August 3, 2022
The K2 Base Camp Trek- Askole to Concordia
(For part 1: https://dinshawavari.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/those-amazing-mountain-men-of-gilgit-baltistan-july-5-21-2022-1/)
Now, let me simply summarize this section-
- After 2½ yrs of COVID hiatus, this Trek was a “defibrillator” to my heart!
- If you’re anything like me, this Trek will knock any mental health issues out of you for a sixer!
- It’s better than any boot camp- I returned 5kg less in weight, that too, only upto Concordia!
- I ain’t EVER doing this again 😊!
Dare I ask you to go on…
On July 9 (Sat) (our 5th day) we started our actual TREK from Askole (Altitude: 3005m) at 11am via Korophon to Jhola camp.
Our backpacks were all coming with the mules; all we needed to carry was our day pack with water and rain gear; and our walking sticks. I had bought a day pack in Skardu and with other “odds & ends” the day pack too was slightly weighty.
One has to be very careful about taking photos of the females in Askole- they don’t like it because, as we were informed, several such photos found they way back through social media to their villages.
It was a very pretty leaving Askole in between these giants of mountains.
Arriving Korophon I was tired & dehydrated (appx 35°41’23.9″N 75°54’55.9″E / 35.689982, 75.915538). I had a 3 litre water bladder but from then onwards I put in ORS which helped a lot for the treks. As will become the norm, I plodded into Korophon camp with my guide about 30 minutes after the last trekker in our group.
At Korophon, we managed to get a jeep to Jhola. The actual campsite is slightly away from where we actually camped but we saved an hour’s travel (one way) by camping where we did (appx 35°40’45.3″N 75°57’49.3″E / 35.679236, 75.963692).
So this was the FIRST time in my LIFE attending to the ‘call of nature”, in nature! Never before have I camped, backpacked or trekked (and that too at these altitudes)- so all FIRSTS for me 😊.
On July 10 (Sun) (day 6) I left Jhola at 7am, initially with the pros (as I was ready) Willam, Juliane & Guide Sohail. I managed to stick with them or just behind till we came upon a donkey camp. There, guide Zakirullah joined up and became my walking partner at my own pace; but we still stayed more or less with sohail’s group for a while.
At some point, we started trekking up a glacier- till then things were not so bad but once we started climbing, the going got slower and breathing heavier.
Now, here is where these amazing Guides, porters, support staff, mules come into the picture-
When navigating in the high seas, our sailors use the electronic equipment, radar, GPS, etc and when all else fails they still have the old Astro-navigation techniques and tools.
HERE, on the glacier, there is no such aid. I was informed that Gul & his team generally are the first to mark the path/track to K2 every season – the track changes due to the shifting ice on the glacier and landslides on the mountain, etc. So, barring one or two clear nights when the stars are out in full strength, there really are no navigation tools to find your route across the glaciers. They have to actually make a route, tag it the old way (see below) and that sets the route(s) up for that season for all trekkers and guides.
Tagging the route was very simple- you’d see a pile of rock on top of each other and know you were “en-route”. For newbies like me, naturally, it took a while to trace out the route but even then, there were desolate patches which only our guides got us across. Truly ASTONISHING!
Later I learnt from Juliane, these markers are called “Stone Men”.
We had a [glacier] water crossing when I realized I had misplaced my sailing shoes (in other back pack) so borrow zakir’s saddles for the short crossing. Water was absolutely freezing but on the opposite side I passed on the sandals back to Zakirullah and dried my feet in the sun & sand. The going was still tough with a lot of ‘ups & downs” over the glacier, finally arrived Paiyu camp (only camp site with trees & greenery), eight hours later (3420 m), (appx location 35.6782282796312, 76.12565159783126, located at the foot of Baltoro Glacier).
At Paiyu, like at every camp/stop from hereon, hot soup & some snack item would be ready for us on arrival. The soup was always freshly made- not some packed soup. Not much of a soup drinker but after 8 hours on the trail, what a welcoming respite it was!
Once the tents were up, I rested for an hour while some of the others played “Ludo”- now that brings back memories!
On waking, I had a “wipe-down”. What is a body ‘wipe-down’…
In 2008, I participated in one leg of an ‘around the world’ sailing race – from Fremantle to Qingdao. In preparation for that, due to limitations of storing fresh water on a yacht, we couldn’t even think of having a traditional bath in those five weeks. Our ‘bath’ consisted of using antibacterial wet wipes to keep ourselves hygienic from toes to forehead.
