Expedition to Stok Kangri - #photostory by Bidhan Shrestha #photowalkersnp #spnnepal

On July 8, 2016, I went on an expedition to Stok Kangri in Ladakh, a mountain on the Stok Range of the Himalayas measuring 6153 meters. 

I started from the base camp commenced at 4:30 a.m., and with the weather on my side, everything was seemingly going according to plan. 

However, just a few hundred meters before the summit, I saw a fellow climber falling 15-20 meters off a cliff. Without my binoculars, I would have probably never seen him fall. I managed to spot him and rushed to his aid. His forehead was cut and bleeding badly, but he was fortunate enough not to have suffered any major fractures.

His head had probably hit a rock. There were cuts on his eyebrows, lips, hands and the legs as well. He (Utsav) was on his way down to the base camp when he fell. I was carrying a fully-equipped first aid kit and allegedly took out pretty much everything I had to stop the bleeding. I even cut Utsav's hair a little bit to clean the wound and cover it with a bandage.

We were perched at an altitude of approximately 5,800 meters, and there was no one in sight, but I kept shouting for help. Fortunately, one local guide managed to hear me and rushed to the spot. Once the local guide was appraised of the situation, he went down seeking a rescue team.

So, Me and Utsav spent nearly four hours waiting for the rescue team to arrive. In the meantime, I constantly rubbed Utsav's back and even sang a Nepali ballads to keep his mind off the excruciating pain.

Once the rescue team arrived, Despite my exhaustion, I only had a few hundred meters to climb. So I decided to scale the summit.

After reaching the summit by 2:30 p.m., I spent a few minutes before making the descent. I finally returned to the base camp by 6:30 p.m.

Utsav, meanwhile, didn’t suffer any fractures, so his situation wasn’t very critical. He could stand the next morning but not walk properly. We got separated at the base camp, so I don’t know what happened to him after that because I had lost the contact details. 

And after 2 years with the help of media, i finally found him and his family. It'd very heartwarming to get all the respect and love his family has shown me. We two families have certainly got close now and I'm very thankful for having another brother in my life.

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© Bidhan Shrestha

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#photowalkersnp #spnnepal

About the Author

I'm Bidhan Shrestha, 23 yrs old from Kathmandu, Nepal.

I've always been adventure lover since an early age and was curious about the world. I've always wanted to travel to new places, meet new people, listen their stories, enjoy and experience the life to fullest. So, since at the age of 18 I've been solo travelling to many destinations in Nepal and India. People have labelled me a free spirit, adventurous soul, daring, as well as unrealistic and quixotic. And I'm happy for what I've accomplished so far.