Overview for Into the Untravelled Himalaya: Travels, Treks and Climbs
With development of roads and access deep into the Himalayan valleys, new opportunities have opened up for travelers, trekkers and mountaineers. Many areas, which were hitherto not easily approachable and would have taken months to explore, are not accessible. There are smaller valleys and peaks that allow enjoyment of quick visit. The author has described his three visits to Tibet, covering a vast area. His observations about tourism, travel and changes in this troubled country give a different insight. He describes his travels in Bhutan with an eye on the history and culture of that country. The unknown valleys of Arunachal Pradesh were visited by him during two expeditions, specially the historic exploration of Tsangpo river as it enters India. The book describes author’s treks and climbs in many such valleys during the past decade. It contains stories of exploration and the areas in Sikkim, Kumaun, Garhwal, Kinnaur, Lahaul, Ladakh and East Karakoram. Expeditions to the war-torn Siachen glacier describe its different valleys, history of early explorations and present-day war. There are stories of climbing peaks, accidents and reaching passes like Karakoram pass and Indira Col. The book gives an insight into the Himalayan areas, their history and people. For a trekker there are suggestions for discovering different passes, unknown valleys, nomenclature of the areas, and knowledge about the people and their culture. There are invaluable references to hordes of peaks, both most challenging and easy, between 6000 m and 7000 m range. Now that Everest has been climbed many times, the future of mountaineering lies in these smaller peaks. With 23 maps and 48 photographs and many references. This book will be an invaluable guide to all present and future mountaineers.
Harish Kapadia (Author)
Harish Kapadia has made a unique contribution to our knowledge of the Himalaya: as editor of the Himalayan Journal, one of the most authoritative and comprehensive records of explorative and comprehensive records of exploratory activity in the Himalaya: and through his numerous books and as a leader and organiser of countless expeditions over the year. He has written with deep knowledge about his Himalayan journeys in his 12 books and several articles that are erudite and practical, skillfully combining historical, geographical and practical guidance to increase our understanding of the region. His first visit to the Himalaya was almost 45 years ago. He has never looked back since, still trekking and climbing actively. His main contribution to Himalayan climbing has been to explore unknown areas and, in a number of cases, to open up climbing possibilities. He has personally climbed more than 30 Himalayan peaks, many of them being first ascents, and has crossed more than 130 Himalayan passes to explore different valleys. the quality of exploration and the detailed reports that he has issued have provided superb background information about these areas. He is an explorer in the true sense and has visited almost all the ranges in the Indian Himalaya in the last four decades. He was elected Honorary Member of the Alpine Club, London. He was a Vice-President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (1997-1999) and was awarded the IMF Gold Medal in 1993. He was honoured with the Royal Geographical Society 'for contributions to geographical discovery and mountaineering in the Himalaya'. He was the first Indian to receive this award after 125 years. He was invited to several countries to lecture on his Himalayan exploits, and is a member of several organisations.
Bagchee
