Part 147 - Lung Halt: path to Chupung La and local guide, 25 October

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SUMMARY:
Notes observations of monal and a Lopa offering to guide the party to tragopan above the Lung houses. Describes discovering a good path from Lung to the Chupung La, used year-round when the Kashong La is closed, passing many Lopas returning home, and moving through pine, birch, and rhododendron forests where a partridge was shot.

CONTENT:
told me he had seen what a good many monal, about then
have the crest - spatulate feathers not curly. He shoots south
of the range S of Kap. A Lopa turned up today who says
he will show us where tragopan are. I think the gyimpu
does not expect much, but we will see tomorrow. He says
they are above Lung houses, but how far up I don't know.

25th October. Lung Halt. It takes a long time to find out about
almost anything here. Only today, my last day, did I find
that there is a good path leading to the Chupung La. It leaves
from 50' below the Lung houses, climbs very steeply. Lopas from
Lung halt this side of the pass first day, then over the second.
It must be low, as the gyimpu says people can go over it all the
year round, and it is regularly used when the Kashong La is
closed. That I know is true, as we passed 15 Lopas today going
back to their own country. The path takes one to most
interesting country. First through open pine forest with a lot
of bracken, where I shot a partridge, the first seen up this way.
Then through a fine forest of birch and rhododendron, very steeply
at first, then level along to the left into a valley. Beyond that
I did not go. But where the path enters this forest, we saw a