Part 138 - 13 September: Halt and excursion via Chachhu La; snow and seed plans

1 page

SUMMARY:
Notes a fine Aconite in flower but seeds largely unripe; mail arrived quickly from Kalimpong. On 13 September, after heavy rain and new snow down to 14,500 ft, the party halted and went up the Chachhu La route toward Nanda La to seek Notholirion bulbs and possible seed, planning to take roots on return from Waitang.

CONTENT:
Tashi coming home with us, we don't want to wait. The only flower today was a very fine Aconite again - a small one with a single very big flower, really very beautiful. Ludlow got this in the Rongde Chu valley about 5 weeks ago, but here it is only just in full flower. So seed will be impossible I fear, and our only hope is to take roots when we return from Waitang. Time is getting on now, and many things are not nearly ripe. It is very worrying, but I can't change plans now. Had to send off the mail today, but kept it to add a little after the new mail came in. This one came in exactly 15 days from Kalimpong, that is wonderfully quick.

13th September. Halt. We had the heaviest rain of the trip last night, and hoped for thunder, but there was none. However this morning the hills were all covered with snow down to about 14500. That is the first sign of the autumn and the first sign of the end of the rains. We want that, to hurry on the seeds, so few of which are yet ripe. Today we went up the Chachhu La route, i.e. the route that goes to the Nanda La past two lakes, joining at the lakes the route we followed when we left Marlung for Mandating. I had been up there before once and seen hundreds of Notholirion hyacinthinum, but only in bud. So we went for the bulbs and perhaps seed. I