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Mountaineering
Expeditions
BISHOP COTTON SCHOOL
SHIMLA
LEO-PARIGYAL—
6791M ( 2ND HIGHEST IN (HP)
EXPEDITION – 1999
( SEP )
SCALED
For the first time,
in 1998, two Cottonians, school staff and staff of DMAS Manali went to
the base camp of Leo – Parigyal (6791M) the 2nd Highest
peak of HP. We have been very anxious to climb and reach the summit of
Leo – Parigyal.
This year (1999) in
April a group of boys with staff escorts went for a basic
mountaineering course in the DMAS Manali. They had passed the test
successfully and were challenged to climb Leo – Parigyal.
On the 6th
of June after a special Chapel service and a flag off ceremony by the
Governor of HP, the expedition team started off for Narkanda.\
The expedition was
led by Mr. Rajeev Sharma, Everester and the Chief Instructor of DMAS
Manali. This was the 1st expedition in the School history.
The team underwent
rigorous training for about one year under the overall supervision of
Brig D.K. Khullar, who led Bachhendri Pal to
Mount Everest
in 1983.
After a round of
hectic traveling through Narkanda, Pooh and finally to Nako, the team
successfully set up a Base Camp at a height of 16500ft to get
acclimatized.
Through lost of
difficulty the team was able to reach camp-1 (18000ft) and camp-2
(20000ft), before climbing the summit, not withstanding the cold and
the entire heavy load. The dangers of Mountaineering were many. In the
course of the expedition the weather had also not been very good
always. In the cold everyone had to pitch his own tent and many a time
there were few sleepless nights because of the weather.
On the 21st
June, we have to leave the camp for summit but the weather was not
favorable. Wind was blowing with the speed of 100 km/h. Although after
a long time of struggling four Cottonians , a member of our staff and
the members of DMAS Manali
under the leadership of Mr. Rajeev Sharma and one HAP, finally reached
the summit at 2.45p.m. It braved strong icy winds to conquer the Peak.
Finally, the team
reached back in the School on the 25th of June safely by
the grace of HIM. We all welcomed in the school warmly. This was great
achievement in the School History.
School Team
Members:
1.
Mr. Rnjeet Singh Dhaliwal
2.
Mr. Shushil Thakur
3.
Mr. Shyam Singh
4.
A.R. Bhandari
5.
Chimit Yurgyal
6.
V.S. Rathore
7.
Rohit Chauhan
8.
Ajay Bodh
9.
M.H.A. Khan
10.
V. Negi
BISHOP
COTTON SCHOOL SHIMLA ( BOYS )
BIDHAN
PARVAT-6510M
EXPEDITION-2003
25thMAY TO 15thJUNE
SCALED
“Mountaineering
is not as some people may think it….a romance. It cannot be acquired
from a photograph or a story. It is something that is lived through
always, and to make it part of oneself, the most important thing is to
prove its worthy to life, to live it without fear”
This year BCS
decided to do an expedition to
Mt.
Bidhan
Parvat, which stands tall at 6510M. The peak is named after the
legendary Chief Minister of
West Bengal Dr.
Bidhanchandra
Roy
.
A solemn Chapel
Service was conducted for the team by the Headmaster, along with Brig.
Katoach, an Old Sherwoodian himself, as Chief Guest, who is now at
ARTRAC. We were flagged off in the grandest of fashions and showered
with blessings from the entire school community
Perhaps, the
grandness of this whole event had already reposed a certain
expectation in our hearts and we could feel the first jitters of a big
journey. We embarked on an 8hrs journey in the school bus accompanied
by tons of load. This year we were lucky to have the presence of Mrs.
Jennifer Nandi, renowned naturalist. We had also called a guest
Instructor Mr. Rajinder Sharma from Manali. In Rishikesh we were also
joined by our HAPS from
Darjeeling
. They had come by air from Siligurhi. We stayed in Gharwal Tourism
Hotel in Rishikesh on 1st day and next evening we reached
Joshimath. The journey till Joshimath was very tiring. Joshimath is
the focal point to travel towards Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and is
situated in
Alakhnanda
Valley
.
