KANCHENJUNGA - The last virgin

Kanchenjunga - the last virgin peak in the world - is often translated as Five Treasuries of the Great Snow, a reference to the five high peaks that rise from the surrounding glaciers. Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world. From 1838 until 1849, it was believed to be the highest. It is an enormous mountain mass, and many satellite peaks rise from its narrow icy ridges. It is located on the border of Nepal and Sikkim, just 46 miles northwest of Darjeeling. It is the most easterly of the great 8,000 meter peaks of the Himalaya. Though not successfully climbed until 1955, it was first attempted in 1905, but four members of that international party were killed in an avalanche. The threat of avalanches and mudslides is omnipresent in the area, which receives very heavy precipitation throughout much of the year. As inspiring as Kangchenjunga's beauty is that at least the first three parties to ascend the mountain never attempted the final few feet to the summit out of voluntary respect for the Sikkimese, who consider the summit sacred. The successful British expedition of 1955 set the standard by stopping a few feet short of the actual summit, in honor of the local religion. The next two ascents were teams led respectively by India's Colonel N. Kumar in 1977, and by British climber Doug Scott in 1979. These parties also honored the tradition.

Elevation (feet): 28169
Elevation (meters): 8586
Range: Himalaya
SubRange: Sikkim-Eastern Nepal Himalaya
Country: Nepal / India
Continent: Asia
Latitude: 27.7 N
Longitude: 88.1333 E
Difficulty: Major Mountain Expedition
Best months for climbing: April, May
Year first climbed: 1955
Convenient Center: Hille, Nepal via Dharan Bazar
Nearest major airport: Kathmandu, Nepal and Bagdogra, India

Jhinuk Chaudhary is amongst the most intrepid travellers I know. His love for photography is almost obsessive. I've never seen him without a camera - ever. I'm sure he carries his camera/s even when he goes grocery shopping, lest he miss the - now proverbial - Kodak moment. The following pictures have been taken by him over two trips that he's made to this part of the world. The accompanying text is also his. You can see more of his pics - Kanchejunga's and other parts of the world here. We will be featuring him on this blog again. Soon.

BATASIA LOOP

There is a narrow gauge "toy train" that runs from the plains to the town of Darjeeling (yes, where the famous tea comes from) in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, in the northen part of the state of West Bengal, in India.

In 1999, UNESCO declared the Toy Train and its tracks a "World Heritage Site." After a ride aboard the Toy Train in 1895, Mark Twain is said to have remarked, "The most enjoyable day I've spent on earth is of mixed ecstacy of deadly fright and unimaginable joy."

It's a 80 km (50 mile) ride through some of the prettiest landscapes in India -- a journey that takes about 7 hours, and climbs from the plains to an altitude 6,800 ft.

In one section of the journey, the train climbs almost a 1,000 feet in a matter of minutes at this "Batasia Loop," where the tracks spiral around over itself through a tunnel and over a hilltop.

Kanchenjungha, the mountain in the background, looks close. But, it is about 75 kms. (47 miles) away as the crow flies!

SOME BACKYARDS HAVE A BETTER VIEW

The mountain in the distance is Kanchenjunga.

NOTE: This is another one of my unintended/accidental HDR photos. I took this photo (two photos, actually) in December of 2003, at a time when I was unaware of the concept of HDR. I was quite aware of the limitations of exposure lattitude though. So, standing at the same spot, more or less, I took two handheld shots of the scene at different exposures - one, for the mountain and the sky, and the other for the foreground. Now, years later, I am able to combine them into a blended photo. :-)

If you look at the top right hand corner of the frame, you will see the outlines of the mountain from the two shots not lining up perfectly. Of course, I was not careful about keeping the frames identical, and must have moved a bit, one way or the other.

Our Planet wears dazzling ornaments!!

Beyond the mists of the valley and the haze in the upper air, Kanchenjunga, the third-highest summit in the world, rises with breathtaking brilliance, exuding its majesty in the morning sun

A greater glory, I've never seen!!