Research Trek To Upper MUstang 2001
Autumn
Report
Report
| After five years of continuous
trekking around beautiful western parts of Nepal near the border
where many unknown mountains are sited, we are now reaching the
climax, well we hope so ? Our plan is to reach Sana Banjyang 5465m that is located east of Gautam Himal, the border of Upper Dolpo mountains area. Also, Arniko Chuli peak 6034m that is located west of Sana Banjyang. We will go there from Charag Khola that looks like a rattle snake on the map. Then, there should be Mansail peak 6235m about 11 km east form the peak. Some unknown meddler has completed Super Express Highway that has surely helped to destroy nature, runs from Tibet to Lo Mantang. While we will see the highway on our sight, we will go into Musi Khola to its peak, in order to do some research on its glacier, geography and nature. There are concrete sights of the boundary numbers from 18 to even 32! Well, they donﾕt dear to do any unfriendly acts such as erasing names of Tibet side. I would like to walk all the hills, and love to meet some military people with * mark on their collars, or people with police uniforms who are overly friendly. In case, these people would try to repel us with unfriendly manner, then I shall praise them and thank them. We will go to Nakhkheｍ Khola on Upper Dolpo, and then watch “Himalaya”or “Charavan”DVDs by Mr. Eric Valle with people in Charka. I will take books that are written by my dear friends , Dr. Giuseppe Tucci who did research on religion and Dr. David L. Snellgrove. They are the pioneers of this interesting land. I have also read Hari Ram , E. Kawaguchi, S. Hedin, H. W. Tilman and T. Hagen, M. Peissel. And I was impressed by the H. Tichyﾕs climbing record to Mt. Dong Mar peak 6336m. This is the only climbing ever done to the peak. If possible, I would like to give you good reports on URL from the spot. However, I will not have enough time and English ability to do so. Please forgive me that I can only do so in JAPANESE. Well, I am going now. Please wish me luck. |
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Osaka Alpine Club research on
Upper Mustang 2001 Autumn.
Leader : Typhoon Ohnishi |
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Name :
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Osaka Alpine Club Reaserch on Upper Mustang 2001 Autumn. |
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Sponser :
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Osaka Alpine Club |
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Priods :
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From 5th,Sept to last Oct. 2001. |
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Members :
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Seven friends and Leader Typhoon |
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Schedule :
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departure8/27 ・ an main party 9/2 From
KIX 9/4 KTM/POKHARA 9/5 POKHARA/JOMSOM 9/6〜9/24 High altitude acclimatize to Tilitso peak BC and Northern Muktinath. 9/25〜9/30 To Lomantang trek. 10/1〜10/5 (A)party , Research to Mt.Mansail area. (B)party , Research to Choklo Banjyang 32 〜 nameless B.21 10/7〜10/10 (A)party , Research to Mt.Arniko Chuli traverse to Upper Dolpa. (B)party , From GHAMI,crossing unnameless B.5694m to Upper Dolpa. 10/11〜10/25 (A)(B)parties joint and to Charka crossing Tojela B. and return to Jomsom. |
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Reporter by Typhoon.
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| No.1 NEW TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP OF WESTERN NEPAL |
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the summer of 2001, new 48 sheets of topographical maps of Nepal
came out from the Survey Department of His Majesty's Government
of Nepal. These are part of western series of Nepal Topographic
Mapping Project, covering most part of the mountainous districts
in western Nepal, in scale of 1/50,000 and in division of 15 minutes
in longitude and latitude, same as 34 sheets of eastern and central
Nepal, published in 1997. They were produced with the technical
cooperation and financial support by the government of Finland.
