ASIAN ALPINE E–NEWS
Issue No. 28 June 2018

Tibetan pilgrims crossing Yu Qu in Deep Gorge Country

Contents
Page 2 ~ 19

HARISH KAPADIA

THE PLATEAUMountains of Sikkim – China Border
HENGDUAN MOUNTAINS CLUBPage 20 ~ 41

Mountains of Goddess “Damyon” to fascinate Mick Flower
Untrodden Mighty Nu Shan Range in Southeat Tibet―Salween-Mekong Divide in Gorge Country―(supplemented with Dungri Garpo massif)

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HARISH KAPADIA

THE PLATEAUMountains of Sikkim – China Border

Above picture is Gurudongmar Lake and peaks.

This was my fifth visit to the mountains of Sikkim. As a young student I was part of the
training course of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in 1964. The mountains of west
Sikkim, like Kabru, Rathong, Pandim and host of others were attractive to my young eyes. I
returned in 1976. No sooner Sikkim became a state on India two us, Zerksis Boga and I
obtained permits and roamed the valleys for more than a month in the northwest Sikkim,
covering Zemu glacier, Lhonak valley Muguthang, Lugnak la, Sebu la and returned via the
Lachung valley. 1 I returned a few times to Darjeeling and Sikkim valleys visiting theSingalila ridge, lakes of lower Sikkim and surroundings of Gangtok and Kalimpong. If you
stretch the area to the south, I made several visits to Darjeeling and nearby hills over theyears. Moreover in Sikkim the approach to different valleys is so varied that it gives afeeling of trekking in different Himalayan zones.

1

High Himalayan Unknown Valleys, by Harish Kapadia, p. 156. (Indus Books, New Delhi, 2001). Also
Himalayan Journal, Vol. 35, p.181

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In no other country on earth can one find such a variety of microclimates within such a short distance as Sikkim, declared the eminent
English botanist and explorer Joseph Hooker in his Himalayan Journals(1854), which documented his work collecting and classifying thousandsof plants in the Himalaya in the mid-19th century.

In the shadow of the Himalayas, by John Claude White, 1883-1908.
But one prized catch had escaped me- the northern-most valley of Sikkim near the China(Tibet) border. Known as ‘the Plateau’, this area contains some of the highest (after the
Kangchenjunga group) and most beautiful peaks. This area was visited by several early
explorers but after the 1962 India-China war it was highly restricted, especially as in later
decades Chinese tried to assert themselves in these valleys. To its east lies the Chumbi
valley which drains the Amo chu. It was through here that much trade with Tibet was
carried out. The Younghusband Mission to Tibet passed through this valley 1903-1904.
The early Everest expeditions either passed through the Chumbi or across the high passes ofNaku la or Karpo la on the west of the Plateau. These early climbers, with spirit andstamina, climbed few of the high peaks on their way back even after months spent on
Everest.
It was a few political officers, posted to the Darbar of the Chogyal in Sikkim by the British,
who travelled to remote parts and recorded their journeys. Claude White at the end of the
19th and beginning of the 20th century, was a well travelled man. F. M. Bailey and F.
Williamson explored the area between the two world wars. Experienced botanical explorers
and naturalists F. Kingdon-Ward, F. Ludlow and George Sherriff added much to theknowledge of the northern Sikkim. Amongst the climbers Dr A.M. Kellas stands out. He
made six expeditions to Sikkim between 1907 and 1920 and made many first ascents. He
was especially active on the Plateau, and in 1910 alone he made the first ascent of 10 peaks
above 6000 m, all first ascents. He had special attraction to the highest peak on the Plateau,
Pauhunri (7125m).
In August and October, 1909, Dr Kellas attempted Pauhunri in two separate attempts,
reaching within 100 m of the summit. Not to be defeated, he returned in May-June 1910 and
Pauhunri yielded to his efforts and was climbed in a five day struggle from 13 to 17 June. All
these efforts were on the northeast face, approached from the Chumbi. His route wasrepeated by C.W.F. Noyce (24 September 1945) and French climber R. Walter (24 September
1949). After three decades an Indian army team (Col. V.Y.Bhave) made an ascent from thePlateau and northwest face (20 September 1983) and was repeated by a team of para
military forces (Sonam Wangyal) on 1 November 1989.
Three of us, Atul Rawal, Vijay Kothari and I arrived in May 2012 to trek in the northSikkim area and the Plateau. We were all above 65 years in age and were supported by ourdependable three Kumauni porters. At first we had to acclimatise to the altitude to reach thePlateau, as the average height is almost 19,000 ft. However, with such strong winds, it is notpossible to stay long enough to acclimatise. Hence we entered the Lachung valley first.