Next
day, after finishing a few formalities with the District Collector,
Mr. Bannerjee and the Police officials, we sorted out the rations that
we had packed as per daily requirement. Brig. Khullar also enlightened
us with his thorough knowledge of the area. Mr.
Viresh Dogra, Mr. Rajinder and one HAP, with rations in a truck, moved
to Ghamsali, which was the road head point and spent a night in old
Govt.
School
building. This party had to establish the Base Camp for the main
party, which was expected to come next morning.
We hired a local
person who knew the area and had been up to the summit of the peak. We
reached late and were welcomed by the rains, which is a bad sign on
the mountains. But the entire experience can also be termed welcoming
because the rain just made Ghamsali and the neighboring villages
heavenly.
Malari is situated
on the left bank of Dhauli Ganga. This river comes from the east Purbi
Kamet glaciers and finds its source from
Tibet
. All the upper valley villagers vacate their villages during winters
and re-occupy them in summers. Towards the south of the village were
two pyramidal peaks Draunagiri and Kalanka. Drauna is the same peak
from where “Hanuman Ji” had taken some part of the mountain
thinking it might be “Sanjivni” for Laxman when he was injured.
Next morning the
main party moved to road head (Ghamsali) from Joshimath and the same
day they left for Base Camp from road head. It was easier than what we
were used to in the past! (i.e. Jaonli, 2002). The way to the camp was
flat but meandering along the
Saraswati
River
.
Base Camp was at the
height of 12000ft. Next morning, we saw that the surroundings were
full of peaks draped in white. The valley had innumerable peaks rising
over 6000M. It gave us the real Himalayan feeling and all started
dreaming of the summits under their feet. The only thing we detested
about the camp was that it was too far away from the goal and one
could not see Bidhan from the Base Camp. We had no problems with the
acclimatization of any other problems as such. There was no tree; no
shrub but just the cold dead beauty which encamped around us.
Next morning,
advance party opens the route to Camp-1. It was on the snow and the
peak Kagbhushand(5952M) was just near this Camp and came back. Early
next morning we left for Camp-1 for load ferry. The weather was warm
and may be this is the reason we were extremely tired. It was a steep
climb towards Camp-1 with many loose boulders running past us, so
every step we took was the destiny of the one who was following you.
Our route now rose steeply. A minor glacier was seen to the right and
a steep icefall in it was recognized. Further right, a ridge was
coming down sharply which terminated in a cliff. A moraine gulley had
a difficult approach over a mixed terrain of snow and boulders. We
also had a look behind towards Malari, it all looked dark as if the
smoke had intoxicated the environment of that area. We all had to take
breathers frequently, as the altitude was rising at a very quick pace
and also because of the gradient, which was very high. The other
reason was that it was our first tough day of trekking with 15 kg of
load in our back, and these 15kg were like 30kg to us at that
altitude. Camp seemed far for the heavily laden men like us. At last
we were at the campsite.
There was heel deep
snow there on Camp-1. Kagbhushand still dominated the scene. We stayed
there for some time to get our bodies acclimatized. After unpacking
our loads we hurriedly ran towards the base camp because we had no
lunch and soon the sun was to fade away. No one had the intention to
go back to the base camp after this tiring climb of 8hrs but we had to
go as it is said ‘go high and sleep low in the mountains’. As soon
as we reached we pounced on the kitchen and ate as if we were hungry
for years.
Next day was
supposed to be a rest day for us, which every one heartily
appreciated. To take away our tiredness from out minds we had YOGA
that day under the guidance of Mrs. J. Nandi. We all felt much more
relaxed and better afterwards. It was a rest day and no one wanted to
miss out the opportunity, so we all had the best of ours naps. That
night we were told about the proportion in which we were to leave for
the peak, there were two peaks and thus two parties were divided.
First was to go to Bidhan, which was the prime motive whereas Garurh
Bang was the secondary.
Team Leader Mr.
