K2 Base Camp News

Jim from Pittsburgh, Gabriele from Italy, Rupert from UK, Sammy from UK, Nick from Pittsburgh, Ms Tiziana from Italy, Fabio from Italy, Mario from Italy, Ms Fiore from Italy, Eric from Texas, Dr Elena from Italy and Dan Mazur ( leader) headed towards K2 Base Camp Trek and Pastore Trekking Peak Climb.

June 26 - part A. We entered K2 national park today. The sun is blasting down on us. The guards at the park entrance check our permits and passports and LO, we're in! A deep sense of relief sweeps over us, recalling all of the challenges we faced just to come this far. The roads are interesting. In the beginning well tarmaced and wide, becoming narrow and bumpy, with impressive dropoffs.

June 26 - part B: Along the road we stopped for lunch in the shady grove of Apo Ali Gone village, with fresh bread, fruit, local tea, and even a cake! After a few more hours of jeeping, we stopped for tea at the famous Askole village and then continued jeeping to Jola bridge, where we got out to hunt for red garnet gem stones. the slopes here are peppered with them! Finally we drove to Jola campsite where we found our tents already set up. Saying goodbye to our brave jeep drivers we enjoyed a delicious meal and went to bed.

June 27- We wake up early after a very good sleep to enjoy a delicious breakfast and begin walking beneath mighty Mount Bakhurdas jutting into blue skies with a few spotty clouds. Here the path is a jeep road amongst sandy banks, boulders, and slabs following the massive Braldu river. Suddenly the jeep road ends where a dozer and compressor park. For the rest of our journey we will be on donkey and porter trails. We enjoy a simple and nutritious lunch at Mundrung, aka Bardumal. They even have hot tea and cold coke! After lunch we follow closely the banks of the raging gray Braldu river at times walking with our toes in the water. Rising onto a boulder strewn Martian plateau we are treated to 1st views of Great Trango and Cathedral Peak, looking the spines on a stegasauras' back. Our day finishes at Paiyu camp on terraces carved into the slope among shady trees with a flowing cool stream - much appreciated after all day walking in the sun. Our loyal staff set the tents, make drinks and dinner, then we wander to our beds, drifting off to peaceful sleep under starry skies.

June 28 - Rest day in Paiyu camp. Wake up late. Delicious relaxing breakfast. Our amazing staff washes our laundry. As the sun rises high in the sky we seek shade beneath ancient huge cottonwood and willow trees. Our kitchen prepares hot showers and we refresh. After a tasty lunch, we watch in amazement as hang gliders soar over the Great Trango Tower. Time for a lovely nap in our personal tents. During the evening, we take tasty dinner on our campsite terrace watching golden sunset across the massive Braldu River valley, neath the looming Liligo peaks. A blanket of stars sweeps over the night sky. Time for bed!

