Tagne 2001

Alan's Diary

Day 22 - Thursday 19th July 2001

see also Andy's Diary for today

Steve and I headed North from ABC to find the approach to pt. 6250, the highest peak in the region and a possible second objective. As we went up the valley I wondered how many people had been here before. All was rock, except for one little gravel patch we passed where clear water seeped and exactly three different types of flowering plant managed to survive. After hours of tiring boulder debris and scree, a steep glacier wall came into view, with a snow cone summit at the left hand end. It looked reasonably impressive, but too hard. I was hoping for a straightforward PD we could all climb together on the same day: nice and safe, and everyone gets to the summit at the same time. Anyway, pt. 6250 was obviously the huge rock peak rising behind.

As we climbed onto the glacier below 6250, we got another view of the snow cone peak, now definately identified as pt. 6030. The North face was one large, steep glacier. However, there was also our E ridge. Steve immediately decided this was the one to go for. I was still fixed on pt. 6250, and I thought the long snow ridge could be a lot trickier than it looked. The two peaks stood one on either side of the glacier, 6250 dark and rocky from the S, 6030 shining snow. The further we went up the glacier, the more 6030 looked like the best choice. 6250 was a giant scree and loose rock pile, at least from this direction.

We put up a tent on the glacier at 5400m and quickly hid from the sun. We had to jump out again an hour later when water started filling the tent, welling up through the Quasar 'groundsheet'. The top four inches of the glacier had turned to water, held in a fragile snow honeycomb. Our tent was slowly sinking and a stream was flowing right through. We hacked drainage channels with our axes and scrambled back into the dark of the tent. The next morning, we decided, we would get up very early and make a good recce of 6030. The Tagne two had all the ice screws, in fact they had all the gear, but we could jump one either side of a ridge if it came to it.

It was strange to think how far we were from anyone, if something went wrong. ABC was a long day's walk below, and it was less of a refuge than a high altitude furnace. No one there, anyway. A long day below that was base camp, but once the sun was high, uncrossable streams cut the route. Base camp itself was a good day from the nearest jeep track, then a further solid day's drive to civilization in Manali, assuming you could find a jeep. Then there might be a helicopter if you were lucky. At the same time though, this total remoteness is entirely the point of coming on an expedition without radios or satellite phones.

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