원정 개요

BC at 4850m near lakes
C1 at 5400m rocky scree.

Climb did not require mountaineering skills; was steep and both members used crampons when reached snow for last 100-150m to top. Below were rock seracs from C1.

Mon 8 Sept - Fly Pokhara -> Jomsom. Overnight in Marpha
Tue 9 Sept - Walk Marpha -> Kagbeni. Night in Kagbeni
Wed 10 Sept - Chuksang village -> Pa via Cha Chola
Fri 12 Sept - Pa -> Tangye village
Met Spanish mountaineers here, who were returning from Gaugiri.
They stayed overnight in Tangye also.
Sat 13 sept - Tangye -> Yara village
Sun 14 Sept - Stayed in Yara. Excursion to visit Luri Ghompa.
Mon 15 Sept - Yara -> Gumu Thanti (another 2-room stone hut used by goat
herders, no other dwellings).
Stone hut is just before a river, probably Ghyumpani Khola.
Tue 16 Sept -
Wed 17 Sept - Stayed at Gumu Thanti
Thur 18 sept- Gumi Thanti -> Damodar Kunda.
About half way to Damodar Kunda we crossed a river in a
very deep gorge there 9 corrugated iron hut beside this river.
At Damodar Kunda are 3 small lakes very green with algae,
a stone hut with adjacent blue plastic-corrugated hut, a
small brown red metal hut with religious statues & photo
of royal family inside it (also a rail of small cupped
metal receptacles all around the hut), and a chorten with
prayer flags nearby. Some goat/sheep herders were camped
here for duration of our visit and also said they had met
the Spanish climbers. Route from the river with corrugated
iron hut to Damodar Kunda is all in SE or E direction, not
NE as shown on our map of Mustang, we crossed 2 high passes
probably over 5000m. Significant drop in elevation from
2nd pass down to Damodar Kunda.
Fri 19 sept Stayed at Damodar Kunda.
Several snow capped peaks SE South - SW of Damodar Kunda,
but none visible north of Damodar Kunda.
Local goat herders told us one of these snowcapped peaks
was Gaugiri. They also pointed out the peak that the
Spanish climbed. We decided to climb this same peak. A
significant river flowing ESE-WNW was between Damodar Kunda
and this peak.
Sept 20 Sept Damodar Kunda - C1 on Gaugiri.
We crossed the river with problem after midday and set up
camp in a gully on "Gaugiri," in rocky scree above vegetation
line. If Damodar Kunda is 4950m (Spanish measurement)
then our Camp 1 is perhaps 5400m (estimate only-we have
no altimeter).
Camped with sirdar, Sherpa, cook and cook's assistant, Ken
and Anna, i.e., 6 people.
Sun 21st Sept Climb to "Gaugiri" summit. Returned to base camp at
Damodar Kunda for night. Left Camp 1 at 05:15, climbed
NE ridge of "Gaugiri" and reached summit at 10:15. Took
some photos on way up, but on summit no visibility so
no views of other peaks.
Those reaching summit (four)
Ken McConnell
Anna Brooks
Ongdi Sherpa
Dendi Sherpa
Snow for only top 150-200 metres. Descended to C1 which
reached about 12:15. Had lunch and rested. Returned to BC
for night. No problem.
Mon 22 Sept Damodar Kunda -> Gumu Thanti


Peter Ackroyd - 20 May 2005

Regarding the Spanish expedition to Gaugiri we discussed this with Elizabeth in September 2003 and told her that we are sure they were not on Gaugiri and in fact were at the wrong base camp, the altitude was totally incorrect, 600m higher than the real Gaugiri and to determine that it was Gaugiri based on the “locals pointing it out” is risky. There are errors on the maps, though Ohnishi’s are more accurate, as the trail to Damodar Kunda (lakes) is incorrectly shown and the lakes are shown as being right below Gaugiri, whereas in fact they are a day south. I sent a detailed report of the errors on the maps to the ministry in 2002 and they said they would make corrections but I don’t know if they ever did.

I sent an email from Kathmandu to the leader of the expedition after our meeting with Elizabeth but never got a response. I only have a printed copy of the email so can’t send it to you but this is what I said:

“We are not sure exactly which peak you climbed but the altitude and location do not relate to the Gaugiri peak we climbed last year. It would help if you had the latitude and longitude of your peak. According to the “Classification of the Himalayas” published in 1985 in the American Alpine Journal and the latest 1:50000 survey maps issued by the Nepali and Finnish governments in 2000, Gaugiri is located at 29-02-45 N and 84-11-16 E and is 6110m. This is what we followed to climb Gaugiri in 2002 and we verified the location and our altimeters were within 30m (we built a cairn on the summit).

There is one problem with the maps that we reported to the government survey department. All the maps show a trail leading north to lakes at 5400m below Gaugiri and indicate these lakes to be the pilgrimage site. As you know the trail leads WSW to the true pilgrimage lakes at approx. 28-58-70 N/ 84-10-00 E. It is one full days hike North up the river gorge (Damodar Khola) from these lakes to the smaller lakes at the base of Gaugiri.”

I went on to ask them to send more details. In the report in the Himalayan Database they say they had a GPS so it should have been easy to give an accurate location. He is incorrect to say that the Damodar Khola does not run north as it does in fact turn north to Gaugiri. The Namta Khola and Dechya Khola run East/West. I also think they may not have had the Finn maps to refer to. There has been at least one other expedition to Gaugiri by, I think, a Japanese group and they found the right peak. I think the Spanish must have been on the range south of the Damodar Lakes and possibly on Bhrikuti but the only peak I can find at close to the altitude they report is Khumjungar Himal (6759m) which is a possibility. Most of the other peaks in the area are around 6300m. It is impossible to know without lat/long data.


Peter Ackroyd - March 2006

In a note Anna Brooks received from Pep Aced, he confirmed that he had a reading of 6270m for the peak they climbed. They did not have a GPS and the altitude they gave for the Damodar Kunda lakes base camp was low by 150 to 200m. If I am correct, McConnell and Brooks and the Spanish may have climbed the 6417 peak.