Shushil Thakur, Mr. Viresh Dogra, Boys ( Ajay Bahadur singh Sidhu,
Rahul Mehta, Anirudh Singh. Suksham Chauha ), Mr. Rajinder Sharma, two
HAPS and a Local person were in a party to Bidhan Parvat. Everyone was
nervous that day and after having pooja, the first team left for
Bidhan. The climb till the camp was not as tough as it was the first
time because our bodies had adapted and the way was known. On reaching
the camp we pitched the tents on the snow, our hands were numb and
started feeling the bitterness of the mountains. We still could not
see the peak from the camp, which again annoyed us.
Next morning we had
to leave early but the tents were wet and this not allowing us to be
punctual. Winding up the camp was a hell of a job. Tent pegs were
difficult to remove due to hard ice formation. One can hardly move of
work I high altitude. Packing and re-packing was also difficult task.
The weather was packing up which was a bad sign for us on the
mountains. After a lot of patience we had our tents packed. There was
a col right above the camp, which took us towards Kag Bhushand. We
went in the direction of Kag Bhushand on a slope leading to the ridge.
The steepness of the slope shook our legs within a few meter of
climbing. We all gained height very slowly and cautiously. At times
the climbing was on all four. After traversing between two rock spurs
covered with ice and snows the climb was steeper. The ice axe saved us
many times from slipping. When we reached the notch on the ridge, the
view was pleasing. There was a glacier on our right, which looked like
ribs in the snow. The blueness of the ice was incomparable in beauty.
The beauty of black and white was incomparable.
The view of the crevasses was heartbreaking and if seen through
a binocular was more frightening. Finding a safe route was like
playing snakes and ladders.
The cold winds
started blowing and it had its effect on our noses and lips. If we
were to take the glacial route then it would have taken us weeks
because there were crevasses and ice-walls. So, to be on the safer
side we had to negotiate the glacier and take up the Garurh Bang
ridge. Here on the ridge we had to do some rock climbing, and then we
continued on a gradual snowfield/ After kicking steps in the snow we
came to 30M steep wall, guarded by a big rock band. There was fixed.
It was now time for us to show our skills and everyone simply rushed
up the wall.
The altitude now
started having its effect. Most of us had to struggle for oxygen. I
felt the sensation of nausea and dizziness but we still carried on. I
could not guess the distance further up due to innumerable ups and
downs. Bidhan was seen behind the rock fully covered with snow and
ice. All were pleased to see the objective so near and so far away.
Legs gave up the struggle to move further and so did the mind. We had
been walking on the snow for the last eight hours and we required rest
for the final summit, which was to be attempted that night. We pitched
our tents at the safest possible place. As soon as we reached the
Camp-2 (summit camp) Mehta, Suksham and Anirudh collapsed. Only Ajay
Bahadur was feeling better. The bodies were not acclimatized because
we were ascending too fast. We three had severe headache and vomiting.
We were dehydrated by the tiring climbing. We straightway crept into
our sleeping bags, which was a wrong thing to do.
A calm night soon
turned into a hell due to strong winds. The speed of the winds was
tremendous. The tents were vibrating. At 1 o’clock Mr. Thakur asked
us to ready but Ajay was only ready to go up to the summit and he
better be ready in the next 20 minutes. It was a little alarming. All
of a sudden we had been deprived of a chance! A Chance? Yes, I
personally felt a great sense of loss because this was my second
expedition and again due to some problem or the other I wasn’t given
a chance to attempt the summit! Later, I thanked Mr. Thakur for taking
that decision because now in complete senses I agreed with him that it
wouldn’t have been possible to do such a thing! Team Leader, one HAP
and three of us stayed at the summit camp.
Ajay, Mr. Dogra, Mr.
Rajinder, one HAP and local person left for the summit at 2 in the
morning against the current of the merciless winds. It was cold and we
knew that! We wished hem best of luck and saw how proud he was of us!
It was the usual glacier climb till dawn and they walked at a very
brisk pace. But as soon as the sun was out the speed faded away. It
suddenly became very hot against the previous cold night. There were
many hidden crevasses on the way. And the depth of the snow was very
deep too. All this made an interesting and a daunting climb. The snow
was reflecting very mercilessly and it had become really difficult to
climb. Ajay had become very tired by now and had literally refused to
go any further after reaching a height of close to 22000. Somehow, Mr.