So, that’s exactly what I did at each camp from Paiyu onwards. Naturally, I got back in the same clothes I was wearing before the wipe down but at least you felt cleaner and hygienic. After that, I once again (lost count by now) rearranged my backpack- this time to bring my cold weather gear to the top.
I came to realize too late that the Canon camera, Samsung tablet, sat phone and GPS I had brought along was absolutely useless and only lent to weighing down the main backpack. Unless you are photography nut, I suggest do not carry all this equipment and it’s ancillary gear as it increases the weight unnecessarily. The only thing which which came to good use was my son Byram’s power bank (though a little weighty).
In fact, all the clothes I had brought on this trip were worn by me. Nothing went to waste. Good to know this for future- not that I’m doing this again 😊.
On our 7th day (July 11, 2022 Mon), awaking at 5am, I got ready, brushed and made my way to the mess tent for a quick breakfast.
(Aside- we had the luxury of omelettes every day of the trek for breakfast, tea, green tea or coffee!)
Today’s walk is said to be shorter than yesterday but harder. It definitely turned out to be hard – but very interesting. Zakirullah & I left Paiyu at 7am, starting over Baltoro Glacier within the next 45 minutes, towards Khorbutse.
Just before Khorbutse camp, we came across another, much larger, river crossing. We could either cross these streams as the most direct course to camp or have a 3 km detour which the mules would use. Naturally, we decided the shorter route… Gul went ahead to try to scout out a safe crossing through the stream.
Now picture this scene –
You have this guy, without a thought, who’s standing in waist-deep water, surveying the scene, with his cowboy cap on and his hands on his hips (all that’s missing is a cheroot in his mouth and guns with holster 😊) – as if he’s on some tropical, white sand, Caribbean island (think … “Pirates of the Caribbean”)!
…HEY, HELLOOOOO … Gul … you do realize you are standing in -5⁰ water, don’t you! 😊
Anyway, he finds a path across the shallowest portion of the deepest end and we start our crossing.
Once again, I borrowed Zakir’s sandals. This time, the water crossing was much wider with more water sections to cross. The moment we stepped into the glacial water, it was as if someone’s axed my toes away. They were burning from the cold! Every now and then we’d get onto a relatively dry patch and I jogged in place to try to warm my toes but all I can think of are my toes have been chopped off. Surprisingly, my feet & legs were okay– the brunt of the icy treatment was on the first three TOES of each foot.
Our balance 5 people trek team was together again (other than the ‘pros’ who had already reached camp a couple of hours back) and we were made to link our hands together in a line and cross together. Unfortunately for Farwa, who I was holding on to, she got the brunt of my weight unconsciously pulling down on her shoulder as I cringed every time we crossed the icy water.
My toes still tingle from the cold.
We arrived Khorbutse (appx 35°42’57.6″N 76°13’55.7″E / 35.716000, 76.232142) (Altitude 3795 m) at 3pm. Another eight hour trek!
Well, I can safely say that we all arrived at camp together this time 😊… I wasn’t the last to ‘plod in’.
Crossing Baltoro Glacier makes for a very interesting trek. I can tell my fitness level has increased substantially, and getting better, but the altitude was still affecting my oxygen intake, tiring me very fast.
Upto now, along with the group, we’d take 5-10 minute rests from time to time.
Now, I tested a new procedure of more frequent breaks but only standing for 15-20 seconds. Alongwith those breaks, concentrating on my breathing technique and taking shorter steps, I managed the trek a little easier than before.
Invariably, with the height changes, I would have to take Panadol too (by the time of the respective destination)- this was in addition to the Diamox which I had started in Skardu.
Oh yes, let me tell you about our pack lunch. From Jhola, we were all given a small pack of hi-carb lunch- cheese, potatoe, dry fruits, nuts, etc. I didn’t think much of it until after Paiyu, when Bilal informed me that the hi-carb will help in my strength and stamina. From thereon, I never missed my ‘lunch’!
Upto now, we’ve not had any signal on our mobiles, so I’m completely out of touch with my family.
On our 8th day (July 12, 2022 Tue) we left Khobartse a little late at 8am.
After breakfast, initially I traveled with rest of group led by guide Sohail, who would continuously make stops whenever I needed a stop (which was often).
Leaving Khorbatse, we started with a steep climb before descending onto the Glacier again. Now we were passing several glaciers which linked into the main glacier from both sides. Eventually, Gul, Zakirullah & Sajjad caught up and Zakirullah fell in step with me.
I keep wondering if the respective guides were being ‘punished’ by being stuck with ‘slow’ me!
The going is so slow that each time you look up at a mountain or glacier, you would think you’ve passed one and come across another. But no! It was the very same glacier which never seemed to move because of the speed at which I walked.
