Kagmara I | 2014

A USA expedition to Kagmara I in 2014, led by Peter Ackroyd. 3 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 8521
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID KAG114101
Peak ID KAG1
Year 2014
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 -
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality USA
Leaders Peter Ackroyd
Sponsor Cowboys in Kagmara Expedition 2014
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 UK
Approach -
Basecamp Date -
Summit Date -
Summit Time -
Summit Days 0
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 12
Termination Notes Abandoned due to illness, bad weather and mule problems
High Point (m) 0
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 0
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 3
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
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 -
Campsites -
Route Notes Peter Ackroyd - 15 Feb 2014 After 20 years of going to Nepal there was bound to be one disappointment. Dolpa is a wonderful area with many unclimbed peaks, no roads, few villages, fewer people and tourists, making it one of my favorite places in Nepal. This was the case in 1998 and would have still been the case, but for the recent interest in Yarsagumba (Cordyseps Sinensis), a caterpillar fungus. Unbeknownst to Sam, Richard and me, thousands of Nepalis, mostly women, children and hundreds of mules now flock to elevations above 4000m to pick this caterpillar fungus for a few weeks in the spring. Pickers can make up to $8000 per lb of this plant, a fortune in a poor country. It sells for $40,000 per lb in Shanghai. The reason? It is believed to be an aphrodisiac by the Chinese. Because of this there were no porters available, even though they had been promised to us, only mules and they cannot travel through the higher snowy passes. This forced us to turn back after a week of hiking to find a different route. Then we got a bug from contaminated river water, even after all our precautions. The rivers were particularly dirty in this area. Despite antibiotics I was not recovering and after another 8 days had to head out on my own, glad to be in Kathmandu four days later. The saga continued for Sam and Richard with a dead mule, a drunken muleteer, heavy snow and another turn around. They reached Kathmandu a week after me. We did not get a chance to attempt the peak, Kagmara. The degradation to the environment from the picking of this fungus is severe and the crowded trails are no fun. During the picking season there were at least 13 deaths from hypothermia and 2 murders this year. Of course, we enjoyed the companionship and scenery. I love Nepal and it's people but, like many places, change can make it hard to return."
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency Jai Himal Trekking?
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2509
Year 2014
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) -

Members

3 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Peter David Ackroyd M 1946 USA Leader Seattle, Washington Retired construction manager Details Other expeditions
Samuel Albert (Sam) McClary M 1951 USA Climber Marysville, Washington Retired dentist Details Other expeditions
John Richard (Dick) Peart M 1944 UK Climber Crewe, Cheshire, England Retired university lecturer Details Other expeditions

References

0 recorded references.