510 THE KARLIK TAGH 



Bardash Valley, situated close under the culminating 

 point of the range, should possess a more abundant 

 rainfall, and, therefore, heavier vegetation. 



In the Upper Bardash I found myself in a trench- 

 like valley, with wide, open bottom and steep sides, 

 up which it was necessary to clamber in order to 

 obtain a view. Climbing, however, was no easy task, 

 for the snow was soft and let me in up to the knees — and 

 often up to the hips — at every step, but four hours of 

 stiff work over snow-covered boulder-skrees took me 

 up on to that table-topped ridge, so distinctly seen from 

 Kumul. The view repaid me for the strenuous climb, 

 for, at a fair distance, I had spread out before me a 

 complete panorama of the highest peaks (from No. I 

 to VIP), which taught me the topography of the alpine 

 regions of Karlik Tagh far better than if I had ascended 

 the highest peak itself, which at this season was impreg- 

 nable. The panoramic view I obtained is reproduced 

 on page 496 ; it clearly demonstrates the plateau-like 

 summit of the western end of the range, and the deep- 

 cut gorges of which I spoke. The culminating point of 

 the range shows as a rounded summit, and to the east of 

 it are the serrated ridges and pinnacles of the eastern 

 portion of the Karlik Tagh. 



The excessive roughness of the country made travel- 

 ling laterally along the range very difficult. The valley 

 of Bardash was so cut off that, in order to reach another 

 valley, one needed to toil over transverse ridges for a day's 

 journey. A break in the formation, however, allowed 

 a track to run east and west along the north side of 

 the sandstone range, between it and the higher spurs. 

 We followed this route from Bardash, and, passing the 

 forested valley of Karchamak, arrived at Khotun-tam, a 



