Expedition Autumn 2006 to East Tibet

Tamotsu Nakamura

Revisiting Yi’ong Tsangpo, Botoi Tsangpo and Kangri Garpo




When our team from the Hengduan Mountains Club arrived at Lhasa on 22 October 2006, a letter from Jon Miceler of High Asia Exploratory Mountain Travel based in Connecticut was on the front desk of the Himalaya Hotel. He left a message for me saying that, ‘As you read this letter, I will be with a few friends walking from Xin Tso Lake NE of Basong to the Tonjuk valley and then reach the Yi’ong valley and march up the Yi’ong Tsanpgo (2260 m) to Niwu (3400 m) and from there head northward to Alando or westward to Lhari (4460 m) along the main valley’. I had given Jon all my knowledge of the Yi’ong Tsangpo such as logistics, availability of pack animals / porters, footpaths and high passes that can or cannot be crossed.

I was stunned by this news, as our principal objective was to completely retrace the route along the lower Yi’ong Tsangpo from Lake Yi’ong to Niwu, on which no foreigners’ footsteps were recorded since F. Kingdon-Ward had done it in 1935. To come second is not of interest to me; I must be the first. We immediately changed our plans. We decided to move to Kangri Garpo after exploring unfrequented glaciers and snow peaks in the valley of the Nye Qu Tsangpo, a tributary of the Yi’ong Tsangpo, northeast of Lake Yi’ong Tso. This was one of two main objectives.

On 25 October, we left Lhasa by four Toyota land-cruisers. Tashi, who has accompanied my team in East Tibet since 2002, another guide and two cooks, joined our expedition. On 28 October, a caravan with 16 horses and 16 muleteers departed from Yi’ong village near to Lake Yi’ong Tso. When we returned to Yi’ong village after six days trekking, we received news that Jon Miceler’s party had also returned to the village as they could not go any further than Bake village. A formidable deep gorge prevented them from making any further progress. Timber rafts would have had to be made by local villagers to cross the raging rapids flowing through the gorge. That was too dangerous, so Jon gave up the plan. We were fortunate. If Jon’s party had not gone ahead, we would have met the same difficulty in Bake, which I had visited in 2005 for reconnaissance. I kept this in my mind for future challenges. ‘Anything can happen in China. Nothing is impossible in China’. Dreams might possibly come true.

Through Tibetan Jungle

The water level of Lake Yi’ong Tso looked lower than last year and the snow came earlier. We reviewed our plan at Yi’ong village, where they kindly let us use accommodation belonging to the local government office as our base for exploration. We gathered information on the Nye Qu Tsangpo from villagers to find a possible access to the glaciers and veiled peaks in the upper valley basin. But the villagers’ response was discouraging. They reiterated that trails were not maintained and bridges were broken down or too dangerous to cross due to deterioration over 30 years.

The trail up to Bayu village (2340 m) north of Yi’ong village was quite comfortable, but struggles soon began with treacherous Tibetan jungle which resembled tropical rain forest. The ground was covered with moss. We were hampered by prickly bushes that blocked up the trail. Outer clothing was torn. The trail was on the right bank of the Nye Qu. In some sections loads were carried by muleteers. One horse almost fell down to the river, but was narrowly saved. On the first day of the caravan, 28 October, we set up C1 at 2500 m near the confluence of the main stream Nye Qu with a branch valley to the Qiaqing glacier, the longest valley type glacier (35 km) in Tibet. But no bridge over the Qiaqing valley was found. On the following day, we entered the Qiaqing valley and reached the glacier end covered with stone debris, but we could not see the upper part of the glacier. No foreigners had come to this glacier since the Chinese Academy of Science had made a preliminary approach in 1989. Meanwhile the muleteers constructed a 25 m long temporary bridge over the stream, which made it possible for the horse caravan to march up the Nye Qu. A view of the north face of holy Hayungarpo, 6388 m was most magnificent. It soared 4000 m high above the river bed.

Marching through the jungle continued on the third day too. The muleteers opened the trail, cutting trees and bushes with Tibetan swords or axes. They were powerful and worked efficiently. There were dangerous paths on the precipitous slope, where older members were belayed by rope by the muleteers for safety. C2 was set up at 2520 m in a small pasture where plenty of marijuana grew. We departed from C2 (minus 4^o at 8:00 a.m.) and got to a crumbling bridge (2660 m) over a rushing narrow gorge to the Ruoguo glacier. This was the farthest point which we could reach. We did not risk walking on the bridge. The muleteers told us that the bridge had been made more than 30 years ago and currently even nomads did not go further, and that the trail beyond the bridge would become more difficult. No foreigners had visited the valley of the Ruoguo glacier since an American team had recovered the remains of a crashed airplane in early 1990.

