First I'd like to thank all the kind
sponsors who supplied us with the equipment and clothing needed for our
expedition.
Without the generosity of the companies
and people below this expedition wouldn't be possible.
Becky Harrison's Title
Sponsor Balance
Bar Grant Program Each spring and fall the people at Balance Bar choose out of over
1600 applicants the most interesting team or indiviual endeavor to participate
in their grant program. I was luckly enough to be chosen as one of the
group of five participates for this springs Balance Bar Grant Program.
If you're interested in finding out more
about the Balance Bar Grant Program, click the link. www.balance.com
EXPEDITION
SPONSORS
Eastern
Mountain Sports One of the largest outdoor retail
companies located in New England.
Eastern Mountain Sports has sponsored
the expedition with 3 of their wonderful expedition tents. We'll be using
the EMS Tundra Dome Tents on the glacier during our assault on Gyalgen
Peak. EMS is also donating three one-piece expedition suits and three
expedition jackets. http://www.ems.com
Sterling
Rope Company Innovation. Vision. Commitment. Passion.
This is what it takes to build great rope. Building the best rope - the
right rope for your climbing adventures - has become a trademark of the
Sterling Rope experience.
We're so happy to have Sterling Rope Company providing us with:
Salomon - USA Not only does Salomon make great ski equipment,
but they make a wonderful line of hiking
and mountaineering boots.
Salomon has been very generous in providing
our expedition with new MTREK6 LTR boots for our approach trek. Salomon
will also provide our Nepalese portage and climbing staff with boots and
approach shoes. Everyone's feet should be very happy! salomonsports.com
Ragged Mountain
Equipment Ragged Mountain Equipment, makers
of quality technical outdoor clothing and equipment since 1978, is in
Intervale, New Hampshire.
Ragged Mountain is generously providing
their handmade fleece vests for all of our climbers and staff. raggedmountain.com
Mont-Bell
America
(Norie only) MontBell focuses on “Light &
Fast™” and does so without compromising on quality, durability
or function. montbell.com
The inspiration for this expedition came in May, 2002, on a warm, sunny,
typical spring morning in Kathmandu, Nepal. I was eating breakfast,
reflecting on another successful spring trekking season. In the background,
I could hear the local news program giving information about the upcoming
celebration marking 50 years since man first set foot on the summit
of Mt. Everest. The country was planning a major media event featuring
Sir Edmund Hillary and the sons of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, his climbing
partner.
I met Sir Edmund Hillary by pure chance in a Phaplu teahouse, and my
attention always perks up when I hear anything regarding his
famous accomplishment. I always get excited when I think about how wonderful
and exciting things must have been in 1953 right after that climb. Since
Nepal had only been open to tourism for three years, many peaks in Nepal's
Himalayas were ripe for discovery, and mountain climbers from all over
the world took to exploring the region in earnest. Nepal was THE place
to be if you loved adventure.
While the news continued in the background, I began to ponder the book
I was reading, and I realized it generated the same feeling of wonder
that listening to news of Hillary's climb evoked. That book is the true
story of three Scottish women: Monica Jackson, Elizabeth Stark and Evelyn
Camrass - the first explorers of any gender to enter the Jugal Himal
range of the Himalayas in Nepal. (Tents in the Clouds by Monica
Jackson/Elizabeth Stark - Seal Press, 2000).
In 1954, a new member of the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club, Monica
Jackson, was asked to speak during one of the club meetings. She proffered
the idea that mountaineering -- even in the mighty Himalayas - needn't
be seen as anything esoteric or extreme for experienced climbers of
either sex. Elizabeth (Betty) Stark and Evelyn Camrass approached Monica
with the idea for a hypothetical all women's climb in the Himalayas.
A fourth woman, Esme Speakman, planned to join the climb but illness
prevented her full participation. She contributed significant logistical
support and financial resources, and was always considered part of the
team.
The first step in Britain at the time was for all expedition teams
to apply for a letter of recommendation by the Joint Himalayan Committee
of the Royal Geographic Society and Alpine Club (now replaced by the
Mount Everest Foundation). At this point the women hadn't realized that
they were to be the first unescorted women’s expedition given
a letter of recommendation to the Himalayas. It seemed the cards were
stacked against them; but, thanks to unfailing persistence, strong personal
character references, proven climbing ability and hard work, the three
women succeeded in acquiring the necessary permits and approvals as
the first all women's expedition in the Himalayas.
Monica Jackson writes, “To begin with, I should like to make
it clear that the “first ever” aspect was quite unpremeditated.
It was not until our plans had already begun to take shape that it occurred
to us that we were creating a precedent. Plenty of women, including
myself, had already climbed in the Himalaya, and the significance of
the fact that we had all done so as members of expeditions lead by men
at first escaped us entirely.” (p. 17)
Nepal was opened to tourism in 1950 and had yet to grant permission
to any women for a climbing permit. After having their recommendation
letter sent off to Kathmandu, these women were issued a permit to climb
by the Nepalese government (the first permit Nepal ever issued to any
women’s expedition), but it was not in the area they had intended.
The three women, Monica Jackson, Elizabeth Stark and Evelyn Camrass
– McNicol, had planned a loop of the Langtang, following Tilman’s
route with an exploration into the Jugal Himal area.
The women's choice of even considering the Jugal Himal came after consulting
Douglas Scott, an experienced member of two Scottish Himalayan Expeditions.
Douglas suggested the women follow up their exploration of the Langtang
region, by by going back to Kathmndu through the uncharted Jugal Himal.
