**Nanga Parbat from Fairy Meadows
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Nanga Parbat means “Naked Mountain” in Pakistan’s Urdu language. The name is apt: Nanga Parbat is the westernmost mountain in the Himalaya, and unlike many other mountains in the range, Nanga Parbat stands alone. Well separated from the nearest tall peak, the 8,215-meter (26,658-foot) summit is a commanding presence. The summit is the ninth highest in the world, and like all such high mountains, it can be a very perilous journey to the summit. The first recorded successful expedition to the summit was led by German climber Herman Buhl in 1953; previous attempts to reach Nanga Parbat’s peak had killed 31 people.**
