Mrs. Merrick did not set out deliberately to be an explorer. 'Th fact, she insists that she is not an explorer only a woman who enjoys travelling jone' to unfrequented spots, way. In 1929 when Mrs. Merrick who has traveled continually since childhood, was visiting, India, she looked up of the mountains one day and voiced aloud her thoughts that were she Marco Polo instead of just a mere mortal, fand a woman at that, she would like the adventure of exploring those fascinating heights, Then she discovered that the Kashmir authorities granted 24 permits each your for Just such hardy, travellers. she applied for a permit and much to her Surprise it was granted." Ashomed of {9 use it she set off, Just a little frightened at frst, and suddenly she found that she was enjoying her self tremendously. She liked. this first trip so much that she flew out from London, two years. later, and made a journey into Tibet proper from Darjeeling. On this. trek she of w-thin three stages of Lhassa and tone stage of Shigatse before she was foreed by Tibetan authorities to turn back. to India for her second venture in solitary trekking.
Here Mrs, Merrick also had trouble in securing permits, "Finally after signing. innumerable papers relieving the government of all responsibility. she started off to visit parts of the Jcountry never before inhabited and where often her caravan's dally march was lengthened into a several days Jeeaseless. search for "grass" for the hungry ponies.
'This four months' trek was marked joy interesting, thrilling and amusing incidents. It was necessary to ford immense rivers, go across dangerous avalanches (She™ stopped. counting afier the twelfth), rebuild paths long narrow precipices and walk as many as 23 miles in one day.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.