Lachung, Dombang and Borum la
Half a day of travel on a rough road from Gangtok brought us to Lachung which was at grips
with tourists, or what they call ‘Package travellers’. A group is offered a ‘package’ to start2

from Kolkata, travel overnight by train to Siliguri and drive to Gangtok. The following day is
a long drive to Lachung. On the third day this horde drives up to what is known as ‘Zero
Point’ (at foot of Donkhya la), rambles for half an hour on snow, returnsto Lachung, andremarkably, ahead to Gangtok same evening. On the fourth day they drive to the railway
station and return by night train back to Kolkata. In between they see a monastery or two
and do some shopping! We were amazed at their stamina, lack of time and no curiosity to
see anything more.
Lachung was a small village, now with a few hotels and many guest houses. It was wellspread out and with strong army presence as several routes from here lead to the border
between Chumbi valley and China. There was no trace or memory of the Scottish missionary
Miss Doig, who had spent decades here and was well known to the early expeditions.
After about five kilometres a road bifurcates east to the Dombang valley. It is a long valley,
almost parallel to the main Lachung valley. One side are the steep slopes to the border with
Gora la (5248 m), once an easy pass to the east. The ridge between the Dombang and
Lachung valley, ‘the Dombang ridge’, contained several peaks, not higher than about 5800 m
but attractive. The Dombang valley was thoroughly explored by Trevor Braham in 1949 with
M. Hruska, a Czech climber. They selected to go in November, facing the cold but hopefully
enjoying clear weather, a rarity in Sikkim. With them was the famous Sherpa Ang Tharkay.
‘Ang Tharkay’s reputation was founded, I think, not on his natural qualities as amountaineer, but also on his ability as a manager. The confidence and trust which heinspired gave one the comforting assurance that if a solution to any problem existed hewould find it.’ 2 After reaching the foot of Gora la, they followed a smaller tract to thenorthwest over the Karpo la (5383 m). They followed the Khangkyong glacier and found a
way to the Plateau via Donkhya la. ‘The Plateau was almost two miles deep, it was
surrounded by a row of five peaks, two over 23,000 feet and the remainder over 22,000
feet......’3. This was a fine exploration of an alternate approach to the Plateau. We were to see
these peaks and the 19,000 foot pass reached by him from the north soon.
Our association with the journey of Trevor Braham continued. We spent two delightful daysat the forest rest house at Yumthang, after passing the rhododendron sanctuary. This vast
open ground is surrounded by sharp rocky mountains to the west and the Dembang range tothe east. If developed, this ground can challenge any climbing centre in the world.
The trek to Borum la (4883 m) starts about three kilometres ahead of Yumthang. A board
had been put up at the junction with Lako chu, encouraging tourists to walk, ‘1.5 km to Hot
Springs’. We went up a well made path which soon disappeared and, for at least 15
kilometres where the valley ended, there were no hot springs. After a camp the trail entereda narrow valley and led to the small lake almost near Borum la, fed by the Borum glacier. In
1949, Braham could not cross the lake and we were confronted with the same situation.4 We
were well advised by the army not to cross Borum la as the trail on the west, towards the
Lachen valley, was destroyed by the earthquake in 2011. The earthquake was about 10 km
below the surface and the areas, even ancient monasteries, near the epicentre were left
relatively untouched. But it was far away areas like this Lachung-Lachen ridge that bore
the full force. Anyway reaching the pass was all that we desired and an acclimatised party
now returned to Lachung and thence by road to Lachen for the second part of our trek.

