Dhenkanal, Jan. 29: Mountaineer Kalpana Dash, who had earlier scaled Mount Everest, has now climbed Mount Aconcagua (6,962 metres), Argentina's highest mountain as also of the western hemisphere.

The 48-year-old is the only Indian in the 13-member world team that ventured to the top of the mountain that is hazardous for humans due to its dry air.

Three out of 13 mountaineers had to call off their expedition midway following ill health at high altitude.

Despite suffering from some health complications, including a profusely bleeding nose, Kalpana managed to reach the top and become the second Indian and first-ever Odiato have attained the distinction.

'Dry air at such a high altitude caused nose bleeding, but I used nasal drops and other medicines that enabled me to carry on with my expedition. I still have some problems in my left leg where I feel numbness. I am undergoing physiotherapy to cure it,' said Kalpana.

A resident of Dhenkanal town and the third daughter of her parents, Kalpana had done a crash course in mountaineering and other related courses to be eligible to scale mountains following her instinct from childhood to scale new heights. She had scaled the Mount Everest (8,848 metres) in 2008. In 2010, Kalpana scaled a mountain in North America and in October last year, a peak in South Africa.

Reaching the top of Mount Aconcagua was one of the ambitions she had cherished for many years.

'I started from Odisha on December 30 for Argentina and began the expedition on January 4. I reached the summit of Mount Aconcagua on January 16. At the summit, I hoisted the Patitapaban bana (the holy flag of Lord Jagannath) which I had been carrying with me,' Kalpana said.

'After all, it's all by the Lord's grace that I could climb up the top and returned safe,' she said.

However, there was no help either from the Centre or the state government for Kalpana's mountaineering expeditions.

'It requires huge expenditure to go on such mountaineering expeditions. I did not have any money. I'm grateful to Angul district collectorS.R. Jadav, who had requested some private industries in my area to provide me some financial assistance. Besides, the State Bank of India, too, offered me some financial support. Moreover, Dhenkanal collector Rupa Roshan Sahu had also extended some financial help during my earlier trips,' she said.

Asked about her next venture, Kalpana said she had received an invitation to scale a mountain in Indonesia in February. But, Kalpana said she was yet to decide on it as the time was very short for her to prepare after such mountaineering activities abroad.

Kalpana works as an executive in a private power company in Dhenkanal.