MT. PHAWARANG EXPEDITION (6349m)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Region:- Kinnaur
• Total Duration – 18 Nights / 19 Days
• Style Of Trip – Climbing
• Maximum Altitude – 6349m..
• Grade – Moderate
• Best Season – June to October
• Accommodation – Hotel/Guesthouse; Organized Campsite
• Food – On trek – All meals included
• Mt. Phawarang, a modest heightened peak locates in the remote area of Tirung valley in Kinnour Himachal Pradesh. It is amongst the most reputed 6000endr summits of Kinnour and Lahoul valley. The area of Kinnour is less visited unpredictable and most of the mountains are virgin till now. There have been many attempts by Japanese, Indian teams who have been successful to summit Mt. Phawararang. The routes they opted are still being used as the safe approach options to get over the top. Mt Phawararang locally calledas a mountain of modest altitude is tucked away at the head of the Tirung Gad whichis an eastern tributary of the Sutluj River filled with comprehensive topographies. The magical vales of unvisited regions of the country accumulates with harsh and arid natures of the desolate wonder of Himachal Pradesh.
• The trek starts from Thangi a large hill village clustered at the foot of a bare mountain, looking across a lush green fields to the north of the Kinnour Massif. The route follows a stream to Lambar Shurtiling and then to Tirung Gad through Pine forests and over unstable boulders.  Shurtiling is a wide open area where two streams confluence, Tirung Gad from Charang and Lalanti Dogri from another side. We will climb towards Lalanti and somewhere there our base camp will be fixed at 4400m aside a stream for the upcoming expedition preparations. Till the base all the loads are ferried by ponies but ahead it will be transported by the team members. The recce will be done regarding safe route to the higher camps as well as the load ferry will simultaneously run along. The establishment of camp I starts following the right bank of the stream over grassy patches shaky boulders and is fixed somewhere at 4800m below a rock gendarme. Next attempt is to fix camp II by climbing on moraines dangerous col covered with innumerable wobbly rocks and sharp edges. Initially it is moderate climb when we leave camp I but soon the steep col comes in front and starts testing all the strength. It takes a lot of effort to ferry heavy loads through this dangerous col of glaciated terrains. Thus the camp II is located above the col at the height of 5800m on the east ridge of Mt. Phawararang. The dangerous mountain continues to daunt and a precise consideration of the route to attempt the summit will be requisite. Somehow the summit preparations are fixed and attempt goes through risky rotten walls which demands a bunch of ropes to be anchored. Soon we reach at the summit ridge of Mt. Phawararang which is heavily corniced to the north dropping dangerously a thousand metres to the Damana Glacier. The summit is reached on varying slants of risk over powdery snow gusty winds and a degree of skills indeed. Ultimately the summit is achieved, a small rock with only a 3 square metres wide pinnacle presenting glorious mountain scapes. Atop to the north lay sharp toothed unclimbed unnamed minarets and to the south unknown mountains above 6000m’s loft into the skies offering exciting summits. After spending some time at the top we climb down cautiously retracing our footprnits back to the lower camps. Clear the higher camps and lower to the base camp. Therefore reach the roadhead and take a sigh amidst the versatile foliage of Kinnour while resting in the local dwellings.
• It takes a lot of effort to complete an expedition in one of the unfrequented and isolated regions of the country. And along to that if weather assists to conquer over the great summits it adds a memoir overlapping the hardships encountered. Besides mountain climbing it is about passion that doesn’t matter if you reach atop or not but the conditions and travail faced turns yourself generous and kind by realizing our existence in front of Nature’s grandeur.