Standing in the shadows of Chigori

I am sure if you have a free spirit residing somewhere deep in your heart, you will also be carrying a list in the back of your mind. You may call it “things to do before I die”, or “10 ways to live a life”, or simply as I call mine – “Been Dere Done Dat – checklist”. Around 9 years ago, I had to relocate to Canada for work. That is where I discovered a camera, and with the abundance of heavenly scenery around, I fell in love with landscape photography. That led to hiking and trekking to get the views. The feeling that you get when you go around that rock outcropping and the lookout opens to a vast valley leading to snowcapped mountains; is unspeakable. It cannot be told, it can only be felt. Having lived in Lahore for majority of my adult life, mountains were not something that I was used to, but soon I fell in love with the effort to hike to the top of the next peak, the next waterfall and the next glacier. My “been dere done dat” list started changing. The sky scrapers and the Eiffel tower, moved aside and the Machu Pichu and Kilimanjaro moved in. And then there was that one item on top of the list “Be in the shadows of Chigori – do the Concordia K2 base camp trail”

And this year, in July, a friend and I along with a 13 year old Dutch kid and his father, got this chance and we boarded our flight from Islamabad to Skardu. This is a diary of our journey and the multitude of emotions that marked it.

Usually the journey to K2 base camp is planned to span over 21 days. We had a firm stop that only allowed us 11 days. So with a lot of excitement, an understanding of the challenges that faced us, and anxiety, we landed in Skardu. It seemed like Mother Nature was not going to be kind with us from the get go. First, our 13 year old Dutch friend left his passport in the plane and we had to wait for the staff to bring it around to get his registration completed. However during that wait time, he made a number of friends, from the security guard at the door, to the ladies at the registration counter. It was very comforting for me, as a Pakistani to see the ease with which he and his father were able to communicate and the support they were being provided. In the aftermath of the deadly incident at Nanga Parbat base camp, few years back, the expedition count in the Northern Areas had dropped sharply. The welcoming attitude that we witnessed at the airport, was not limited to that building as we found out over the next 11 days. Then, we had to wait for hours at a hotel waiting for foreigner clearance that is issued by local authorities. This being a Saturday, was not making things easy. Here, once again, we got the support and very close to the deadline set for our road trip to Askole, the last road accessible village on the trail; we got the clearance.

That day (Day 1) we drove from Askole to Dasu,

Starting our journey to Askole

breaking our journey for the night. There had been a landslide and the road had to be walked across and we decided to do that the next morning.

Crossing the landslide

My memory of that journey ranges from the beautiful Shigar desert, to the flood water crossing by our seasoned driver; to the innocent and charming smiles of young children playing on the roof tops surrounded by dried apricots.

Crossing flood plains of Shigar

What impressed me the most was the cleanliness of the small village streets, and the abundance of schools….practically one seemed to spring up every mile or so, all the way to Askole. I had heard about the level of education in Gilgit Baltistan, and this was my first hand introduction to a proud, hardworking and content group of people. We had not made any reservations at the hotel that we stayed over for the night – yet, the staff prepared a larger tent for the four of us, cooked us dinner and breakfast and made sure we were comfortable. This is the essence of hospitality that seems to be at the heart of these people.

Passing through hospitable villages

Day 2– and we wake up early. Lots to catch up on. We had to make up the lost time from yesterday and trek almost 19kms to our first camping stop in Jhulla.

Approaching Askole

The walk was mostly along the riverbed, but still exhausting and set the pace for what is to come. Especially the last few kms where you can see the camp on the other side of the river and still the crossing point does not show up.

Indus tributaries

Askole is around 3000m and our goal was to reach K2 Base Camp which is at 5200m. Altitude sickness is common on these treks. Preparation for these excursions are important and that includes carrying altitude sickness medicine along the way, drink plenty of water and hike at your own comfortable pace. This first day of our trek, we met many groups of foreigners including Hungarians, Polish, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and British trekkers.

Crossing the hanging bridge over raging rivers

They were all being managed by local groups, expert guides and hardworking porters and they all felt absolutely comfortable in their surroundings.

Day 3 – We hike around 22km to Payo. Once again the trek is mostly at the river level but we start climbing towards the end of the trail and the trek cut in the mountains looks beautiful.