2

Himalayan Odyssey, by T H Braham, p. 54-55. (George, Allen and Unwin, London, 1974)
Braham, ibid. p. 56
4Braham, ibid. p. 60
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(The Giagong Valley) is a desolate, windswept spot lying in thecentre of a gorge between Chomoiomo (Chomo Yummo) 23,000 feeton the west, and Kangchenjhau, 24,000 feet, on the east, and is averitable funnel up which the wind always howling. I managed,
however, to find a fairly sheltered spot for my camp and stayed afew days. One day I climbed a hill to the west called Tunlo, andfrom the top I had a magnificent view to the north Sikhim up to
the rounded hills forming the watershed and the true boundary.
Looked at from this elevation, the scene is a most desolate one
truly typical of, and only to be found in, Tibet: with the exceptionof the valley immediately below me, nothing was under 18,000 feet,without shrub, much less a tree, to be seen, and the wonder was
how the large flocks of sheep scattered about, numbering perhaps
10,000 or 12,000, found enough grazing to keep them alive.
In the shadow of the Himalayas, by John Claude White, 1883-1908.

We were heading to the Giagong valley, described by White. In fact we were to make a sortof base camp at Giagong to visit the Plateau twice. But first we spent two days at Lachen,which I had visited in 1976. It had changed completely of course and all my enquiries about
my old memories bore no fruit. The old monastery was now fully renovated stood next to amodern hotel. There was no sign of family of the famous guide Kondup lama who had
accompanied me. He was as legendary as Tensing Norgay Sherpa, undertaking several
journeys to Everest via Tibet with him. No one remembered the Scottish Mission at Lachen.
The old forest bungalow where I had spent wonderful days, was surrounded by hutments
and was now turned ugly, and into a non-functional radio broadcasting station. I had seen
the log book here where most early Everest team members had signed, and some signatures
were missing on return entry, of those who had perished on the mountains. There was signof this log book at any forest establishments till Gangtok. The system of ‘Phipun’ (village
headman) was prevalent but now it was an elected post within the village.
Mountain scenery was to change rapidly in next two days. Driving to Thango we had firstviews of twin Lama Angden peaks 5868 m, first climbed by A.J.M. Smyth and Wing
Commander Ford in September 1942. Soon the southern view of the peaks on the Plateau
emerged, looking like a hug block of snow clad peaks of Gurudongmar and Kangchenjau.
Both these peaks have a long history.
On his return from Everest in 1936 Eric Shipton and E.G.H. Kempson separated from themain party to enter the Plateau from Kongra la (5133 m). On 1 July, in a long day push, twoof them made the first ascent of Gurudongmar (6715 m), by reaching a col from the shores ofthe lake to climb the steep west ridge. The second ascent was made only in 1991 when apara-military force team (G.T.Bhutia) climbed it on 3 October, along with nearby Sanglaphu(6224 m). Kangchenjau (6889 m) was Dr Kellas’ territory. In August 1912 he reached a colfrom Sebu la and reached the upper rocks. He turned to the north ridge from here to reachthe summit plateau and the top. The other creditable attempt was made by Trevor Braham
in 1949. The mountain also killed four Indian climbers in an avalanche in 2005. Dr P.M.Das
a well known mountaineer died on these slopes.5

5 While attempting the summit, the party was hurled down in an avalanche and got entangled in the ropes
they were tied to. In all five climbers died on the spot and two survived with serious injuries. Thos who died
were Dr Paras Moni Das, Inder Kumar, Ms. Nari Dhami (these two had summitted Everest recently), Dawa

