Himalayan Coiffure
Most of the folk on this trip have, at some stage, sailed on the good ship Shimshal and, having been good Boy Scouts and Girl Guides they brought with them excellent splicing, knotting and rope skills.
Denzil memorably lashed a 200 litre oil drum into the cockpit in readiness for a crossing of the Denmark Strait on a sailing expedition to the remote Arctic waters of Scoresby Sound.
Tim and Heather, whilst cruising West Greenland with us knocked up multiple back-spliced fender lines and a giant monkeys fist for which I am still trying to find a use!
Chris and Neil have less salt water in their blood and chose a less challenging transit of the Caledonian Canal as their Shimshal experience. On this trip there was plenty of time for knotting and splicing as Sally spent so much time chatting up the lock keepers. Neil’s skills were exemplary and no rope project proved too ambitious and between us we invented and manufactured the ‘Shimshal Snubber’. An elaborate device rich in rope art including multiple monkeys fists and complex splices.
Maddy has yet to put to sea in Shimshal but on this trekking trip has demonstrated a definite aptitude for knotting, splicing and plaiting. Why, you might ask, are such nautical skills required on a 17 day trekking holiday in the Himalaya?
For some completely inexplicable reason Maddy took a ‘solemn pledge’ to wear a different hairstyle for every day of the trek. The reasons for this pass the likes of Tim and me by but then I don’t think asking for a ‘number 5’ counts for much in the high fashion hair ware.
In the early days of the trip Maddy’s challenge was not a complex affair. The mornings were warm, there was the occasional mirror to assist and the more obvious styles had been worn before and so were easy to replicate
We are now on day 14 and the before breakfast temperatures are below minus 10 and mirrors, if they exist at all are covered in soot or grime. Maddy must arise well before ‘wake-up tea’ to plan and execute the creation for the day.
Day 12 was a memorable creation. Two buns rising like antenna from the parietal regions was rapidly christened by a smirking Babu as, ‘The Black Panda’. I am not sure that there is such a thing as a black panda but I knew what he meant.
Day 13 was a high rise affair that would have worked well in the Himalayas were it not for a misjudged collision with a low hanging washing line which left a Sherpani in hysterics.
Other Sherpanis lower down in the valleys have lamented the loss of marigolds from their gardens having watched them appear as plaited ornaments at every opportunity.
Along the way there have been bunches, triple plaits, bun with triple plaits to name but a few. To my knowledge she hasn’t yet treated us to the ‘cat of nine tails’ but I am hoping this text will inspire.
Because Furba asked Maddy this evening what tomorrow’s style will be we already know what to expect at the breakfast table. It will be a shivery Maddy, for we are lodged at 4,400m, sporting a Ganges Dolphin which will be her highest of hair dos. I can only imagine it will some kind of Mohecan dorsal fin. I’m hoping there won’t be too many cross winds on the Larabina Pass or else she might get blown off course and be heading for the Ganges sooner than she imagined.
Whatever the next few coiffures bring they will be sure to raise a smile amongst the trekkers and our attentive team of porters and guides. So thanks for that Maddy!
Maddy’s rope skills are now beyond question and it’s time to put them to the test on Shimshal just as Denzil, Tim, Heather, Chris and Neil have before.