Beautifully printed in multi-color, contour interval is 40 meters
and supplementary contour at 20 meters. In our reconnaissance to the mountain ranges in Mustang in the autumn of 2001, at the time of our start, we could refer to the 9 sheets (JOMSOM, MUKTINATH, TILICHO, DAMODAR KUNDA, LO MANTHANG, PANLHAM, GAMMAR, ALANIKO CHULI, TINJE) of 11 sheets in our needs. For the lacking sheets we filled up with the old Survey of India Map and other private maps. Generally speaking, new maps are useful to get recent knowledge of administrative source of this area, like as the boundary between villages and districts, mountain track, village name, the positions of mountain pass, bridge, school, gompa and etc., which were difficult to consult in detail on the old Survey of India map of 1960's. It is informed that the new maps are compiled, mainly based on the stereographic images of CORONA Satellite in Nov. 1996, which were taken in quite cloudless sky condition of early winter. We can get clear image of Himalayan mountains and Tibetan plains to some extent by watching them stereoscopically. We noticed, however, that it was difficult to distinguish between the high valleys and glaciers or high frozen glacier lakes both covered with fresh snow on the photos. In the sheet of TILICHO, for instance, we can find some errors in drawing and coloration of contours, especially at the north side of the great ranges. These errors are obviously caused by the insufficient field survey works. Nevertheless, it was the fact that we were much helped by the new maps to identify the numerous minor peaks in our panoramic views from top of the passes or hills near by the main road. Especially, in old maps, there were two areas which had lack of the data of the survey. The first group were the areas on the boundary ridge between Mustang and Dolpo district, and the second were along the international border ranges from Manshail to Arnikochuli in north and western part of Lo Manthang. Some of these ranges had been drawn incorrectly or vaguely on the old Survey of India maps. In the useful booklet for reference by the government, "Nepal Himalaya Inventory 1994 ", a lot of peaks exceeding 6000m, really exist in those areas, had not been listed. On the new maps, the height of these peaks are mostly fixed by GPS measurement, except the main peaks along the international boundary, the height of which are seemingly adopted by the height on the Attached Map of the Boundary Agreement between Nepal and China in 1979. However, even in this group, we became to know that there are some discrepancies of the height on large number of peaks between old Indian map or the map of The Boundary Agreement, and new maps. We also have to point out that there are not a few confusions and errors in naming of peaks, rivers, villages or traditional place names we had ever used to call. Now some of these names are changed, newly created, missing or misplaced on the new maps. Although notation of romanized place names are explained as "pronounce guide" in the margin, the problem of the difference between Tibetan names locally used and Nepalese names on the map are not solved as ever. The news introduced to us that all the works of the mapping project will be completed by the beginning of 2002 and all maps will be printed and published by this spring. We realized that all the works were too hurriedly done in short time and it is feared that they will come out without adding the data of the sufficient field investigations and adequate amendments. Although we expect them to be revised earlier, it would be not easy works to retouch them in short time, because they had been made by the method of map making in analogue, not in digital system as the world trend method of the present time. In our expedition of this time, we had Mr. Katsutoshi Asahi as a scholarly member who has been studying on Glaciology and Geomorphology in Nepal, and is now carrying out the steadfast surveys on fluctuation of glaciers in all over the Nepal Himalaya. Regarding to his field works done in the areas,as ever in blank, in Mustang and other regions of western Nepal, we expect his fruitful success. His carriers in the part of the eastern Nepal (Kangchenjunga, Langtang area) were already reported in the academic papers mentioned bellow. |
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| Regarding to the CORONA Satellite images in Nepal Himalaya, the following academic paper is the most recommendable. | |||
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| No.2 SHORT HISTORY OF THE EARLY EXPLORATIONS OR TRAVELS IN MUSTANG. (During a hundred years from1865) |
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to the year 1864, we have no literal source to get a knowledge by
foreign travelers in Mustang. In summer of 1865, one of the first
pundit Mani Singh passed through lower part of Mustang via Muktinath
and Kagbeni on his return way from Kathmandu to Pithoragar. But
the detail of the journey was not opened by the Survey of India.