According to the muleteers, in those days when the bridge was constructed, domestic animals were owned by the village community, not by individuals. Pasturing of the animals was conducted in a big group. The bridge was therefore installed so that these animals could be brought to higher pastures. But after the reform policy was implemented and the government allowed individuals to have their own animals, they did not go to the higher pasture and the bridge was almost abandoned. Now only a few hunters enter the upper valley.

We were able to see several peaks over 6000 - 6400 m in the headwaters of the two glaciers of Nalong and Maguolong. But we had to give up entering the sanctuary of the said two glaciers, the heart of Nye Qu which was surrounded by many unknown 6000 m peaks. On the way back, C3 was set up at 2580 m in the forest. Bears growled near the camp in the middle of the night as if screaming. On 2 November, we returned to Yi’ong village.

We heard that Jon’s party had already left Yi’gong village one day before, heading to the north side of Nyaiqentanglha East, Lhorong and Bemba (Pelbar).

To Kangri Garpo
We moved our field to the Kangri Garpo range. My first priority was given to searching for the least known Gone Kangri massif, but again we had to change our planned destinations. As a result, we visited three notable valleys of Kangri Garpo: Lhagu, Midoi and Mimei glaciers.

Lhagu village and the glacier

On 3 November we drove from Yi’ong village to Bomi, which has become a modern town. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway is easy and comfortable to drive as almost all the sections are paved. On the following day we entered Lhagu valley from Rawu (3945 m). The Lhagu (or Laigu) glaciers and Lake Rawu are now tourist spots. Near Lhagu village there was a check post to collect an entrance fee of RMB 20 per foreigner.

We stayed at a primary school in Lhagu village (4060 m) for two nights. Two days snowfall turned the neighbouring scenery to pure glittering white, which let us know that winter was coming and then we had clear weather again. The Lhagu glacier has the largest glacier surface area in Tibet, and the surrounding 6000 m peaks were breathtakingly beautiful. Though potential climbers are interested, all the peaks yet remain untouched. Mick Fowler and others have a keen interest in Gongyada 6423 m and a towering rock peak Dojigtsengza 5662 m. It was very unfortunate that one Japanese (64 years old), who led a ski expedition of six members to the Lhagu Glacier, died because of high altitude sickness on 6 November.

We met two young Tibetan female teachers working at the primary school. One came from Nyainchi and the other was from Rawu. They had received training at an institute in Henan Province, which imposed an obligation upon them to work in a very remote village school for at least one year. After the one year engagement, they would be able to move to a school in a township in Tibet. There were 15 Tibetan pupils in the Lhagu school, nine girls, 10 - 12 years old and six boys, 10 - 15 years old. They were very cheerful and friendly.

On the way back from Lhagu village to Rawu, we went up to Dema la 4800 m, a high pass to Zayu. The easternmost part of Kangri Garpo is also full of unknown stunning peaks of 5-6000 m and unique glaciers to be explored. We visited the historical Shugden gompa.

Midoi and Mimei Glaciers

Midoi Glacier
The local government is involved in developing the Midoi glacier for tourism. A vehicle road has been constructed through the valley from a junction (3500 m) joining the highway to Midoi village, from where we could hire a tractor to the glacier lake. This valley was explored a couple of times by the Japanese Alpine Club. We entered this valley on 7 November. The glacier which has ice falls was magnificent. I saw and heard avalanches of huge hanging ice blocks crashing down toward the glacier lake. The north faces of Gemosongu, 6450 m and Hamogongga, 6260 m were impressive.

Mimei Glacier
On 8 November we entered a valley in Mimei called Xinguo Longba. The Mimei glacier was surveyed by the Chinese Academy of Science in the 1980’s, but I have no report. The problem was that no pack animals were available in this valley. We hired 12 villagers from Mimei (3450 m on the left bank of the highway) as porters to ferry up our loads to the glacier end. The valley with conifer trees was wider and more beautiful than Midoi valley. The trail was quite pleasant. On the same day we arrived near the glacier end called Gongtsa (3650 m), where we set up camps. A view to the south beyond the glacier showed three 6000m peaks. But they were not particularly attractive.

Two glaciers joined from east and west forming the 2 km lower part of the main glacier which was partly covered with rock debris and crevassed in many places. The glacier end was totally covered with debris. The total length would be about 8 km (eastern glacier) and 12 km (western glacier) from the glacier end. On the following day it was cloudy and I went up to a point where I could look down on the junction of the two upper glaciers. We returned to Mimei village and then proceeded to Bomi town on the same day.

Return to Nyainqentanglha - Botoi Tsanpo
What else? I did not hesitate to revisit the mountains in Botoi Tsangpo north of Bomi. I had explored the Jajong Glaciers of Zepu Qu north of Yuri in the fall of 2002. The area east of Yuri village (3100 m) remains unfrequented and a Google map shows the birth of distinct new glacier lakes which are not shown on the Russian topo map of 1: 200,000. This fact attracted me to the valley again.

