Part 9 (1/2)
Notwithstanding the considerable elevation, I noticed but little in the vegetation different from that common in Piti. The forms were by no means so alpine as on the pa.s.ses between Kunawar and Hangarang, though the elevation was greater than on any of these. It was probably owing to the aridity of the climate that the flora, at elevations of 15,000 feet, instead of being composed of delicate alpine plants, was much the same as it had been 4000 feet lower. The rose, the common _Rhamnus_ of Piti, a little shrubby _Potentilla_, a spinous _Astragalus_, and several _Artemisiae_, were the common shrubs, and two species of rhubarb grew abundantly on the dry hills above Kibar. The _Dama_, which shuns the level country, the _Allium_ first observed the day before, and _Lamium rhomboideum_ of the Hangarang pa.s.s, were almost the only striking plants observed; all the others were those of the ordinary flora of the dry hills and gravelly plains of the Piti valley. It is necessary, of course, in comparing this vegetation with that of the pa.s.ses, to recollect that we were here in a valley, on slopes surrounded on all sides by lofty ridges, not on the summit of a range overlooking everything around, or only surpa.s.sed a very little by the continuation of the same ridge; so that the temperature of the summer months must be considerably higher than on the more exposed though less elevated pa.s.ses.
[Sidenote: ROCKY GORGE.
_September, 1847._]
Further on, the road descended rapidly to the stream, which flowed in a rocky gorge, through which we held our course for three miles. A few willows, and stunted shrubs of _Myricaria_, occurred on the descent, and the willow was found occasionally on the banks of the stream in the gorge, which was enclosed by high and steep limestone rocks on both sides. These gradually contracted as we advanced, but again expanded at the point where we encamped, which was close to the bank of the stream. The ravine being now more open, we could see the hills to better advantage, and were struck with astonishment at the desolation by which we were surrounded. We were, in truth, in a wilderness of rocks, which to the south closed together, so as to shut in the ravine by which we had ascended. High walls of cliffs rose on either hand to an elevation of at least 1500 feet, displaying a natural section of a mult.i.tude of strata, which seemed to be repeated again and again in a succession of beds of limestone and slate. The elevation of our encampment was 14,800 feet.
On the 7th of September, the wish of our guides and porters according with our own, we did not cross the Parang pa.s.s, which was still five miles distant, and nearly 4000 feet above us, but contented ourselves by ascending to the highest water, perhaps 1500 feet below the summit.
We ascended on a steep s.h.i.+ngly ridge to the right of the stream where we had pa.s.sed the night. Tufts of _Lamium rhomboideum_ grew among the loose s.h.i.+ngle, but no other plant seemed to vegetate in such an ungenial soil. When we had pa.s.sed from the s.h.i.+ngle, which was confined to the base of the ascent, the ridge was dry and gravelly, with tufts of _Dama_ and of a species of nettle. Above 16,500 feet, the spur was rocky and uneven, and some alpine vegetation was observed, for which I conjecture that the melting of the snow had probably supplied moisture, as lower down the sterility had been complete. About fifteen species were collected, two _Potentillae_, _Biebersteinia odora_, a _Lychnis_, a little tufted saxifrage, and species of _Nepeta_, _Artemisia_, _Gnaphalium_, _Saussurea_, _Allardia_, _Polygonum_, _Rheum_, _Blitum_, one gra.s.s, and a fern. Three or four lichens grew on the stones, and I obtained one specimen of a moss without fructification. The _Allardia_, a pretty little rose-coloured flower, with an agreeable smell, was the only new species; all the others were already familiar to me. They grew in the crevices of the rocks, in extremely small quant.i.ty, struggling as it were for existence against the unfavourable circ.u.mstances to which they were exposed.
[Sidenote: ASCENT TOWARDS THE PARANG Pa.s.s.
_September, 1847._]
A stony ravine, elevated about 17,000 feet, was the place selected for our encampment. A small stream, supplied by a patch of snow a little way above, trickled down under the angular gravel. The ascent had been extremely fatiguing, because almost without intermission, and we were glad of rest on reaching that elevation. During the day, however, I ascended a ridge of rugged rocks, which rose above our tents to a height of more than 500 feet, being desirous of ascertaining to what elevation I should find vegetation. An _Alsine_ was common among the gravel, with two small plants which were not in a determinable state; and on the rocks, to the highest level to which I succeeded in ascending (probably 17,600 feet), the little _Allardia_ continued to occur occasionally. The ridge afforded a good view of the mountains round. The range to the north, which we had still to cross, lay in a semicircle behind; to the east was the continuation of the ridge by which we ascended; and a deep hollow lay to the west. Rugged rock everywhere met the view. The slates which alternated with the limestone were so very brittle that they everywhere formed piles of angular fragments, which filled all the hollows, and formed a sloping talus against every precipice. The view was one not to be forgotten, its desolation far surpa.s.sing any conception of waste and utter barrenness which I could have formed.
