Gaugiri | 2003

A Australia expedition to Gaugiri in 2003, led by Ken McConnell. 4 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 4482
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID GAUG03302
Peak ID GAUG
Year 2003
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 -
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Australia
Leaders Ken McConnell
Sponsor Australian Gaugiri Expedition
Success 1 False
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 2003-09-18
Summit Date -
Summit Time -
Summit Days 0
Total Days 4
Termination Date 2003-09-22
Termination Reason 12
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 0
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 1
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 2
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 2
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used False
O2 None True
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits Climbed an unnamed (6417m?) peak southwest of Gaugiri via NE Ridge (same as Spanish?)
Campsites BC(18/09,4950m),C1(20/09,5400m),Unnamed Smt(21/09,6417m)
Route Notes BC at 4850m near lakes C1 at 5400m rocky scree. Climb did not require mountaineering skills; was steep and both members used crampons when reached snow for last 100-150m to top. Below were rock seracs from C1. Mon 8 Sept - Fly Pokhara -> Jomsom. Overnight in Marpha Tue 9 Sept - Walk Marpha -> Kagbeni. Night in Kagbeni Wed 10 Sept - Chuksang village -> Pa via Cha Chola Fri 12 Sept - Pa -> Tangye village Met Spanish mountaineers here, who were returning from Gaugiri. They stayed overnight in Tangye also. Sat 13 sept - Tangye -> Yara village Sun 14 Sept - Stayed in Yara. Excursion to visit Luri Ghompa. Mon 15 Sept - Yara -> Gumu Thanti (another 2-room stone hut used by goat herders, no other dwellings). Stone hut is just before a river, probably Ghyumpani Khola. Tue 16 Sept - Wed 17 Sept - Stayed at Gumu Thanti Thur 18 sept- Gumi Thanti -> Damodar Kunda. About half way to Damodar Kunda we crossed a river in a very deep gorge there 9 corrugated iron hut beside this river. At Damodar Kunda are 3 small lakes very green with algae, a stone hut with adjacent blue plastic-corrugated hut, a small brown red metal hut with religious statues & photo of royal family inside it (also a rail of small cupped metal receptacles all around the hut), and a chorten with prayer flags nearby. Some goat/sheep herders were camped here for duration of our visit and also said they had met the Spanish climbers. Route from the river with corrugated iron hut to Damodar Kunda is all in SE or E direction, not NE as shown on our map of Mustang, we crossed 2 high passes probably over 5000m. Significant drop in elevation from 2nd pass down to Damodar Kunda. Fri 19 sept Stayed at Damodar Kunda. Several snow capped peaks SE South - SW of Damodar Kunda, but none visible north of Damodar Kunda. Local goat herders told us one of these snowcapped peaks was Gaugiri. They also pointed out the peak that the Spanish climbed. We decided to climb this same peak. A significant river flowing ESE-WNW was between Damodar Kunda and this peak. Sept 20 Sept Damodar Kunda - C1 on Gaugiri. We crossed the river with problem after midday and set up camp in a gully on "Gaugiri," in rocky scree above vegetation line. If Damodar Kunda is 4950m (Spanish measurement) then our Camp 1 is perhaps 5400m (estimate only-we have no altimeter). Camped with sirdar, Sherpa, cook and cook's assistant, Ken and Anna, i.e., 6 people. Sun 21st Sept Climb to "Gaugiri" summit. Returned to base camp at Damodar Kunda for night. Left Camp 1 at 05:15, climbed NE ridge of "Gaugiri" and reached summit at 10:15. Took some photos on way up, but on summit no visibility so no views of other peaks. Those reaching summit (four) Ken McConnell Anna Brooks Ongdi Sherpa Dendi Sherpa Snow for only top 150-200 metres. Descended to C1 which reached about 12:15. Had lunch and rested. Returned to BC for night. No problem. Mon 22 Sept Damodar Kunda -> Gumu Thanti Peter Ackroyd - 20 May 2005 Regarding the Spanish expedition to Gaugiri we discussed this with Elizabeth in September 2003 and told her that we are sure they were not on Gaugiri and in fact were at the wrong base camp, the altitude was totally incorrect, 600m higher than the real Gaugiri and to determine that it was Gaugiri based on the “locals pointing it out” is risky. There are errors on the maps, though Ohnishi’s are more accurate, as the trail to Damodar Kunda (lakes) is incorrectly shown and the lakes are shown as being right below Gaugiri, whereas in fact they are a day south. I sent a detailed report of the errors on the maps to the ministry in 2002 and they said they would make corrections but I don’t know if they ever did. I sent an email from Kathmandu to the leader of the expedition after our meeting with Elizabeth but never got a response. I only have a printed copy of the email so can’t send it to you but this is what I said: “We are not sure exactly which peak you climbed but the altitude and location do not relate to the Gaugiri peak we climbed last year. It would help if you had the latitude and longitude of your peak. According to the “Classification of the Himalayas” published in 1985 in the American Alpine Journal and the latest 1:50000 survey maps issued by the Nepali and Finnish governments in 2000, Gaugiri is located at 29-02-45 N and 84-11-16 E and is 6110m. This is what we followed to climb Gaugiri in 2002 and we verified the location and our altimeters were within 30m (we built a cairn on the summit). There is one problem with the maps that we reported to the government survey department. All the maps show a trail leading north to lakes at 5400m below Gaugiri and indicate these lakes to be the pilgrimage site. As you know the trail leads WSW to the true pilgrimage lakes at approx. 28-58-70 N/ 84-10-00 E. It is one full days hike North up the river gorge (Damodar Khola) from these lakes to the smaller lakes at the base of Gaugiri.” I went on to ask them to send more details. In the report in the Himalayan Database they say they had a GPS so it should have been easy to give an accurate location. He is incorrect to say that the Damodar Khola does not run north as it does in fact turn north to Gaugiri. The Namta Khola and Dechya Khola run East/West. I also think they may not have had the Finn maps to refer to. There has been at least one other expedition to Gaugiri by, I think, a Japanese group and they found the right peak. I think the Spanish must have been on the range south of the Damodar Lakes and possibly on Bhrikuti but the only peak I can find at close to the altitude they report is Khumjungar Himal (6759m) which is a possibility. Most of the other peaks in the area are around 6300m. It is impossible to know without lat/long data. Peter Ackroyd - March 2006 In a note Anna Brooks received from Pep Aced, he confirmed that he had a reading of 6270m for the peak they climbed. They did not have a GPS and the altitude they gave for the Damodar Kunda lakes base camp was low by 150 to 200m. If I am correct, McConnell and Brooks and the Spanish may have climbed the 6417 peak.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency Himalaya Expeditions
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2318
Year 2003
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) -

Members

4 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Anna Brooks F 1959 Australia Climber Magill, Adelaide, SA, Australia Clinical psychologist Details Other expeditions
Kenneth Douglas (Ken) McConnell M 1951 Australia Leader Magill, Adelaide, SA, Australia Psychiatrist Details Other expeditions
Ongdi Sherpa M - Nepal H-A Worker - - Details Other expeditions
Dendi Sherpa M 1972 Nepal H-A Worker Sanam, Gudel-4, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

5 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
GAUG03302 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 78:393 (2004) -
GAUG03302 HIGH - - - 265:63 (Dec 2004) -
GAUG03302 CLIM - - - 17:75-76 (Jul 2006) -
GAUG03302 AAJ Griffin, Lindsay - - 80:406-408 (2006) -
GAUG03302 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200439301/Asia-Nepal-Danodar-Himal-Gaugiri-Second-and-Third-Ascents-by-a-New-Route - - -