Peaks of the Assam Himalaya

Abstract

FROM the mountaineer's point of view nothing is known of the Himalaya east of Chomolhari, and not very much is known of the topography. For 180 miles the range forms the northern boundary of Bhutan, and for another 250 that of Assam; but it should be noted that though the Himalaya may be assumed to mark the Assam-Tibet frontier, the boundary has never been delimited. The whole range from the Tista valley in Sikkim to Namcha Barwa (25,545 feet) and beyond is called by Burrard and Hayden the Assam Himalaya; it would be less confusing to confine the name to the mountains lying north of Assam. Where the range passes from Bhutan into Assam there is a wide breach formed by the upper eastern basin of the Manas, and immediately east of this gap is a group of high peaks which cover about 50 miles on an E.N.E. alignment. These I hoped to explore this year. The major peaks have been fixed trigonometrically from stations in the Assam valley. During their great explo? ration of the Tsangpo gorge in 1911 Bailey and Morshead travelled and surveyed along the Tibetan side of the range. In 1935 and 1938 Kingdon Ward skirted the western end and visited the valley of the Gorjo Chu, which, for reasons that will be apparent, is the only practicable approach to the range. In 1934 and 1936 Messrs. Sheriff and Ludlow covered much the same ground, but the peaks, passes, and glaciers of this region remain unvisited. Two routes into Tibet traverse the gap formed by the eastern tributaries of the Manas. The more eastern route skirts the Assam Himalaya, crosses the Gorjo Chu valley, and passes within 10 miles of Gori Chen (21,450 feet), thus forming the obvious line of approach from the south. It would be simpler if an approach could be made from Tibet, where there are villages from which food could be got and where the effects of the monsoon would be less felt; but the good will of Lhasa for British mountaineering parties is given principally to Mount Everest expeditions. On the south side of the range, except for the narrow strip of country between these two routes, the foothills of Assam are the home of savage tribes: Miji Akas, Silung Abors, and Daflas. Known as the Balipara Frontier Tract, this unadministered territory stretches east to the Subansiri and beyond. The eastern route to Tibet lies on the edge of this hostile country and it is not possible to leave the route until near the Himalaya, where the country becomes too high for these forest-dwelling savages. A Political Officer stationed at Charduar, some 20 miles north of the Brahmaputra, is in charge of the Frontier Tract.