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We spent the first night at the Giagong camp of the Indian army. In fact winds were sostrong that it would be a major effort to set up small mountaineering tents. Next morning
we walked towards Tunlo, a small hill in the west, which was mentioned by White. There
were some yak herders camped there and the view of the vast plateau was rewarding. In the
distance we could see remains of a sangar (rock wall) built by Tibetans to protect themselves
against any invaders. We passed this wall next day. 6
Kangchenjau rose fearfully in the east with huge blocks of ice hanging on its face. On thewest was Chomo Yummo (6829 m). Both these and their surrounding peaks were to be seen
all along till we turned east on the Plateau. Chomo Yummo straddles on the ridge between
the Giagong valley and the Tibet border broadly. The attempt by T. H. Tilly with Ang
Tharkay in 1945 from Donkung, and the northeast approach, failed. Then came Dr. Kellasagain! In 1910 he climbed the northwest ridge to make the first ascent. In 1986, this peak
was to suffer an assault by 39 summitters from an army team (Maj. Gen. P.L. Kukrety).
They fixed ropes till the top and all climbed up- a far cry from the ascents by Dr. Kellas.
To our west was Chummankang (6212 m) earlier known as Laschi. Leaving luggage withthe legendary Karma Paul, Bill Tilman and his Sherpas climbed this rather gentle peak. It
was rainy season so route finding was complicated and they could hardly see any view. But
Tilman turned that to virtue and wrote: ‘The great disadvantage of the monsoon period ofseeing neither where one is going nor the surrounding scenery is compensated for in small
degree by the surprises and shocks occasionally administered by a momentary lifting of theclouds, and by the fun of guessing where one is. A journey in this season can also berecommended to those who enjoy discomfort’.7 We were soon heading for the Plateau. Little
ahead at Donkung a bifurcation led to Mirdo, which is known as the ‘Finger area’ due to theborder jutting out like a finger on the Tibetan plateau. This was the route of early
expeditions to Tibet, going across Kongra la (5133 m). But then this area was ‘sensitive’ dueto the Chinese designs. We were fortunate to be permitted to spend some wonderful time on
the Plateau which is strictly regulated after the India-China War of 1962.
The Plateau was vast and wild, more than anything we had imagined. As we passed
Yumcho plains (with a small lake), wind, which explorers had called ‘a veritable curse’, wasstarting to build up. Travellers were glad to lie down in some hollow or crouch behind stones
so as to be out of wind even for a few minutes! The Gurudongmar lake (5176 m) was
sublime with deep blue water and white peaks of Gurudongmar and Kangchenjau formed
the backdrop There were tourists visiting fleetingly and praying at the temple built by thearmy, this was the grand finale of their ‘package’! Our next aim was the high Dorji la (5640m). Vast number of peaks opened to view from here and the scene was best described by
White. ‘There is something exhilarating in these high altitudes, the tremendous expanse ofsnow around gives a feeling of freedom not experienced at lower elevations, while there isalways a fascination in arriving at a summit of a mountain, (or a pass) particularly when theunknown is on the other side.’ (Italics mine) 8

Sherpa and Dawa Wangchuk, instructors from mountaineering school at Gangtok. Dr P. M. Das was a highranking police officer and a well-known climber. Obituary of Dr P. M. Das in, Himalayan Journal, Vol. 62, p. 270.
Also see details in the Himalayan Club Newsletter, No. 59 (2006), p.7.
6 ‘About a mile north of this camping ground (Giagong) are the remains of the wall built by the Tibetans as an
obstruction to the British Mission to Tibet in 1903-04.’ Tours in Sikhim by Percy Brown, p.128 ( W. Newman
and co., Ltd., Calcutta, 1944).
7 ‘Laschi and the Zemu Gap’ by H.W.Tilman. Himalayan Journal, Vol. XI, p. 148.
8 In the shadow of the Himalayas, by John Claude White, 1883-1908. (Reprint, Mapin Publishing, Ahmadabad,
2005, p.69- 70)

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As we turned towards south, looking towards Kerang, the mountain scene that we had comelooking for opened in front of us.

It is one of the most remarkable landscapes in the world, and alone
worth the journey to see it... Cho Lhamo is in front, beneath the feetof the spectator, beyond is a desert with rounded hills. Further away,
range after range of mountains, some of them covered with snow,
extend to a distance the eye cannot appreciate. The total change ofcolour and form from the valleys of Sikhim, the utter barrenness, theintense clearness of the atmosphere, produce such an effect as if one
were grazing upon another world in which the order of this is nolonger preserved, where a tropical desert is seen amongst snowcapped peaks, beneath the unnaturally clear atmosphere of the arctic
regions.
(Blanford, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1871. p. 407)

