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| Paldor - a Photographic and Climbing Journey |
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| Four o'clock in the morning. In the darkness of my tent, I woke up suddenly as if from a nightmare and became aware of the rapid heartbeat in me. A sharp headache confirmed that I was a victim of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and hypoxia, a condition of oxygen deficiency that often triggers the body into deep breathing during sleep. Lying in the sleeping bag, I tried to calm the fear in me by forced-breathing, as my memory drifted back, when Seng Hock and I left home for an attempt on Paldor peak... |
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| Paldor, first climbed by Bill Tilman in 1949, is one of the nineteen trekking peaks nestled among the Langtang and Ganesh ranges. Access to Paldor begins from Syabrubensi (1,550m), which is a day's bus drive away from Kathmandu. The trek goes through the Tamang villages of Gatlang (2,700m) and Somdang (3,300m) on a bulldozed road. Including rest days for acclimatisation, Paldor base camp can be reached in a week. |
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| The area around Paldor is packed with satellite peaks like Phuta's Peak (5,110m) and Paldor West Peak (5,500m), making it ideal for an alpine-style climbing holiday. |
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| Being the end of the climbing season and before the arrival of the monsoon, the weather was not on our side. It started raining after lunch on our first day of approach from Syabrubensi. A returning Frenchman we met before Gatlang, who happened to be the only westerner seen during our entire climb, brought us the devastating news - "snowing everyday up there, base camp knee deep, high camp waist deep." Our hearts sank. |
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| During our first rest day, we visited Gatlang village, which has about a hundred families living in stone-built houses, surrounded by extensive terraces of millet, corn, and potato; a self-sufficient yet isolated community, despite the nearness of the bulldozed road above the village. |
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| It got more scenic as we climbed beyond Gatlang. The pine forest with its unique aroma, and the colourful rhododendron in blossom, led us gradually up the steep Kurpadanda Pass (3,739m). Once in a while, we would turn back to find the awesome bulk of Langtang Lirung (7,245m) dominating the skyline. It was after Somdang that I experienced the episode of rapid heart beat. Unable to regain my sleep, I weighed my chances of making the climb to Paldor and was contemplating a retreat - a perfect excuse to go home as I was already missing my family. |
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| By the end of my second rest day, a large portion of "Medicine for Mountaineering" by Dr. James Wilkerson was read - a morale booster that provided me with adequate understanding and proper assessment of my heart condition. My hopes renewed. |
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| The next day, we climbed steeply for 300m above the tree line to the hanging valley of Lari Mine, where zinc, lead, and manganese are excavated. We pitched base camp (4,400m) in snow next to a fine rocky pinnacle named Neddy's Thumb, in a small mountain amphitheatre dominated by the south-west face of Paldor. The next two days, the Almighty unleashed snow non-stop, putting us into hibernation mode plus shooting lots of washed-out scenes in only black and white. |
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| Waiting out a snowstorm is depressing and a test of patience in cold and frustration. Our plan for romping around the satellite peaks would now have to be shelved. Just as we thought of packing up and calling it a day, the weather turned. The twilight sky began to clear before dusk, showing off a dazzling array of cloud patterns, as if entertaining and rewarding us for what we had endured. Paldor, for the first time, unveiled herself from the clouds. |
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| Unfortunately, Seng Hock was unwell with bad headache after our "recce" climb to check out the high camp and had to abandon the climb. |
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| Our progress to high camp was very smooth and I was careful not to over exert myself, constantly observing and maintaining a breathing rhythm to avoid panting in the rarefied air. There was knee-deep snow at high camp, with a backdrop of delightful rocky aiguilles fringing the Paldor Glacier East basin. In preparation for an early start, I was inside my sleeping bag by 6 p.m. Outside, the snow continued to fall. With the occasional thunder, my thoughts were restless - "would it be safe to climb and would we make it?" It was beyond me now and I managed to salvage some sleep as soon as I de-focussed on the climb. |
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| At 2 a.m., we began our glacier traverse northwards beneath a sky unbelievably full of stars. My constantly-fogging spectacles frustrated me most as we trudged up the glacier. By dawn we saw the first rays of gold shining through the tinged clouds, as we gained Wendy's Col on the North-East (Tilman's ) Ridge. Corniced initially, the ridge climbed over several pinnacles of loose rock leading to a horizontal snow arete that narrows dramatically. After two hours of tip-toeing on the ridge, we came to the foot of the summit headwall - a wall of ice covered in knee-deep powder. Each step forward ended with two steps backwards, requiring precise footwork to yield an upward thrust. At last, after an exhaustive 150 metres, we were on top of it - the Summit. |
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| The joy was immense and for a moment or two, I relished that "top of the world" feeling. The panoramic view of Ganesh Himal northwards, Langtang Himal eastwards, and Shishapangma in Tibet, had carved, and will always remain, a special and lasting memory in me. |
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| Mission accomplished, I descended to Somdang and was happy to see Seng Hock again. On the trek out, I felt so light-hearted that I sang "The Sound of Music" all the way to Syabrubensi, a kind of relief after the climb. |
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| To many, the question would be, "why climb?", and the answer is always a personal one. Climbing teaches one how to draw strength that he never knew existed. His mind has no "mission impossible". He moves forward one step at a time, building experience and confidence along this enlightening journey. After all, this is how the best of friends are made and definitely one of the best self- rejuvenating exercises. |
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| So, would I take risks and climb again? Indeed, I am already planning my next climb! |
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