Kolkata: Satyarup Siddhant created a history of sorts by scaling Nelion peak of Mount Kenya, the second-highest mountain peak. The Bengaluru-based 37-years-old techie mountaineer holds a world record for being the youngest in the world to summit the highest mountains (7 Summits) of each continent, including Mt Everest in Nepal, and the highest Volcanoes (Volcanic 7 summits) of each continent. Fighting against all odds, the extreme weather conditions, scarcity of food and lack of woolen clothes, Siddhant unfurled the Indian flag, making every Indian proud.
In the morning, Satyarup and his guide, Kim, went out to check the hiking trail, which in mountaineer parlance is called acclimatisation. Though the mission was tough, Sidhant was determined. After conquering Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain peak, three times, it was time to conquer Mount Kenya for him. Siddhant and another mountaineer Kiran Patra set off from Kolkata on January 2 this year as per the plan.
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On January 7, they reached Point Lenana. They were to test the route on January 8 before summiting the next two mountains Nelian and Batian. These two mountain peaks are to be scaled in one day. However, as Kiran Patra fell ill, Satyarup Siddhant and his guide decided to take a break. Soon the weather also started to become unfavourable. Then it occurred to us that if the weather would be bad the next day too, the summit might have to be cancelled.
Since Nelia is a very inaccessible mountain and the trek is quite dangerous, many people fail to climb the mountain. "Since scaling every summit is quite expensive, there was also a huge mental pressure on me," said the mountaineer reminiscing his journey. "Old shoes, a hungry stomach and adverse weather were the impediments, but we kept going," he added. Relying on the strength of mind, the duo conquered the Nelion peak in record time.
