CHAPTER X
We made a very early start again the following morning, as I had the intention of crossing the range to the north of us and exploring some of the virgin glaciers of the Tinker region and in Tibet. The mountains were, however, so precipitous that we had some difficulty in finding a spot where we could climb up and take our loads as well.
We again proceeded upward towards the Charles Landor Glacier, but kept on the dune to the left (going up) instead of on the one we had taken coming down the previous night. Again we passed along huge cracks in the ice, and here and there more holes in the ice—relieving somewhat the monotony of the grey débris that covered that tail portion of the glacier. Again we got another distant glimpse of the majestic glacier itself towering in front of us [[102]]with its gigantic ice-terraces. Perhaps the reason that these terraces droop towards the southern side may be attributed to the heat of the sun shining upon the ice of that side for more hours than on the north side, as the high wall enclosing the basin on the east side casts a shadow upon the glacier until the sun is well up in the sky.
Moraine of Glacier and Mountains, showing how Clouds form on the Snow-Line
Somehow or other the dune we were on was not as regular as the one of the previous night, and the débris which covered it was very loose and slippery. It often crumbled under us, so that we thought we had better march in the deep channel between the mountain side and the dune. Here, too, we had to feel our way with great caution, as the ground was treacherous, with cracks in the ice bridged over with snow and débris. This seemed a great day for landslides. At every moment we heard crashing noises of masses of débris being precipitated upon the glacier, and some of them were quite near enough for us to see.
The range to the north of us seemed so uninterrupted and so steep everywhere, with a base of rotten débris, and high vertical rocks at the summit, that we were quite puzzled to find a spot where we could cross it. I had noticed a [[103]]likely—but difficult—place the day before, and it was, indeed, the only accessible way up. We there left the glacier and began a stiff climb on the loose débris, my men experiencing much difficulty in conveying their loads up. Every few hundred feet they had to lie down for some minutes to rest. Although the fatigue was really for them overpowering, they took matters in the right spirit, and instead of grumbling they laughed heartily at the difficulty of breathing, and the thumping and throbbing of the heart. We eventually got away from the lower débris and proceeded among large slabs of rock, most slippery and troublesome, and as sharp as knives, our feet getting constantly jammed between them. At last we came before a wall of rock, at such a steep angle that it looked almost perpendicular, with cracks and fissures in it, and on this we had to climb, clinging with all our might with fingers and toes. This part of the ascent was quite dangerous, for, had we slipped, it meant certain death. The rock was so cold that one’s fingers got semi-frozen; and we felt much relieved when every now and then we found a hollow or crack, or projection, allowing sufficient room to sit down and rest, our legs [[104]]swinging over the abyss down below. The bringing up the loads gave us no end of trouble, and it was a pleasure to see how thoughtful and helpful my men were to one another.
We eventually got to a spot where we could go neither up nor down, as some of the rock gave way; and it was with some trepidation that we watched one of my Shokas make steps in the rotten rock while clinging with one hand and his toes apparently to nothing. This took a long time, and this difficulty being overcome and a way made, we climbed and climbed on all fours until we reached the pass.
We heartily named it there and then the “Savage Pass.” We took a long rest on the summit, and erected two large cairns with our names in them. We obtained a most stupendous view of the glacier we had left behind uncoiling itself several hundred feet below us. It looked very nasty, with its huge cracks and crevasses, and the three dunes all along it, like huge serpents uncoiling themselves. We had hardly time to admire the scenery before we were enveloped in thick mist, to the north of us particularly, the entire landscape being hidden from us. A few moments later it began to snow. Water [[105]]boiled as low as 182°, while the temperature of the air was 51°, the altitude in feet being 17,331.