ENC team successfully summits Mt. Kamet and Mt. Abi Gamin
Mt. Kamet, at 7756 metres, is the third highest peak in the country and the highest peak that is open to mountaineers in India.
In a major feat, nine members from a team of 13 mountaineers of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) successfully climbed Mt. Kamet in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand on June 2, setting foot on the highest peak in the country.
The team embarked on the mission in early May. Commander S. Karthikeyan led the team.
The expedition team returned to a rousing reception in Visakhapatnam this week and was felicitated by ENC Commander in Chief Vice-Admiral HCS Bisht on Wednesday on its glorious accomplishment. Mt. Kamet, at 7756 metres, is the third highest peak in the country and the highest peak that is open to mountaineers in India.
Mt. Kanchancunga and Mt. Nandadevi are prohibited for climbing, and remained unclimbed for the past eight years from the Southern route.
“The fact that nine climbers summitted together, which is the highest number of summiteers on Mt. Kamet ever, is testimony to the preparedness, strength and determination of the team.The icing on the cake was the successful summit of Mt. Abi Gamin, another peak above 7,000m in the Kamet Massif by four members of the team on June 4,” said Commander Karthi-keyan.
The expedition was flagged off by ViceAdmiral Bisht on April 29. The other summiteers included Lt Yogesh Tiwari (the deputy leader), Lt BP Upadhyay, Lt Rajinikant Yadav, Lt Anant Kukreti, S. Sehrawat, Rakesh Kumar, Maharana, and A.S. Rana. The team, assisted by six Sherpas continued their ascent and established five higher camps, with the summit camp at an attitude of 7,080m. Eleven out of 13 members reached the summit camp while the remaining two members including the team doctor reached camp III set up at 6300m.
The expedition, which spanned almost 40 days, saw the team negotiating dangerous terrain mud- dled with deep crevasses and long rocky moraines before ascending nearvertical rock and ice slopes and unfurling the National Flag and Naval Ensign atop Mt. Kamet.
Earlier in May, seven members of the ENC were part of another successful naval expedition to the twin peaks of Jogin I and III situated in the Gangotri region at a height of 6,465m and 6,133m. With these successes, ENC is confident of deputing a stronger contingent to attempt unfurling of the Naval Ensign on Mt. Everest in 2017.