Thanks, Chadwell ji, for detailed accounts. On 5 Dec 2016 6:26 pm, "C CHADWELL" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Dear Prashant > > Thanks for your generous comments. It made extra sense for me to abandon > my attempt to climb my Kolahoi, > as my Britisher companion, who had to withdraw before we reached the > glacier, was vastly more experienced > in mountains than I, with rock & ice-climbing experience in winter. > Adventurous though I am, have always judged that > it makes sense to "come back down" from the mountains in one piece. The > British have a habit of "dying valiantly in the field" > and no doubt my name would have been 'elevated' had I done so but one must > try to make wise decisions in the interests of > the safety of companions and anyone hired. Local people whether in the > Indian Himalaya or Nepal, be they porters or guides, may > have little experience and zero training, so it is the responsibility of > Westerners who undertake treks (and more demanding > scrambles to keep them safe as well). > > It is my intention to post other Parts, from Kashmir covering Sunset Peak > (Pir Panjals) where I did locate Saussurea > simpsoniana; Nichinai Pass (a straightforward walk during a trek but a > very cold place to camp below the hanging glaciers, > with an enormous colonies of Saxifraga jacquemontiana, Primula reptans > etc. plus other adventurous explorations in Ladakh and Lahoul. > > I have always had a fascination with 'higher alpines' and it is > informative to see the habitats where they grow. Whilst not undertaking > formal surveys, as I am able to reliably identify many (though not all by > any means) of the plants I come across in > the Himalaya, this has put me in a unique position to assess the abundance > (or not) of species which inhabit high places. > It is impossible to judge the status of said species unless one goes up > into the higher mountains and is able to scramble > about amongst boulders, on steep slopes and at times on cliff-faces not > forgetting being able to recognise the species seen. > > In recent decades thanks to the sterling efforts of the Indian Army and > others, tracks and roads have been built (with at times, loss of life, so > we all must be appreciative) providing access to many high passes but one > still MUST venture beyond the roadside to understand the vegetation and be > mindful, more accessible though such places are by vehicle compared with > trekking, such passes are not necessarily representative of the region's > vegetation. > > Caution must be shown even with the luxury of a comfortable 4WD vehicle > along a major route. Take the Manali to Leh 'road' as an example. Many > people cross the Baralacha La by road every day it is open. I met Dr > Walter Koelz an American zoologist who with Thakur Rup Chand made extensive > botanical collections in Kulu Valley, Lahoul & Ladakh for the Russian > Nicholas Roerich back in the 1930s - they travelled on foot, taking weeks, > when nowadays such trips can be completed in a day or two. > > In the early 1990s I reached and went beyond the Baralacha La (at about > 4800m not especially high). A year later a colleague of mine who had > accompanied me on one of those occasions (by then into his late 60s) > repeated the journey with a fit, slim young man in his 20s, who had > previously trekked to a similar altitude in Nepal with no problems (walking > is a better means of acclimatisation than using a vehicle). They spent the > night on the pass itself. During the night the young man's lips turned > blue and he started cough blood, causing great concerned - he was taken > down rapidly (a vehicle helps) and within a week he had fully recovered. > He clearly had not acclimatised adequately and strangely enough (or perhaps > not so) it is not always the younger ones who cope best with altitude - > though sooner or later even the world's leading mountaineers can no longer > reach the heights they once could. > > I trust you will enjoy viewing these images as well. > > > Best Wishes, > > > Chris Chadwell > > > 81 Parlaunt Road > SLOUGH > SL3 8BE > UK > > www.shpa.org.uk > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Prashant Awale <[email protected]> > *To:* J.M. Garg <[email protected]> > *Cc:* efloraofindia <[email protected]>; C CHADWELL < > [email protected]> > *Sent:* Monday, 5 December 2016, 6:37 > *Subject:* Re: [efloraofindia:258224] Fwd: Botanizing in Kashmir Part I: > Attempting to climb Mt. Kolahoi & Saxifraga pulvinaria > > Wow, Great... That is really adventurous... > It requires great commitment, willpower and of course physical & mental > toughness to undertake such expeditions.. My salute to Chadwell ji... > All the photographs (Slides) shared are awesome... > > Regards > Prashant > > On Mon, Dec 5, 2016 at 11:58 AM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote: > > Thanks, Chadwell ji, for the wonderful efforts. > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: *C CHADWELL* <chrischadwell261@btinternet. com > <[email protected]>> > Date: 5 December 2016 at 10:40 > Subject: Botanizing in Kashmir Part I: Attempting to climb Mt. Kolahoi & > Saxifraga