Women officers of eastern naval command scale peak in Leh

A 11-member Naval team, including two women officers from the Eastern Naval command here, reached the peak of the 6,250-metre high Mount Mentok Kangri on Rupshu plateau in eastern Leh on June 10, the Navy said today.

The expedition, launched in end-May, included a trek for a week from Tsokar lake, crossing high passesranging from 4,800 metres to 5,400 metres and reaching base camp at 5,300 metres, a Navy release said.

The team scaled the summit after 11 hours of climbing that included scaling a 70-degree wall of around 350 metres, traversing through a glacier amid occasional snowfall, it said. The group, which undertook yoga practice en route as a run-up to the International Yoga Day being celebrated onJune 21, was led by commander Amit Kumar, the release said.

They were assisted by three Sherpas and established six camps en routewith the summit camp pitched at 5,450 metres making a 800-metre near-vertical climb with deep crevices and long rocky moraines, it further said.

Then, the team ascended a near vertical rock/ice slope before unfurling the national flag andthe Naval ensign atop the peak, the release added.