{CRRef Wilson, M. (1994) Expedition Diary – 1957 Nepal. Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club Journal Series 12 Issue 1: pp21-24. Leeds: YRC.}
Expedition Diary
1957 – Nepal
Maurice Wilson
Extracts from notes made in Maurice’s Himalayan Journal during the walk-in.
For the full report of the Club expedition see the 1958 Journal. The team were Crosby Fox, George Spenceley, Wilfred Anderson, Dan Jones, Arthur Tallon and Maurice Wilson.
April 13
Porters went rather better this morning. The track led through the jungle. Creepers were entwined everywhere and trunks lay in crazy fashion. Tree trunks were covered with moss and had to be walked on like ‘walking the greasy pole.’ Kukris were much in evidence, hacking a way. There were more flowers to be seen now and I took photos of some campions. In time, we reached the Rakhta Kola, the crossing of which was not too bad. A few poles were thrown across, though they were hardly necessary. Once over the other side the porters made it clear that they wanted to camp, and camp we did at 10,430ft. Camp fires were blazing all over the place and it was quite a job locating food boxes. Sherpas and Sherpanis were roosting everywhere. We have decided to use Ochrenis for the return journey and had a palaver with their head-man. I was given an interesting demonstration on how to make a fire using only a piece of iron, a stone and some cotton. They light their cigarettes that way. Only the men wear rings. Some wear bangles. They use a fan of leaves as a plate from which to eat.
April 14
Arrival at Base Camp, Pomba Serebu.
The porters were more anxious to get away than we were, this morning. Obviously they wanted to get to Base Camp and back to the valley the same day. After a pleasant walk through the woods we reached Pemsall (11,416ft). They are excellent pathfinders. Stopped for a brew, during which Crosby showed us his wedding pictures. Set off an hour later. At first the slope was easy but soon became quite steep. I managed to get into a rhythm, making height steadily and would probably have made the whole ascent non-stop. Alas, one man let loose a High Altitude Box N°6, which went crashing down the hillside, spilling out all its contents en route. Arthur and I stayed behind and collected what we could. The Sherpas made the man who dropped the box carry the kitchenware box, which was much heavier. The slope now became much harder. When we reached the top, Arthur, Andy and I had lunch. It was cold. Only about ten minutes further on we came upon the others. They had selected a camp site amid the snows and were levelling the site.
There followed much haggling about the pay. Initially, we offered each man R16, but eventually settled for R17 plus ten cigarettes. At first, only the Ochreni men accepted this, but when the Tempathang men saw us paying them, they soon crowded round. The finale came when we found that one man had been underpaid. We blamed Nima Lama but it wasn’t really his fault. Whacking dinner and everyone cheerful.
April 15
Did not have a good night’s sleep . . . too cold. Woke to find magnificent views and snow on the tents. This site is poor and we decide to move higher up. We are all keyed up at the prospect of moving into action. Dan and I are to reconnoitre a way to Camp One and I have to spend a good deal of time getting things together. Of course, I would have to catch a cold now and do not feel too good. Crosby and George have seen some Imperial Eagles.
April 16
Everyone up early and ready for the ‘off’. Crosby and Arthur, George and Andy are to go surveying. Dan and I, with Sherpas, are to try to find a site for Camp One, on the Phurbi Chyachambu Glacier. All left camp at 6:50 a.m. on a fine morning. The leaders struck up a snow slope that proved extremely tiring. Eventually, Dan called down to say we were too high. I tried to traverse lower down but as soon as I stepped into the couloir, I was up to my thighs in snow. Crossed lower down in similar conditions. Very tiring. Still looking for the others when I heard a shout from Crosby’s station waving me over to join them. Mingma came to meet me with some mint cake. Observed a curious phenomenon, plates of ice being whipped off the snow surface by eddies of wind, though it didn’t seem very windy to me.