Heading to Jhulla

On the way I meet Mr Hasan Sadpara, one of the few Pakistanis who have managed to conquer all the 8000m peaks. He had a group of foreigners with him, who were returning from K2 and GII base camps. It also included a lady from Lahore who had been inspired by Samina Baig. Very heartening to see that this trail had been made so safe that our womenfolk could come over and attempt to be with the giant peaks. We were all by ourselves at Jhulla, but at Payo we met a number of other groups. The largest being a group of Japanese trekkers, majority of them above 60 years of age, all going to Concordia. Usually, one would take a rest day at Payo; not us, we had to continue on tomorrow – starting to cross the Baltoro Glacier for what is most probably the most difficult section of the trail.

Some of the best tea ever...Payo

Day 4 – We climb up above 3500m today, and it came with fatigue, lots of it and a fair bit of pain. Baltoro at this altitude is dusty, full of boulders and rubble and hosts plenty of flies. The path to cross it is not a straight ride. You go up 20m and down 15, and you keep doing this over and over again for three to four hours.

Payo is the only green patch in this picture

At this altitude the breathing starts to come in gasps as well, so you stop every now and then to catch up. The hard work, however, starts to pay off when we near the camp site and see the famous Trango towers, a chain of mountain, practically 10kms or less from the Chinese border aligned along the glacial route, as if the guarding sentinels to the valley of giants that lays just ahead.

After crossing the rubble, dust and flies that is Baltoro

From Khurbushe onwards, the military camps start getting closer to expedition camp sites. Our soldiers provide the sense of security, all along this valley, all the way up to Siddal and Ali Camps. And when it all freezes over, they still stay vigilant – guarding our borders that stretch here, leading to China on one side, and Siachen on the other.

Day 5 – It is Eid today. The feeling sets in right from the sunrise. One gets caught out here in a nostalgic sense of being. Living miserly out of a tent and a sleeping bag, seems too easy, too good to be true. Yet, the longing to be amongst your loved ones on Eid is overwhelming at the same time. Today, we will be trekking from Khurbushe to Urdukas.

On route to Urdukas

The trek is still on the Baltoro glacier, but at this elevation the glacier is more solid, and easier to walk on. The crests and troughs seem to be urther apart, making the climb easier. Of course at this elevation you need more oxygen for every step that you climb, so that gasping for breath frequency changes from every 200 yards to every 100 yards. We get our first sneak peak of GIV and Broad peak today.

Urdukas is the green oasis on the right

The evening is made splendid by our porters and guides, gathering on a rock top, singing and dancing to the beat of an empty Kerosene Oil Canister. An Army man proudly wearing the SSG Tshirt and dancing in the middle.

Celebrating Eid at 4600m

The music in this part of the world seems to have stopped in the 70s, and the porters sing all of the songs with the same beat. It is hypnotic, it is marvelous and the time stops….Eid Mubarak. It starts getting cold in the night, and we have to keep our layers on inside the sleeping bag. It rained the whole night but the morning sun the next day was bright and shiny.

Day 6 – Now we start to truly enter the valley of the giants.

The glacier starts looking like a glacier

Our next stop Goro II. We see the ice below our feet as we walk now. Glaciers are visible now, their white snow cones and the crystal blue waterways.

The snow cones

We start coming across deep crevasses and the landscape below our feet seems to be alive, shifting and cracking. This is going to be our coldest night. The tents are pegged right on top of the icy glacier and there is one inch of mattress between you and the cold floor below.

Approaching Goro II

This is where we also say goodbye to portable toilets. While the Karakoram Valley is a declared park managed by a park authority;

Visible in papers only

this facility of toilets for example is something that needs to be improved at these camp sites. It was cold, but the skies were absolutely clear, giving us an unhindered view of a night full of stars, and a beautiful milky way.

A humbling experience

There are few other experiences that can be as humbling as standing on the door step of 8000m mountains, under a sky full of stars, and you realize the greatness of The Creator and the smallness of us as humans. That is enough to bring humility to your heart and a sense of gratitude like never before.

A porter's headlamp mocked by the glorious stars

Day 7 – We wait for sun to rise behind Broad Peak. Today we get to see her, today we will reach Concordia at 4600m and have our first look at world’s K2, our Chigori. We trek for 5-6 hours today from Goro II to Concordia, and Chigori, like a shy maiden is not visible till you have actually reached the campsite.

Approaching the valley of the Giants

The excitement edges you on, the adrenaline hangs in there. Every step brings in a new, more beautiful view of this wonderland. From ice cones, to snowcapped Mashabrum, to the giant hunch back of broad peak.

The last of the Trangos

There are gems to treasure and store in your memory on every step. We see the Mitr peak, the half-moon crest of its peak distinct against the clear blue sky. We will be resting in its shadows tonight. Finally K2 appears in sight, a single mountain on its own, and the true leader of the pack – proud and partially covered in a halo of cloud.