The Donkhya la (5495 m) was in front of us, flanked by peak Donkhya Ri (6190 m) andSanglapu (6224 m). The southeast was dominated by Pauhunri (7125 m) and its fivesatellite peaks were leading to the south on the ridge dividing the Plateau and the Chumbi
valley. These peaks were: 7032 m, 6911 m, 7032 m, 6915 m and, 6730 m, all unclimbed andunattempted. This would be one of the highest wall separating two valleys.
Cho Lhamo (or Tso Lhamo) had many attractions. Birds from Siberia and Russia come here
during summer. There is much wildlife and vegetation. It is reported that geologically the
Plateau is important. ‘Messers G.B. Gourlay and J. B. Auden spent October and earlyNovember 1934 on a visit to north-eastern Sikkim. At a height of about 17,300 ft, they founda series of highly fossiliferous shale and limestone, the preliminary examination of whichsuggests that these beds are Triassic in age. This find is important in that these Tso Lhamo
beds fill the gap between Lower Permian Lachi beds first found in 1933 by L.R.Wagner
when on the Everest Expedition, and the Jurassic system which has long been known tocover so much of Tibet.’ (Kenneth Mason, Editor, Himalayan Journal, Vol. VII, p. 139-141)
The Tibetan frontier ran to our north for a long distance, a high ridge with passes of
Kongyakma (5605 m), Sesse la, (5462 m), Chulung la (5447 m) and ending at the ‘Finger
area’ and pass of Kongra la (5133 m). The famous Kampa Dzong, where Dr Kellas wasburied, was about 35 km from here. Thus Kampa Dzong was closely related to themountains of Sikkim.

Just before reaching Kampa Dzong, Dr Kellas died of heart
failure. He had been ailing since the march through the humbi
valley. He had strained his heart during the previous year on
Kamet and Narsing (19,128) and in the early spring of 1921 incamps over 20,000 feet on Kabru. The country between Phariand Kampa Dzong, mostly above 16,000 feet was now too severe
for him. He was buried on 6 June (1921) on the slopes of the6hills south of Kampa Dzong facing the mountains of Sikkim,
which he alone had climbed.
Abode of Snow, by Kenneth Mason,
If there was a high, windy and desolate frontier anywhere, it was here. One could see a hintof Tibetan borderland of Chumbi valley. ‘It was a magnificent afternoon and the view overTibet was glorious. The power of sun’s rays at this height in the very clear atmosphere was
extraordinary, and I have never before or since felt it in the same way’- again to quote
White.9 We were on the shores of the Cho Lhamo lake though it had much snow on it but thelocation and surroundings were so beautiful that we forgot the strong wind and remained
there in silence for some time.
The final word should belong to John D. Hooker, who, having seen most parts of theHimalaya pays the ultimate compliment to the Plateau and Cho Lhamo:
I doubt whether the world contains any scene with more sublime
associations than this calm sheet of water, 17,000 feet above sea,
with the shadow of mountains, 22,000 to 24,000 feet high, sleeping
on its bosom.10

Members: Harish Kapadia (67), Atul Rawal (64) and Vijay Kothari (69)Period: May 2012

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Historical Map of Sikkim in northeastern India
Historical Map of Sikkim in northeastern India extracted from map prepared by Trelawney
Saunders, 1876, titled "The routes of Bogle, Turner and Manning between Bengal and Tibet"
and published in the book, Narratives of the Mission of George Bogle to Tibet, and of the
Journey of Thomas Manning to Lhasa, by Clements R. Markham, C.B., F.R.S. Geographical
Department, India Office. Published by London: Trübner and Co., Ludgate Hill. 1876.

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HENGDUAN MOUNTAINS CLUBMountains of Goddess “Damyon” to fascinate Mick Flower
Untrodden Mighty Nu Shan Range in Southeat Tibet―Salween-Mekong Divide in Gorge Country―(supplemented with Dungri Garpo massif)

Southeast face of Damyon 6324m viewed from near Yanjing (Yakalo) town
The mountain range on the Salween-Mekong Divide stretches about 700 km from the Tibetan Plateau to thesouth and is divided into two parts, the Taniantaweng Shan in the north and the Nu Shan in the south. The
Sichuan Tibet Highway (Southern route) from Sichuan to Tibet runs along the southern rim of the Tibetan
Plateau and crosses the southern part of the Taniantaweng range over the pass Tongda La (5,008 m). To thenorth of this high pass there aren’t any prominent peaks exceeding 6,000 m. In the south, however, soar
Dungri Garpo (6,090 m) and the Damyon (6,324 m) massifs.
The latter is a, large and impressive mountain massif with two other 6,000 m peaks and many 5,800 – 5,900m rock peaks. The local Tibetan inhabitants consider the Damyon to be a mountain of Goddess, sacred
mountain. A complete panorama of its eastern flank can be admired from the pass Hong La (4,200 m), where
1the Yunnan Tibet Highway crosses the Mekong-Yangtze Divide. The massif is composed of many lofty
crags/turrets/pinnacles but its glaciers have receded and are now small. All peaks remain unclimbed. To thesouth of the Taniantaweng Shan, the Nu Shan range continues down to south, where the most importantpart is stunning peaks of the Meil Xueshan (Snow Mountains) massif. They are well known as Ka-Kar-Po,
Kang Karpo or Moirigkawagarbo (6,740 m), a holy peak and the other 20 peaks. We call the region as the
Deep Gorge Country.
To our regret, foreigners are now allowed to access to and to enter these alluring mountains due to strict
control by the Chinese administration.

