Himalayan Journals — Complete: Or, Notes of a Naturalist in Bengal, the Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains, etc.Hooker, Joseph Dalton
History
Himalayan Journals — Complete: Or, Notes of a Naturalist in Bengal, the Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains, etc.
Hooker, Joseph Dalton
Himalaya Mountains -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Himalaya Mountains
As we should not easily be able to procure food further on, I laid in a
full stock here, and distributed blankets, etc., sufficient for
temporary use for all the people, dividing them into groups or messes.
Chapter IX
Leave Mywa—Suspension bridge—Landslips—Vegetation—Slope of
riverbed—Bees’ nests—Glacial phenomena—Tibetans, clothing, ornaments,
amulets, salutation, children, dogs—Last Limboo village,
Taptiatok—Beautiful scenery—Tibet village of
Lelyp—_Opuntia_—_Edgeworthia_—Crab-apple—Chameleon and
porcupine—Praying machine—_Abies Brunoniana_—European plants—Grand
scenery—Arrive at Wallanchoon—Scenery around—Trees—Tibet houses—Manis
and Mendongs—Tibet household—Food—Tea-soup—Hospitality—Yaks and Zobo,
uses and habits of—Bhoteeas—Yak-hair tents—Guobah of
Walloong—Jhatamansi—Obstacles to proceeding—Climate and
weather—Proceed—Rhododendrons, etc.—Lichens—_Poa annua_ and Shepherd’s
purse—Tibet camp—Tuquoroma—Scenery of pass—Glaciers and
snow—Summit—Plants, woolly, etc.
On the 18th November, we left Mywa Guola, and continued up the river to
the village of Wallanchoon or Walloong, which was reached in six
marches. The snowy peak of Junnoo (alt. 25,312 feet.) forms a
magnificent feature from this point, seen up the narrow gorge of the
river, bearing N.N.E. about thirty miles. I crossed the Mewa, an
affluent from the north, by another excellent suspension bridge. In
these bridges, the principal chains are clamped to rocks on either
shore, and the suspended loops occur at intervals of eight to ten feet;
the single sal-plank laid on these loops swings terrifically, and the
handrails not being four feet high, the sense of insecurity is very
great.
The Wallanchoon road follows the west bank, but the bridge above having
been carried away, we crossed by a plank, and proceeded along very
steep banks of decomposed chlorite schist, much contorted, and very
soapy, affording an insecure footing, especially where great landslips
had occurred, which were numerous, exposing acres of a reddish and
white soil of felspathic clay, sloping at an angle of 30°. Where the
angle was less than 15°, rice was cultivated, and partially irrigated.
The lateral streams (of a muddy opal green) had cut beds 200 feet deep
in the soft earth, and were very troublesome to cross, from the
crumbling cliffs on either side, and their broad swampy channels.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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