Ripcord Adventure Journal 2.3
Our seventh issue of Ripcord Adventure Journal and the first for 2017 brings us on some very intriguing journeys of adventure and discovery. In our Guest Editorial, Mark Evans recounts the crossing of the famed Rub' Al Khali of Arabia by his team as they followed the footsteps of the almost forgotten Bertram Thomas who had crossed it back in 1931 guided by Sheikh Saleh bin Kalut al Kathiri. Jacki Hill Murphy follows Isabella Bird's Guidebook to find that adventures are indeed timeless. In 1889 Isabella Bird ventured into Ladakh region of Kashmir to experience these remote lands and cultures. Rory Golden, a man of many talents give us a glimpse of the world of undersea exploration, the discovery of the Titanic and the life and times of the original 'Ripcord' adventurer Ralph White. In the first of a regular slot, explorer and photographer Jeremy Curl remembers his journey to witness a Donga Fight in the western side of the Omo Valley where manhood is tested and tribal feuds settled. In our final article in this issue, Jimmy McSparron finds hospitality and enjoys the dangers of an unconventional hike to Machu Picchu.
Our seventh issue of Ripcord Adventure Journal and the first for 2017 brings us on some very intriguing journeys of adventure and discovery.
In our Guest Editorial, Mark Evans recounts the crossing of the famed Rub' Al Khali of Arabia by his team as they followed the footsteps of the almost forgotten Bertram Thomas who had crossed it back in 1931 guided by Sheikh Saleh bin Kalut al Kathiri.
Jacki Hill Murphy follows Isabella Bird's Guidebook to find that adventures are indeed timeless. In 1889 Isabella Bird ventured into Ladakh region of Kashmir to experience these remote lands and cultures.
Rory Golden, a man of many talents give us a glimpse of the world of undersea exploration, the discovery of the Titanic and the life and times of the original 'Ripcord' adventurer Ralph White.
In the first of a regular slot, explorer and photographer Jeremy Curl remembers his journey to witness a Donga Fight in the western side of the Omo Valley where manhood is tested and tribal feuds settled.
In our final article in this issue, Jimmy McSparron finds hospitality and enjoys the dangers of an unconventional hike to Machu Picchu.
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20<br />
Baruntse - A World Apart<br />
Alex Staniforth<br />
The Himalaya. The first image to conjure in your mind may well be<br />
of Mount Everest. Many, myself included, have been captivated by<br />
the allure of this iconic objective. On a journey of dedication and<br />
overcoming adversity, both of my attempts to reach the summit in<br />
the last two years have been thwarted by the very nature of this<br />
foreboding kingdom.<br />
By better fortune, it was my journey to Everest that offered me a<br />
sliver of what else the world’s highest mountain range had to offer.<br />
Before I could test myself on the highest of them all, I was hungry<br />
for a bolder objective to prepare myself. Baruntse, a peak standing<br />
at 7,129 metres (23,390ft) looked no less formidable than the holy<br />
grail itself.<br />
Taking pride of place in the remote Hongu valley, Baruntse stands<br />
far apart from the hordes on the Everest Base Camp trail. I signed<br />
up with an expedition team of three British and one Australian.<br />
With our expedition leader, Francis, all were highly experienced –<br />
except for me. I had only climbed Mont Blanc, so Baruntse was a<br />
hefty step up in my mountaineering resume. The Gouter Ridge on<br />
Mont Blanc had little in common with the extreme high altitude<br />
environment besides the stale toast and sleepless nights (from the<br />
sound of snoring in the hut dormitories).<br />
Our adventure began in chaotic Kathmandu. Shuttled through the<br />
potholed streets and stirring up clouds of dust in our wake, I was<br />
surprised at the level of poverty. Stray dogs loitered amongst<br />
dilapidated buildings and scorched pavements. Many streets were<br />
dirty and unkempt. Face masks protected people from the smog as<br />
they hurried along outside run-down shop fronts; battered scooters<br />
weaving carelessly through the streets at speed.<br />
Just days later we had moved a world apart. I could open my eyes<br />
again once the ancient relic of a Soviet Mi-17 helicopter lurched it’s<br />
overloaded backside onto the infamous mountain airstrip of Lukla<br />
village; the main gateway into the Khumbu valley. Here we would<br />
trade the constant din of scooters for pine-scented air, and swap<br />
dodging erratic taxis for cumbersome herds of Dzo (“zok-ee-oh”)<br />
carrying supplies along the trails.
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