All K2 expedition dispatches

Our trek today began with a leisurely breakfast at 7 AM of fried eggs, bacon, bread, and porridge, along with our french press and espresso coffee, a great way to begin any day on an expedition! The weather continued to hold clear as we hiked along the Baltoro glacier to the famous Concordia camp, where the glacier splits. Here we have a nice view of K2! Tomorrow we plan to arrive in our base camp.
20150706-concordia-0056
20150705-goro-0303
20150706-concordia-0006
20150706-concordia-0040

Today we enjoyed a nice walk up the middle of the Baltoro glacier to reach our camp at Goro. We had great views of surrounding peaks, another perfect day on the expedition! The food has been wonderful, happy hour consists of smoked salmon and salami with cheese and crackers, for dinner fresh vegetables and meat every night. Yum!
20150705-goro-tmp-0003
20150705-goro-tmp-0053
20150705-goro-tmp-0017-Edit
20150705-goro-tmp-0040
20150705-goro-tmp-0027

Today we left early again and began trekking before sunrise, catching the first morning rays of sunlight into the valley. We passed by the Trango Towers, and found ourselves in camp high above the glacier below admiring the view of the sunset. It’s been a great 4th of July for us here in Pakistan!
20150704-urdokas-2-0038
20150704-urdokas-0036
20150703-urdokas-0003-Edit
20150704-urdokas-0021

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.
20150703-paiju-0002
20150703-paiju-0005
20150703-paiju-0014
20150703-paiju-0023
20150703-paiju-0077
20150703-paiju-0083
20150703-paiju-0097

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.
20150702-joula-0028
20150702-joula-0010
20150702-joula-0038

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!
20150701-skardu-askole-0127
20150701-skardu-askole-0296
20150701-skardu-askole-0273

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.
20150630-skardu-0039
20150630-skardu-0043
20150630-skardu-0046
20150630-skardu-0051

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.
Brant & guard
Skardu Valley
Colorful truck

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.
IMG_3854.JPG
IMG_3850.JPG
IMG_3852.JPG