Summit and sustain: Uttarkashi team scales Satopanth, returns with 20kg waste

Uttarkashi: Braving harsh weather and sub-zero temperatures, a nine-member Uttarkashi team, including a woman, successfully scaled the Satopanth peak summit around 9.30am on June 18.

Led by Everest summiteer Praveen Rana, the team commenced its 40 km expedition on May 31 at Gangotri, trekking across the 12 km stretch from Vasukital base camp to the 23,211-feet summit.The team consisted of Munendra Rana, Naveen Panwar, Naveen Gusain, Pavnesh Rana, Ratan Singh Negi, Azad Singh Rana, Sachin Lama, and Chitreshwari Rajput.Praveen Rana told TOI on Monday that the team carried an unwavering message of a “clean and safe Himalayas”.

“We brought back four bags of garbage, weighing approximately 20kg, from the summit,” he added, setting a powerful example of blending mountaineering feats with environmental responsibility.Their ascent was disrupted by heavy snowfall on June 7 and 8. Though the team reached the summit camp on June 12, worsening weather forced them to retreat to camp 1. After four days of being pinned down by snow and severe weather conditions, they considered abandoning the climb before resuming the expedition on June 17 as conditions improved.The mountaineers returned safely to Gangotri Dham on Saturday, marking a major success for Uttarkashi’s mountaineering fraternity and the state, and drew praise for the team’s grit and resilience.