Item 14 - Letter from George to Ruth Mallory, 8 June 1921 [first view of Mount Everest]

Letter to Ruth Mallory, written from ‘Kampa Dzong’ on ‘Mount Everest Expedition’ Letterhead

Brief Description
Dr Kellas had been buried. Raeburn was declared unfit and had returned to Sikkim and so there was no-one left with experience of climbing in the Himalayas. Describes Bullock, Wheeler and Herron and outlines their plans. Talks about the food they eat. Describes his first view of Everest from 100 miles away.

Detailed Summary
Dr Kellas had been buried in sight of the three great peaks he had climbed Pahonri [Pauhunri], Kinchenjan [Kinchenjhau] and Chomiomo [Chomo Yummo]. Raeburn had been pronounced unfit to proceed and Wollaston had taken him to a place in Sikkim to recover. Wollaston had then returned to reach Tinki Dzong. This was a disaster as they were are now left without anyone who had experience in the Himalayas. Morshead had limited experience and Mallory had criticisms of Raeburn. They planned to see the N.E. side of Everest and hoped to see the N.W. side to solve a big problem of topography. He was still hopeful of attacking Everest that year with Bullock and Morshead, but that goal seemed a very long way off. Evaluates Bullock, Wheeler, and Herron. Kampa Dzong had been pleasant change. They had supplemented their food with sheep, gazelle, gammon, goose, fish, and half-cooked vegetables. Hoped to find eggs at their high elevation of about 15,000 ft.

He was feeling extraordinarily fit and was much moved by the prospect of a nearer approach to Everest. He describes his first view of the mountain from 100 miles away, ‘It is colossal even at this distance - a great blunty pointed snow peak…with a much steeper north face than people have made out’. He thinks that the N.W. side of the mountain, facing the Arun river, up which the monsoon cloud came had the bigger snowfall. He describes the landscape of the Arun valley and that he was sorry they wouldn’t see the east side of the mountain.

[Letter continues later] - It had been a jolly day. He now had a better mule after giving his up to Raeburn. He and Bullock were surveying the country.