Dogra pepped him up with some courage and Ajay very courageously did
the final lap. They finally reached the summit at 8.15a.m. In the
morning setting a record for the fastest climb of the Bidhan Parvat, a
feat unmatched!
The summit was a big
flat. Seeing the photographs, it only makes us feel more dejected but
yes, the feeling of teamwork is always present and therefore I always
laugh it away that my teammate had done it! The team then prayed for a
minute on the summit, thanking God for being kind and helping us with
the peak.
A
few peaks were also
visible from the summit. Kamet, Mana, Deoban, Nanda Devi Massiff all
prominent peaks were visible. There was also a straight fall from the
summit where a slip could lead one to lying dead on the Base Camp of
Kamet
! A few
Tibetan
Ranges
were also visible. They were dark and barren looking.
After 20 minutes the
team began to descend to the base camp. The team met the Garurh Bang
team at Camp-1 but they decided to go down to the Base camp that very
day because it would have been very cold in the night! On return there
were cheers and congratulations. After the Garurh Bang team returned
successfully which was headed by Mr. Praveen Dharma, the next day we
went to the road head camp and stayed there for 2 days. Thereon, we
proceeded to Badrinath to thank God for our success. We were in
Joshimath and Tapoban too for a day each. The Headmaster, Mr. Kabir
Kumar Mustafi, specially came to visit us in Tapoban all the way from
Shimla and this made us feel really proud.
Mountaineering has
become an integral part in the school’s calendar and beyond.
Mountaineering in B.C.S. has taken giant strides under the guidance of
Mr. R.S.Dhaliwal, Mr. S.K.Thakur, Mr.Parveen Dharma, Mr. V. Dogra and
Brig. D.K. Khullar who is also the Director of the Outward-bound and
Adventure Sports Activities in
the school. He continues to be a guiding force to the students.
The school gave us a
grand welcome and we felt special and here I only want to share my
experience with you.
EXPEDITION
TEAM:
1.
Leader- Mr.
Shushil Thakur
2.
Dy. Leader-
Mr. Praveen Dharma
3.
Mr. Viresh Dogra
4.
Mr. Rajinder Sharma
5.
Rahul Godar
6.
Ajay Bahadur Singh Sidhu
7.
Rahul Mehta
8.
Anirudh Singh
9.
Suksham Chauhan
10.
Simaranjeet Singh
11.
Stanzin Wangchuk
Anirudh Singh
U-VI
Outward Bound Prefect.
BISHOP COTTON SCHOOL
SHIMLA ( BOYS )
FREY – PEAK –
19239ft
EXPEDITION – 2004
SCALED
It
is torture------- the hands go stiff and cannot be used, the map rips
and one wonders about making it back alive to the Base Camp. The lips
are swollen and split and at the mails the skin is blistered so that
the finger tips bleed! (……) one wishes to be
away------away-----out of the Frey!
The
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute has been inspirational to the young
people of
India
and abroad. The expedition of Bishop Cotton School, one of the oldest
public school in Asia and one of the few school of the world which
have mountaineering in their co-curricular activities, found its way
this year to the eastern Himalayas.
School
held a meeting under the supervision of Brig. D.K. Khullar (Director
of school Outward-bound and Adventure Sports Activities).
The
beautiful Giant to be visited this year was
Mt.
Frey
in
Sikkim
under the supervision of HMI Darjeeling.
Mt.
Frey
stands at about 19239ft was not as high as the other expeditions of
the school which included
Mt.
Leo
– Parigyal, Mt. Stok Kangri, Mt. Bidhan Parvat,
Mt.
Jaonali
, Mt. Garurh Bang, but it is known as a difficult and technical peak.
I,
one of the old team members of ‘Paigyal Club’ of school, was given
a chance to climb Frey. To climb on the higher hills is to realise a
kinship with nature and ‘Parigyal’ teaches with us.
