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Mountains Of Travel Photos

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Manaslu Photo Gallery - 3. Syala to Samdo

In October 2003 I Trekked Around Manaslu and the Annapurna Circuit from Dharapani to Manang

Manaslu 07 01 Manaslu Sunrise From Syala I waited with anticipation for the sun to rise and hit the mountains. Wow! The subtle changes of the light on Manaslu are terrific, turning from grey to pink to orange to yellow and then to white, all within a few minutes.

Manaslu 07 01 Manaslu Sunrise From Syala

Manaslu 07 02 Ngadi Chuli Close Up Sunrise From Syala Wow! Midway between Manaslu and Himal Chuli, Ngadi Chuli (7871m, 20th highest mountain in the world, also known as Peak 29, Dakum, and Dunapurna) shone beautifully in the early morning light at sunrise. A possible first ascent was made in 1970 by Hiroshi Watanabe and Lhakpa Tsering. After being out of sight for two hours very near the summit, they reappeared and suffered a fatal fall. On May 8, 1979 Polish climbers Ryszard Gajewski and Maciej Pawlikowski made it to the summit via the West buttress.

Manaslu 07 02 Ngadi Chuli Close Up Sunrise From Syala

Manaslu 07 03 Manaslu Medium Shot Sunrise From Syala Wow! The subtle changes of the light on Manaslu are terrific. Manaslu (8156m) is said to derive from the Sanskrit word Manasa, which means soul; therefore Manaslu is the Mountain of the Soul. It was earlier known as Kutang I, while the Survey of India’s symbol was merely Peak XXX. According to Snelgrove, the local Tibetan name for Manaslu is Pung-gyen, which is also the name to the god who resides on it.

Manaslu 07 03 Manaslu Medium Shot Sunrise From Syala

Manaslu 07 04 Manaslu and Manaslu North Sunrise From Syala Manaslu became very much a Japanese mountaineering property in the 1950s, and was climbed in May 1956 by Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa, members of an expedition led by Yuko Maki, who set their base camp above Sama beside the Manaslu Glacier. Manaslu North (7157m) was first climbed on October 25, 1964 by Fons Driessen and Jan De Lint from Holland, Hubert Schriebl from Austria, and Sherpas Jila Tsering and Nima Tenzing.

Manaslu 07 04 Manaslu and Manaslu North Sunrise From Syala

Manaslu 07 05 Simnang Himal From Syala This cirque of mountains from Syala, although slightly lower, rivals the Everest Kangshung east face and the Annapurna Sanctuary. The first mountain on the left is Simnang Himal (6251m), which was climbed for the first time on May 16, 2001 by Ukranians Mistislav Gorbenko, Vadim Leontiev, Sergei Pugachov, and Mykhaylo Zagirnyak.

Manaslu 07 05 Simnang Himal From Syala

Manaslu 07 06 Unnamed Peak Afer Naike Col From Syala From Syala my gaze went past Manaslu North and the Naike Col (5500m) to Unnamed Peak (around 6170m).

Manaslu 07 06 Unnamed Peak Afer Naike Col From Syala

Manaslu 07 07 Naike Peak From Syala From Syala my gaze went past Unnamed Peak (around 6170m) to the rocky spires of Naike Peak (5515m).

Manaslu 07 07 Naike Peak From Syala

Manaslu 07 08 Khayang and Saula Himal From Kharka Near Pung-gyen Gompa Just after leaving Syala, I took a side trip to Pung-gyen Gompa. I climbed steeply up a ridge to the south west to an enormous kharka, where I looked across the valley to see Khayang (6186m) and Saula Himal (6235m) leading towards Lapuchun, out of view to the right.

Manaslu 07 08 Khayang and Saula Himal From Kharka Near Pung-gyen Gompa

Manaslu 07 09 Shringi Himal From Kharka Near Pung-gyen Gompa From the kharka on the way from Syala to Pung-gyen Gompa, I had a perfect view of the Shringi Himal (7187m). Shringi, also known as Chamar, is an ice sheathed mountain near the Tibetan border. Shringi was climbed for the first time on June 5, 1953 by Maurice Bishop and Nyamgal Sherpa on a four person New Zealand Expedition led by Athol Roberts. Shringi South to the right is only 4m lower at 7183m.

