Nandakhat and Bauljuri. After an approach march complicated by heavy rains which had washed out a bridge over the Pindari River, Dr. Deepak Kulkami, Milind Pathak, Dr. Suhas Mate, Dr. Deepak Rokade, Vishwas Kunte, Anil Chavas, Vishwas Dixit, Ulhas Kelkar, Shyam Jambotkar and I as leader on August 8 arrived at Base Camp at 13,800 feet. We had to take ten days to establish Camp I due to heavy rain and murky weather. We set this camp on a grassy field to the south of Traill’s Pass. High-altitude porter Sanghi and I occupied Camp II on August 23 at 18,100 feet on a rocky ridge north of Camp I. We opened the route to Camp III at 19,300 feet, just below the ice wall of the east face. Phatak and I with high-altitude porters Sanghi and Tashi occupied Camp III on August 28. Finally, the challenge was in front of us: the 2200-foot-high ice face. On August 30 I called the others at four A.M. After a half-hour’s walk we were at the base of the wall. We attacked the face. At eleven A.M. we were 700 feet below the top. Higher, we had an extremely steep pitch which took us to a snow plateau just below the summit. The next 50 feet were in knee-deep snow. Then the route was between a pyramidal formation and the rectangular summit. The summit was a 250-foot knife-edged ridge. The four of us stepped on the highest point (6611 meters, 21,690 feet) at 2:40 P.M. The descent to Camp III was difficult and took nine hours. We had to rappel down the wall. We returned to Camp III at 9:50 in the dark. On September 5 we placed Camp I for Bauljuri at 16,020 feet. Camp II was occupied on September 7 by all ten members and six high-altitude porters. On September 8 the summit (5922 meters, 19,430 feet) was reached at 7:40 A.M. by all, except for Dr. Jambotkar who was suffering from a headache.

Prajpati Bodhane, Holiday Hikers Club, Bombay, India