It was Monday afternoon when we returned from Mount Meru. And behind it Little Meru where we had sat in the afternoon sun the day before.a look back up at the summit of Meru from the west side of the crater rimIt took less than half the time to return to Saddle Hut; by 9:30 or so everyone was back.

There was even a section which included four or five lengths of steel cable bolted to the rock face but I would only see them on our return after sunrise – we had not made use of them in our scramble along the west side of the crater rim.My first attempt at getting a photo on the summit was a failure; my camera battery read “exhausted” thanks to the cold! We'll follow the river to the village of Khote and the lodge where we'll spend the night.This leg of the trek has many excellent views of Mera at the head of the river valley.Today we'll leave the forest, reaching a more open valley well before lunch. You will use crampons and ice axe, but there is plenty of time at the base of the mountain to learn these skills.However, because of the altitude, the trek is still very difficult and requires a high level of fitness. A total of five locals to look after – well, me! When I found out that I was the only Popote client scheduled to leave on that day and that another group of four was leaving the day after, I decided to postpone my departure for a day so I could join them.

We had our headlamps on as we walked across the Saddle to the trail that took us up to Rhino Point over a 45-minute period. You must also ensure you walk slowly, hydrate well, eat as much as you can and give yourself the best chance of arriving for summit night in good physical condition.Our itinerary takes 19 days in total . Mera Peak towers over the route on your right all the way. At this altitude the oxygen content of air is less than half of what it is at sea level - for this reason we would not recommend you take on Mera as your first high-altitude trek.

Also, any rainfall at this altitude falls as snow, and breaking tracks in this doubles the difficulty of the climb.

From Rhino Point we lost a few meters in altitude and then continued our way on a rougher “path” through the lava boulders. Each of the 20 or so rooms had beds for four but there were so few of us that we all got our own private room.The trek can be done over a three or four-day period. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Luckily I had another camera in my bag – and amazingly its battery was okay.Since the summit of Meru is about 1300 meters less high than Uhuru Peak on Mount Kilimanjaro,  in terms of possible acclimatization issues it could be considered an easier climb. A park ranger – complete with his rifle in case of possible troubles with animals – is assigned to each group. For visitors to this east African nation, there are lots of good reasons to include it in their list of “to do” activities.a sunrise view of Mount Meru from the top of KilimanjaroI had landed at Kilimanjaro International Airport a couple of days before and headed from Moshi to the park with my Popote crew.In the Toyota Land Cruiser were my guide Ken, two porters – Fella and George – and Wolfgang, the cook. (Two jeeps passed us during the hour or so we walked up the road.) You should arrive here in time to see the spectacular sunset over the whole mountain range.In order to climb Mera safely you need stable weather and for it to be dry. We'll make camp for the night at a small, little-used campsite in the forestWe'll continue through the jungle today, over more steep up-and-down terrain. This day will also be used to practise glacier traverse techniques with your guides.Just above Khare, you will put on your crampons, harnesses and ice axes to make your way over the glacier to Mera La Camp. For more general questions about trekking in Nepal see Although Mera Peak is very high, it is  a straightforward climb involving glacier travel, and only a basic level of mountaineering skill is required. Our guide will attach a fixed rope for the final steep ascent, and we will use our ice axes and jumars to make the last 30 metres (at a 55 degree angle).The view from the summit is everything you could hope, including mighty Everest in the distance.After we arrive in Khare, a celebration will be in order!We'll follow the Hinku Valley again, retracing our steps back to Khote.
By 1 a.m. my guide Ken and I would be getting ready to move.No pics from Day 3 until sunrise on the summit! We'll enter forested terrain again, then the farmland at the outskirts of Lukla.We'll take an early flight back into Kathmandu and your hotel today. We'll cross the river just above Tagnak then ascend the Dig Tsho glacier.

You need to understand how your body acclimatises to altitude before taking on a climb like Mera Peak. I’m left wondering about their profit margin!The ride from Moshi to the trailhead at Momella Gate took about 3 hours.
Meru, 6,660 m (21,850 ft), lies between Thalay Sagar and Shivling, and has some highly challenging routes, only recently ascended despite multiple attempts by the world's best climbers. The ascent up the glacier itself requires crampons, even though the glacier is relatively flat and easy to traverse.Mera La is a rounded snow col which leads up to the Mera Glacier. My blogging name true_north is fine to use; I also go by the name Peter Albinger! We begin with a steep ascent to Ramailo Dada and then descend on a zig-zag trail to the Tama Khola river. By then the Austrian couple had already left;  they had an even longer walk  – they were going down to Momella Gate and a ride out of the park that very afternoon!We got to Miriakamba in the early afternoon; the walk down had been relatively easy after all the “ups” of the two previous days. It is 6,660 metres (21,850 ft) high. We'll camp for the night just on the other side of Mera La pass.Day eleven is a contingency day, which means it is a chance to make up any time lost to bad weather or slow going without ruining the rest of the schedule.If we are on form so far we can skip ahead, of course.This is the first part of the real summit push, and we'll need our crampons again.

When we got to the top, we lounged around in the afternoon sun for perhaps a half-hour, enjoying the views. The view of Mera from this height is not to be missed either!After half an hour or so at the high altitude, we'll descend to Tagnak for lunch.There is also an optional afternoon trek up the north slopes to see what remains of Sabai Tsho after it broke through its bounds and caused so much flooding downstream.The hike to Khare is a gentle rise, and we can take our time.

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