A one- woman mountain climbing expedition (with a team of research scientists and porters) came to Karkaraly today. I had the honor of watching the ascent in person! They scaled the mighty Rankling La, just outside of town, without ropes or supplemental oxygen.
As their expedition leader O. Totter said, "to climb Mount Blanc by the grepon route is one thing; to climb Rankling La is quite another."
As their expedition leader O. Totter said, "to climb Mount Blanc by the grepon route is one thing; to climb Rankling La is quite another."
Here are a few pictures of the ascent...and tragic ending.
Tackling the South Col
Moving to attack the north wall, the tremendous precipice which rears above us 5,000 feet against the sky.
The question on all lips is: "will it go?" and evey heart whispers a confident: "yes, it will!".
The treacherous snow bridge! The spirit of the team is excellent and porters are beyond praise. All in good health.
Crossing the glacial ice fields!
Tragidy! Sadly, the woman fell into a cravasse crossing the glacial field on her descent. But the flag was planted and the summit was reached. The other support scientist tested all sorts of instrumentation in the rarefied atmosphere- even pneumatic drills and 3D television. So all in all, it was a successful expedition, even if she is buried in the snow now!
And, as I'm back in my cozy room, now I'm feeling a case of glacier lassitude after the long day. Time to settle in and have a quiet night in ever-exciting Karkaraly.
