Arunachal Pradesh to host climb to Mt Gorichen & Bailey Trail trek

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh will host two national adventure events during September and October next, with high-altitude trekkers and seasoned mountaineers joining in from different corners of India.

Initiated by ace mountaineer from Arunachal Pradesh Dr Anshu Jamsenpa, the two events -- the Bailey Trail Trek and Mt Gorichen Expedition would be held in the State.

The events were formally launched during a media briefing at Guwahati on Saturday.

Dr Jamsenpa informed that around 80 local youths would be engaged and trained during the course of these two events after which, they can work as trainers, trekking guides, camp leaders, porters and cooks.

"Adventure tourism has a huge scope and youths should opt for these opportunities rather than run after government jobs that are scarce," she added and thanked the Union Ministry of Tourism, State Youth Affairs and Sports department and Tourism department for their support and encouragement.

On the occasion at Guwahati on Saturday, a dedicated website www.baileytrail.com was launched by Brigadier S Prasad, advisor to the organisers of the event.

Brigadier Prasad said, ''The Bailey Trail is a historic route taken by Lt Col F M Bailey, who was a British Political Officer. During his explorations of the area, he trekked from Bomdila to Tawang via Chander, Thungri, Changla, Potok, Lurtem, Mago and Jang with an altitude touching 15,500 ft above sea level.

"The same trek route was used by both the Indian and Chinese armies during the 1962 Indo-China war. As for the Mt Gorichen expedition, I am sure that the Indian Army would go all out in facilitating the mountain expeditions in Arunachal Himalayas including rescue operations as and when required," Brig Prasad said.

"As the world pushes to recover from a global pandemic, Dr Jamsenpa's bold initiative to revive, sustain and promote adventure tourism in Arunachal Pradesh could not have occurred at a better time than now," he added.

Assistant Director in the Ministry of Tourism R.S. Paswan has congratulated the core team members comprising Everester Nima Lama, Master Chef Amitabh Dutta, Adventurer Hemen Borah and Kukil Saikia for the bold effort to revive the adventure tourism industry from the clutches of the pandemic.

President of Arunachal Mountaineering and Adventure Sports Association (AMASA) Tsering Wange informed that Dr Jamsenpa, who holds a Guinness World Record in mountaineering, will lead the Mt Gorichen Expedition and Everester Nima Lama from the state will be the leader of the Bailey Trail Treks.

Wange has assured that health regulations and SOPs would be strictly followed for the safety of both the organisers and the participants. He also announced that part of the proceeds from the event would be donated to COVID-19 Relief Fund.

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