Approach

     After the rough time on the Manaslu, we made our way to the East, where Mt Kangchejunga, "the five treasures goddess", waited for us.

     We traveled by bus to Gopetar, where we contracted our porters. We started the Sinam approach with them. From there to Kebang -where, as well as in the approach to the Manaslu, there were no lodges- and then to Yampuding. Here, the porters decided to leave and we had to contract some others.

In the background, central summit of Kangchenjunga as seen from Camp I.   Inside the tent at advanced basecamp.

On the dotted line, the route of approach followed to reach basecamp on Kanchenjunga.

     From Yampuding, we traveled to Angi Khola (2300m), then to Torontan (2950m) - by a thick vegetation route, invaded with bamboo and rhododendrons -, Tsaram (3800m) and Ramge (4580m). There was full moon. In that season, Hinduists -who are majority in lower villages- celebrate the Shivaratri, but they do not fulfil their rites so strictly as people in the mountain, faithful to Buddhist doctrine.

     The porters did not want to go on. They asked for 2500 rupees per day; we had been paying them only 250 a day until then. They threatened with not climbing up to basecamp if we did not accept their request. Our money was running out. We convinced them to go on until Oktang, where we placed the camp, as we thought we were close to the basecamp. Good weather disappeared and it started to snow.