Walking on the glacier has more ups and downs than walking on the sides of the mountains; however, these ups & downs were not very high, so manageable for me- in spite of shortness of breath. Coming back to the sides of the mountain, and walking the mountain terrain, is more demanding and tiring.
We arrived Urdukas (appx 35°43’42.4″N 76°17’05.6″E / 35.728440, 76.284885 ) at around 12noon (3900 m), again, about half hour after the rest of the team. Urdukas camp is at a height, so once again had to resort to climbing up the trail. Actually, Urdukas was another camp with some trees and greenery.
After our soup lunch, sleep & rinse, once again I reorganized my bag. This time, I emptied everything, removed all the stuff which I wasn’t using and was adding to weight and gave those to Gul in case he had any use for it.
I also realized that other than water, I was not using my day pack for anything so decided to try an experiment for tomorrow’s trek by only taking my 3 ltr camelback water bladder, my Grayle water filter and my rain gear.
For the first time, we had mutton palao for dinner. Our porters have been pulling along two goats and now we realized what for.
Before turning in at 7.45pm, Urdukas’ sky gave us such an amazing spectacle of nature …
On July 13, 2022 (Wed ), guide Sajjad was labbed with me and we left Urdukas [on my suggestion] at 6.30 (1/2 hr before others). For this trek I wore my down jacket and took along the rain jacket. I also ditched the day pack and just wore the water backpack, as I noticed I don’t access day pack on the hike. It was much easier. Shortly we were back on Baltoro glacier. It was an excellent trek with short but continuous up and downs.
Imran and family started off 35 min after me but eventually caught up …sigh… that’s inevitable.
However, I managed to stay up with them until Goro 1 campsite (arriving 11am) where Sajjad and I took a lunch break, while others kept walking onwards. Other trekkers had also set up tents and chairs for their tea and snacks.
10 min later we took off for Goro 2 and eventually saw Imran et al having lunch on a rock. However, the two of us pushed on and reached Goro 2 at 1.15pm -would you believe, 5-10 minutes before Imran and family 😊. (Appx (35.76085162933793, 76.4299697087375).
This section passed large ice mountains (like icebergs), which we also had to circumvent. STUNNING!
Goro 2 was cold and raining continuously. The pros had already reached 1½ hours earlier but unfortunately had to sit in the miserable rain as the mules with the gear and tents had not reached in time. Eventually, the mules and we reached almost together; but being absolutely knackered, most of us just plopped down in the Mess tent, while Bilal, Juliane and Willam helped set up the rest of the camp. Talk about me being a lazy sod! This last bit to Goro 2 really really stretched out – too long.
After another hearty soup & pakora lunch I went to my tent and rested again.
This 9th night in Goro 2 was the coldest night to date- we were going to have to start layering up. That night I wore socks and my ski-Dubai cap; my fleece jacket, then down jacket and finally rain jacket…all together. Going to pee at night was a pain in itself. Now I understand the reason for the optional suggestion- a “pee” bottle for the nights.
On July 14, 2022 (Thu) our 10th day, I doubled up on the t shirts, then fleece, down, smock-like rain jacket, two sets of woolen socks, neck baklava and finally gloves and woolen cap.
I started off with others altogether but gradually fell behind. This section has proved the hardest one to date. This time’s trek over the glacier saw very few respites of level ground or down slopes- majority was all upwards going.
Around 9am, I saw Gul on his mobile and I requested to call my wife. She had been worried and I told her to call me after 3pm at Concordia. I could not make calls (no credit) but could receive calls.
Over my lifetime, my brother and father would tell me what’s the purpose of getting worried about something if you don’t have the means of doing anything about it. I realized this for the first time!
For the last few days, I had been somewhat at “peace” with the realization that due to lack of communication, my worrying that my family will be worryied about, was not worth the worry- and I got on with the trekking. For the first time, this principal came use to me!
I also think I was having acclimatisation problems on this trek section, being totally out of breath, very regularly.
Eventually we made it to Concordia at 2.30pm, about one hr after the others (appx 35.75353462124054, 76.5150773956514). Along the way, I had met up with some Austrians (Andy) and he also gave me some trekking tips.
Coming closer to Concordia, we saw Gul was on lookout as he was worried for us, being so far behind. Sajjad too hadn’t been well that morning and that made Gul even more worried.
As I said, I was always the last to arrive at camp; but what I ‘secretly’ failed to mention was my arrival was last, even after all other trekker groups!
I hadn’t really enjoyed this section of the trek- I think the altitude, oxygen and just overall fatigue led to my only negative feeling on the whole trek.