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Ca 5800m peaks east face viewed beyond Mekong River from Hong La 4500m on Mekong-Yangtze Divide

6045m peak immediate north of Damyon east face seen from Hong La 4500m on Mekong-Yangtze Divide
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Mekong River a bit north of Yanjing town, river terrace and Tibetan village, southeast Tibet5

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A plant hunter, Frank Kingdon-Ward is the first explorer to have reconnoitred Damyon massif. He wrote in
the preface of his narrative From China to Khamti Long (Captain F. Kingdon-Ward, Edward Arnold & Co.,
London 1924), of the author’s six months journey nearly one century ago stating from Lijiang throughNorthwest Yunnan / Southeast Tibet to KHamti Long of North Burma.

7“My object in this book is to give some idea of the rapid changes which take place – physical, climatic,
and botanical – as you travel westwards from Yangtze across that narrow strip of earth crust where thegreat rivers of South-east Asia escape from Tibet; and of the jungles which hide the headwaters of themighty Irrawaddy, Burma’s river.”Frank Kingdon-Ward is the first explorer to have reconnoitred Damyon massif.
“Just opposite Yakalo (Nakamura’s note: Yanjing) across the Mekong, rises the snow-peak of Damyon, thesummit of which is visible from the French Mission. It has a local reputation as a sacred mountain, meritbeing acquired by marching round it. I decided to make it my first objective in the search for plants andglaciers (not merit), and the last day of August we left Yakalo in splendid weather. I took only six mules, as
we intended to be back in eight or ten days, and thus lightly equipped, we were able to travel rapidly. In
order to reach Damyon, the snowy range between the Mekong and independent Tibet, it was first of allnecessary to cross the Mekong, by the rope bridge just below the salts-wells. [The name of Damyon is probablyof Moso origin; anyhow, it is neither Chinese nor Tibetan]”

Mekong River and salt wells in Yanjing having 800 years history

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Salt wells & Mekong River, Yanjing

Yanjing (Yakalo) Catholic Church

Lagong Monastery near Yanjing (Yakalo)“It is an abrupt climb from the Mekong gorge to the crest of the ridge, over 3,000 feet above the river. We
spent the night at a small house close by ruins of the monastery (Nakamura’s note: Lagong Monastery), andon the following day, September 1, started up the ravine which leads to Damyon.”“Presently we entered the forest and matters became difficult, for the trail was encumbered with fallen
tree-trunks. But worse was to come, for as we ascended we came to screes and moraines, where there was9practically no trail at all. In the days of Tibetan ascendancy, merit was acquired by any lama who made thecircuit of the sacred Damyon”.
“Huge screes, almost bare of vegetation, towered on either hand and were crowned by barer crags. Glaciers
had once filled the valley, but now we were many miles from the foot of the nearest glacier. What had
caused the ice to disappear? Was the climate warmer than formerly, or was the snow-fall much less? ------In a high valley facing north, at about 17,000 feet above sea-level, I found a dying glacier – or rather deadglacier. For it was but a corpse, a wraith crouching at the very top of the valley, hidden from sight. There
was no snowfield to nourish it and keep it alive; in a few decades at most no vestige of it would remain;
whereas in the case of main Damyon glaciers, though they had retreated many miles and were still
shrinking, they could never completely disappear unless Damyon itself fell down, since a peak nearly 20,000
feet must be always snow bound. This is an interesting fact. Dead glaciers! Could anything more droll”“We camped at 16,000 feet by a small lake, the highest point at which firewood could be obtained from shrub
Rhododendron. ------ At the head of the valley, only a few miles distant, where a large lake lay at the foot of
the cliffs, was Damyon itself, crowned with eternal snow. Not a thousand feet above the lake, but hidden
behind a rampart of moraines which it had pushed forward even in retreat, was the glacier. With much toil
we climbed the steep and slippery pile to its foot, and secured the first photograph of it, to prove once morethat the glaciers in this part of the world are in full retreat, and the North-western in Yunnan at least isindeed drying up.”
“We spent several days here, climbing to 17,000 feet, exploring and collecting plants; for on these ranges
flowering plants are found at nearly 18,000 feet. In the spreading water at the head of the valleys stood
hundreds of plants of a Primula allied to sinoplantaginea, the dark purple capsules showing their teeth inan autumnal grin; but the tightly packed seeds
were still green.”“Damyon glacier ends 1,176 feet above the Tzaya
glacier; the former, however, south face, whereas
the latter faces north.