June 29- today we enter Baltoro Glacier, enormous ice sheet 3k wide x 40k long, covered by rocks. Walking Baltoro means forever clambering up and down large piles of rocks, stones, boulders, sand, and glacial dust - following hot dusty donkey paths through undulating, tortuously fractured terrain with occasional walls of black ice constantly dripping in boiling sun into green brown ponds, some tiny, others massive. Sometime enormous boiling brown rivers explode out from beneath dripping black ice walls. It seems such forceful torrents could grind a boulder into pebbles, turn stones to dust. We climb up the valley wall onto lateral moraines, cliffs, scree slopes spitting stones down upon us. WATCH OUT! Traversing above the mighty Baltoro we are treated to breath taking views of rarely seen world famous jutting giants Uli Biaho + Trango Tower. Rounding another large pile of rubble, suddenly in the distance we see tents - Halleluyah! , its tonight's camp, called Khuburtse. BUT. 1st we must cross raging Khuburtse River. In afternoon it's roaring, brown, fast, deep, wide, filled with silt and rocks - a torrent. Our amazing staff lock arms with us at the widest shallowest spot and we're off. 12 members ranging from age 12 to 65 hailing from 3 countries will embrace a range of river crossing styles: shoes on, sandles, crocs, socks, barefoot, horseback, and even walking the land-ice bridge over an abyss where the entire river dissapears into a hole forever. WE'RE ACROSS! 30 minutes later we reach camp. In afternoon it's roaring, brown, fast, deep, wide, filled with silt and rocks - a torrent. Our amazing staff lock arms with us at the widest shallowest spot and we're off. 12 members ranging from age 12 to 65 hailing from 3 countries will embrace a range of river crossing styles: shoes on, sandles, crocs, socks, barefoot, horseback, and even walking the land-ice bridge over an abyss where the entire river dissapears into a hole forever. WE'RE ACROSS! 30 minutes later we reach camp. In afternoon it's roaring, brown, fast, deep, wide, filled with silt and rocks - a torrent. Our amazing staff lock arms with us at the widest shallowest spot and we're off. 12 members ranging from age 12 to 65 hailing from 3 countries will embrace a range of river crossing styles: shoes on, sandles, crocs, socks, barefoot, horseback, and even walking the land-ice bridge over an abyss where the entire river dissapears into a hole forever. WE'RE ACROSS! 30 minutes later we reach camp. and even walking the land-ice bridge over an abyss where the entire river dissapears into a hole forever. WE'RE ACROSS! 30 minutes later we reach camp. and even walking the land-ice bridge over an abyss where the entire river dissapears into a hole forever. WE'RE ACROSS! 30 minutes later we reach camp.

June 30 - Let's wake up at 7:30 am in Khoburtse camp, a shadeless rock garden at the base of a huge grassy slope to the side of and above the Baltoro Glacier. 8am - enjoy a big breakfast while gazing at unbelievable views of enormous rock faces of Uli Biaho and the Trango Group. 9:30am - begin hiking through moraines and up a final 100m slope covered in lush green willow bushes to reach the camp of Urdukas. 12:30pm - our amazing staff set up the dining and kitchen tents and prepare a big lunch. 2:00pm - we are washing clothing, taking showers, relaxing in welcome shade of spacious dining tent while perched in cushy armchairs. 6:00pm - delicious dinner begins with sparkling egg drop soup, crispy prawn crackers. Next: main courses of fresh aromatic aubergine curry (not spicy); fresh russian salad of cabbage, carrots, a bit of sweet onion, with bits of orange and salad cream; spaghetti with fresh homemade tomato sauce; fresh roasted chicken for the non-vegetarians. Dessert is fresh mango slices, followed by herbal tea from Genepy flowers hand picked from the slopes above our camp. 8pm - sun sets over Uli Biaho and twilight creeps up the Baltoro Glacier. We make our way towards our personal sleeping tents. 9:00pm - we are all tucked into bed in our separate tents and drift off to sleep with sounds of the river rushing far below, also distant drumbeats and the chorus of our porters singing a lovely harmony and dancing around a camp fire they have built in a large flat spot up against a tall cliff face. followed by herbal tea from Genepy flowers hand picked from the slopes above our camp. 8pm - sun sets over Uli Biaho and twilight creeps up the Baltoro Glacier. We make our way towards our personal sleeping tents. 9:00pm - we are all tucked into bed in our separate tents and drift off to sleep with sounds of the river rushing far below, also distant drumbeats and the chorus of our porters singing a lovely harmony and dancing around a camp fire they have built in a large flat spot up against a tall cliff face. followed by herbal tea from Genepy flowers hand picked from the slopes above our camp. 8pm - sun sets over Uli Biaho and twilight creeps up the Baltoro Glacier. We make our way towards our personal sleeping tents. 9:00pm - we are all tucked into bed in our separate tents and drift off to sleep with sounds of the river rushing far below, also distant drumbeats and the chorus of our porters singing a lovely harmony and dancing around a camp fire they have built in a large flat spot up against a tall cliff face.