When Gul met us before Concordia, he suggested that I don’t do Gondoro La (GG La) section and instead take a mule back. By then I was tired, negatively inclined, fed up with this long section and told him I’d been thinking of the same thing. While the two of them made their way into camp, I plodded along sullenly behind.
Ironically, it was Andy who first greeted my on arriving at Concordia 😊 (4500 m).
The others had all had their soups but kept my bowl saved, which I cherished. Feeling better after something hot in me, I went to my tent for a rest and my son & wife’s call. We spoke for a long time and it felt good; and I discussed my initial thoughts about what Gul suggested and the onwards journey.
Unfortunately, Dinaz gave me sad news- a very close friend of ours, Peter Lartz, had succumbed to Cancer in Rheinbach, Germany. We got to know Peter and his wife, Hea Young, on their posting to Karachi with the German Consulate. One of the nicest and friendliest people we have as friends. In Karachi, either they were entertaining people at their house for dinner OR they would be invited out for dinner. They never had dinner at home – just the two of them 😊. When we drove from Karachi to UK in 2017, my wife and I spent three lovely days with them in Rheinbach.
That evening, on reversing out of tent for dinner, I got entangled in the tent lines, slipped and twisted my right ankle. It hurt slightly but seemed OK to go on tomorrow. Slight limp but didn’t seem to be a problem.
That evening at dinner, I told my friends what I had been contemplating over to Concordia and my discussions with Gul & Dinaz-
It seemed quote logical I won’t be able to carry on after the K2 section- with the altitude, lack of upper body strength required for GG La, my slow pace (and honestly, my negative outlook). I would do K2 BC with them tomorrow and on returning to Concordia, would return back on a mule (‘Khutcher’). I just knew my maximum limit had been reached and my mind was not in a very positive place.
I was actually at peace with this decision and not really upset because I knew I had reached my limitation finally. I was making it to K2 BC, which was the objective but instead of returning from the GG La section, I would turn back for Skardu from Concordia. Everyone seemed okay with that. I know I was a bit negative anyway on this section of the trek, so would reconfirm this again after K2- who knows my attitude may change.
… Little was that to be the case.
In hindsight I believe several factors contributed to my decision –
- Due to 3 days delay in Skardu, we made up time by not stopping for two scheduled ‘acclimatization’ stops;
- It was non-stop trekking since leaving Askole;
- Altitude was affecting my stamina and breathing… and possibly my mental outlook;
- Always arriving last into camp didn’t always give the most positive vibe;
- Instead of hurrying to K2 the next day, possibly we could have rested a day at Concordia to acclimatize to the altitude- which might have been better for my outlook;
WHO KNOWS…that’s all in the past now; the die was cast and decision made for me.
Again, a very cold night- colder than Goro 2 too.
July 15 (fri), our 11th day, saw me up early and changed and ready for the final section. But my ankle was throbbing. Getting out of the tent was a chore and I realized this was THE END OF THE LINE for me. I gave the news to my group over breakfast- there was no purpose going on to K2 with a twisted, paining ankle. My problem was that I should have rubbed balm and bandaged up the ankle as soon as it had twisted yesterday (which I didn’t think of in the rush to go for dinner) and taken some pain killers.
That morning on returning to the tent, Gul arranged for a Khutcher to take me back next day, while the rest of them would go on to K2.
After breakfast, with a heavy heart I said my goodbyes to the group and to my guides and hobbled back to my tent. Gul had left behind the kitchen setup and the mess tent as they would need it for their return as K2 BC already had the setup there. They planned 3 hours to Broadpeak for tea with Mirza Ali and then onwards to K2.
My family has lived by a principal- WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR THE BEST.
There must be some good in this- maybe I was not meant to go on; maybe I was meant to experience what I did on my return adventure; maybe I would have got sick with the final 500 meter altitude gain to K2. I will never know; but I did know there must be some good in this though.
The weather cleared and getting good views of K2, shot off some photos from Concordia.
This was the end of the line for me- and tomorrow I would ‘mule’ back to Askole.
One exciting happened at Concordia during the wait on July 15th – suddenly two army helicopters turned up. On asking Hameed cook, he said it was for an evacuation but the hiker wasn’t at Concordia then. The helicopters flew so low that my entire tent collapsed (with me in it). That was the one time I had a fright thinking the tent and I would roll down Concordia’s slope together! (Well, I’m writing this after three weeks so I guess nothing fatal occurred 😊)
To be concluded ->
Dinshaw Avari- Trying my Hand at Blogging! 