Four Miles High

Josephine Scarr has described a trip made from England by Land Rover to India, with her climbing companion Barbara Spark to carry out a series of climbs and some surveying in the Kulu area, aptly named the Women's Kulu Expedition.

There is a short interlude while the two women take jobs at a school for a few months until the second phase, when they join up with the all-women 1962 Jagdula Expedition to Nepal.

The book begins with the origins of Scarr and Spark's setting up the expedition, including how they chose the location, preparation and departure. By Land Rover they travelled through Europe. The book is tidily edited through here, spending time only in Greece, then sharing details of the journey through Turkey, Iran and Pakistan before reaching India.

In India the two women again make preparations, organising Sherpa's, porters and donkeys, bought food and prepared for the departure. Manali was the town of departure. From there Scarr explains the processes, the climbs and the camps, as the women go on to climb a few minor peaks, then conquer (for the first time) Lion and Central Peak (not official names, or at least no longer recognised).

In Nepal, the Scarr & Spark are joined by the expedition leader Dorothea Gravina, Nancy Smith (expedition doctor), Denise Evans and Pat Wood (expedition dental nurse). I noted that Denise Evans was wife of well known climber and author Charles Evans. Accompanying this expedition were a fine bunch of Sherpa guides and climbers.

Scarr and Spark, by circumstance, were the first summit team to reach the goal of the expedition, Lha Shamma, an unclimbed peak of 21,000ft in the Kanjiroba Himal. Various combinations of climbers also climbed Kagmara 1, Kagmara 2, Kagmara 3, Triangle Peak and Twin Peak. At the end of the expedition they walked back out (two weeks) to Pokhara. The return journey overland to the UK wasn't covered, but is shown on the map.

Scarr's book was well written and interesting. It had plenty going on, wasn't repetitive and paid plenty of credit to the Sherpa where due. There were many photographs throughout which, while black and white, were excellent. There were good line drawn maps which showed enough.

Overall well worth seeking out. It seems it has re-published this century although there are not editions on GR, but I would have preferred by nice 1966 edition anyway!

4 stars.