K2 - you just sit and watch, and watch, and watch

Tomorrow we will do the last 10 km trek, to reach an altitude of 5200m and get up, close and personal.

Day 8 – Nature is favoring us today – it is bright and sunny as we start out towards K2. Concordia is named as such because it serves as a junction, with the passage from Urdukas reaching here, only to be split in two directions. Onwards to Goodwin Austin glacier to access Broad Peak and K2, or the other way to Gondora La and Snowdome and a route into the Gashabrum Mountain peaks. We walk towards K2, keeping Mitr Peak at our back and Broad Peak to our right.

From Concordia to K2 Base Camp

We reach the broad peak base camp first, and stop for a cup of tea. We witness one of the High Altitude Porters or HAP up on the peak moving from Camp 1 to Camp 2. These porters are the invisible heroes for any expedition and sadly go unnoticed. In Nepal similar "Sherpas” are taken much better care of, with unions, benefits and training; and this needs to be improved. Chigori finally lifts her veil and we get a full and unhindered view of the peak.

Chigori lifts her veil

An hour later, we reach the K2 base camp. Three of my team members decide to visit the campsite while I move on to visit the Gilki Memorial on the Angel Mountain, which is a collection of memorable items belonging to climbers who lost their lives on these peaks; some buried right there at Gilki.

K2 base camp

I wanted to pay homage to these brave men and women, who loved the mountains, and many of whose remains are left behind in the very arms of the slopes that they so loved.

Walking in the shadows of Chigori

It is an extremely emotional experience for me, and I am sure will be for anyone who loves the mountain. The memorial items include chocolates, shoes, ropes, cigarettes and family photos taken from the personal possession of the climbers and left on the site. There are also plaques in memory of these climbers, including some Pakistani porters.

Many of the memorial plates at Gilki Memorial

The message on one of them summarizes it all, “paharon ki bulandi say, baraf ki sufaidi say, ziadah behtar hai hum donon ka saath rehna. Kia aap ab bhi aisa sochtay hain? Jo pagal aap ka intezaar kar rahi hai - pagal kiko”.

Jo pagal aap ka intezaar kar rahi hai....

Humbled and honored, standing in the shadows of Chigori, I silently say to myself, “been dere, done dat” and start climbing back to Concordia.

The glacier lives and crevasses run deep

Day 9-11 (Day 9) – The weather came in on Concordia the next morning, with heavy snowfall and a white out. We started our journey back. This was going to be an ambitious three days, with almost 35kms to hike every day and our intention to be in Skardu, the third night. We will have to skip camp stops to make it happen. This would also include climbing down Baltoro, and our fatigued bodies would face the glacier much differently than before. The nostalgia kicks in immediately after Concordia. I turn back every few kms to take one more glimpse of the giants, one more look at the Mitr, one more peak at the broad peak and one more feel of the crunching ice beneath my feet. It is 10-12 hours of hiking every day. We stop overnight at Urdukas and Skimbushak.

Sun rises on our way back

We also rented a couple of horses on the way back to see the trail from a different perspective. Mine was named Raju, and did become a gentleman when crossing those narrow paths over Baltoro or when taking us along the river banks. We realized soon enough though that it was faster and steadier to trust our own two feet.

Saying farewell to the giants

While crossing down the Khurbushe glacier, I lost my way a bit and decided to follow a seasoned, older aged porter. The wise man guided me through the new crevasses and slopes down the glacier. The same day we had helped a Korean national down from Urdukas as he was suffering from severe altitude sickness. (Day 10) On our ride from Askole to Skardu, we once again had to stop at the military camp in Dasu. It was there that we were informed, that Hussein, the old porter who had so wisely and selflessly offered to help me down the glacier, had decided to help the Korean down to Askole the next day as well. This would be his last. He fell victim to a land slide just off Payo and died on the spot. This puts into perspective the hard lives of the porters and sums up how lives and stories converge in a land where mutual reliance is the key to survival. May his soul rest in peace. It is these guides, and porters that make these expeditions and summits possible. In many cases these young and old men work seasonally with the expeditions and in winters reach out to warmer climates in search of work.

Been Dere Done Dat - Thankyou

Some of the most positive and content minded individuals I have met in my life. We reached Skardu the night of Day 11 and our journey ended in Islamabad the next day.

The people of these lands welcome you with open arms, the snowcapped mountains look forward to hosting you, the apricots are being dried to be presented, the glaciers are melting slowly to let you visit them – and Chigori is ready to lift her veil….what are you waiting for?
(K2 & Back - In 15 Minutes...)