The Valley of Flowers

afternoon Alaknanda River Alaknanda Valley allardias already altitudes Androsace ascent avalanche Badrinath Banke Glacier base camp beautiful beneath bergschrund Bhotia Bhyundar Pass Bhyundar Valley bloom blue boulders buttress climb clouds cold colour crags crest crevasse crossed descended difficult distance Dotials east edge Expedition face feet high foot forest garden Garhwal glacier gorge gully height hillside Himalayas hour ice-axe ice-fall inches Joshimath Kamet Kangchenjunga light looked Mana Peak minutes mists monsoon moraine morning Mount Everest mountain Nanda Devi night Nilgiri Parbat Nilkanta nomocharis Nurbu overhanging Pasang path peak Peter pitch plants plateau porters possible potentillas precipices Primula rain Ranikhet Rataban reached rhododendron ridge rock rope route scrambled seemed seen séracs shepherds Sherpa slabs sleeping-bag slope snow snow-field snow-slope Snowman steep step stream summit tent Tewang thunder Tibetan torrent tracks traverse Valley of Flowers wall Wangdi weather whilst wind yards Zaskar Range