Book Review - Letters from Pakistan: A Himalayan Memoir - Boot Tread Books

      In 2021 I read the highly entertaining account of a Ph.D student undertaking research in a foreign country under difficult circumstances, when I enjoyed  Jonathan Slaght's Owls of the Eastern Ice. 

      It was with great delight, therefore, that I was made aware of a similar autobiographical work by a distinguished Canadian academic. The difference in the two books is that Slaght's is written contemporaneously, whereas de Scally writes from the lofty perch of deep memory, aided by meticulous notes. The memoir suffers not at all by the lapse of time, and in some respects is enhanced by the perspective that  recollection bestows.

     De Scally's research into avalanches and snowpack  is not for the faint of heart under any circumstances, but add in the difficulty of working in the Himalayas in primitive conditions, and at times it verges on nightmarish. Nothing is ever straightforward, from the unpredictably of the weather to the response of the local people assigned to work as part of the team, and the sheer difficulty of getting things done. Even getting from one place to another is a constant challenge.

      The danger of gastrointestinal problems is ever present in third world countries where respect for basic sanitation is an unknown concept, and early on de Scally was felled by a severe bout of giardiasis. Lacking facilities to shower other than in the ice cold water of mountain streams or snowmelt, and having to use a communal latrine that was literally a hit or miss proposition, de Scally had to quickly accustom himself to a filthy body and filthy clothes. 

    The redeeming feature in all of this was the breathtaking splendour of the Himalayas. The staggering magnificence of it left him in awe more than once. 

     In fact, so moved was he, that he would go on to later name his two daughters after Himalayan locations.

     De Scally's work took place in the 1980s, before the ubiquitous presence of the internet and instant communication around the world, and one's sanity almost hinged on the arrival of correspondence from loved ones back at home. Surprisingly, the mail service was characterized by its efficiency, and when de Scally made friends with the local postmaster, the mail was sometimes actually delivered to his tent.

     The details of the work done by de Scally and his team over the three year study period is of interest to both layman and technician, but the abiding impression left by the book is the deep admiration and respect he developed for the people of the region. They were honest to a fault (with minor exceptions), invariably cheerful and helpful, and willing to share their meagre resources, even though ground down by extreme poverty, often illiterate, and  facing a future with no horizon. On one occasion, when struggling to stay alive at night under perilously hazardous conditions, in danger of being swept away at any moment,  de Scally and one of his companions were taken by the hand by small children, barefoot and inadequately clothed, and guided to safety.

     At the risk of being mildly chauvinistic, it strikes me that de Scally brings a uniquely Canadian sensitivity to the experience, and one is left secure in the knowledge that Canadian dignity and respect for our fellow humans, despite differences in religion, culture, education and economic status, was never sacrificed.

     I recommend the book highly. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading it.

Letters from Pakistan: A Himalayan Memoir - Boot Tread Books

Fes de Scally

Paperback - 501 pages - Black-and-white and colour illustrations - ISBN 978-1-73825-630-3

Published in 2024