by Melvyn Morgan
A Kinlet farmer has made history by being part of the first expedition to have conquered a Himalayan mountain. Paul Guest, 29, and his party of seven scaled the 6.322m high Mount Chaguch along with seven other mountaineers during a record-breaking expedition in India.
Mr Guest had originally travelled to the continent to climb the 7,439m Mount Nanda Devi East, but having climbed 6,043m of the treacherous peak the party decided it was too dangerous to continue.
But instead of giving up the mountaineers led by Martin Moran – an international mountain guide from Strathcarron in north-west Scotland – set their sights on Mount Chaguch and became the first people to have ever reached its peak.
“It felt pretty good to have climbed Chaguch; it’s still got be verified, but it’s nice to know you were one of the first ones to look over the sides – we were the first footsteps in the snow so to speak,” said Mr Guest.
“You have places like Snodon, where lots of people have been, but we had this place to ourselves, which was pretty special. There have been two previous attempts, but they attempted it from another angle, which looked a lot more dangerous.
“The biggest challenge was mentally; overall the physical side was not that hard, but for a couple of days it was. There were times when I thought about turning back.
“I did a lot of walking and went to the gym before the expedition and I was the fitest I’d ever been. I was always felt I was strong enough and fit enough to deal with it, but I was going to a place I’d never been before – some of the days were a long graft.”
Mr Guest said that during the 40-day trek the predictability of the weather had helped them as they had left just before the monsoon.
“It would stay clear until lunchtime and then the weather would turn – we would get some occasional snow and the visibility would be reduced. The predictability helped us plan our days,” he said.
The party’s original intention had been to climb Mount Nanda Devi East, but they eventually reached one small section that Mr Guest said was simply not worth the risk.
“The chance of someone falling off was quite high and obviously the most important thing is for everyone to come back safe and sound,” he said. “It had been a long day – nine-and-a-half hours of graft – but the next day it was deemed to be too dangerous.
“In terms of Nanda Devi East the climb itself wasn’t too hard or dangerous, it was more challenging and enjoyable – there were some great views up there.
“It was a bit of disappointment, but you take the highs with the lows – it was a great experience. I loved India and would love to go back again as I really enjoyed it, although I could not believe how frantic the place was, it was absolute chaos everywhere.”
Mr Guest says he caught the mountaineering bug off a friend eight years ago and has since enjoyed exploring the world through his new found passion, having already seen the The Alps in Bolivia and the Andes.
Mr Guest said he would like to thank his sponsors – John, Edwina, Katy and Gemma Guest; Sheila White, Daphne Pearson, Peggy Smith, Kinlet WI, Gallagher’s Pet Food, and Val and Dennis Hill – who helped to make his record-breaking trek possible.