EAGLES' NEST ATOP KAMET AND ABI GAMIN

Maj J. K. BAJAJ

The Past

KAMET (25,447 ft) and ABI GAMIN (24,130 ft) situated in the cen tral Himalaya, have attracted a large number of climbers as compared to other Himalayan peaks. In 1855, Adolf and Robert Schlagintweit could attain a height of 22,250 ft.¹ They were followed by T. G. Long- staff and C. G. Bruce in 1907 but could not succeed. Slingsby tried the mountain twice in 1911 and 1913 and could only reach up to 20,300 ft on the adjacent peak Abi Gamin. After 3 consecutive attempts, C. F. Meade discovered the East Kamet glacier route to the summit, although he could reach only 23,500 ft on a col between Kamet and Abi Gamin. The col thereafter has always been referred to as 'Meade's Col'. His efforts did not go waste and the summit was climbed in 1931 by a six-member British expedition led by F. S. Smythe by the same route.²

The Indian mountaineers were introduced to this peak for the first time in 1952 when a team of eight, under the leadership of Major General H. William attempted the peak but missed it by 600 ft only. The late Major Nandu Jayal who was a member of the 1952 and 1953 expeditions to Kamet, ultimately succeeded in reaching the top in 1955 in his third attempt.

Eagles' Desine

The Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, popularly known as the Eagles, planned to send a group of young mountaineers in the pre-monsoon season of 1980 to both the mountains. The Eagles' desire was to scale two peaks from two different camps on the same day and to be atop at the same time. The responsibility of training, organizing, planning, selecting the members and leading was given to Major J. K. Bajaj who had also led a previous successful EME expedition to Gangotri groups in 1974.

Out of a large number of volunteers from the Corps, twenty young enthusiastic members were selected and sent to various mountaineering institutes for basic training. Thereafter a 16-member team was selected out of the freshly trained mountaineers and was put through rigorous conditioning exercises at Agra for a month prior to departure.

Flagging Off and on Way

On 1 May the team was flagged off from Delhi by General O. P. Mal hotra, PVSM, Chief of the Army Staff and the chief patron of the expedition. Eagles were on their way to Kamet and Abi Gamin. On arrival at Joshimath an administrative base was set up at Kurkuti, the road head (3 km ahead of Malari). As anticipated the mule track up to Sapuk was completely covered with snow and huge avalanches had blocked the route. The advance party had to cut the route in snow and ice at three places to make it to Gamsali, the first staging camp. On 9 May the party reached Sapuk after crossing the difficult and tedious patches of climb between village Niti and Goting. The path is generally broken at many places due to landslides and avalanches. This could be called the porters 'desertion point'. The height starts telling upon them and their loads tend to get heavier (in the mind). Frequent desertion of porters made more load-ferrying by members necessary than planned.

Dhauli Ganga Resists

On the way to Kamet, Dhauli Ganga offers the first major resistance. It is generally furious and devoidi of a bridge for each climbing party. Previous years' efforts get washed away during the severe winter. One has to be lucky to find a snow bridge over it, unless one starts early. We were neither lucky nor early to find the cross-over., Securing a log bridge is a challenging task too, since it requires big logs of more than 25 ft length and the nearest distance you can get these is as far as 8 kms. This job was well accomplished in record time by Badden, Sangbu, Gurdeep, Balu Dan and Surinder with 10 local porters. Two huge boulders were skilfully utilized to keep the span of the bridge minimum. A party was left to strengthen the bridge with ropes and at a later stage this strong bridge proved to be extremely useful, though it caused much worry to Joginder, who was left at Sapuk to man this vital post, for the water level invariably increased in the afternoon, threatening to uproot the bridge. Immediate repairs used to be Joginder's task.

Offerings at Nanda Kharak-Shrines

The route to Nanda Kharak being with hip-deep soft snow and loose rocks slowed down the pace of the party considerably. I started thinking over the advice of Gurdial Singh. Am I too early on the mountains? But the forecast of an early monsoon kept up my strength. A goat was sacrificed at Nanda Kharak. A strong belief prevails amongst the locals that if the sacrifice is accepted by the gods then success is assured. Next day continuous snowfall worsened the conditions already prevailing. More porters deserted, and only the determination of the members made it possible to establish the base camp at Vasudhara Tal (15,500 ft) on schedule, 12 May.

