Expedition Diary 1957 – Nepal

Maurice Wilson

May 13

Awoke to find the cave abuzz of activity with axes chopping away at wood for the fires. The ceiling was still festooned with Ryvita papers and soup packets. The burnt tree in the entrance was silhouetted against sunrise in place of sunset. It was grand not having to crawl about in a cramped tent.

Dan showed me how to inject a dose of morphine into Lakpa, which I did after the syringe had been boiled and the solution prepared. It hurt him a bit, I’m afraid. Reached the Rakhti Kola in ¾ hour. Took some cine shots of the casualties crossing the bridge but the light was not’ good. The jungle is now thick and passage through it difficult, especially under or over fallen tree trunks. The Sherpas are very good with Dan and help him considerably.

I tried to make a flute out of a bamboo shoot, but without much success. It is amazing the speed with which the coolies transport Lakpa over this terrain. Reached a small holding at lunchtime, where we saw our first yak. Was offered and ate some cheese. Dan is slowing up a good deal now and it is obvious we will not reach Tempathang, today. Camped at the junction of Langtang Kola and Pulmutang Kola. I soon graduated to being assistant doctor. Several had cuts on the soles of their feet and scraped shins. Remedy for all … Elastoplast! Treated one man for dysentery. Saw some leeches today … and one got on my boots.

May 14
A lazy start this morning. Took some cine pictures of Lakpa being tied on to the stretcher and then moving off

The rest of us soon halted at a mountain stream and had one of our rare washes. There is a constant buzz of insects in the woods and bat-like insects flitting around; lots of life but mainly, unseen.

The path is now much easier and small bamboo huts have sprung up in our absence. We all stopped at one of these for some time, and I took pictures of the family. Ultimately, reached the cornfields where the men and women were all at work. I was intrigued by the primitive method of reaping. The corn is plucked by grasping the stalks between two short sticks of bamboo and pulling upwards, so removing the head of corn.

Reached Tempathang in the early afternoon and went straight to Tensing’s Mama’s home. Camp not pitched on the former site, as I would have liked, but on an old corn field in the village. Pestered with villagers the whole time and by dogs after dark. Quite a large attendance at the surgery. Wrote to George and reorganised
the food boxes.