HERZOG's CAVES

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 24/07/2016

In 1952, the speleological world became aware of the cavernous potential of the Himalaya, when Maurice HERZOG (1986: 17, 62, 78, 85, 151), the 'conquerer' of the first 8000 m peak, reported not only of limestone but also boasted of having successfully seen »enormous caves« high up on Annapurna. PAVEY (1976b: 9) lists this item as No. 14. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1952: »… some enormous caves …« (HERZOG 1986: 17, 62, 78, 85, 151). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1971a: »The Miristi Khola valley contains a variety of small rock shelters. All at about 4000 metres, they are cut into both solid limestone and gravel terraces, but even the former are mainly formed by frost shattering« (WALTHAM, A C 1971a; 1971e: 55). On this occasion, male sportsmen in search of the longest were somewhat dissapointed to discover it was precisely »12 feet« (3.6576 m) long (WALTHAM, J M 1971a: 17). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1971b: »Herzog's "caves" … turned out to be just rock shelters in the thick valley terraces« (COWARD 1971c: 69). SITUATION 1952: »The days route was planned to cross the buttresses of the Nilgiris, always keeping well above Miristi Khola. ...endlessly we kept ... flanking movements ... descent. The slope continued over steep rock slabs, and then we skirted along cliffs in which we could make out some enormous caves … a few minutes lates we were all assembled at the banks of Miristi Khola« (HERZOG 1986). SITUATION 1970: The site was re-visited twenty years later Janet and Tony [Anthony] C. Waltham, K.W. and R.G. Turnbull (members of the British Karst Research Expedition to the Himalaya 1970). Leaving from Tukche, they went to Lete and climbed into Tangdung Khola to spend a first uncomfortable night there. The next uncomfortable night, again surviving on melted snow and A.F.D. food, was spent on meadows above the tree line (at about 4000 m asl). On 26th October the Waltham's crossed Herzog's pass of 27th April (»passage du 27 avril«, circa 4330 m) and the third camp was dropped at 3960 m near Hum Khola. While K.W. and R.G. Turnbull headed for Annapurna Base Camp, Janet and Tony Waltham went for Herzog's Cave. SITUATION 1971a: »A trip was made to the base camp of Annapurna … in the Miristi Khola, valley where a thick bed of massive limestone dips north from the summit of Annapurna down to the valley. … After a tiring 5000 foot [1524 m] climb through bamboo forest we came out to the Hum Khola valley, and traversed around the hill side to the river. Here, at the junction between the limestone and sandstones, we found six risings, two of which squirted out from fissures under considerable pressure. The Hum Khola (river) flowed down a limestone gorge about 150 feet [46 m] deep just above the risings, but no sinks in the streambed or around could be found. Continuing on we dropped into the Miristi Khola valley and found Herzog's 'caves'« (COWARD 1971c: 69). SITUATION 1971b: BOWSER (1971: 24) narrates a tale according to which Herzog's caves are visible from Tukche. These cave entrances, however, are the caves in the –>Chairogaon Khola. SITUATION 1995: »I have checked the location of the cave "discovered" by the French in 1950. It is above Miristi Khola, some 750 m above the river, after the pass called "passage du 27 avril." If there is one way only to go from Kali Gandaki to Miristi valley, may be it is possible to find that cave. The map (p. 419, Conquèrants de l'inutile [TERRAY 1961, 1963] is only a sketch with no sign of the cave« (Chabert, Claude 1995 personal correspondence).