June 1 - rest day. Urdukas camp at 4000m named for the Duke of Abruzzi who led 1st K2 expedition in early 20th century. On a grassy slope high above the daunting Baltoro, a veritable sea of ​​hot gray rocks, seething green rivers, dripping black ice, lies a surprising group of solid beige boulders, each the size of a large house. At the foot of the boulders are camping terraces built up over years. In honor of Duke, rock climbers among us set up top rope on 8 meter rock face in the midst of camp. Men, women and kids age 12 to 65 (locals too), practice rock climbing + belay. An easy fun off-width transitions to dihedral chimney with friction slab traverse, hand jam crack finish. Climb is named "Duke and Duchess" grade French PD, British Severe, Australian 14, North American 5.5 = super easy. What could be more special than spending morning climbing fun rock in shadow of infamous monstrous 20k wide by 2000m high rock walls across valley from us: Cathedral Peak, Lobsang Spire, Devil's Tooth, Great Trango? After hungrily devouring tasty lunch prepared by skillful cooks, we spend the afternoon watching upper Urdukas hanging glacier calving. Its about 1k down valley and huge ice chunks keep ripping off the 5000m terminus, plunging down punished rock slabs into dirty gullies where lehars of mud, stones + car sized boulders erupt. This reminds us to keep looking up slope while treking, and to absorb the enormity of this Karakoram in which we are as tiny as ants, humbled to the higher powers within Earth and Sky. Lobsang Spire, Devil's Tooth, Great Trango? After hungrily devouring tasty lunch prepared by skillful cooks, we spend the afternoon watching upper Urdukas hanging glacier calving. Its about 1k down valley and huge ice chunks keep ripping off the 5000m terminus, plunging down punished rock slabs into dirty gullies where lehars of mud, stones + car sized boulders erupt. This reminds us to keep looking up slope while treking, and to absorb the enormity of this Karakoram in which we are as tiny as ants, humbled to the higher powers within Earth and Sky. Lobsang Spire, Devil's Tooth, Great Trango? After hungrily devouring tasty lunch prepared by skillful cooks, we spend the afternoon watching upper Urdukas hanging glacier calving. Its about 1k down valley and huge ice chunks keep ripping off the 5000m terminus, plunging down punished rock slabs into dirty gullies where lehars of mud, stones + car sized boulders erupt. This reminds us to keep looking up slope while treking, and to absorb the enormity of this Karakoram in which we are as tiny as ants, humbled to the higher powers within Earth and Sky. plunging down punished rock slabs into dirty gullies where lehars of mud, stones + car sized boulders erupt. This reminds us to keep looking up slope while treking, and to absorb the enormity of this Karakoram in which we are as tiny as ants, humbled to the higher powers within Earth and Sky. plunging down punished rock slabs into dirty gullies where lehars of mud, stones + car sized boulders erupt. This reminds us to keep looking up slope while treking, and to absorb the enormity of this Karakoram in which we are as tiny as ants, humbled to the higher powers within Earth and Sky.

July 2  - Early breakfast 7am to beat the heat. Nice easy walk on flat stones. Highlight of today's trek are the massive white ice pilgrims protuding from the black stones, looking like a convoy of sailing ships. We stopped by a clear stream for a light lunch of noodle soup, green tea, fresh melon, bread, nuts and apricots. A bit more gentle walking and we arrived Goro 2 camp at 2:30pm after an easy day. We only went up 150 meters today. This is a spectacular camp, on a large glacial plain covered in flat rocks, with ice pilgrims jutting. Mountain views are 360 ​​degrees dominated by stunning Mount Masherbrum, originally named K1, far and away the finest peak we can see from here.

