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Trek to Mount Kangchenjunga


"The Five Great Treasuries of the Snows"


The multi-summited Kangchenjunga, the world's third highest mountain, lies in the extreme north-eastern corner of Nepal requiring some 30 days for the classic trek that visits both the Yalung Glacier on the southern side and the Kangchenjunga Glacier on the northern. In the spring ( pre-monsoon season ) when the hillsides are ablaze with flowering azaleas and rhododendron, it is reputed to be the most beautiful walk in the world.

Kangchenjunga from Lhonak

from Lhonak



Only groups self-sufficient in food and fuel are allocated permits for the Kangchenjunga Region and provide welcome employment for porters from the local Rai and Limbu peoples ( two of the Nepalese hill-tribes, who together with the Gurungs and lowland Chetris, provide the backbone of the Gurkha regiment ). Most come from subsistence-level, family farms and rely on trekking for hard cash for the purchase of clothing, tools and utensils. At the start of my "solo" trek I had a crew of 13:- Prem Rai, sirdar, Lalu Limbu, cook, Nima Sherpa, kitchenboy and ten porters - nine of them carrying food.

On the southern approach from the picturesque town of Ilam, in the tea-growing region of Nepal, the vegetation changes with increasing altitude from lush, sub-tropical rice-paddies and banana palms, through alpine forests of fir and pine, to the arctic tundra of the yak pastures at Ramze nestling beneath the moraines of the Yalung Glacier.

Kangchenjunga Region: Mts. Kabru and Ratong on approach to the Yalung Glacier

Kabru

and

Ratong

on approach

to

Yalung


Both Ramze and its counterpart Lhonak on the northern side are magnificent campsites amidst spectacular himalayan peaks overlooked by the tremendous rock and ice massif of Kangchenjunga.

Kangchenjunga from Oktang

Kangchenjunga from Oktang


"This is a special place " declared Prem at Oktang, the viewpoint at the end of the trekking route, as he constructed a stone cairn in homage to the mountain.

Jannu from Kambachen in the Ghunsa Khola Valley

Jannu ( Khumbakarna )

from Kambachen

Lhonak on the northern side is only reached after an arduous crossing of the Sinian La high pass ( or the more difficult Lapsang La ) and heading up the remote Ghunsa Khola Valley for a further two days beyond the compact Sherpa village of Ghunsa with its timber-built houses, multi-coloured mani-stones and long, white, vertical prayer-flags.

Regrettably a circuit of Kangchenjunga is not possible as the necessary crossing of the international border with Sikkim is forbidden. However it is a different, and sometimes dangerous, return route from Ghunsa down the Tamur River Valley and along the broad crest of the Milke Dande to the roadhead at Basantapur.

( From "Heavenly Pursuits", Weekend Extra, Glasgow Herald, 17th August 1996 )


Note:-

Detailed information ( Map, Itinerary, Route Description ) and a full set of photographs are available on CD Rom


References:-


 

 

 


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Kangchenjunga Trekkers Guide The Kangchenjunga Adventure - F.S.Smythe Round KangchenjungaConfessions of Aleister Crowley - includes attempts on Kangchenjunga Nepal - Rough GuideAscent of Makalu - Mountaineering - X-Force Extreme Adventures

Lonely Planet Nepal Rough Guide Nepal Lonely Planet - Kathmandu MapKathmandu Valley Map Trekking and Climbing in NepalLonely Planet - Trekking in NepalThe Trekking Peaks of Nepal Trekking in Nepal Trekking in the Everest Region

Rough Guide India Footprint Tibet Handbook Into Thin Air - John Pilkington Sepu Kangri Bonnington Alpine / Himalayan Climbing Into Thin Air - the Everest DisasterClimbing High - the Everest DisasterOn Top of the World - climbing the 14 highest mountains Nepal Mountaineering Guide

On Top of the World - Rebecca Stephens Seven Summits - Quest to reach the highest peaks Seven Summits Eric Shipton - Everest and beyondEdmund Hillary - View from the SummitKurt Diemberger Omnibus Chris Bonington's Everest My Vertical World - Climbing the 8000m Peaks - Jerzy Kukuczka

History of Mountain ClimbingEverest: The West Ridge Return to Everest - DVD Return to Everest - Video Lost on Everest - Video Conquest of Everest Everest: A Trekkers Guide The Climb - Anatoli BoukreevThe Naked Mountain - Reinhold Messner

Mountains of the Mind - A history..Mountains of the Mind - ExperiencesEverest: Summit of Achievement Everest: 50th Anniversary VolumeEverest: Alone at the SummitThe Villain: Life of Don WhillansLeft for Dead: Journey Home from EverestTrekking in the Everest Region

Tilman: The 7 Mountain Travel BooksMountaineering: Freedom of the HillsRope Techniques: The complete guide History of Mountain ClimbingBelow another Sky by Rick RidgewayFacing Up; A journey to the summit of EverestEverest: To the Top Coronation Everest

Epic Stories of Survival on the World's Highest PeaksThe Snow Leopard Himalayan Quest - the 8000m Giants Trekking in the Indian Himalaya Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya Nepal Trail Map - Nelles

World Mountaineering Climbing the World's 14 Highest Mountains Climb: Stories of Survival Sherpas & Himalayan Mountaineering K2Cho Oyu









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