In 1873, another pundit Hari Ram was sent to Tibet through Western Nepal with the secret mission of surveying along the route. Started from Pithoragar toward east on 1st july, he arrived at Tradom in Tibet on 23rd Sept., via Jumla, Charka, Kagbeni, Muktinath and Lo Manthang. He returned India by the same route along Kali-Gandaki River to Kagbeni and returned directly to India along the river. His precise report of the rouite survey was fully opened for the public.(Journal of the R.G.S. vol.45,1875) In 1899, a Japanese monk, Ekai Kawaguchi, entered to Mustang on his way to Tibet through Nepal. After he stayed at Tukche, Marpha, Chharang for a year to study Tibetan language and local sect of Tibetan Buddhism. During his stay in Mustang, he secretly sought for the way to smuggle himself into Tibet, and at last realized the entering Tibet through a pass in Dolpo on 4th July of 1900. The story of his living with local Tibetans in this area or the natural landscape along the route were narrated in his famous book " Three years in Tibet" and attracted us with great interest. He was the first real foreigner to this district and the first Japanese entered into the Kingdom of Nepal. ("Three years in Tibet". Madras 1909.) Next to Kawaguchi, Swedish explorer Sven Hedin enterd to a northern part of Mustang in 1907. On his famous third Tibetan exploration searching for the source of Tsampo River, he entered from north to the upper part of Mustang, over Kore-La on the Nepalese border in June of 1907. In his skillful sketches and some of the photo-graphs in Mustang can be find in his voluminous report of the expedition and others. ("Southern Tibet" vol 2." Maps vol.1-2". and "Atlas of Tibetan Panorama". Stockholm, 1916-22. "Trans-Himalaya. Discoveries and Adven- tures in Tibet " vol.1-3. London 1909-13). In 1944, Austrian Climber Hans Kopp entered Mustang on the way to Kathmandu, after the escape from the internment at Dehra Dun in British India together with H. Harrer and P. Aufschnaiter. Separated with above two camerades at Tradum in Tibet, He along chosed the way to Nepal through Mustang in Nov. 1944. ("Himalaya Shuttlecock" translated from the German by H.C. Stevens. London, 1957) After that, up to the opening of Nepal in 1949, there were no foreigners had entered to Mustang. The famous British explorer and mountaineer H.W. Tilman visited Annna purna Himal in 1950, and after he failed to climb Annapurna 4, he made the circuit travel exploring Nar (Phu), and Mustang (Damodar) crossedhighpass in Damodar Himal. ("Nepal Himalaya". Cambridge 1952). On and after 1950 to the first half of 1960's, there were so many mountaineering expeditions to Dhaulagiri and Annapurna massif, their routes of which were within the southern gate of Mustang, namely Kagbeni, So we omited most of them in the list. and took up only a few climbing expeditions entered into the areas, north of Kagbeni or the eastern part of Mustang, Bhrikti Himal and Damodar Himal. Several travels or expeditions of scholors in Mustang also listed bellow. |
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| No.3 CLIMBING A NAMELESS PEAK (6280m, 29 08 41N, 83 46 56E) AND SHORT SURVEYS AROUND THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF MUSTANG. |
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the end of summer season of 2001 in Mustang, our training camps
placed at the point 4070m and 4780m (both GPS height) along the
route to Mesokanto Bhanjyang (5121m) from Jomsom via Thini Khola,
where we spent a week for accli-matization. During the period, we
were enough acclimatized, and finished the first stage, having had
several short walkings near to the pass. On 11th September, we hurriedly
descended the way to arrive at Jomsom within the same day. Next
day, at the Snow Land hotel, right in front of the airport, we were
informed that an unbelievable and hair-raising horrible incident
had occurred in New York in the previous evening. Taking meal in
the dinning room, our eyes were transfixed at the TV by watching
the terrible scenes of the WTC Buildings, which had been repeating
by BBC all the day again and again, and we heard men crying "
It's the War. War has just begun". We were confused with the
news, but we had only a way to trust our future to God. The second stage for the acclimatization started on 15th September toward the northern hills over Gyala Bhanjyang (4077m), north of Muktinath, where we visited on the way. For about ten days, we wandered along the route toward Damodar Kund, famous for the sacred place of Hindu. From two camps on the route, small rock peaks of 5078m, and 5211m on the subsidiary ridge of Damodar Himal group of the southeast, were climbed to get the panoramic views. We were all drunk with joy, being among the dry and desolate high land east of Kali-gandaki River, full of the land gray brown colors and deep blue of the sky just after ending of monsoon, with grand views to the lofty peaks of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna-Nilgiri massif. View to the west was occupied by a little lower peaks of 6000m high, making the divide between Mustang and Dolpo, which formed by mostly granite, rising sharply above the red cliffs of the curiously eroded Thakmar strata. They are equally snow capped on the pointed summits. Scenery toward the distant northwest were more elevated snow mountains near the Tibetan border which seems to be the ranges of Dong Mar or Manshail. The skyline far north is the land of high plateau where international border line runs and the winding motor road was dimly visible. To the east , we observed the chains of white peaks with the height 6500m or more, seemed to be the peaks of Damodar Himal including Burikthi Himal. After the activities of the second stage, we started to descend the way to Kagbeni, via again Gyala Bhanjyang and the villages in Muktinath valley. On 25st Sept. the main trek for five and a half days to Lo Manthang from Kagbeni started by the ordinary route; Chhele, Syangnoche, Ghami, Chharang and LoManthang. In most of villages along the road, are old ruins of fort and Buddhist temples all of which reminded us of the glory of the Kingdom of Mustang in bygone days. Chharang is the village, with broad terraced field extended toward the northwest. This village name was very familiar with us as the place where Ekai Kawaguchi had stayed for nearly a year prior to his advance to Tibet via Dolpo. In Lo manthang, we camped at the garden-like place just outside of the castled town, surrounded by poplar trees and close to the castle gate of the town. We had a chance to be given an interview to the king, Jigme Palbar Bista at