June 3 - Chilly AM in Goro2. Sun warms us ¡ breakfast. We pack duffles. Staff break down tents. 1 member does'nt feel well. He takes breakfast in his tent. After consulting with our Doctor, he decides to descend from here, and trek up no more = wise decision. We will miss Eric very much. We all say fond goodbyes. A strong horse is brought around. Eric climbs aboard. 4 guides lead the horse and carry his duffle, to reach back down to Skardu in 5 days. Conditions are perfect for safe descent by horse. Us remaining 11 trek up the easy path on a gentle gradient, strolling over flat rock glacier. Along the way, we see 3 more people descending via horse. Weaving our way through a forest of ice pilgrims on a flat winding trail feels like if we are in the minotaur's labyrinth, or a corn maze :) At a clear stream our cooks prepare a lunch feast.

June 4 - Concordia rest day, camping on 3 huge glaciers, surrounded by K2, G4, Broad and Miter Peaks. Concordia: one of the world's most scenic spots. Where else can u find such a combo: towering peaks + vast glaciers. We've been lucky with the weather: 14 sunny days in a row! Today we have hot showers, clean laundry, shade in our large comfy dining tent, amazing meals. We prepare our harnesses: ascenders, descenders, safety lines, slings, carabiners, ice axes, helmets, boots, crampons, ropes. Afternoon weather cools, we walk 15 minutes to large ice ridge where we tie into a rope team. 5 mtrs apart we practice crampon walking over ice with proper distance and rope tension between us. We put in ice screws and abseil from them. We belay with figure-8 and use hip belay. We climb up, down, and traverse. What a spot to practice: Concordia!

June 5 - Walk to Broad Peak BC...only takes about 4 hours from Concordia at modest pace. We are going up appx 300 meters, not a huge amount, but as we are already at high altitude, we feel it.. The weather is cooler today with a few whispy clouds. As we walk up the moraine we enter the center of the Godwin Austin valley and the views become incredible: on our right Broad Peak, to the left Pastore Peak, in the center K2 blocking the head of the valley. And all around us many other tall peaks too numerous to count, but without names. Given so many pointy teeth on both sides of us we feel we are walking into a shark's mouth. Never seen anything like this. Just now, ominous dark clouds begin to chase us up the glacier from Concordia. Wow the weather can change fast around here. Suddenly, rounding the moraine, we stumble upon our broad peak base camp and are instantly welcomed by an already prepared tasty dinner. Our amazing staff get the tents up just before a heavy rain storm sweeps into camp. We dive into our personal tents, seeking shelter from the storm.

June 6 - Rest day at Broad Peak base camp. It rains hard off and on through the night. Breakfast bell rings at a relaxed 8am. Its still raining so no reason to rush. Some of us are a bit damp - we forget that when its raining and u are sleeping in a double wall tent in heavy rain you should not press against walls or push duffle bag or personal things against walls, or condensation will form inside the tent. After a drizzly morning we eat a massive lunch of fresh vegetables, potatoes, pasta, and fruit and fresh goat (for the meat eaters among us). Following lunch, we retreat to our tents for a nap. And then the shouting begins: SUN - THE SUN'S OUT !!! Quickly we rally, put on our climbing gear, gather ropes, ice screws and slings, and head out the back of our camp, towards the broad peak glacier. 12 minutes of walking downhill and we are on a glacier with ice pinnacles jutting out like quills on a hedgehog's back. We choose a likely looking ice wall and all the members help to install screws and rope to make an ice climbing ropes course. 1) abseil/rappel, 2) jumar/axe, 3) traverse, 4) arm rappel. Everyone takes turns going around the course, doing all of the pitches and checking one anothers harnesses and tie-ins. As Nick and Sammy say, what an amazing place to practice ice climbing, at the base of K2 with the summit right over our heads! doing all of the pitches and checking one anothers harnesses and tie-ins. As Nick and Sammy say, what an amazing place to practice ice climbing, at the base of K2 with the summit right over our heads! doing all of the pitches and checking one anothers harnesses and tie-ins. As Nick and Sammy say, what an amazing place to practice ice climbing, at the base of K2 with the summit right over our heads!

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