Despite taking on the task of home worker from her unhealthy mother she managed to pass the London University entrance exam by correspondence.
She started work as a primary school teacher but she used her evenings and weekends to study and to gain experience.
The other mountaineers from the Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club were Cynthia Marr, Evelyn Camress (later McNicol) and Elma Wrench.
[7] They managed to get to the previously unmapped Phurbal Chyachumbu glacier and made it to the unclimbed peak on the frontier of Nepal and Tibet.
[7][8] The Gyalgen or Gyalzen or Leonpo Gang East peak is on the border of the Nepalese Bagmati Province and China and it is 6151 m / 20180 feet high.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery had a show called On Top Of The World from 2002 to 2003 that included pictures of Stark and the expedition team.