Making the move from Jhola to Paiju, we started earlier today at 5 AM as the heat was very intense and we wanted to reach camp soon to relax in the shade. It was a pleasant walk but even more pleasant in camp under the trees by the cool stream! We had many great views of the surrounding peaks, and are excited to finally begin walking up the Baltoro glacier tomorrow, as the trail will transition from dirt to glacier moraine.
All K2 expedition dispatches
We awoke early this morning and began walking by 6:30 AM, it was hot so we wanted to get an early start to the day. We hiked along the Braldu river and had many nice views of the surrounding peaks. After crossing the bridge we reached our camp at Jhola, and are now settled in for the night.
Today we drove by jeep from Skardu to Askole, a very adventurous drive along the Braldu river. We are in the lush village of Askole and exited to begin trekking tomorrow morning!
Tomorrow we plan to finish our journey by driving from Skardu to Askole by jeep! We have enjoyed our brief stay in this village and are excited to head onwards! A few photos from our stay in Skardu.
Here is a short clip of our journey from Islamabad to Skardu yesterday. As you can see, it was a very scenic drive!
Due to inclement weather, the flight to Skardu from Islamabad was not available so we elected to drive the Karakoram highway, considered by many the most dramatic road in the world. We followed the Indus river past where the 3 greatest mountain ranges in the world meet: the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram. We are now in the lush Skardu valley to rest for a day or two then will continue on our way to Askole to begin our trek.
Tonight we went out to a great restaurant in Islamabad, and had a wonderful Italian dinner. We have enjoyed a few days here in this lovely city and now have to say farewell as we head onward towards our objective. Tomorrow we plan to begin our journey to Skardu.
Today most of our American and European climbers arrived in Islamabad, we enjoyed a nice afternoon hike in the hills around the city, and then a fabulous dinner perched high atop one of the hillsides. The rest of the crew will arrive tomorrow. We are happy to be here and begin our journey to K2 and Broad Peak!
Our Pakistani & Sherpa members are now on the second day of trekking to base camp and our American and European members are about to arrive in Islamabad. A photo of our first objective, K2, looking up from Camp 4, and a photo of our second objective, Broad Peak (taken from Camp 1 on K2)! With a little luck and good weather we hope to climb Broad Peak after K2 this season.
Our team of climbing Sherpas from Nepal have landed in Islamabad! They are now heading to base camp with our local Pakistani guides. Our American and European climbers are finishing last minute preparations at home and excited to depart soon! We will be posting regular updates here on our K2 & Broad Peak dispatch page, beginning soon!