The
virgin peak was first touched by George Frey and his friend “The
Tiger of snow” Tenzing Norgay, but the attempt was not successful
and unfortunately George Frey lost his fife just 50m below the summit,
while in the process of changing his self-anchor and so the peak was
named after him.
Mt.
Frey
, 19239ft west of Chawrikhang (HMI base camp) is in west
Sikkim
.
The
Parigyal team initially consisted of 14 members of school and then we
were accompanied by four Instructors from HMI…., one of
whom was Mr. Kushang Sherpa who had climbed Everest 5 times and
currently holds the record of climbing
the Everest from al three sides.
We
reached HMI on 7th April and after 3days of formalities we
advanced to our road head. Daring the incessant pain, leeches and
heavy rucksacks the boys started their first daring trek from Yuksum
to Bakhim known as House of Bamboos 9000ft.
The
second trek tested our physical strength. It had a steep gradient and
after 6hrs of tedious trek we were at Dzongri (meeting place of man
and mountain Gods) 13200ft. The third day we trekked to Chawrikhang
(grazing place of yak) 14600ft. It had it’s own chrm. We could see
the Base Camp below from Dzongri…
On
15th of April we started our first load ferry to ABC. It
has two slopes to negotiate,
where
even a step seems a stretch of 100 meters. On our way back from the
load ferry one of the team members met with an accident but it was not
major. Our team could feel the effects of the height, a few team
members had a severe headache accompanied by vomiting. Our leader
decided that only 6 members would do the load ferry. It had snowed and
was cold due to the cloudy sky, but due to the good selection of team
the speed was much above normal and we finished both to and fro within
an hour.
The
next was great day because it was a day to occupy our base camp. The
next time we would come back to base camp, we would have paid homage
or may have fallen short by a few steps. We prayed in Base Camp to the
mountain Gods and the mountain itself because it was she who would
allow us to occupy the ABC.
The
land is up barren up there. The passes are so high that only the best
of friends or a fine crest of enemies would like to come and we were
there ass the best of friends. That night we could not sleep because
it was snowing and the fear of the tent collapsing on us kept us
awake. The fierce wind accompanied the snow and that made it worse. I
slept in the early hours of the morning and when I woke from a dream,
like a frightened child, started thinking. I was safely home. The
skitter-scatter of falling ice on the tent brought me back to reality;
I had been drifted in and out of sleep.
It
came as a shock when we were told that we were told that we would go
for reconnaissance. We were told to get equipment and flags, the winds
were very strong while we were crossing the glacier and the snow
field. The second climb which we had to negotiate was the rock face.
The terrain was such that one shifting rock could bring down half the
cliff. The ropes were fixed by Mr. Kushang Sherpa. Although the sun
was out there were bone chilling winds. We were instructed to climb
closely and avoid any injuries. The path between the summit and the
grave is very narrow and indeed there is no way of telling which way
it would finish. The last hour’s climb was beyond our capacity
because of the lack of oxygen, strong winds and steep slopes. Mr.
Kushang Sherpa told us that this wind is same as on the
North Col
of the Everest. Fifty meters below the peak it was decided that only
two team members would go but then Mr. Kushang did not disappoint
anyone.
Bishop
Cotton team had once again made a record by putting up 6 school
members 4 instructors and one HAP on the top of Frey. “We felt like
an interloper on life’s stage, no temporary improvision to suit an
obscure purpose, but an entity whose span is timeless whose scope is
magnificent beyond conception, whose birth and death are incidental
milestones on a splendid road without beginning and without end”.
Every
team member knew that descending in this weather was the greatest step
which we took. It was like walking against the forces of nature. The
weather was getting worse. The mountain was stormy. The winds ripped
our body, the freezing temperature was assisting it but at last we
reached the snowfield and then there were the cheers and joy of
teaching the summit and descending.
We
pulled into camp staggering around like drunks. I screamed out,
feeling like I was the shadow of real life. The weakness and tiredness
was all forgotten because this was a token of love and appreciation to
Bishop
Cotton
School
.