The Base

The base camp was set up near Vasudhara Tal, on the moraine between the Raikana glacier and East Kamet glaciers. There is very little flat surface available. The team had to go through a tough exercise of snow and ice cutting to reclaim land of 10 ft diameter for our two ten-men tents. A strong biting wind every afternoon speeded up our acclimatization. Base camp offers a view towards the west, a vast stretch of glacier filled with crevasses, boulders, glacial lakes and also glimpses of Deoban and Mana peaks while Ganesh Parbat stands put towards the north. There is no sight of Abi Gamin and only the tip of Kamet is seen. We kept on wondering why this place was chosen as the base camp by previous expeditions. On our return when 15 ft of snow had melted, we found the answer as below the ridge the camp site opened into a flattish area. This also showed that previous expeditions used to start a little later avoiding all the snow and probably running into more moraine on the glacier. But we were fortunate that we decided to start early for the unpredictable monsoon in this area has been the cause of failure for many expeditions. The team had not taken rest till then so it was decided to have 13 May as a day of rest and of personal administration.

Probing the Glacier

On the morning of 14 May, two recce parties, one with me and the other headed by Amarpal, went to find the best route to advance base camp. Sangbu and I tried the conventional left side of the glacier which had developed many dangerous, deep crevasses but it was not congenial. After 8 hours of recce we abandoned the attempt. Meanwhile Amarpal along with five members could go comfortably over to the right side and then cross over the East Kamet glacier to the left ridge where previous expeditions had set up their advance base camp (16,400 ft). This is a prominent place near a huge boulder. Without much fanfare they changed the flag of the previous expedition (which must have survived the fury of the strong winds) and put up their flag to mark their minor victory over the vast streak of glacier. Although the route to ABC was open it soon became unpopular due to many ups and downs of snow. It is worth making a note that from the straight terminal moraine of East Kamet glacier and on a clear day one gets a magnificent view of the mighty Kamet. An ABC on the right side would be the most ideal but strange are the ways of nature — this axis from the ridge running above from Mana to Deoban and on to Pinnacle Peak is heavily avalanched. Camp 1 (17,500 ft) was recceed and finally established on 18 May, right under the nose of Deoban peak, just far enough from the avalanches. Later it was felt that since the loads coming from ABC had to be carried across the glacier to left ridge and then had to be taken down the ridge to Camp 1, it was definitely a double effort. We decided to have a load-dumping point in the centre of the glacier more towards the right side of glaciers for the loads which were required for the higher camps, thus avoiding ABC completely. Amjad, the deputy leader, was asked to find the route from BC to dumping point and then connect it to Camp 1. The right side although cleaner than the left side of the glacier, had a number of hanging glaciers on the ridge running from Deoban and Mana. There was extreme danger of avalanches throughout this path. This was probably the main reason why all previous expeditions had chosen the left side of the glacier as route to ABC. The task was accomplished skilfully and a new route from BC to load-dumping area and on to Camp 1 was opened with calculated risk at certain points. The route became so popular amongst all the members that they happily agreed to shift loads from BC to Camp 1 in a day. This route in fact was of great help in speedy evacuation of casualties at a later stage. It was decided to decentralize the command and three parties were formed headed by Capt A. S. Multani, Capt Udham Singh and Lt Deepak Kalakoti with three members each, while the rest of us formed a floating group. Each party was to open a camp each. Stocking was to be done centrally by each member — weight remaining the same, an unpopular figure of 25 kg on scale upto Camp 3 (20,500 ft).

The Turning Point

21 May. Camp 2 (18,500 ft) was recceed and established by Amarpal and his party. One gets suddenly exposed to the mighty Kamet crossing the bend of the East Kamet glacier. The glacier beautifully takes a turn towards the left blocking a view of the source. This turning- point was not only for the glacier but also for the expedition members who had to face extreme hardship from this point onwards as the climb upward became difficult and load-ferry too frequent. I decided to move up along with other members to Camp 2 for further recce of Camp 3 on 22 May. Amjad along with Badden moved to Camp 1 keeping only one supporting member and a local porter in base camp to help the wireless operator. ABC was completely closed. Life became extremely busy for each and every member, even Dr Sharoff, who so far had been unemployed, was not spared. He was also ferrying the load. Too frequent ferrying of the load had acclimatized members automatically and doctor could save his medicine and efforts.

