UKH

I'd highly recommend this delightful book. A very well written and easy reading tale of a 1961 duel expedition: to the Kulu region in Indian, and the Jagdula in the wild west of Nepal. However, this is much more than a mountaineering book, with descriptions of: planning; overland travel, by landrover, to and from India; a report on the time in India between the expeditions; a suitable focus on the trek to the mountains and the people of those regions, their porters and sherpas; and a significant focus on exploration (they took surveying equipment as part of the sponsor arrangements); all set to the background of the supportive mountaineering atmosphere in the UK at that time. The outcomes were not insignificant as Lha Shamma was the highest first ascent by a female team at that time (when women faced real barriers, that such trips really helped break down).

The version I read is the splendid new paperback reprint which is part of the Pinnacle Club hundredth anniversary celebrations. It has some added appendices (providing extra detail of the six expedition team members and updating their stories to the present day: sadly only two are still living) and colour photographs (quite a few of which are newly published). I subsequently looked at the original hardback and it makes a worthy revised edition.

While on the subject of history, the new Pinnacle Club centenary archives are a great resource, in particular, in my view, the Audio Stories.

https://www.pc100.org/

I'm just nearing the end of this book, and will be sorry for it to end.

I agree, Jo writes really well, not only about their own climbing and exploring, but also shows a curiosity about the people she meets, local culture and practices. Hardly surprising she subsequently made a career of archaeology under her married name of Josephine Flood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Flood

Thanks for the recommendation!

I really enjoyed this too. Let's just drive off to India in our Landrover and do first ascents in the Himalaya! A very enterprising trip for two young women in their mid-twenties.

The book is available from the Climbers' Club e-shop https://www.climbers-club.co.uk/four-miles-high/

Also look out for the launch of Jordan Carroll's film, Journey to Jagdula, featuring footage shot on the trip and recent interviews with Jo Scarr and Denise Evans. 

Sounds excellent and reminiscent perhaps of my own favourite 'A short walk in the Hindu Kush' by Eric Newby?

I shall be reading, thanks for the recommendation. 

Some years back, five of the six ladies signed my copy of the book and chatted briefly about the expedition. Nancy Smith said that they were particulary "fond" of their sherpas and what a great group they were.

I believe that the book was published in Jugoslavia and held up by the Communists as a triumph for women. I'd love to get a copy of that!

In Journey to Jagdula, Jo shows a copy of her book translated into Hungarian (I think)