SCHOOL
TEAM MEMBERS
1.
Mr. Praveen
Dharma…….Leader
2.
Mr. Rohit Vyas…….Dy
Leader
3.
Mr. Viresh Dogra
4.
Mr. Rajinder Sharma
5.
Gaurav Acharya
6.
Suksham Chauhan
7.
Stanzin Wngchuk
8.
Simranjeet Singh
9.
Siraj Sethi
10.
Manjeet Singh
11.
Prithvi Raj Thakur
12.
Prashant Dogra
13.
Pragya Veer Singh
14.
Tsewang Topgyal
Suksham
Chauhan
U -VI
Vice
School Captain.
BISHOP COTTON SCHOOL
SHIMLA ( BOYS )
PHAWARANGA-
PEAK-
6349M
EXPEDTION-2005
26th MAY
TO 15th JUNE
SCALED
Like all the years,
this year also brought something special to the Parigyal
Mountaineering Club as the members of the club were informed that they
were going to scale Phawaranga peak in District Kinnaur (HP). A week
before the departure of the expedition, there was a meeting in the
Headmaster’s Lodge regarding food, equipment etc. for the
expedition. The meeting of the student climbers, Brig. Khullar, the
organizer of the expedition, Mr. Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal, the Head of
the Club, Mr. Praveen Dharma Leader of the Expedition, Mr. A.R. Martin
Chauhan, Mr. Viresh Dogra and the
Headmaster, covered all the aspects of the expedition.
Day-1
May 26th
– it was the day of the Flag off Ceremony of the Expedition Team.
The day started off with Chapel Service at 8a.m., thereafter the whole
team lined up at the Fountain, so that one by one all the teachers
could wish us best of luck. The flag was off, and the whole school was
lined up in single file on either side from the first flat to the
school gate. Soon we were inside the bus and were ready to go,
everyone cheered and applauded for us as we slowly drove out of the
school. After we moved out of the school, we had a long way to go to a
place called Rekong Peo, where we were going to put up for the night,
as we reached quite late in the evening.
Day-2
It was a bright and
sunny day. We had a late rouser in the morning, as we were tired after
traveling for a whole day. We stayed at a hotel called Shivling and
from the balcony of the hotel we had a clear view of all the peaks in
that area. Soon, we had our breakfast and left from Rekong Peo to a
place called Spillo. When we reached Spillo we first unloaded all the
rations from the bus and then shifted it all to a local truck. The
team went ahead to a place called Thangi (road head), pitched tents
and stayed for a night and next morning we had to start trekking.
Day –3
Today we had push
off the mules and porters with load to Intermidiate Camp (ITBP post)
and the team also. We started off assembling everything around us as
quickly as possible. After finishing our work we had our breakfast in
which we got bread, jam, omelettes and sausages. Soon it was time to
move and we had to trek to a place called Shurthing-ting, which was
our Intermediate Camp. It was a tiring four hour journey. We crossed a
village called Lumber and through valleys, plains, and all sorts of
obstacles. It was tough, but we knew that whatever was to come ahead
of us was even tougher. We reached Shurthing- ting and the ITBP crew
helped us in adjusting around the place. We stayed at a Tin hut, which
was quite warm. We were all so tired that we all straight away went to
sleep after dinner.
Day-4
We got up early in
the morning and fresh. We were tension free because everything was
packed and we had to leave to the Base Camp. Mr. Tek Singh, one of the
staff members, had decided to stay in the Intermediate camp, so we
were on our way to the base camp could leave anything with him in the
camp. Though the distance was short, the steep slopes we had to cover
were very tiring and energy consuming. When reached the base camp it
was very windy. The camp was reasonably big. There were enough places
to pitch our tents. Then suddenly it started to snow and became worse
but some how we managed everything.
Day- 5
Leader decided to
send the students for a reconnaissance to Camp-1. We all were
energetic and curious to go, so we all got ready. The way to camp was
very steep and it was snowing heavily. We went only half way and then
returned to the base camp. We were all tired and exhausted. There is
only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve-the fear of
failure- and in our minds that fear added to the fear of being the
cause of the downfall of the expedition.