Tougher Climbs

So far the climb up to Camp 2 was gradual with hurdles like crevasses , steep slopes on glacier, boulders and frequent dreadful noises of avalanches. But right in front of Camp 2 which opens a beautiful panoramic view of east face of Kamet, Meade's Col and a glimpse of Abi Gamin, there stood a rock wall with ice, snow and loose boulders to be negotiated with the help of fixed rope for establishing Camp 3 (20,500 ft). At first glance to think of going up the steep gully, the rock face and the fixed rope for load ferry was demoralizing. But the morale went sky high when Udham and his party not only fixed 500 ft of rope but also carried a ten-men tent weighing 65 kgs to Camp 3 site. A continuous load-ferry started from next day. So far every one was bravely carrying 25 to 27 kgs but now it was becoming too difficult to tackle fixed rope and ice with such heavy back loads as the slope was 75° to 80° at many places. Speed in crossing the rock-fall area was also required. So it was decided to break the loads to 12 to 15 kgs from Camp 3 onward.

The leader, along with Sharoff, the doctor, and Ratna, moved to Camp 3 on 26 May. Meanwhile a fresh party under Deepak was already working on the task of opening the route to Camp 4 (22,050 ft). After toiling hard and negotiating a difficult climb on the rock face from Camp 2, (Hie is wonder-struck to see a vast plain as big as three football fields up above where Camp 3 is located. On a bright day along with Sharoff, I made it to peak 6212 m as marked on map.

Camp 4 as seen from Camp 3 looks like an impenetrable fort with a tall rock-and-ice wall. The steep rocky face below Camp 4 was a mighty challenge to any mountaineer worth his salt. Smythe's party had taken four days to find the route to the top. Deepak and his party were lucky to hit the bull on the very first day. They started driving rock and ice pitons in the most dangerous sections. Previous well- secured pitons came in handy at places. Bridging the face took three days and 1300 ft of rope was used. The last stretch of climb over the steep ice-face with hard crampon digging was the most tiring and most dangerous stretch encountered. The slope was extremely steep, it was hard ice with only a thin layer of snow on top. One takes a sigh of relief after heaving himself over the thin cornice on to the small platform where Camp 4 had been established. Deoban and Mana groups looked more friendly from this height and Meade's Col a vast stretch of ice steps with an overhanging glacier.

Two summit parties, one for Kamet under Lt Deepak Kalakoti and 5 other members, and the second for Abi Gamin under myself with 5 other members were given the pick of choice equipments, clothing and rations. The D day for attempt was chosen as scheduled as 1 June. The summit party for Kamet to start at 0200 hours from Camp 5 and Abi Gamin group to start at 0300 hours from Camp 4 for the peak, a simultaneous assault such as to synchronize the timings atop the peaks. 30 May was load-ferry for the summit parties to Camp 4. On 31 May Kamet party shifted to Camp 5, while the Abi Gamin group carried a ferry for them and returned for next day's attempt. The terrain between Camp 4 and Camp 5 is heavily crevassed and like a broken dam, with ice at some places nearly vertical, demanding skilful front-point climbing; most of the crevasses are deep and open. The famous wind speed of Meade's Col sometimes increases to 80 knots, making even standing on two feet difficult. Same as the condition at Camp 4 where anything kept outside the tent was to be taken as lost or written off.

The Attempt

1 June 80, the D day : the previous two nights spent in Camps 4 and 5 and the hard work carried out above the deteriorating zone, started to affect all members. In the early hours of the morning both the partv leaders found lethargy prevailing in their respective camps. A strong urgency showed by them for starting early could make the Kamet team to trudge on at 0230 hours from Camp 5 and Abi Gamin at 0330 hours from Camp 4. Moon showered enough light and the clear sky showed a promising day. Members were spellbound to see the clear beauty of the surroundings when the sun started making its appearance and moon retiring for the day.

