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| alpine glow | ||||
| good weather as we left base camp at 0745 hrs to attempt the summit, the sunlight peeping over the eastern mountain wall casts a beautiful alpine glow on the second sister | ||||
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| tracks | ||||
| fresh snow fallen over the last few days, our guide had the task of making new tracks towards the summit | ||||
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| looking back | ||||
| the climb was initially gradual, but the snow was fresh and deep, making every step difficult | ||||
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| summit ahead | ||||
| the summit seems so near, but we were not even half way there yet | ||||
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| raja & xav | ||||
| Raja and Xavier taking a breather while waiting for me to catch up | ||||
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| storm brewing | ||||
| the weather started changing for the worse in the late morning | ||||
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| break | ||||
| Raja feeling breathless and tired from the thin atmosphere | ||||
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| near white out | ||||
| the mist coming in and obstructing the view to the eldest sister | ||||
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| rock climbing | ||||
| sections of rock scrambles makes it more challenging | ||||
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| snow storm | ||||
| braving the strong winds with snow and hail blowing, making this last push to the summit even more difficult | ||||
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| not far more | ||||
| not far from the summit, Yuan and myself decided to make the summit despite the storm | ||||
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| white out summit | ||||
| summited at 1400 hrs... all white out with no spectacular panoramic views to enjoy, just freezing cold | ||||
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| going down | ||||
| going down was no easy task too... with the winds now blowing snow and hail directly into our faces | ||||
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| mr frosty | ||||
| vision is impaired as eyelids and lashes get frozen shut | ||||
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| blow over | ||||
| turning our backs to the wind, awaiting the storm to blow over | ||||
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| nearing base camp | ||||
| it seemed like eternality to get back to base camp... yet we still have a long way to RiLong | ||||
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| better weather | ||||
| the skies started clearing up for the better as we left base camp at about 1700 hrs | ||||
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| the second sister | ||||
| a clear view back towards the second sister and the base camp plateau | ||||
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| walking into the sunset | ||||
| the setting sun peeping through a small window in the thick clouds | ||||
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