During the whole day I was never free from a dull headache, evidently caused by the great elevation. Rest relieved it, but the least exertion brought it back again. It continued all evening, as long as I was awake, and still remained in the morning of the 8th, when I rose soon after daybreak to prepare for the journey. A few paces took us beyond the s.h.i.+ngly ravine in which we had been encamped, and the remainder of the ascent was throughout over loose angular fragments, the _debris_ of the cliffs on the right. Under the latter we pa.s.sed, winding round the side of the semicircular bay, till we got to about its centre, when the ascent became excessively steep and toilsome. The exertion of raising the body was very fatiguing, and the last few hundred yards were only accomplished after many pauses. A few large patches of snow lay in hollows along the road; but up to the very crest of the pa.s.s there was no trace of perpetual snow, nor even any continuous snow-bed.
[Sidenote: THE PARANG Pa.s.s.
_September, 1847._]
The summit of the Parang pa.s.s is a narrow ridge, covered with large blocks of stone. To the north lay a large field of snow, sloping downwards at a very gentle angle. In this direction the view was limited within two miles by steep rugged mountains, which closed in on both sides. To the right and left also, the pa.s.s was overlooked by ridges close at hand. The only direction in which a distant view was obtained was south, where the mountains beyond the Piti river were beautifully seen: from the great elevation at which we stood, their summits were everywhere in view; their elevation was surprisingly uniform, and the whole range was capped with snow. The mountains close at hand presented much the same appearance as I had seen from the rocks above our encampment the day before.
[Sidenote: GLACIER.
_September, 1847._]
I reached the summit of the pa.s.s, which has an elevation of 18,500 feet, at a quarter before eight in the morning. At that time the temperature was 28; and a cold southerly wind blew with considerable violence, making us seek the shelter of the blocks which lay around. A small red lichen, (_Lecanora miniata_,) on the fragments of rock, was the only vegetable production I observed. After an hour's rest, we commenced the descent over the snow-bed, proceeding towards a gap which was visible in the mountains. The snow was hard frozen, and crisp under the feet. Descending steadily without any fatigue, we were soon evidently on a snow-covered glacier. A few fissures were pa.s.sed, but mostly not above a few inches wide, and none that we could not with ease step over, the widest not exceeding two feet. At a distance of about a mile and a half from the crest, the mountains, which on both sides surrounded the snow-bed in the form of a circle, had so much approached to one another, that they formed a narrow valley, down which the snowy ma.s.s continued in the form of a rugged glacier.
We now left the surface of the ice, and proceeded along the stony side of the ravine, with the glacier on our left hand, and steep limestone rocks on our right. Blocks of limestone strewed our path as we descended, and numerous small fragments of the same rock covered the edge of the glacier.
About three miles from the summit of the pa.s.s the glacier terminated abruptly in a bluff precipice, the height of which was more than 100 feet. Little rills of water were, at the time we pa.s.sed (9 A.M.), trickling from every part of the surface, and a small streamlet ran along the edge of the glacier under an arch of ice. The structure was here very evident: broad white bands, and narrower ones of a dirty colour, from the earthy matter which they had absorbed, ran parallel to the slope of the ravine, the arches or loops (so well explained by Professor Forbes in his delightful work on the glaciers of the Alps) being drawn out to a great length.
At the termination of the glacier, we descended from the steep mountain-side, along which we had hitherto travelled, to the flat plain, the continuation of the surface on which the glacier rested. On this descent the first vegetation appeared at an elevation of about 16,500 feet. Two small gra.s.ses, _Biebersteinia odora_, a _Lychnis_, and a little villous _Astragalus_, were the plants observed: they grew in the crevices of the rock, and scarcely rose above the ground. None of the species were different from those collected in the mountains of Piti.
[Sidenote: THE PARANG VALLEY.
ITS VEGETATION.
