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PNEUMA - PART 1

Preparing for the first ascent on the south face of Brammah II

By KAVU

November 30^th, 2016

first steps of a path unknown

In September of this year, Chris Gibisch and I left the airport in Seattle, Washington- bound for Delhi, India. Our plan was to travel into Northern India's Kishtwar National Park, within the Kashmir region, with the intention to climb a new route on one of the Himalayan peaks that stand as the proud sentinels of the range. After landing in Delhi, we made our way to Manali via Jeep, to re-group before going on our quest into the Kashmir Himalaya

culture

Manali is a beautiful town with huge diversity. It's tucked into the mountains 14 hours drive from the chaos of Delhi. Visited by people from all over the world, the range of belief and culture there made for an ambient "launching point" for our expedition. Livin Local Worldwide includes appreciating what each place we (are lucky enough to) visit has to offer. Manali is full of sights, smells and sounds which, definitely put us in the right head space for adventure.

last steps of planning

Before heading to the big mountains, we met with our Indian friends to pack up 5 weeks worth of supplies and receive our last briefing about what to expect over 2 more, full days of driving toward our destination.

forest

Right in the heart of town is a maintained park - clean and quiet where trees tower over shadows that dance with the clouds and bright sun overhead. This little sanctuary allowed a nice "blank spot" for hikes and reflection in a small town that houses more than 200k people. The locals (monkeys) were better climbers than us. Probably smarter too

finally, on our way....

Packed and ready, Chris, myself and 12 porters all squeeze into 2 jeeps, loaded to the hilt

Beauty at every turn

Not the typical roads as we left Manali and crossed Rohtang Pass! The winding switchbacks dropped us into a region that's towered over by the mighty Himachal Pradesh Himalaya, full of waterfalls and massive glaciers

local style

Getting deeper in the mountains

After the first long and scenic day of driving through and under Himalayan Giants, we ended up in the town of Uhdaipur - a Buddhist village with a peaceful feel, kind people and complete with a temple that was built in the 7th century.

history

It blew us away that this temple was built more than 1200 years before our country was even established as the United States. The carvings, wood and stone work, and what this place has historically meant to the people who live and visit Uhdaipur made even our short stay, one that was indeed memorable.

wild and scenic!

The roads between Uhdaipur and the town of Galabgarh, deep in the heart of the Kashmir, got more and more impressive, to say the least. We found ourselves laughing in the Jeep as the drops out the window got bigger and bigger! Just the way this road was engineered and built totally blew our minds - a fitting travel for where we were going.

last bed for a while

Our last night indoors for the next 3-4 weeks was in the town of Galabgarh. Galabgarh seemed more Pakistan than the India we had left behind the multiple military checkpoints as we entered the Kashmir. No matter what country, we were so grateful for how kind the people were. On a climbing expedition, the climbing is truly only a sliver of the trip with the majority being about the new friends and new places we get to experience. It's so cool to increase our perspectives about how people live and to see the search for happiness is universal

start the approach

First order of business.....to get 1000+ pounds of expedition across the mighty Chenab river to begin our approach to base camp

Hiking up the Kajai Nala lived up to it's reputation of being wild, remote and unbelievably beautiful. Our porter friends were tough as nails, carrying loads "Nepali style" on their heads; loads that were 80-100lbs on average. Camp that first night was a welcome reprieve. Apparently, a local leopard was seen close by (killing a local herdsman's cow) which added to the ambience, for sure!

onward

The bridges across wild whitewater and winding, scenic goat trails brought us higher and higher into the Nala. It was like living the adventures I'd dreamed about as a kid......straight out of the pages of books that first attracted me toward expeditions in wild and massive places like the Himalaya

base camp

When we finally made camp at the end of the 3rd day of our approach, our porter friends wished us luck and within minutes, Chris and I, along with two Indian friends, were alone in our new home for the next 3 weeks. "Time to get to work".

A workday.....

.....basically, we spent each and every day the weather allowed, searching for the best and most efficient approach toward our objective. We couldn't see the South Face of Brammah II (6486m) yet but, getting up into the higher basin, crossing glaciers and working toward unlocking the puzzle of the approach was exactly what we came for.

inspiring landscape

It's easy to feel small and insignificant in such a powerful place.

Footnotes

Jeff Shapiro is a Team KAVU Athlete that loves to experience life to the fullest. This is part 1 of a 3 part series. Stay tuned for the rest of the adventure toward the summit of Brammah II !

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FootNotes

Jeff Shapiro is a Team KAVU Athlete that loves to experience life to the fullest. This is part 1 of a 3 part series. Stay tuned for the rest of the adventure toward the summit of Brammah II !

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PNEUMA - PART 1

Preparing for the first ascent on the south face of Brammah II

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