Putha Hiunchuli is the westernmost peak of the Dhaulagiri range and is sometimes referred to as Dhaulagiri VII. It was first climbed in 1954 by Jimmy Roberts, a legendary explorer and climber and most possibly the father of moder-day trekking in Nepal.
The Dhaulagiri range is made up of some of the world's most impressive peaks. In this range, to the west of Annapurna South of Ganesh Himal, lies a long ridge at the end of which stands the serene Putha Hiunchuli. This mountain is the last 7000er marking the end of the snow-capped range. Our trek begins at the trading town of Dunai, which is about a week's walk away from the German Base Camp situated at an altitude of 4,525m. The landscape during the approach walk is as enchanting as it is unique: a mineral world made of high cliffs and deep canyons.
According to the book "High Asia", Jimmy Roberts did a reconnaissance of the Dhaulagiri massif in 1954, during which he and Ang Nyima climbed Putha Hinchuli 7246m (alias Dhaulagiri VII) via its northeast face. It appeared from the map that this face is most accessible from the Kaya Khola, a side-stream of the Barbung Khola which is directly across the valley from Kakkot. One of my plans for the trip was to take a look up the Kaya Khola.