Manaslu 07 09 Shringi Himal From Kharka Near Pung-gyen Gompa

Manaslu 07 10 Ngadu Chuli and Manaslu From Pung-gyen Gompa The Pung-gyen gompa (3870m) is named after Manaslu, as Pung-gyen means bracelet, a good description of the two peaks. To the left is Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29) and to the right the main summit of Manaslu and the East Pinnacle. The Pung-gyen Gompa was destroyed by fire during the winter of 1953 after the first Japanese expedition to Manaslu, killing 18 inhabitants, mostly nuns. The villagers believed the god residing on Manaslu destroyed the gompa to show his wrath for the trespassers, and refused to let the second Japanese expedition to Manaslu climb the mountain in 1954. When I got there, there was nobody home. I wonder where all the monks are gone?

Manaslu 07 10 Ngadu Chuli and Manaslu From Pung-gyen Gompa

Manaslu 07 11 Ngadu Chuli From Pung-gyen Gompa From the Pung-gyen gompa (3870m), I had a perfect view of the north east face of Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29, 7871m).

Manaslu 07 11 Ngadu Chuli From Pung-gyen Gompa

Manaslu 07 12 Manaslu From Pung-gyen Gompa From the Pung-gyen gompa (3870m), I had a perfect view of the main peak of Manaslu (8163m) and the East Pinnacle (7992m).

Manaslu 07 12 Manaslu From Pung-gyen Gompa

Manaslu 07 13 Manaslu Summit Close Up From Pung-gyen Gompa Here’s a close up of the main summit of Manaslu (8163m) from the Pung-gyen gompa (3870m).

Manaslu 07 13 Manaslu Summit Close Up From Pung-gyen Gompa

Manaslu 07 14 Manaslu East Pinnacle Close Up From Pung-gyen Gompa Here’s a close up of the East Pinnacle (7992m) of Manaslu from the Pung-gyen gompa (3870m).

Manaslu 07 14 Manaslu East Pinnacle Close Up From Pung-gyen Gompa

Manaslu 07 15 Sama Once I got back to the main trail from Pung-gyen gompa, it was an easy flat walk to the extensive village of Sama (3530m), known locally as Ro. Sama has many houses with courtyards overlooking the trail. The village gompa is visible in the distance, nestled against a wooded moraine at the far end of the valley.

Manaslu 07 15 Sama

Manaslu 07 16 Sama Gompa Kargyu Chholing (Sama) gompa is a white-walled building with an elaborately decorated roof spire, surrounded by about thirty small houses in which monks and nuns live who study there under a head lama.

Manaslu 07 16 Sama Gompa

Manaslu 07 17 Sama Gompa Old Monk Unfortunately the largest of the buildings was closed. However, an old monk let me in to a small gompa next to the largest one.

Manaslu 07 17 Sama Gompa Old Monk

Manaslu 07 18 Sama Gompa Altar Here is the altar in the smaller building at the Kargyu Chholing (Sama) gompa.

Manaslu 07 18 Sama Gompa Altar

Manaslu 07 19 Sama Gompa Padmasambhava Close Up Here is a close up of the statue of Padmasambhava (Tib. Guru Rinpoche) on the altar in the smaller building at the Kargyu Chholing (Sama) gompa.

Manaslu 07 19 Sama Gompa Padmasambhava Close Up

Manaslu 08 01 Manaslu Sunrise From Sama I had another perfect sunrise view, but a little foreshortened, of Manaslu from Sama.

Manaslu 08 01 Manaslu Sunrise From Sama

Manaslu 08 02 Manaslu Close Up Sunrise From Sama Here’s a close up sunrise view of Manaslu and the East Pinnacle from Sama.

Manaslu 08 02 Manaslu Close Up Sunrise From Sama

Manaslu 08 03 Manaslu Early Morning From Beyond Sama As I walked towards Samdo, I turned and caught another view of Manaslu with the Manaslu Icefall tumbling down. The normal climbing route is to the right of the glacier, and then up the long ridge going right to left.

Manaslu 08 03 Manaslu Early Morning From Beyond Sama

Manaslu 08 04 Himal Chuli From Samdo Just before Samdo I turned around again and saw Himal Chuli, with the East main summit (7893m) to the left and the North Summit (7371m) to the right. The first ascent of Himal Chuli was on May 24, 1960 by Japanese Hisashi Tanabe and Masahiro Harada. Himal Chili North Peak was first climbed on October 27, 1985 by Korean Lee Jae-Hong, Ang Pasang Sherpa, Jangbu Sherpa, Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa, and Pasang Dawa Sherpa.

Manaslu 08 04 Himal Chuli From Samdo