Part 65 - Shirap to Trakan La: Camp 5 and halt for Ludlow's birthday

1 page

SUMMARY:
The writer follows a graded path up the Char Chu past villages to Shirap, noting butterflies, hares, and fine weather. They camp above Shirap en route to Trakan La with rain clearing to a fine evening and many Tibetan partridge, then halt at the pass for Ludlow's birthday, making botanical finds.

CONTENT:
142

Delph. brunonianum 1977, Pedicularis globifera 1979, Meconopsis horridula 1980, Aconitum gymnandrum 1981

The path is well graded the whole way, but gets narrower as one gets up. Two villages are passed in the main Char Chu, then at mile 9 or so the path leads up steeper away from the Char Chu left bank to Shirap, where there are several groups of houses. Got some good butterflies here. Hares abound all over the hillside. It is lovely to be in the warm sun all day again, and the rolling hills look very pretty indeed.

9th August. Camp 5 (4 miles above Shirap) of Trakan La. 15000'. 5 miles.
(Gent. krasica 1983, Ajuga lupulina 1984, P. alrodentata 1990)
An easy ascent over grassy hillside up a broad valley. Rain in the morning, then cleared up to a magnificent evening. There are a great number of Tibetan partridge on the hills round about and also hares.

Trakan La
10th August. Halt. Ludlow's birthday. Yesterday we all suffered from headaches, and the servants were none too bright. This must be one of the passes where one gets head, even if not high. Went up to the Trakan La this morning, then split up and came down separately. The best finds were a dwarf Delphinium on the pass, with huge flowers 1997, a fine Cremanthodium 1996 and a pretty little gentian 2008. Another blue gentian hardly in flower 1983 is also a fine one. There is also a primula in seed 1998, probably a nivalis: the seed are
(Delph. labrangeense 1997, Delph. brunonianum 1995, Cremanthodium 1996, Gent. krasica 1983, Gent. aglaia 1999, Gent. marquandii approx 2006, Prim. sinoplantaginea 1998, Wardaster lanuginosus 2001)