Page 28 - 2023 AMA Spring

EXPEDITIONNEWS
way with low readings on the oximeter. At these altitudes, you were only getting around 55% of the oxygen you would get at sea level. Along the way, the path was very narrow with a high chance of landslides and falling rocks hitting you. One of the team started to feel the effects of serious AMS and once we reached Thorong Phedi, the experienced instructors made the hard decision that he needed to be evacuated from the mountain which everyone agreed was the right call. Later that evening, we ensured we climbed to 4800m just below High Camp to acclimatise before heading back to base camp and to prepare for the big push the next morning.
Day 7 was the big day heading for Thorong La Pass at 5400m. We were up at 0300hrs and I must admit, I had never seen so many stars in the night sky. Today was going to be a long tough trek. We walked with our head torches on in the dark and made the ascent to High Camp where we stopped for a well-deserved breakfast and a warm cup of tea. We were told to put on our snow grips and gaiters as there was going to be snow from this point onwards. The views along the way were stunning as the sun rose on the
28 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER AMA A5 Advert Winter 19.indd 1
The dusty red route to Muktinath
snowy Annapurna mountains all around us. In my head, all I could think about was to ‘just keep going’ with one foot in front of the other and get to the top. It felt like an endless journey! Finally, at last, I could see the top with the hundreds of prayer flags blowing in the wind where I was welcomed by our team leader Capt Ashok. I waited at the pass to congratu- late the rest of the team on reaching the top and completing their goal. I felt proud of the achievement we had accomplished.
The hard work was not over yet as now we needed to depart for Muktinath (3670m), a gruelling 1700m descent zigzagging down the snowy mountain, making good
use of the snow grips and then onto the more difficult mud and loose gravel trail. Eventually the landscape changed into red dusty mountains and we finally reached Muktinath. We took a break at Muktinath which is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. Several members of the team decided to run through the 108 ice-cold waterspouts which are meant to bring salvation. We later hopped on a bus and took a one-hour drive to our final destination, Jomsom (3330m), in the district of Mustang. The landscape was a sharp contrast to where we were earlier in the morning. Here it was more like a desert surrounded by rocky cliffs and high peaks.
The 8th day was a trip back to Pokhara via the picturesque village of Marpha where we stopped for half an hour to purchase apples and local cider. Throughout this whole experience, I endured one of the most fulfilling expeditions and consider myself lucky to have been involved in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I found it arduous at times, embracing the challenge and would jump at the chance to do it all over again. The team would like to thank the DSCIS, 11 (RSS) Sig Regt and all the stakeholders and fund providers who supported this expedition.
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