Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 490 (Color Image)

0490	Southern Tibet : vol.4

flat depression just south ot the pass, though its ice-sheet seemed to be formed from
springs, to a large extent, and perhaps the »lake» disappears in summer. The path
down from the pass, is very steep, so much so, that one prefers to walk on foot.
The path leads down to a new latitudinal valley, which, however, is half closed both
to the east and west. Sha-kangsham now becomes visible in all its magnificence with
eternal snow-fields and glaciers. At the northern edge of the Yum-tso depression,
a spring of beautiful fresh water of +1.4° is bubbling up in a hole half a meter
across in the sandy ground which, around the hole, was frozen to a depth of 15 cm.
The spring forms a minimal brook which goes to the depression and feeds the ice-
sheet. The path leads along the eastern shore of the ice, where the shells of small
mollusks, especially Planorbis, are very numerous. On the slopes around, old camping
places were to be seen everywhere, and to our left, a large flock of sheep was
grazing. To our right a big tent was pitched. The ground then becomes undulated,
and here and there, snow patches are left. Beyond the undulated ground, we go
down to the very flat valley of a river, which was mostly open, and partly covered
with thick ice. Its bed was very broad and shallow. To the south it is bounded by
red hills. At its northern side, where we pitched our Camp CCCLIX, 4,768 m.,
was an ice-sheet, resembling a pool, but probably only formed by spring water.

To the N. E. and S. E. of the camp, two tents were seen. In the large tent
west of our route, only women and children were at home. The men were absent
with the yaks. The information given here did not agree with what we had been
told before. The real Yum-tso-la was said to be a pass we had to cross the next
day, and the lake they called Shar-tso. It is impossible to tell which information is
correct. The considerable snowy mountain to the E. S. E., they called Ya-kangsham-
gangri, though Sha-kangsham seems to be more correct. It is visible to the S. 64° E.,
on Pan. 439A, Tab. 81, and on the water colour sketch on the opposite page. The
snow-fields and névés are not continuous, for the black rock is visible even at the
very top of the massif. Properly, it forms a short ridge with five culminating peaks
becoming higher towards the south. In the valleys or troughs between the ridges
starting from the peaks, the névés and rudimentary glaciers are situated. Pan. 439A
and B, gives the perspective of the range of rounded reddish hills to the S. E., south,
S. W. and west, standing south of the river at our camp which was called Kangsham-
tsangpo. It seems to come from a valley about S. 60° E., and it flows N. 70° W.,
where, on the panorama, the continuation of its valley is visible. The latter half of
the same panorama gives an idea of the range we had crossed the same day.

On my journey in 1901, I passed N. E. and north of Sha-kangsham (Schah-
gandschum as I spelled it then). From the road between my Camps CII and CIII,
October 11th., I took bearings to its different peaks, as may be seen on Pl. 67, Vol. II
of the Atlas of my »Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia 1899—1902».

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

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