Page 68 - KRH Regimental Journal 2022

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The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
Exercise GAUNTLET RISE Putha Hiunchuli (7,246m)
“The worst thing about mountaineering, is attempting to urinate through five inches of clothing, with three inches of appendage”
Sir Edmund Hillary
The Dolpo region of Nepal is one of the few remaining areas unaffected by commercialised tourism. Our team made up of 13 mountaineers from across the Royal Armoured Corps had spent almost three years preparing for the trip, mainly due to COVID delays but also due to the vast amount of training required for an expedition on this scale. Weeks of preparation had been conducted in North Wales, Scotland and the Alps before we departed from Manchester Airport.
Phase One. The Trek.
The winding path following the Bharbun Khola bent round to the South as we approached Kakkot in the afternoon sunshine. We were met by 6 women carrying immense loads in Doko Baskets. The usual team chorus of ‘Namaste’ began. They looked quizzi- cally at us. There had been no trekking groups this deep into the Dolpo region for almost three years, and we were currently one of only three groups that had been allowed the additional permit required to be here pre monsoon.
The Gauntlet Rise team had arrived in Kathmandu 8 days prior, from here we had flown to Pokhara and then onto Juphal; the capital of Dolpo. The plan was to spend 4 days trekking from Juphal to Kakkot along the Bharbun Kola, before a number of acclimatisation days, we would then cross a high pass, before on the final day of Phase One, making our way to Puth Hiunchuli Base Camp, and transitioning to Phase Two of the Expedition.
The hair-raising flight from Pokhara to Juphal gave us our first look at Putha Hiunchuli or Dhaulagiri VII as we skirted below the huge ridge which links all the ‘Dhaulagiris’ momentary panic swept through the plane as we heard from the cockpit computer ‘Terrain, Terrain Pull Up Pull Up.’ The small ATR-72 plane banked right and then began to land at Juphal.
Ex GAUNTLET RISE Team on their way to Camp. Rear Row – Sgt Stone RL, WO2 Thomas AGC, Maj McGann RDG, WO2 Bloomer RAPTC, Sgt Mitchel RM, LCpl Jones QRH, Capt Turner KRH, WO1 (Retd) Francis QDG. Front Row – LCoH Bayley Bligh RHG/D, Sgt Sudlow LD, Lt Castle QoY, LCpl Oliver RY, Tpr Gay RWxY.
On landing we cleared the regional immigration; a solitary police- man sat at a desk and a three legged chair and were met by our Sherpa Team. The Sherpas wasted no time in taking our bags and loading them into Jeeps to be taken to Dunai. The team began its 9km downhill trek to the gardens of the Blue Sheep Inn. There the support team had set up camp in what was to be our first night of 29 under canvas.
Tenzing our Sidar negotiated with the local pony men who were going to begin transporting the 3500kg of kit, equipment, and food the team had with it. Once the usual bartering and weighing