The Valley of Flowers: An outstanding Himalayan climbing seasonIn his delightful The Valley of Flowers, mountaineer Frank Smythe takes you on a botanical expedition to the Garhwal Himalaya. Alongside the author, scale the steep craggy mountains and bathe in crystal clear pools; breathe in the scented foothills of the Himalaya and their carpets of peonies, roses, rhododendrons and gentian. Experience 'the keen, biting air of the heights and the soft, scented air of the valleys'. Climber and adventurer Smythe journeys through the Himalaya's Byundar Pass, climbs the Mana Peak, descends into the Byundar Valley, and comes terrifyingly close to an encounter with The Abominable Snowman. The Valley of Flowers is a pleasurable escape for any climber, walker, mountain lover or gardener, or indeed anyone who needs reminding of the beauty and serenity of the natural world. |
From inside the book
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... Everest has become a duty, perhaps a national duty, comparable with attempts to reach the Poles and is far removed from pleasurable mountaineering. Mountaineering in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas more nearly resembles mountaineering ...
... Everest has become a duty, perhaps a national duty, comparable with attempts to reach the Poles and is far removed from pleasurable mountaineering. Mountaineering in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas more nearly resembles mountaineering ...
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... Everest in 1933, he was taken ill with double pneumonia and was sent down to a lower valley in an apparently dying condition, only to reappear at the base camp one month later carrying a heavy load on his back and clamouring for work on ...
... Everest in 1933, he was taken ill with double pneumonia and was sent down to a lower valley in an apparently dying condition, only to reappear at the base camp one month later carrying a heavy load on his back and clamouring for work on ...
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... Everest in 1924. Hugh Ruttledge wrote of him in Everest 1933 that: 'Efficient, completely reliable, and never idle, he performed every office from porter mess-man to nurse, in a manner beyond praise.' Undoubtedly he was ageing, for he ...
... Everest in 1924. Hugh Ruttledge wrote of him in Everest 1933 that: 'Efficient, completely reliable, and never idle, he performed every office from porter mess-man to nurse, in a manner beyond praise.' Undoubtedly he was ageing, for he ...
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... Everest in 1936, and the training he had then received had stood him in good stead, for he was the most efficient servant I have ever had. A good-looking lad, with a round, boyish and remarkably smooth skinned face, he was invariably ...
... Everest in 1936, and the training he had then received had stood him in good stead, for he was the most efficient servant I have ever had. A good-looking lad, with a round, boyish and remarkably smooth skinned face, he was invariably ...
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... Everest Expedition, the letters sent back by members mysteriously disappeared, to reappear some six or eight months later in England bearing the following typewritten notice: Suffered detention in Gangtok post office owing to the ...
... Everest Expedition, the letters sent back by members mysteriously disappeared, to reappear some six or eight months later in England bearing the following typewritten notice: Suffered detention in Gangtok post office owing to the ...
Contents
The Snow Col on Rataban | |
On Doing Nothing | |
The Belvedere | |
The Bhyundar Rock Wall | |
A Rock Climb | |
The Lower | |
The Abominable Snowman | |
My Finest Snow and Ice Peak | |
Second Attempt on Rataban | |
The Banke Plateau | |
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Common terms and phrases
afternoon Alaknanda River Alaknanda Valley allardias Androsace ascent attempt avalanche Badrinath Banke Glacier Base Camp beautiful beneath bergschrund Bhotia Bhyundar Pass Bhyundar Valley bloom blue boulder buttress climber climbing clouds cold colour crags crest crevasse crossed descended difficult distance Dunagiri east edge Everest expedition face feet high foot forest Garhwal gorge gully halted height hillside Himalayas hope hour ice axe icefall inches Joshimath Kamet Kangchenjunga ledge light looked Mana Peak mists monsoon moraine morning mountain Nanda Devi night Nilgiri Parbat Nilkanta nomocharis o’clock overhanging Pasang peak Peter pitch plants plateau porters possible potentillas precipices Primula rain Ranikhet Rataban reached rhododendron ridge rock rope route scrambled seemed seen shepherds Sherpa side slabs sleeping slope snow snow-slope snowfield Snowman steep step stream summit tent Tewang Tibetan torrent tracks traverse Trisul upwards Valley of Flowers village wall Wangdi weather whilst wind Zaskar Zaskar Range