Part 123 - Diary entries 7–9 October: Natrampa to Karubra and near Kashongla

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SUMMARY:
Travel from above Natrampa to Karubra and then near Kashongla with generally cloudy, wet weather and some snow higher up. Seeds of several plants were collected, and the party met a Sikkim lama from near Trashi Trongmo who spoke some Nepali. Distances and times between camps are noted.

CONTENT:
7th October. Camp above Natrampa. 6 miles. 11500'. Cloudy all day, with a little fine drizzle. The clouds come rushing up the valley from Lung, and gradually fade away, but it is still generally wet. Found some seed of Gent. Waltoni ripe, the little yellow sedum, and the yellow Dracocephalum: also the Thalictrum collected at Zumsati. Coolies very happy but exceptionally slow. Left camp at 6.30, reached here at 12.0 noon.

8th October. Karubra. Another very short day, in at 11.00. We could see that beyond the Duchung La it was absolutely clear all morning. Here the sun shone most of the day, but it also rained nearly all afternoon. Monsoon clouds come up to the main range, and just fade away. Got seeds of the blue Dracocephalum and P. pulchelloides, an aquilegia and the big scrophularia, and a few of the small androsace. The big one is not yet ripe. Here we met a Sikkim lama, who had forgotten all his Lepcha but could talk a little Nepali. He comes from near Trashi Trongmo, where he has been for 14 years: a nice man.

9th October. Camp 2 m W of Kashongla. 14000'. A most disappointing day. It rained all night, and snow was down to 500' above Karubra.