the palace. After that, we could meet several times this friendly Mustang Raja of 68 age, patrolling in and out of the town during our stay. Based on Lo Manthang, we had two short reconnaissance to the northwestern mountains. At first, we forded Kimarin Khola and proceed to a hill (4708m) of left bank of Nyamdo Khola. From there we observed minutely the east side of Dong Mar (6337m), which had ever been climbed by H.Tichy in 1953. The second, we traced up along Dhangna Khola via Thingar village. and made the further reconnaissance of southeastern side of Dong Mar from the point 5200m, Tichy's route was presumably the southeastern rock ridge of the peak. Taththas Jyura Khola, broad valley in front bellow us would lead to the col on the Tibetan border which was clearly visible in deep blue Tibetan sky, and possibly would lead us to Manshail Peak (6235m) through seemingly easy glacier nearly at 6000m level. At Lo Manthang, we received an unreasonable ill-affected welcome by ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Project). They disturbed our activities in the mountains by forbidding what kind of camps outside of the town, notwithstanding we have the complete permit of both ministries of Tourism and Home Affairs, legally possible to investigate any place within the District. Main staffs of the kingdom and local police, both were favorably cooperative for us to go into the mountains. But ACAP staffs frightened our Sherpas to confiscate our equipments if we would ignore their request. Much confused in this unexpected opposition, we unwillingly chose the way to avoid further disputes with them and left Lo Manthang toward Lo Gekar where we had planed to settle the second base camp for the new areas of upper Chharang Khola. Base camp was moved at the karka very near the Ghar Gompa of Lo Gekar on 5th of Oct. On our program in this area, is to directly enter the Chharang Chu (Ghyua Khola) through the gorge near our base camp and to ascend Arnikochuli (6034m) through the right upper folk of the river, which is shown on the map just like a snake raising head and its head is the lakes at the upper end of the valley. However, We were forced to change the course, as we found that the direct route into Chharang Chu was impossible to pass through the gorges at the entrance near our base camp. Next day, carrying with four days outfit for members ascended to the upper plain of Ghar Gompa, We traversed the vast grass land for a while and after crossing a small stream, placed the camp just south of the peak 4740m on the new map (LOMANTHAN, Sheet 2983-16). At the campsite (29 07 263N 83 51 383E, 4733m by GPS), we had a splendid view toward east, and to E113 far distance, we caught the sight of the gompa and ruined fort of Chharang clearly. Next day, we proceed to the mountain ridge just rear of the camp and climbed to a col (5489m by the new map, 29 07549N 83 50 044, 5504m by GPS) with two stone cairns, after following a small tributary of Dhakmar Khola which flew down to Ghami. All members including porter arrived there by noon. A gentle peak of 6154m to 268w, and sharpened top of 6280m peak to 290w behind near by southern ridge of 5932m peak were visible from there. Then we took the route on to the above mountain ridge to north, through the broad valley fully covered with shale just like roofing tiles. We walked too long way to the west col of 6010m peak (29 08 465N 83 48 777E, 5987m by GPS). From there, I alone advanced little down to the north, Ghyun Khola side of the ridge, where I found two beautiful small lakes, shinning in bright green and milky white colors among the surrounding deserted scenery. Firstly It came to my mind that it would be possible to settle the high camp there and to stay for a few days comfortably to climb peaks and make survey around there. However, My greedy fine appetite for about them was flown away in a moment, as I found our porters still walking along Dhakmar Khola, 600m bellow my eyes and noticed it was impossible to force them to follow the way in such late afternoon. I had to descend from the col, and joined the band of porters to place high camp at the point of 5581m of Dhakmar Khola and send porters down to the lower camp. I changed the plan of the next day, and decided to climb 6280m peak which I had seen to 290W from the col, On 7th October, advancing along the stream for a while, we encountered a small glacier at 5720m level which comes down from peaks 6081m and 6154m of the southwest. The snout of the glacier was easily crossed and we traversed it to take a route to Dhau Dhundhun Tal, a glacier lake shown on the new map at the height 5905m. The lake is not so deep but quite clear, and the surface was reflecting brightly in deep blue of the Tibetan sky. After taking lunch, we took the route along a crumbling rock ridge at the west side of the lake. The route led us to the point just beneath the south snow face of the peak. After the easy climb for 100m, followed by 5 pitches direct climbing of steep snow face, we changed our cource to the left and additional 2 pitches climbing brought us onto the summit ridge with the snow cornice toward north. A few minutes later, we stood on the top. The climbing route was generally moderate and nothing need of special climbing technics. The nearest peak, 0.5km to the north is shown on the new map as the peak 6229m in height and no height is given to our peak. We estimate the height as 6280m by eye-measurement (about 50m higher than the 6229m peak), reading of contour on the new map (29 08 41N 83 46 56E, 6280m), and our GPS measurement (29 08 422N 83 46 956E, 6357m). Descending route was taken on the eastern ridge toward the col, which I traced the previous day, and returned to our high camp. We took the rest there for one day, and reached base camp of Lo Gekar on 19th. October. |