Keekli Bureau, 26th September, 2019, Shimla
Another successful expedition was carried out by the boys and staff of Bishop Cotton School this year. Viresh Kumar, Amod Talwalkar, Bullo Kato, Rohan Sangma, Gurfateh Singh, Aayush Sardana, Gurpartap Singh and Arugna Adhikari were a part of the expedition team. The troupe successfully scaled Mt. Gurson which stands at a rather daunting height of 6250 meters. The boys and their escorts conquered the peak precisely at 8 am on the morning of 24th of September 2019. This expedition was carried in association with Above 14000 ft, Manali. The Pargiyal Mountaineering Club of Bishop Cotton School successfully scaled Mt. Gurson which stands amidst various other iconic peaks like the Polokonkolo peak in the Ladakh region.
The expedition began with the team departing from the school premises on the morning of 18th of September 2019. The expedition was flagged of by the Headmaster Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, R C Robinson. The first stop was Manali. The journey then continued to Jispa where they stayed at the ABVIMAS Jispa Center. Then a campsite was set up near the Whiskey Naala after which they finally arrived at the foothills of the mountains wherein the base camp was set up.
The base camp itself was located at a height of nearly 16000 feet which was a challenge in itself, and the team was made to acclimatize with that height as the oxygen levels and atmospheric pressure had dropped drastically. On the 23rd of September at 11 am, the team finally began their climb towards the summit camp, from the base camp to the summit camp which was located at an even greater height of 19,720 feet. The journey was accompanied with constant obstacles and challenges, the most difficult of them being the rocky and extreme weak terrain. It was a long and exhausting climb, to say the least. Despite the excruciating difficulties and hindrances, the climb was completed in a span of 5 hours by 5 pm in the evening. While the sun was yet to rise, the expedition team left their camps at 4:15 am to conquer the peak and for an adventure of a lifetime. It was another 4 hours long climb which drained them emotionally and physically, yet all of that seemed futile and was forgotten once the ice axe pounded on the last rock, and Mt. Gurson had finally been scaled.
It finally felt that every second of the pain, difficulties, challenges and obstacles were worth the view that Mt. Gurson offered.
The journey to the top was filled with uncertainties, but all along the only certainty was victory and victory came knocking at our doorsteps. We feel privileged to be part of such a mesmerizing and a magnificent team who endeavored to take up such a great and adventurous risk. We feel proud to be part of a team which took the school flag to staggering heights.
Bravo…Good Job
Keep the Spirit