The three women agreed to try the Jugal Himal, once they'd finished
with the Langtang region, but in the end they had no choice in the decision,
it was only the Jugal Himal that awaited them.
For the spring 1955 climbing season, the government of Nepal had decided
to allow Raymond Lambert, and a Belgian scientist the only permit into
the Langtang, leaving the women with just the Jugal Himal to explore.
Making the best of the situation they found themselves in, they bought
new maps in Delhi and continued on their way.
Imagine the shock these women must’ve felt when they found out
that not only were they the first women to climb on their own permit,
but they had to explore an area that even the famous explorer HW Tilman
considered “as uncompromising as the Langtang peaks and far
less approachable.” But off they went and accomplished the
task of finding their way into an area even local Nepalese hadn’t
ventured into.
“We were forced reluctantly to the conclusion that Tilman
had been right in calling the Jugal Himal uncompromising. These mountains
owed much of their beauty to the sharp pinnacles bright in the sun,
the stupendous overhangs of snow and ice and the polished slopes, which
made them appear completely impregnable.” (Elizabeth Stark)
SUCCESS
Monica, Evelyn and Elizabeth were the first women to set up a Himalayan
expedition without the guidance of men. They went into an unexplored
mountain range with no way of knowing what to expect, did their own
leading of the climb and managed all aspects of their trip. As is still
done today, they hired some experienced climbing Sherpas, but these
Sherpas had never entered this area either. These three women, along
with their Sherpa support staff, explored the Jugal Glacier and were
the first mountaineers - woman or man - to reach the summit of a peak
in this area.
They named this first peak Gyalgen Peak, after their head Sherpa. Sometimes,
an idea grows into a plan as we talk to people; like the idea these
women had to explore the Himalaya so long ago. As I sat and pondered,
the idea came to life to reenact this groundbreaking expedition in honor
of these intrepid women. I decided I wanted to explore the Jugal Himal
and to accomplish something exciting and different by retracing the
steps of Monica, Evelyn and Elizabeth into the unknown. My plan is to
set up the 50th Anniversary Women's Himalayan Expedition
in celebration of what these three women explorers accomplished in 1955.
MY
RECONNAISSANCE TRIP:
In the spring of 2003, I organized a reconnaissance trip to find the
route taken by the 1955 women’s expedition. The Jugal Himal hasn’t
changed much, and many peaks in this remote area are still unclimbed.
I successfully reached the start of the Phurbi Chyachu glacier that
leads to Gyalgen Peak; and with the help of original 1955 photos donated
by Elizabeth Stark’s grandson, I was able to discern that the
glacier has receded significantly in fifty years. This should prove
to be an interesting obstacle for the start of our climb.
Once back from that reconnaissance trip, I traveled to Scotland to meet
with Evelyn and Monica. We compared our photos of the glacier with their
recollection of the climb, and agreed on what we feel will be the best
way to approach it.
Nepalese mountaineering records show that no one has been on the Phurbi
Chyachu glacier since 1955.
2005
EXPEDITION SYNOPSIS
PARTICIPANTS
Becky Harrison – Expedition Leader/Organizer
Norie Kizaki
Evelyn McNicol – Team member of 1955 climb of Gyalgen
Peak
Rosie Walters
Gabi White
Fiona Berry – Niece of Elizabeth Stark
Anita Carvalho
Sandy Heise
Grant DeSimone – Documentary filmmaker
Craig Harrison – Expedition photographer
We spent nearly a month in Nepal's Jugal Himal -- traveling through
villages that, in many cases, had never even seen a foreigner.
Our brand new satellite phone proved to be a very expensive doorstop
-- we couldn't test it until we got it to Nepal, and then it wouldn't
work. Well, that's not COMPLETELY true. We could hold 10 second conversations
before losing the uplink, and we could send SMS text messages periodically.
Thankfully Anita's friend Willy back in Scotland was wonderful about
contacting the most urgent people for us while we were on the expedition.
We tracked the original 1955 route through maps and GPS, and set up
base camp at 11,500 feet -- at the foot of Phurbi Chyachu (Evelyn nicknamed
it Phoebe). The glaciers had changed significantly just since my 2003
reconnoissance trip, so it took several days for our sherpa team to
even find a route that would get us close. Crevasses, avalanches and
interminable rockfall were the order of the day, so we stayed safely
at base camp while sherpas Mingma, Gelju, Pisang and Ghelu tried to
find a workable route.
After a few days of this, I made the decision to send the fastest 2
members of the climbing team up to try for the summit. I figured that
with just two (and the fastest two), the sherpas and high altitude porters
would have fewer trips to make and the group as a whole could make better
time. It was the only logical decision I could make. Norie was sent
with Grant, our videographer. We kept in contact with them via walkie-talkie
from base camp.
They made good time, but the glaciers and terrain were just insurmountable.
They climbed to the top of a ridge at just under 20,000 feet on the
shoulder of Phurbi Chyachu but that's as far as they could get.
They returned to base camp safely, and we spent the next week making
the trek to Malemchi (which required climbing a ridge to 12,200 ft.
from a low point of 6,400 feet -- but offered incredible views of Gyalgen
and the whole Jugal Himal range). We had a bus pick us up in Malemchi
yesterday and we were relaxing in Kathmandu by mid-afternoon.
SEE
THE OFFICIAL EXPEDITION PHOTO GALLERY! An abbreviated gallery of expedition photos
is posted here.
We started with well over 2000 images, and struggled to edit the gallery
down to something more manageable. Hopefully we can post more images
in the near future.
