Nepal Trekking and Climbing, October 2004
Langtang, Yala Peak, Gangi La and Helambu
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2008. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.
Nepal Trekking and Climbing, October 2004 Langtang, Yala Peak, Gangi La and Helambu All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2008. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
 |
View from Tharepati, Langtang National Park |
Introduction
Nothing beats the Himalayas. This was the thought that came to my mind in October 2004 on a trek in the Langtang and Helambu region of Nepal. The sheer scale and vastness of the Himalayas, the incredible beauty of the landscapes, the trekker friendly culture and charming people make this destination hard to beat. This trip to the Langtang and Helambu region in October 2004 was my second and most recent visit to Nepal.
The trip included an ascent of Yala Peak, which at 5500m is not particularly high by Himalayan standards and in terms of the technical difficulty of the climb, only just counts as mountaineering as distinct from a challenging trek. Only the last hour or so of the climb qualifies as a mountaineering ascent, as this is where the route involves a steep ice climb up to a rocky ridge which is then followed to the summit itself. The views I had from the summit and the approach to it were absolutely incredible, made all the more so due to a fresh blanket of snow that had fallen the day before.
After the trek up the Langtang valley and ascent of Yala Peak we crossed the 5130m Kanji La (or Kangja La) which took us into the Yangri valley and on into the Helambu region. From there we trekked into a region of high alpine lakes known as the Gosain Kund. This area was breathtakingly beautiful and beside the largest of these lakes stood a buddhist monastery village where we stayed the night. From here it was only a few days of trekking to reach Dunche from where transport into Kathmandu can be obtained.
On this trek, Kendy and I were led by Suresh sherpa who was also our cook, and Ang Pemba Sherpa came with us for the first part of the trek and led my ascent of Yala Peak. The trip was organised by Tilak from Nepal Trailblazer Trekking.
Below are some photos from the trip. I hope you enjoy them.
 |
 |
Day 1 - 9 Oct 2004. The track climbs through the warm, humid and dense forest of the lower Langtang valley. Here the track actually goes into the river itself to avoid obstacles on the bank. |
 |
|
Day 1 - 9 Oct 2004. From our camp site at Lama Hotel (2340m) we see through forest mist to the steep sided walls of the valley that we are climbing through. |
 |
|
Day 4 - 12 Oct 2004. Here are our tents at Yala Peak base camp (4950m). Heavy snow fell during the afternoon and into the night. Tomorrow we would be making our bid for the summit of Yala Peak, starting at around 4am. With the snow falling heavily I began to wonder if our summit bid would be possible ... Also, being only the 4th full day of trekking I did not feel adequately acclimatised to the altitude. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. The snow stopped falling at about midnight and when the sun rose on summit day - behold! A perfect still day with not a cloud in the sky. A thick blanket of snow lay all around. During the night the snow had fallen to low altitude. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. As the sun came up Ang Pemba and I were already high on the slopes of Yala Peak, above 5000m. The scenery was of truly Himalayan proportions. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. Kendy's here too, and follows us as far as the point where you need to rope up and put crampons on for the final pitch for the summit. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. From high on Yala Peak the mountain scenery is truly incredible. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. Ang Pemba on the summit of Yala Peak. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. Myself on the summit of Yala Peak. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. Ang Pemba on the summit of Yala Peak. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. Ang Pemba hammers in a snow stake to belay me down the steep ice slope that you need to descend to get down from Yala Peak. |
 |
|
Day 5 - 13 Oct 2004. We got back down to our tents by about 2:30pm, the snow still lay around. Contrast this sunny scene with the snowy conditions of this time yesterday! See here! When we got back here I had a bad altitude headache and spent most of the remainder of the day resting in the tent trying to diffuse the headache with multiple cups of tea. |
 |
|
Day 6 - 14 Oct 2004. Astonishingly, it was snowing heavily again the next morning when we packed up and headed downhill into the Langtang valley. We had been so lucky with that one day window of perfect weather for the climb of Yala Peak! |
 |
|
Day 7 - 15 Oct 2004. The weather changed yet again, producing a perfect day to begin our trek further up the Langtang Valley. |
 |
|
Day 7 - 15 Oct 2004. The upper Langtang valley is particularly beautiful. |
 |
|
Day 7 - 15 Oct 2004. We camped in the upper Langtang valley and then walked further upstream during the afternoon where the valley scenery is colossal. |
 |
|
Day 7 - 15 Oct 2004. After sunset that night I photographed the stars with this long exposure. |
 |
|
Day 8 - 16 Oct 2004. Great evening views from near Kianjin Gompa. |
 |
|
Day 8 - 16 Oct 2004. Great evening views from near Kianjin Gompa. |
 |
|
Day 10 - 18 Oct 2004. Climbing over Ganji La (5130m). Gangi La is actually quite a difficult pass yet the porters appeared to have no trouble despite their heavy loads. |
 |
|
Day 10 - 18 Oct 2004. Ganji La (5130m). Here we all are on the top of Gangi La. Front row, left to right: Ashley, Kendy, Suresh Rear Row: Our four porters. |
 |
|
Day 12 - 20 Oct 2004. Now having trekked through the Helambu region we are now climbing once more, this time to the village of Melamchigaon where we stayed the night before climbing up to Tharapeti. Here the porters heave into view after a climb out from the Melmachi valley. |
 |
|
Day 12 - 20 Oct 2004. The porters, well laden, even 12 days into the trek. |
 |
|
Day 13 - 21 Oct 2004. Stunning Himalayan scenery from our vantage point at Tharepati on the Soli Danda. |
 |
|
Day 13 - 21 Oct 2004. Stunning Himalayan scenery from our vantage point at Tharepati on the Soli Danda. |
 |
|
Day 13 - 21 Oct 2004. Sunset views. |
 |
|
Day 14 - 22 Oct 2004. Sunrise from Tharepati. |
 |
|
Day 14 - 22 Oct 2004. Sunrise from Tharepati. |
 |
|
Day 15 - 23 Oct 2004. We arrive at the Gosain Kund where it is very cold but breathtakingly beautiful. The Gosain Kund is an area of high alpine lakes in the Langtang National Park. |
 |
|
Day 15 - 23 Oct 2004. Around the shores of the Gosain Kund. |
 |
|
Day 15 - 23 Oct 2004. This is my favourite photo from this trek. Lake reflections in the Gosain Kund. |
 |
|
Day 16 - 24 Oct 2004. From the Gosain Kund the road back to Kathmandu was only 2 days trek away but there was still some spectacular trekking to be done. Here the trail traverses high on the side of a steep valley. |
Web page created 27 Jul 2008. All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2008. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
