Next morning (July 20) we roused up soon after
midnight; but making tea at this altitude is such sloW
work that we did not get ofE till two o’clock. Very
slowly, in spite of the intense cold, we climbed the last
stone slope; then the rope and crampous were put on
and we began the ascent of a steep dome of snow.
After turning a few crevasses we worked over towards
the north, and suddenly we had a glimpse of Rakas
Tal far below us, though Mansarowar itself was hidden
by another great shoulder of the peak on which we
stood. There was a grand moon to light us, and we
had no need of our lanterns. Gradually, by almost
imperceptible degrees, came the dawn, and the shadows
melted from the valleys. Suddenly one of the great
peaks of Nepal caught the first rays of the sun. It was
far away to the south-east, seeming to over-top all its
neighbours: it was perhaps Dhaolagiri (26,826 ft.),
180 miles away.
But a great disappointment awaited us on reaching
the top of the ridge. We saw that the peak we were
making for was not the highest one of the group, but
evidently that marked 22,200 ft. on the map. Opposite
to us, across a deep chasm down which flowed a
beautifully white glacier,* was another great ridge
leading up to the true summit. There were two possible
routes to the top, one by the glacier below us and the
other by the ridge just mentioned. I favoured the
latter for several reasons. I t would obviously be
practicable to take coolies up to 20,000 ft. on it and
make a bivouac on a patch of rocks amongst the lowest
snow fields. On the ridge there would be no danger of
avalanches or falling stones ; it looked fairly easy ; and
* As this is one of the largest glaciers of the group, if not the largest, I propose
to call it the Gurla Mandhata glacier.
lastly, I thought that we should find it less oppressive
than toiling among the seracs and crevasses of the
glacier below. However, in justice to Alexis it must be
recorded that he favoured the other route.
RIDGE TO THE SOUTH TAKEN FROM ABOVE A
South-western gorge of Gurla Mandhata: mountains of Nepal beyond
There was nothing for it but to turn back, so we
descended to our bivouac and had some food. Our camp
and stores were packed up, and down we went, the
guides very heavily loaded, to rejoin the coolies waiting
for us below. On the way down I wounded a burhel
(Ovis nahura) which, I regret to say, got away. Alexis
put down his load and went after it, but without success.
Meanwhile I tried to carry his pack, but it was with the
greatest difficulty that I could get along with it at all,