Stuk 10 - Letter from George to Ruth Mallory, 26 April 1922

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from ‘Shekkar Dzong’.

Brief Summary
Storm had covered them in dust inside and outside their tents. Describes morning routine. Enjoyed much of the country. Somervell, Norton and Longstaff liked Tibet. Outlines plans for camps at Everest. Delayed so attempted to climb most northerly peak in Gyanka Nampa range. Description of attempt. On return to camp they then had 18 mile march. First view of Everest. Detailed description of a monastery they visited en route.

Detailed Summary
A violent wind had blown fine dust into the tent and everyone and everything was covered with it. Dust was by far the worst of their discomforts at present. This was the second whole day of inactivity but tomorrow they would be marching again and would soon be in the mountain valley where dust wouldn’t blow. Still hadn’t received any mail.

Daily routine - started in crisp sunny air about 7.30am or 8am at the latest. Weather was warmer and the sun very hot until evening. Usually started with a walk for a good stretch, and then joined about six others for tiffin (cheese and biscuits and chocolate). There was an enormous mess tent which preceded them and was waiting at the end of their day’s march providing shelter which he thought was a good arrangement. Strutt’s voice could be heard in each new place cursing.

He enjoyed much of the county on seeing it again. There were only signs of green things though it was spring but the hillsides were often highly coloured with red and orange. Somervell, Norton, and Longstaff also liked Tibet’.

Planned to go to the first base camp made by him and Bullock in the previous year in four days and on the fifth day to take the yaks on as far as they could up the right bank of the Rongbuk glacier. Presumed this would be beyond the comfortable pace of their second base camp, which was ¼ hr below the glacier. This plan would mean an uncomfortable camp but it would ease the marches higher up, so that if their base was near the junction of the East Rongbuk stream with the main glacier three early stages should take them to the North Col. He didn’t think everyone would find them easy. They planned that the first operation from base camp would be to fix the exact positions of two camps between the base and the North Col and determine the best line up the East Rongbuk Glacier – Strutt, Longstaff, Morshead, and Norton would make up a reconnaissance party for that purpose.

Delayed at Gyanka Nampa [mountain range] (two marches before Tinkeye [Tinki]) so he and Somervell planned to climb the most northerly peak of the Gyanka range (20,490 ft). Finch and Wakefield joined them. It was a considerable distance from their camp at Gyanka and more than 7,000 ft above so it was necessary to take light tents about 5 hrs walk up towards the mountain. Somervell made quite a good sketch. They marched for nearly two hours in the dark. He, Finch, Wakefield, and Somervell shared a Whymper tent, lying head to tail across it. He was sleeping in the door and a wind blew in and it was bitterly cold. They left soon after 4am next morning but Finch was mountain sick and couldn’t continue. He and Somervell had a good climb but it got too late so they had to turn back only 500 ft from the summit. Got back very tired and headachey at 1pm and were at Gyanka at 4.30pm. Somervell had more trouble with the wind and felt the height more than he did but he liked him as a climbing companion. He was a thoughtful sensible person and quite perfectly modest, although that wasn’t his first impression when he and Herbert met him on the Matterhorn.

On returning to Gyanka they had to face the unpleasant prospect of an 18 mile march including fording a river and crossing a sandy plain where there were quicksands for the unwary and bad walking on the dunes. It was nearly 5pm before they set out and after 5 miles they had to leave one of the ponies. Then realise they couldn’t reach the ford before dark. He knew the path to the ford. Approaching it they saw some lights, presumably from Tibetan fires. Near the ford they were hailed by a Tibetan who crossed the river to meet them and them and carried him across. A few minutes later they came to the lights and found their own people in a comfortable camp with a hot dinner for them.

Next morning they had a clear view of Everest which was ‘...more wonderful even than I remembered and all the party were delighted by it - which of course appealed to my proprietary feelings’.

He had spent most of that morning in the monastery which fascinated him from an architectural point of view. It had deeply shaded little courts at a hundred different levels and mysterious interiors. Describes monastery in more detail. The temple was ‘even more amazing’ with an alter with half a dozen life-size Buddhas and up in the roof another enormous, gilded Buddha.
He thought that the next time he would write they would be established at the Rongbuk base camp. Still had received no mail and he wanted to hear from her very much. ‘I think of you most when I get to bed at night and summon up your image and want you near me’.

[Postscript] - ‘I don’t think this letter is worth circulating’.