We flew to Jomsom, and began our ascent into upper Mustang; the modern world quickly falling behind us as we took in the immense views of glaciated peaks and high, cold desert. Our purpose was to visit the kingdom of Lo, and then explore the area between it and Dolpo, to the west. Hence, an expedition. An expedition is roughly defined as a journey undertaken for an exploratory purpose. While there are maps on much of the Himalaya, the majority are a far cry from accurate. We set out to find out on each trip.Mustang is culturally a piece of Tibet, politically landlocked in Nepal. We were lucky enough to meet the king and prince of Lo (the capital and also the local name for the region), explore some wild valleys on the fringe between Dolpo and Mustang, and climb some new peaks. Images below highlight moments of an incredible experience.
our camp in Kagbeni with an immense view down the Kali Gandaki
trekking in to Syangboche canyon
Chungsi cave monastery in the Syangboche gorge
trail scenery between Samar and Chele
Chele Canyon
looking towards the Nilgiri peaks from near Samar
one of several large chortens along the route to Lo Manthang
Lo Manthang
brass bowl in the old palace capital of Lo
a cave gonpa in the village of Chosor
climbing out of Lo Manthang for some peak exploration
a few of the many wild peaks of Mustang
Brocken Spectre
crossing into a wild section of Mustang, Annapurna I (8091m) in the far distance
climbing a remote peak near the Tibetan border
returning from the climb
full moon rising over wild Dolpo
trekking down the Ghemi Khola valley at dawn
escaping the Ghemi Khola gorge over a pass
almost free from the clutches of the wild Ghemi Khola gorge
Trek Members
Raewyn Moss , Ornella C.
Deborah Lepore
Carsten Nebel - www.myhimalayas.com
Luke Smithwick - trip leader
Pik Chun
Rhonda Martin, Heidi Laki, Katrina Mead
Staff
Bim - lead horseman, quiet
Dawa - sirdar (lead guide), confident and self assured
Karma - local guide, resourceful
Da Norbu - guide, good sense of humor
Da Lhakpa - kitchen helper, jack of all trades
Nima - guide, intuitive
Nawang - guide , strong and patient
Pack Team - These mules are the cream of the crop in Mustang, and owned by Karma's family in Samar. They are highly skilled at their trade and extremely strong for their size. They enabled us to climb higher and trek farther. Good coworkers.
