PADDLER 22
THANKS
PADDLER 22
Glacier front
THE EXPEDITION
We departed Kathmandu by jeep to travel to the trailhead . After a nine-hour journey , we arrived at our guesthouse in Karte , ready to begin our trek the following day . Residing at just 2,000 m a . s . l ., we had over 2,000 m of elevation to gain over a two-day trek , a little daunting for your first time at high elevation ! Luckily , a combination of the amazing scenery and our guide Mahesh ’ s skilful pacing , the trek was very enjoyable . After passing through dense forests filled with blooming Rhododendron trees , crystal clear waterfalls and many Yaks , we arrived at Dona Lake – ready to set up our camp for the next ten days .
Our first day on the water demonstrated precisely how extreme and changeable the weather can be at high elevation . We launched the kayak with clear , blue skies and the surrounding snow-capped mountains reflecting in the calm turquoise waters of the lake . However , within 30 minutes , thick white clouds had rolled over the headwalls of the valley on a biting wind . As the waves on the lake grew in size , we decided to return to shore , almost blown from the lake in the wake of the wind heading down-valley . The following snowstorm confined us to our tents for the rest of the day . Luckily , the weather cooperated with us for the rest of the trip ; we were able to spend up to six hours each day on the lake , clocking up the kilometres ( 12 km in a day becoming our record !) and soon became a well-oiled machine paddling in tandem .
Two memories stand out from the expedition for Duncan and me – the first was the feeling of paddling up the lake each morning , admiring the surrounding mountains and the towering glacier face ahead of us ;
the only sound to be heard was our paddles breaching the still waters ’ surface . The second was the daily ritual that our Sherpa cook performed before paddling each day . Glacial lakes are believed to be the abodes of gods and goddesses by many mountain communities .
They believe that these lakes should not be defiled by human activity , and breach of this may result in the guardian deity ’ s indignation . The ritual sought the gods ’ permission for us to undertake our work . Given that we had eight consecutive days paddling in near-perfect conditions , we ’ re hopeful that the spirits provided their blessing for what it was we were trying to achieve ! It ’ s a trip that I , for one , will never forget , and who knows , you may see me paddling along the Menai with Geth in the future , but this time just for the fun of it .
THANKS
The Natural Environment Research Council , the Mount Everest Foundation , the Royal Geographical Society , the British Society for Geomorphology and the University of Leeds sponsored Alex and Duncan ’ s expedition . All kayaking equipment was sponsored by Nick Pipe , owner of Vortex Advanced Elements ( www . advancedelementskayaks . co . uk ). Kayaking training was undertaken with Geth Roberts , co-owner of Sea Kayaking Wales , based in Anglesey ( www . seakayakingwales . com ). To hear more about Alex ’ s work , visit her Twitter (@ alex _ scoffield ).
Birds eye view
Porters testing out kayak