_September, 1847._]
When we had reached the middle of the valley, so as to be exactly in face of the glacier, we found that a large stream issued from a vaulted cavity at its termination. For some hundred feet the stream ran among large ma.s.ses of ice, as if the glacier had very recently extended further, and had melted away irregularly, leaving these ma.s.ses standing. Leaving the glacier, we still followed the valley, which was confined on both sides by steep cliffs. We kept close to the stream, walking over its gravelly bed, and I collected a few more plants as I descended; none, however, new to me. A little _Nepeta_, four species of _Potentilla_, a _Gnaphalium_, several gra.s.ses and _Carices_, and a very small fern, were the species. About three miles from the end of the glacier we found our tents pitched on a small plain, connected with a lateral ravine, and covered with tufts of _Dama_, and a little species of _Alsine_ in flat tufts, which was quite new to me. The elevation of our encampment was 16,000 feet.
We followed the course of the valley into which we had thus descended, for three days, without meeting with any inhabitants, and through so uniform a country, that it is unnecessary to detail each day's journey. Rugged and rocky mountains, of moderate elevation, princ.i.p.ally limestone, bounded the view on both sides. In front we seldom saw more than a few miles; and behind, the view was in general equally limited, though occasionally we could see, up a lateral valley, the peak of a snowy mountain. The valley was almost invariably wide and level, once or twice only interrupted by projecting ridges of low rocks advancing to its centre. Low platforms of alluvium, like those of Piti, occupied the wider parts, their upper angles resting (as in Piti) on the opening of lateral ravines, while their bases were cut into cliffs by the stream.
During these three days we descended from 16,000 to about 14,800 feet.
The surrounding mountains were quite barren and desolate. The gravelly plains were covered with tufts of _Dama_ and of the curious tufted _Alsine_, which formed dense flattened ha.s.sock-like ma.s.ses, of considerable size. The soil was very saline, and as we descended it gradually became more so. In the earlier part of the descent, the alpine forms were the same as those to the south of the Parang pa.s.s, and the plants were few in number and much scattered. Lower down, however, more novelty was met with. A little willow was the first shrubby plant, and was followed by _Ephedra_, _Myricaria_, and _Hippophae_, all much stunted. Still lower there were large patches of green-sward along the stream, generally swampy, and always covered with a saline incrustation. _Artemisiae_, _Astragali_, _Gentianae_, and _Potentillae_, were the commonest forms, with a number of saline plants, chiefly _Chenopodiaceae_, which abounded on the lowest spots.
On the 11th, the last of these three days, the vegetation had quite lost its alpine character, notwithstanding that the elevation was still 15,000 feet. No _Biebersteinia_ was seen, and the little species of _Potentilla_, _Alsine_, _Saxifraga_, _Cruciferae_, and _Parna.s.sia_, were no longer met with. The large _Hyoscyamus_ of Piti (_Belenia_ of Decaisne) had made its appearance, with tall _Artemisiae_, a _Clematis_, a rank-growing _Corydalis_, _Cicer Soongaric.u.m_, and other plants in no way alpine. I was much surprised to observe so complete a change in so moderate a descent, and very much interested to find that the alpine flora had so completely disappeared. I regret that I am as yet unable to give my results in more perfect form, the necessary comparison and determination of the species collected still remaining to be done.
[Sidenote: CHUMORERI.
_September, 1847._]
During our descent we had gradually taken a more easterly course, and on the 11th our direction was nearly due east. On this day we pa.s.sed the gorge in the mountains, up which the road turns to the Chumoreri lake, by which Mr. Trebeck had travelled to and from Ladakh. This would have been our most direct route to Le, but we were desirous of visiting the more eastern districts, so as to reach the Indus as soon as possible. The mountains in this gorge suddenly lowered; a wide gravelly plain sloped gently up to a low ridge, which did not appear to rise higher than two or three hundred feet above the level of the Parang river. Beyond this ridge, on the a.s.surance of our guides, confirmed by Major Cunningham, who had on a former occasion travelled along the Chumoreri lake as far as its southern extremity, lies the lake, without any more considerable elevation separating it from the Parang river.
It is much to be regretted that the late period of the season, and the other important objects which we had to accomplish, should have prevented us from crossing this narrow neck of land. It would probably have thrown much light upon the question of the origin and nature of the salt lakes, which are, as is well known, scattered over Tibet, Central Asia, and Siberia. The Chumoreri lake has certainly no outlet, but from the nature of the surrounding mountains, everywhere steep and lofty, there can be no doubt that at one period its waters were discharged at its south end by the narrow valley which we saw from the south side of the Parang river[12]. An accurate determination of the height of the separating ridge above the present surface of the lake, a careful examination of the configuration of the surface at its southern end, and an a.n.a.lysis of the water, which is described as sufficiently brackish to be unpleasant though not absolutely undrinkable, would certainly enable conclusions to be drawn as to the nature of the cause which has lowered the level of the waters of the lake, and so put an end to its discharge.