pulvinaria > To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected]> > > > Just to show that Chris Chadwell really has explored for plants in places > few botanists venture, kindly view the attached images of me scrambling > about > near to Mt. Kolahoi, one of the higher peaks in the main Kashmir valley @ > some 5400m. > > The images are scanned in from slides taken in the 1980s plus 2 from the > 1970s made > available to me by the late Oleg Polunin. > > 1. View from Lidder Valley > > 2. View from Upper Lidder Valley > > 3. Mt. Kolahoi's north glacier - I scrambled above the glacier onto the > cliffs to the left which was > home to large colonies of Meconopsis aculeata > > 4. Snout of Kolahoi's north glacier - main source of Lidder River which > flows through Pahlgam > > 5. A colleague negotiating slippery waterfalls to collect botanical > specimens for the University of Kashmir > herbarium > > 6. Closer view of Mt. Kolahoi from the West. > > 7. Snout of Kolahoi's south glacier - perhaps you can make out the two > porters to the left of the glacier (one > with a ruck-sack with a yellow sleepa mat) > > 8. On the south glacier after 'accident' > > 9. Chris with two local villagers hired as porters to carry our rucksacks > as far as the 'col' where we had planned to > camp, attempting to scale Kolahoi the next day but it was not meant to be. > > 10. Saxifraga pulvinaria 'White-pitted Saxifrage' - photographed by Oleg > Polunin; recorded up to 5400m in Kashmir > > 11. Saxifraga pulvinaria 'White-pitted Saxifrage' - photographed by Oleg > Polunin; recorded up to 5400m in Kashmir > > I had spotted what I take to be Waldheimia glabra near the snout of the > glacier and was hoping to get good photos > of Saussurea simpsoniana, as well as reaching the top of the peak. > > A Britisher colleague and I plus our Scottish guide, the son of a couple > who ran a school in Kashmir, who had climbed to > the top of the mountain before. We carried our rucksacks & tents from > Pahlgam past Aru and up a side-valley, arranging > for two men from the last village to act as porters for the day to take > our loads to a drop-off point, allowing them to safely > return. The following day we planned our ascent. > > Unfortunately, my British friend became unwell and it was decided he was > not fit to attempt to climb Kolahoi, so he returned > to Pahlgam. I carried on with my guide but as the ice of the snout of the > glacier was slippery and the porter's footwear not ideal, > steps needed to be cut into the ice to safely negotiate a short steep > section. In the guide's over-enthusiasm, the ice-axe he was > using bounced off the ice with the sharp end going into the top of his > head! There was not much blood. I administered first aid, > bandaging him up. He said he was fine and that we should continue. I, > correctly said a form no, imaging what could happen at > any time and certainly if we went higher.... What a shame but one must > always "play safe". The fittest and strongest I had ever > felt in the Himalaya. I was relieved to get the young man back to his > parents (one of whom was a doctor). Thankfully the wound > was not too serious and no permanent damage. Mountains must be treated > with respect. Clearly the Gods were not with me that day. > > > I never got another chance to found out what grew at 5400m (some 18,000') > in the Kashmir Himalaya - not that too many others know. > > > Best Wishes, > > > Chris Chadwell > > > 81 Parlaunt Road > SLOUGH > SL3 8BE > UK > > www.shpa.org.uk > > > > > > > > -- > With regards, > J.M.Garg > 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1> > Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia > <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/award-for-efloraofindia>. > For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, > please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group > <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/indiantreepix> (largest in the > world- around 2700 members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) or Efloraofindia > website <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/> (with a species > database of more than 11,000 species & 2,20,000 images). > The whole world uses my Image Resource > <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg> of more than a > thousand species & eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. > (arranged alphabetically & place-wise). You can also use them for free as > per Creative Commons license attached with each image. > Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of > India'. > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "efloraofindia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to indiantreepix+unsubscribe@ googlegroups.com > <[email protected]>. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] . > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/ group/indiantreepix > <https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/ optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > > > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. 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