Searching for new glacier lakes
On 11 November we came to Yuri village from Bomi. Four years have brought many changes in the valley of Botoi Tsango. The road to Qingdou, a centre for timber collection, has been paved and a new wood processing factory has started operation. The other villages are also developing. As in other remote areas, we found discos in Yuri too. Motor bikes are superseding horses. Solar batteries, mobile phones and TV/DVD are becoming very popular.

We soon organised a caravan with 12 horses and six muleteers at Yuri. We tried to gather information on the new lakes and approaches from an officer of Yuri local government and villagers, but their reaction was ambiguous. The weather was not stable. Usually stars could be seen at midnight and mornings were cloudy. Sometimes the weather was good and sometimes it snowed.

On 13 November, we left Yuri marching to the east with five days provisions. Half days were good for easy riding. On that first afternoon, the trail ascended a steep slope through primeval forest beneath holy Yuri peak 6100 m on the right bank of the valley called Linzhou Longba. They said that nomads lived in the upper valley. We set up C1 in a narrow pasture (3585 m) with a small gompa. A solitary monk lived there.

On 14 November, the trail was through thickly grown rhododendron and conifer trees. These were humid and dark forests with moss under snow. Below the trail, a mysterious blue lake surrounded by forests appeared. No water inlets or outlets were found. The main stream of the valley flowed far below and could not be seen. C2 was set up at a wide open pasture (4000 m) like a fairyland, at the confluence with a branch valley to the north. An unnamed 6260 m high peak indicated on the Russian map should have been visible but was hidden in the cloud. Steep rock peaks with hanging glaciers towered over 1 the southern side of the main valley of Linzhou Longba, whereas five 6000 m peaks with larger glaciers loomed over the northern side .

There were several nomads’ summer huts and many yaks and zous / zomo in the pastures of C2. The animals came closer to us wanting salt. Zou (male) / zomo (female) are hybrids of yaks and cows. They have a calmer temperament, live longer and are more suitable for ploughing a field than yaks. They are also more expensive than yaks. It snowed in the night.

Final leg of the journey - shining peaks and theft

On 15 November, we made a round trip to the new lakes from C2 in a day. The weather showed a sign of improvement but it was snowing in the morning. Temperature at 8:30 a.m. was minus 3^o. The main valley of Linzhou Longba turned to the left before the lakes appeared. We marched up a wide valley to the east and reached a small pass (4250 m) at 2:00 p.m., where a large glacier and a waterfall of the main stream emerged in front of us but no lakes were within our sight. The lakes were estimated to be far beyond the waterfall. Time constraints forced us to return from the pass. Though the lakes did not appear, luckily the cloud gradually lifted. An incredibly shining snow peak with Himalayan fluted ice was unveiled and other beautiful peaks with glaciers came into full view to the east. The peaks seemed around 5800 m according to the Russian map. The outstanding north face of a 6000 m peak was also in sight to the south. All of us were fascinated by the panorama. We thanked the Gods of Tibet for giving us such a blessing.

On 16 November we left C2. The temperature went down to minus 6^o at 8:30 a.m., the weather was unstable. On the way back we receieved bad news through mobile phone from the drivers who were waiting for us at Yuri village. Two of the three land-cruisers were damaged and all the contents including important personal belongings had been stolen. They had been stored inside the cars parked in the local government compound. The theft took place during the night of 13 November and villagers came to know about it the next day when a primary school teacher witnessed a boy carrying a camera. The teacher questioned the boy and started an investigation. Then it was revealed that three school boys belonging to one family had committed the theft. We were worried and discussed how the losses might be compensated by insurance. To our further surprise, however, when we arrived at Yuri village, all the items were returned to our guest house. Nothing was missing. The drivers did not report the case to the police. Supposedly the teacher managed the case so that the police was not involved , thus safeguarding the future of the school boys. The bad news suddenly changed to a good story and enabled us to leave Yuri with no unhappy memories. The western side of a panorama that we had seen on 15 November and the north face of Dojiza 6260 m with a prominent glacier called Juxi Glacier south of Qingdou village became our principal concern. On 18 November, therefore, we again entered Botoi Tsangpo and drove along a large confluence northeast of Qingdou. A variety of snow and rock peaks of 5500 - 5800 m soaring on the both sides of the valley were photographed. One was like the Matterhorn and another might be compared to a small Ama Dablam. A view of Dojiza from the north was remarkable indeed. The west face of two towering peaks, 6135 m and 5601 m, just north of Bomi town were inspiring. It was a wonderful finale to four weeks exploration in the borderland.

On 19 November we left Bomi for Lhase where the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Railway waited to carry us to Lanzhou, Chengdu and Beijing.

Members Tamotsu Nakamura, (leader) (71), Tsuyoshi Nakgai (74), Eiichiro Kasai (66), Tadao Shintani (62), Hiroshi Onodera (55), Yuuki Tagata (37), Zhang Jiyue (40), Chengdu, President of Sichuan Adventure Travel

Summary: Visiting areas in the southeast Tibet