tent under
a huge Juniper Pine
The camp
sites where the group stopped for the night were just
as scenic. Some were surrounded by pine trees, others
over-looked snow-covered peaks which the early-morning
sun would paint in brilliant orange.
Sipping
hot lemon drink at the top of
the second high pass
Most of the camp sites had teahouses run mostly by womenfolk.
These stone-walled, thatch-roofed structures which dot
the countryside are shut down in the colder months.
They offer shelter and cooking facilities to porters
but the team members, too, sort comfort in many along
the way, warming themselves with hot milk tea and home-brewed
rice wine.
Dancing the
night away to celebrate Nepal's biggest festival
The trek to base Camp took seven days including extra
nights in two camps to help the climbers to acclimatize.
The terrain was unforgiving and one day, the party had
to cross two high passes, each over 4,000m high.
The day the
team arrived in Tangnag was the Nepalese festival of
…… which was the biggest festival in the nation.
The team decided to throw a party in the teahouse that
night for all the trekking crew.
Everyone drank and danced, and sang Nepalese folk songs.
After five days of trekking,the
group arrived at Khare, 4,180m above sea level, where
Base Camp was established..
After a full day's rest, the
three climbers prepared for their journey up to the
High Camp.
At Khare Camp
Sorting out
the gear before the ascent
They had deliberately loaded their rucksacks to 30kg to
simulate as closely as possible, the conditions they would
be experiencing at Xixabangma. They carried everything
they would need during the climb, including all their
ice climbing equipment - crampons, ice axes, ice screws,
ropes, snow stakes, snow shovels, harnesses - as well
as sleeping bags, tents, spare clothing, food for six
days, stoves, and gas canisters.
on Mera Peak approaching
High Camp
At High Camp. The
tents used are much
smaller and lighter than those at Base Camp.
Weighed down by this enormous load,and
nursing headaches and nausea because of the altitude,
they set off before dawn. It took an exhausting 11
hours to reach High Camp at 5500m.
This was one of the
main objectives of this training climb - to push themselves
to the limit at high altitudes carrying a heavy rucksacks
in order to assess their physical and mental fitness.
At High Camp, the men rested
for a day. The next morning, at 3am, they again carried
all their climbing gear and ropes and left for the summit
bid.
The morning was bitterly cold
with temperatures plummeting to -20C. Climbing in single
file and keeping well together, they slogged up the
snow-covered mountain almost non-stop for over 6 hours.
Heading
for the summit at 3am
From left: Robert, Mok and
Edwin at the submit
And on
October 30, at about 8.30am local time, the three men
stood at the summit of Mera Peak after an alpine ascent
of the 6500m mountain.
Photographing Robert and Edwin with the
sponsor's banner in high wind was no easy task.
Descending to High Camp
The climbers returned to High
Camp, packed up and went down to Mera La, a snow-covered
col at 5000m where they set up another camp. The extra
distance from the summit was to help them train harder
by extending their next cllimb to the summit.
Edwin, who had to return to Singapore ahead of schedule
due to work commitment, went down to Base Camp on the
same day.
Robert and Mok meanwhile assessed
their conditions and decided to push their physical
and mental endurance further - to go again the same
night for the summit in a single push in alpine style.
This time, it was from Mera La, which meant gaining
1500m in vertical height during the climb.
Submitting a second time
Back in Lukla, the team threw
a big party for the entire staff who ate and danced
into the night. The next day, the team headed back to
Kathymandu en route home to Singapore.
They left at 2am in the morning and summitted at 11am
in the morning for the second time. It was a cold and
exhausting two days which left Mok with a frost nip
on his right thumb.
Worried that it could lead to
further damage, the two men decided to descend to Base
Camp a day earlier than planned. Not wanting to waste
any time, the whole party packed up and left Khare the
next morning.
Porter piling his plate at the dinnerat the Lukla
farewell party.
