Mountains

I have many favorite mountains. I like some for their natural beauty. Some for the stories that reside among their lofty heights. And some because they are unique in some special way.

Perhaps the mountain I think about the most is Nanda Devi. Thats because its in the area of India from where I am. But that aside, its truly a beautiful mountain. Its quite unsymmetrical with each face having a unique identity.

(picture courtesy www.euttaranchal.com)

I first saw Nanda Devi many many years ago while traveling to Almora with my family. I was possibly 8 years old at the time. I recall seeing it from Kasaedevi. At the time the mountain seemed like a pretty spectacle, but that was about it.

It wasn't till the late 1980s or even the early 1990s when I actually took real notice of the lovely mountain. My interest in the mountain took a sharp and deep turn because of two distinct data sources. I got a hold of two books that gave me tremendous insights about the mountain. The first was a story about the first ascent of Nanda Devi by Shipton and Tillman, the legendary climbing partners. The second was a story about a more recent and tragic ascent of Nanda Devi by an American climbing party. That book was authored by John Roskelley.

Ever since, I have made it a point to picture the mountain in as much detail as I could each time I was in Kumaon. Its been tough. The elusive mountain is not easy to photograph as clouds often surround the high peak. The closest I ever got to Nanda Devi was on a trip to Munsiyari. My purpose was to get close and photograph the mountain. Unfortunately, as we got close to a high pass to take pictures, clouds came in and blocked our views.

It seems the mountain and I will continue to play hide-n-seek and our little affair will continue...