Photos just from the climbing portion of the trip - base camp and above
Yangma Peak (21,500 feet) - 20 times telephoto shot from Marson La, 12 miles to the south.
Climbing Team: Keith, John, Theo, Tim, Dave, Ken (seated). Not in the photo are myself (Colin), Stacy who stayed at Base Camp, and sherpas Ang Khami and Raj Kuma who climbed as high as HIgh Camp.
Starting point is Taplejung at upper right of map of Nepal
From Tapljung to the village of Yangma is 25 miles in a straight line
Base Camp at 17,000 feet was below the snowline
Yaks carrying our gear just below Base Camp
Tents at Base Camp were scattered as few flat sites
View southeast from Base Camp
Yak grazing near Base Camp
Tim demonstrating how to use the Jetboil stoves
Puja - blessing ceremony for the climb - performed by sherpas Ang Khami, Raj Kuma and Kaji.
Ang Khami with offerings
Ang Khami and Raj setting up prayer flags
Prayer flag
Gorak flying above Base Camp
The route to Advanced Base Camp (18,300 feet) did not require climbing gear but was still a challenge.
TIm, Dave, Keith, Theo and John setting off to establish route to Advanced Base Camp.
The route to Advanced Base Camp - grass, boulders, grass, slabs and snow.
John en route to ABC - the glacial lake is Nanggama Pokhari
Looking back towards Base Camp
John going up the slabs
John taking a breather
John close to Advanced Base Camp
Theo at Advanced Base Camp
Ken and Theo at Advanced Base Camp (18,300 feet)
Tim, Dave and Keith establishing the route beyond ABC
Tim, Dave and Keith returning to ABC
Cooking dinner - already dark at 6.00 pm.
Early morning at Advanced Base Camp
Tim and Keith cooking breakast
The route to snow col (18,900 feet) and through the rock band
John on glacier with Ken and Theo approaching the snow col
The rock band - Tim, Dave and Keith (not visible) were setting up fixed ropes
Ken and Theo doing reconnaissance on glacier to the north of the snow col (this ruled out one possible route to the top of our peak)
Ken and Theo returning
Theo, John and Ken returning to Advanced Base Camp
Base Camp before the storm
Base Camp after the storm - six inches of fresh snow
Keith making the trek from his tent to the mess tent
Base camp (red rocket-shaped tent on the right is the toilet tent)
Dave resting at Base Camp
Typical lunch fare
Enjoying some sun and wondering when to head up again
Dave and Ken heading off to ABC
Raj heading off to ABC
Ang Khami heading off to ABC
John hiking through the boulder field
Snow melted on the south-facing slopes but not the north-facing slopes
View back towards Base Camp
John half way to Advanced Base Camp
Where's Theo? Photo taken at widest angle
Where's Theo? Photo taken with 4 times optical zoom
There's Theo - photo with 16 times optical/digital zoom
Me taking a breather at the base of the slabs
Advanced Base Camp - Theo returning from water gathering
Theo cooking breakfast
John
Advanced Base Camp and route up to the snow col and rock band to the left
Plugging steps - a lot of fresh snow due to spindrift
Approaching the rock band
Dave just above the fixed ropes through the rock band
Ang Khami and Raj Kuma starting out on the fixed ropes
Ang Khami and Raj, with Theo looking on
Theo on the fixed ropes
Theo negotiating the rock band
Theo near top of the rock band
Theo above the rock band
HIgh Camp at 19,500 feet
Jannu north face at sunset
Tim and Dave cooking dinner
The route was up snow on the left to the ridge, over peak 1 (easy), around the backside of peak 2 (hard) and up the ridge on the main peak
Breakfast at 3 am and 0 degrees Fahrenheit
Ken and Theo approaching peak 2 at 5 am (the bright circles are light from headlamps)
View west to Makalu and Everest at 5 am
Ken and Theo approaching peak 2
View back to peak 1 (below skyline at left) with Jannu behind
Sunrise on peaks to the south
View back after first pitch of the traverse around peak 2
The main pitch of the rock and ice traverse - Tim is on the steep snow slope beyond this
Keith on the rock just before the rappel. Tim belaying Dave on the steep snow pitch.
View back to Theo on the difficult traverse pitch (telephoto)
Approximate route of the traverse of peak 2 - photo taken several miles away from the southwest ten days earlier
Keith on the snow slope - telephoto shot
Keith on the snowslope - no telephoto
Theo, Keith and Ken with Yangma peak behind
Dave on the final pitch before the summit - 16 times optical / digital telephoto. TIm (elaying out of sight above) also summitted.
Three of the world's five highest peaks: Makalu (left with blowing cloud), Lhotse right center (with blowing cloud) and Everest - 16 times optical/digital
Theo, Keith, Ken and I: view west to Makalu and Everest
View northwest towards Tibet
Theo: Panaroma of view to the west
View east to Kanchenchunga (world'sthird highest peak - in cloud) and Jannu
Tim returning from the summit
Dave returning from the summit
Peak 2: For the return route we climbed snow to the summit and rappelled down rock on the other side
Theo ascending peak 2
Ken on summit peak 2: view southeast to Jannu
Theo on summit peak 2: view north to main Yangma peak
Theo on summit peak 2
Dave and Tiim preparing for the first of three rappels as night approaches (we reached High Camp at 10 pm)
High Camp with Yangma peak behind
Breakfast - we were tired
One of many thumbs and fingers cracked due to the dry air
Keith at HIgh Camp
Descending to the rock band
Kangchenchunga and Jannu from High Camp
At the top of the rock band - still great views
Theo preparing to rappel at top of rock band
Ken descending the rock band
Ken descending
Unroping off the glacier
Lunch at Advanced Base Camp
Sherpas and porters to help carry out gear from ABC
Heading back to Base Camp
Sherpas and porters carrying loads back to Base Camp
En route to Base Camp
We spent a couple of days at Base Camp before the nine-day trek out
Base Camp
Breakfast back at Base Camp
Organizing gear
Climbing gear
My climbing gear
Celebratory dinner included olives and fruit cake
Tim and I - enjoying a bit of whisky
Stacy and Ken monitoring the portable hyperbaric chamber used to treat John's altitude sickness
Helicopter coming in for John
Helicopter evacuation for John. He recovered fairly quickly at lower altitude.
Reflection in lake above Base Camp - Dave is approaching the lake
Snow leopard footprints in snow
Base Camp from above
Moonset close to sunset
The yaks return
One of thousands of yak photos taken by the team
Last breakfast while yaks are loaded
The yaks depart
Burning the trash
Ken, Theo and Keith depart
Me soon after leaving Base Camp - all good things must come to an end
The End - see separate slideshows for the trek in and trek out