The snow-line on

Damyon is about 18,000 feet, it and the peakitself in the neighbourhood of 19,000 feet.”
After nearly one century later, Nakamura’s party
explored and made a reconnaissance of thewestern side of Damyon massif from the Yu Qu
basin, a large tributary of the Salween River (NuJinag) in autumn of 2007.

A record of thisexpedition was published on the Japanese Alpine
News vol. 9 2008. This article mainly deals withintroduction of challenging peaks in the Damyon
massif with related maps. All the peaks are notattempted to climb by anyone else.

Vulture on Sichuan-Tibet Highway

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ca 5800m peak east face south of Damyon viewed from Hong La 4500m on Mekong-Yangtze Divide

Catholic church in Yanjing, Catholic missionaries first came to Yanjing in 1865 and then French, German
and Swiss missionaries followed. Present church was opened by Swiss mission and has more than 200
Tibetan believers.
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Team of Hengduan Mountains Club headed to the south face of Damyon in 2008.

Damyon 6324m southwest face viewed from Do village

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Do village and a friendly Tibetan , base for exploration of southern side of Damyon massif

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Damyon 6324m north face from Jo Ba La soon after crossing Mekong River on Sichuan-Tibet Highway

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Damyon 6324m E face viewed beyond Mekong River from Hong La 4500m on Mekong-Yangtze Divide

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Dungri Garpo 6090m Massif north of Damyon
Nu Shan – Deep Gorge Country
No one has accessed to this massif from the western side and no photographs were ever taken. A name andheight of the peak “Durngri Garpo” are seen only on a map of 1: 2,500,000, Map of Mountain Peaks of the
Qingha-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau published in China. A huge mountain range named as Nu Shan forming
watershed which shares the Mekong (Lancang Jiang) and Salween (Nu Jiang) Rivers runs from north tosouth forming three outstanding mountain massifs in the heart of the Deep Gorge Country of the Hengduan
Mountains as follows.
(1) Dungri Garpo massif(2) Damyon massif(3) Meili Snow Mountains
Durnri Garpo massif is located on the Mekong-Yu Qu (a tributary of the Salween River) Divide north of
Damyon massif. The Yu Qu is called “Mystery River of Tiber” named by Frank Kingdon-Ward for uniquestream. The main peak 6090m Dungri Garpo is in E 98°20’ and N 29°17’. According to local villagers
Durngri means conch horn. The Damyon and Durngri Garpo are the northern extension of the Nu Shan and
the Meili Snow Mountains are the southern extension.
From north, the Durgri Garpo massif has a nameless 6,070m peak, main peak Dungri Garpo 6090m,
Jiamutongnan 5925m, several 5,700~5,800 rock peaks and Longequji Puzong ca. 6,000m which is close to
the Damyon.

Aerial view from Kunming (Yunnan) to Lhasa

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Crossing Mekong River at Samba Durca, Sichuan-Tibet Highlway, to enter the Gorge Country from northBeautiful Yu Qu and cantilever bridge
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(left) Dungri Garpo 6090m (right) nameless 6070m east face viewed from Sichuan-Tibet Highway

Caravan marching up toward the western side of Dungri Garpo
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Dungri Garpo 6070 west face viewed from a upper tributary of Yu Qu

Marching up a tributary of Yu Qu, peaks are ca. 5800m
20Jiamtongnan 5925m south face, Tso Bong Qu, a tributary of Yu Qu
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Ca. 5800m rock peak south face, Tso Boog Qu, a tributary of Yu Qu

Durngi Garpo 6090m east face viewed from Sichuan-Tibet Highway near Markam
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