Howling and chilling winds were constant companions of the two parties as they inched on to their respective peaks. Abi Gamin party following southern ice and snowfield plodded on over the crevasses and steep slopes, topped the crest and came on to the big ice plateau of Meade's Col where the Camp 5 was located. As day broke and it became clearer the Abi Gamin party was constantly worried seeing 5 members instead of 6 on the NE face of Kamet. Instead of going straight for the summit, the party turned back to Camp 5 and they found Jayanti Lai down with hypoxia. Leader decided to fall out of Abi Gamin group about 600 ft short of the summit and pulled back to Camp 5 to pay attention to the more important call while the rest continued. But Kamet became furious on trespassers by 1130 hours and thick cloud engulfed the party making their visibility almost difficult. The Gods are great, the winds were strong and the clouds kept lifting partially and occasionally. While Abi Gamin party was making steady progress Kamet party was facing a difficult time. Deepak's left crampon was often coming out as a hook was broken.

To top the misery he lost his mitten while clicking the cameras. They progressed laboriously to cross the last bridged crevasse which looks like a necklace around Kamet. 300 ft short of the summit they found a rope fixed by some previous expedition (probably the Indo- Japanese in 1973). They were jubilant and their morale shot up. They carefully tested it for its strength and anchorage and found it safe to use for their climb. The anchor for this rope was a Japanese metal shaft ice-axe deeply dug into ice. From then onward the team inched towards the peak and it was 1305 hours when they were on top. At last they were standing on the summit, overlooking all smaller peaks around them and proud of the fluttering flags on top. They stayed on top for 20 minutes and took photographs of Meade's Col and Abi Gamin. The other party made the summit at 1300 hours and their jubilance Ratna could record in movie. Shots were also taken from Abi Gamin from where Kamet team was seen making the final stretch of assault. The peak being right on the international border dividing India and Tibet gives the complete landscape of both the countries. They were surprised to see a very clean and orderly glacier towards Tibet side while the Indian side was full of moraines and huge boulders and ridges. The return of both the parties was painfully slow. In fact the deputy leader and other members in lower camps started worrying when they found no message from me till then. While at Camp 5 the parties had a happy reunion on the Col as late as 1730 hours. Each one had probably utilized the last ounce of energy, they were totally exhausted. Kamet and Abi Gamin were climbed. After a great amount of persuasion seven members decided to descend to Camp 4 while 5 stayed on in Camp 5. The news of success was flashed around 2200 hours.

The Emergency

On 2 June at 0600 hours the deputy leader moved from Camp 3 along with Badden with a load of juice tins for his dehydrated and tired friends in Camp 4. After negotiating the icefall when they reached the plateau they could sense an uneasy calm prevailing in Camp 4. The leader was passing an urgent wireless message for a helicopter lift from Camp 4 for evacuation of two members. It was generally felt that Jayanti might have turned worse. But rude shock was awaiting them when they saw two cases of frost-bite of severe nature and requiring medical attention. The Air Force refused to land a helicopter above 15,000 ft, which meant going lower than the base camp. There was no alternative but to evacuate Deepak, Sidhu, Dhinu and Gill as fast as possible to the base camp. Although it was quite dangerous to attempt to come down on 1300 ft of fixed rope on almost vertical face of rocks and ice from Camp 4 and 3, the urgency of the situation left us with no choice. Thus it was decided to bring them down immediately. Deputy and Badden who just reached Camp 4 were quite fresh and took up the responsibility of taking down all the cases of frost-bite. The journey back to Camp 3 was one of the most difficult and challenging. Deepak whose hands were affected was not able to hold the fixed rope. He had to be belayed down throughout. Slowly and carefully the party made it to Camp 3 without any mishaps. Camp 3 was a welcome sight for all of them as doctor could be seen awaiting impatiently with his complete equipment. Without wasting even a second Dr Sharoff was on the job. We decided to move the affected members to Camp 2 immediately with the doctor accompanying the party. The journey back to Camp 2 was no way easier as another 500 ft of fixed rope was to be made use of for climbing down the dangerous gully. Next day in spite of deteriorated weather condition which caused heavy snowfall in all the camps, they moved to the base camp. It was a very long journey and the party could reach base camp only at midnight. It was an unprecedented feat of evacuation. In just two days casualties were brought down by five camps and in a matter of a few hours they were rescued by helicopter and were given treatment in the Army Hospital at Delhi.