Nalkankar. The Northwest Nepal Scientific Research Expedition of Hokkaido University had as objectives to climb Nalkankar (24,032 feet) and to investigate the catchment basin of the Karnali River geologically. Led by Hisao Ando, they consisted of Koa Watanabe, Ryuji Miyaji, Teiichi Endo and Masando Hashimoto. Some exciting news reached here at last about them. On December 26, Hisao Ando and Miyaji reached Kathmandu in advance to report their activities to the Government of Nepal. The People’s Republic of China army had captured Miyaji and Sherpa Ang Temba but released them soon, recognizing they had no bad and special aims. The leader announced in Kathmandu that there was no mountain in the area named Nalkankar, but the Government of Nepal protested against the announcement, saying that even if they could not find the peak, it did not mean the non-existence of the mountain. It was clearly printed in the Frontier Agreement between Nepal and the People’s Republic of China. Three members of the expedition made the first ascent of one of the peaks of the Takhpu Himal (c. 21,000 feet). They were captured by the army during their attack on the highest peak of the group. (Dr. G. O. Dyhrenfurth has been kind enough to inform us that he feels that the authorities in Kathmandu have good reason to believe in the existence of the peak. It is said to lie at 30° 17° North Latitude and 81° 29' East Longitude on the frontier, about halfway on a line between Saipal and Gurla Mandhata. It is east of the Tibetan town of Taklakot and north-northeast of Khojarnath. — Editor.)

Ichiro Yoshizawa, Japanese Alpine Club