Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 296 (Color Image)

0296	Southern Tibet : vol.4

cross the *Yupcha* valley. The ground is uncomfortable, uneven due to tussock-grass,
pierced by rabbits' holes and crossed by many small, dry watercourses from the
northern range. Sometimes heaps of débris are accumulated at the base of these red,
pink or yellow mountains. On the eastern side of the transverse valley the ground
rises in steep slopes to the *Pike-la*. To the south the pass valley is bounded by
a wild and rugged, rocky range, resembling the wall of a fortress. In the rocks,
eagles had their nests. *Camp LXXXVIII*, just west of the pass, had the rather
considerable altitude of 5,169 m. To the S. W., a plain could be seen, the ground
of which was said to be very soft and treacherous in the summer. *Dangra-yum-
tso* was not visible, only some of the snow peaks in its neighbourhood. One of
them, to the S. 28° W., was called *Kelung*; another, to the S. 50° W., *Takta-tumsing*.
The latter name is doubtful, at least I heard from other nomads farther south, of a
*Takta-tomsing* (or *-tumsing*) situated west of our *Camp XCVII*. *Ko-la* and *Dung-yin*
were other mountains somewhere near the southern lakes, but impossible to identify.
*Targo-gangri* and *Targo-tsangpo* were well known, though the name was pronounced
like *Targut*, and the river, which was said to be larger than *Bogtsang-tsangpo*, like
*Targut-chu*. The region around our camp was called *Rara*, and the mountain
south of it, containing the pass, *Pike-gongni*. *Nyungdok* is a red conical peak,
without snow, to the S. 58° W., *Lakor-deja* a peak to the S. 72° W., and *Nagmo-ri*
a flat mountain to the S. 66° W. The *Takta-tumsing* and *Kelung* seem to belong
to the same, nearly meridional, range.

Regarding the climate, the severe cold would continue for another two months
or to the middle of February, after which the winter becomes milder. Usually there
is very little snow in the winter, which remains dry; if snow falls, it does so only
on the higher mountains.

A little herd of *Ovis ammon* was seen in the high regions of the *Pike-gongni*.
The distance accomplished on *December 16th* was 11 km. We had only
0.6 km. to the pass *Pike-la*, with a height of 5,200 m. The next camp, *LXXXIX*,
10.4 km beyond the pass, at 4,867 m., was thus 333 m. below the pass, and
the slope down to it as 1:31. The general direction was E. S. E. The pass is very
flat, and is rather a threshold in a latitudinal valley. The valley going down from
the pass to the east, soon turns to the S. E., and there is, therefore, no distant
view. Nor did the weather allow any observation of the surroundings. After a stormy
night, with a temperature of —15.1°, the W. S. W. wind blew furiously during the whole
day and some snow fell. Otherwise the view to the S. W. would have been very
valuable, if not from the pass, at least from some of the heights in its neighbourhood.
The road follows the valley to the east where two steep rocky teeth of the usual
limestone, form a beautiful and regular gate by which the pass-brook and the road
go down, turning to the S. E. This gate is only about 10 m. broad. The valley is

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Citation Information

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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books