Part 177 - Tawang to Trashigong passes and plant collecting near Milakatong

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SUMMARY:
Notes on transport arrangements from Tawang, with Ludlow departing and hopes to leave with minimal changes. Describes cold, bleak weather around Kechen Tso and Kechen La, lists remaining passes toward Trashigong, and details a long day’s march from Tawang with extensive alpine plant collecting near Milakatong and Bum La.

CONTENT:
through. Pintso has great hopes of our getting away well from Tawang. If we do, he deserves a medal. Ludlow got off at 11.30 and had four changes of transport. We hope we may only have one. The Kechen Tso was not really pretty today. The sky was not the same blue as yesterday and everything had a harsh bleak look about it, and it was damnably cold coming down from the Kechen La. There remain now only the Bum La, the Nyingsang La, Nyuhsang La and Milong La, before we get down to Trashigong - one pass per day's march.

11th November. Tawang 10,500' 16 miles. Clear in the morning as far as the Milakatong north side. Then thick mist all the way here. Left at 6.30 am, hit and ourselves in at 4.30 pm. A long day but interesting. A small gentian collected on the Bum La, then a rhododendron, a primula like sapphirina on the rocks, I don't know what it will be. Some white Mec. horridula and Gent. elwesii on the Milakatong, with some Prim. gambeliana. Lower down in a swamp Prim. sijmediana (?), another rhododendron, a white prim. obliqua, a little of a marsh primula 6" scape, two more gentians, two more rhododendrons and a swertia. A good haul. All seems well