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MERA PEAK
Mera
Peak is yet another mountain in the famous Khumbu region. It is
just south of Mt. Everest the highest peak in the world. The
first to summit Mera Peak were Jimmy Roberts and Sen Tenzing who
accomplished their feat on 20th May 1953. Since then
many have followed in their footsteps and is one of the popular
trekking peaks of Nepal. Lying in the Khumbu region, it is
easily reached by initially flying to famous Lukla airport just
as most heading for Everest Base Camp do. Some like to begin
trekking from Jiri which lies on the route taken by Tenzing and
Hillary during their epic climb of 1953. The drive to Jiri takes
about 12 hours by bus and 8 hours by jeep.
Lukla
has grown into a small settlement with new lodges coming up
every year. Accommodation is no problem there. Soon after the
airport the trek leads you through a forest and then a pass.
After a day of hiking camp is set up at a place called Chutange.
The following day you will encounter some rocky terrain and a
valley strewn with boulders until you reach Tuli Kharke. You
will then walk through forests of Himalayan pine, birch and
rhododendron until suddenly there is only alpine shrub. This is
an indication of how high you have come. Next on the route is
Tashing Ongma and beautiful pastures with scenes of grazing
animals. Setting up camp at Tangnag means you can enjoy the
fabulous view of the surrounding peaks. A glacial lake named
Sabai Tshe lies north from here. With the view of numerous peaks
along the way, you move on to Dig Khare from Tangnag. Here you
will encounter the Hinku glacier and then the Shar glacier. Then
climbing up you reach Khare where yet another glacier appears
before you. The
rest of the way you will be walking on ice and much depends on
weather conditions and snowfall.
Snowfall particularly makes the going tougher. When
mountainsides are covered in snow, the trip becomes a regular
climb with the ever-present danger of hidden crevasses and
difficult maneuvers. Finally the path drops down to the base
camp at 5,300m.
It
is quite possible to reach the summit and return to base camp
the same day. But it all depends on weather conditions and how
well the team is prepared. Mera has three summits: the North,
South and Central summits. None of these are difficult climbs.
The cost and trekking details
are available on your request.
Please Click here or just drop us
an email to : suryaktm@mos.com.np
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