Day- 6
It was the first day
of the load ferry. Every one of us had to carry their own equipment
including some provisions. It took us around 4-5 hrs to reach camp-1.
The peak was clear but at least we had an idea of what we were going
to climb. The weather was worse daily. This continued for 3 more days
and on the last day of the load ferry we decided to stay at camp-1
itself.
Day- 7
3rd June
we came from the base camp with everything necessary. The sun was very
bright so we were given orders to put on our sunglasses. This day we
got some rest but the next we had to get up around 5a.m. because we
had to shift our equipment to camp-2 (summit camp).
Day- 8
We got up at around
6a.m. which was quite behind schedule. We loaded all our equipment and
some provisions and started to walk at around 7a.m. We were all roped
up and that was going to be one of the main reasons fore our tardy
movement. The slope was 70 to 75 degree. Finally we reached camp-2
after a tiring 6.30hrs climb, we unloaded all stuff. Mr. Martin and
the guide had decided to stay in camp-2 and rest went back to camp-1
in relief and distress.
Day- 9
It was the second
day of the load ferry. We student along with the instructor had left
for camp-2 at around 6.30a.m. This time we were not roped up and it
took us no time in reaching camp-2. We reached within three hrs so
that the fit members could fix the rope. We were at around 18500 ft
height. Rouser was going to be midnight as we would start climbing to
the summit at 1a.m. but could not sleep properly because of the speedy
winds blowing outside.
Day- 10
Today was the day
that would decide the outcome of our hard work. We got up at around 12
midnight and got ready by 12.30a.m. It was very dark; we could hardly
see a thing but we had head lights .It was very cold. We prayed for
the last time that everything should go according to plan. So it was
time and we started off. This time we had to climb a slope of 75
degree. We climbed by taking 25 steps at a time and then taking a bit
of rest. When we were in the ridge, we literally couldn’t feel our
hands and the toes of our feet. Everyone thought that it was due to
frostbite gut Mr.Rinku and Mr. Neema (
HAP-cum- Lead climber from
Darjeeling
) cleared our doubts. The wind started to blow very fast and we were
running short of time. There came a time when we thought that we
couldn’t walk anymore and decided to go back but then something in
us just did not agree. The more we climbed, the farther the summit
seemed. We saw the sun coming out and the unfolding of the various
peaks in that region. When we
looked up it seemed as if we were climbing our way to heaven, but
little did we know that each step, which we took, was a giant leap to
success. Finally, at around 7.30a.m in the bright and sunny morning of
5th June we were on the summit. We were four students and
two instructors were on the Top. We sat down on the summit, sang the
school song and took a lot of exciting pictures. After all that we
descended directly to Base camp with pride and honour in our hearts.
Let’s say when we came down we felt like kings of the world.
When we reached base
camp our skin was torn and body raw gut our spirits were high and that
was what really mattered. The entire atmosphere was joyful and merry.
It is funny sometimes when you are actually in two contrasting stated
of mind like we were but we still celebrated. There was a bonfire and
laughing, talking about all the times we almost lost hope but
continued on, only for the feeling of pride and joy of stranding on
top of the mountain, getting ‘a once in a lifetime’ view and
having the joy of saying “ yes, we did it”.
The following day we
departed for school and were welcomed back by all the staff members
and happy smiling faces which proudly said, “These are COTTONIANS”.
The feeling we actually have now is something like “We went, fought,
almost gave up, fought more and we came back------VICTORIOUS”.
TEAM MEMBERS:
1.
Mr. Praveen Dharma-----Leader
2.
Mr. A. M. Chauhan--------Dy. Leader
3.
Mr. Viresh Dogra
4.
Mr. Rajinder Sharma
5.
Mr. Neema Tsering
6.
Tsewng Topgyal
7.
Prithvi Raj Thakur
8.
Prashant Dogra
9.
Manjeet Singh
10.
Manveer Singh
11.
Kunal Puri
Tsewang Topgyal
& Prashant Dogra
L VI
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