The Coolidge examiner., 1931-08-21
prepared by the National Geographic
Society. Washington. ID. c.

Society. washington. II. u
CUNTS Kamet and kinchin
NJ junga in the Himalayas
4'A have taken the place OF
Mount Everest this summer in the
interest of the worlds mountain
climbers. Mount Kamet, 25.445
feet high. was successfully scaled
by British party on June 21
kinchinjunga, 27,S15 feet, high, is
now being attacked by a party OF
Germans.
Heretofore, Mount Kamet has sell
dom been heard of when the earth's
highest pinnacleS are being dis
cuSSed. hut nevertheless it is one
of the select little group of Asiatic
Peaks that push up farther above
sea level than mountains in any
other part of the earth. Although
it ranks thirtieth among the amaZ-
ing group of mountain giants that
extend along the Himalaya chain
and into China. it is not greatly
surpassed in height by any of its
fellows except Everest, 29,002 feet
high; Goodwin Austen, 2S,250 ;
Kinchinjunga. 27,S15; Dhaulagiri,
26.S2S, and Gasai Than, 26.30j. All
of these super-giants among noun
tains are i'm Nepal except Goodwin
Austen, which is in northern Kash-
mir.
The peak ON Mount Kamit is
situated just a stones throw south
of the Tibetan border, in the United
Provinces of India. Nearby is
Nanda Devi, which tops it by less
than 200 feet. These comparisons
boil down TO the fact that Kamet
is the third highest mountain in
the British empire; and by virtue
of this fact it was considered well
worth a serious attack by mountain
climbers.
While Mounts Everest and Kin
chinjunga are near Darjeeling, hill
capital of Bengal, Mount Kamet is
GOO miles to the northwest near
Simla, hill capital of India. 1t
lies in the Carnival district of the
United Provinces, 130 miles due
east of Simla near the eightieth me-
ridian of longitude. This area came
into British possessions in 1914 as
a result of the Gurka war with
NepaD. This region consists of a
maze of high peaks with extremely
deep valleys winding among them.
The valleys and lower slopes are
heavily wooded.
How Mount Kamet Is Reached.
The railhead used in expeditions
to Mount kamet is at Kathgodam.
in the United Provinces. at the
southern edge of the Himalayan
foothills. From there travel is over.
land through valleys and up steep
slopes to Ranikhet. a hill village
comparable in location to Simla.
From Ranikhet the way leads over
rough country and across a num-
ber of deep river gOrges, to the viii
lase of Niti at 10000 feet altitude.
From this point both yaks and
cOOlie bearers are used.
Although numerous attempts to
scale Mount Kamet have been made
since 1855. no one succeeded in
reaching the summit until This sum-
me-. The latest expedition prior
TO the one that has just scaled the
peak was led by DR.. A. NJ. KeIlas.
He reached an altitude of 23.60O
feet, but had to turn back because
his native assistants were suffer
ing from mountain sickness.
On the slopes of Mount Kamet
is one of the chief head-water gla-
ciers of the Ganges river.
Kinchinjunga is bigger game for
the mountain climber than Kamet.
both because of its extreme height
and the steepness of its slopes. 1t is
the third highest mountain in the
world, reaching upward five and
one-third miles above sea level.
OF the three highest peaks-Ever-
est, Goodwin Austen and Kinchin-
junga-the latter is the most mac
cessible. 1t lies 45 miles north
Of Darjeeling in an air line, but
the road that one must travel
across canyons, over ridges and
around intervening peaks. is much
longer.
Darjeeling has been headquarters
for the several expeditions that
have tried unsuccessfully to scale
Kinchinjunga in past years. Like
Simla, 100 miles farther west, and
Srinagar in KaShmir, Darjeeling is
a godsend to perspiring Europeans
who must spend the hot period in
India. But it is more than a cooj
retreat: it is a matchless observa-
tion post, when the clouds permit
for the mightiest mountain scenery
that the world affords. And the
outstanding sight to the north
ward, across deep chasms and be-
yOnd tier after tier of foothills. is
the mighty Kinchinjunga. buttressed
by half dozen peaks from 10000
to 24.OO0 feet in altitude.
Darjeeling on the Foothills.
Darjeeling stands on a sort of
stage before and above which
sweep the amphitheater slopes of
Himalayan foothills that rises