Day 1 Turning 50 in the Karakorum
Askole to Jhula, 13 miles, 10.5k elevation
We decided to not get our sleeping bags out last night because it wasn’t actually that cold. Also, they were at the bottom of our backpacks and we didn’t need to get our sleeping pads out because the tour group provided some nice kush pads for us so we decided to be lazy and just go to sleep. Well, it got cold. There was a big spooning cuddle session all night long in order to keep each other warm. I at least had a sweatshirt on where Andy had a T-shirt. It rained really hard last night, which was music to our ears because that meant it would clear all the dust from the air and hopefully tamp down the dust on the road for our hike today. Andy got up at 4:00am with the call to prayers, which meant I did too because I lost my heater.
We ate a breakfast of muesli, eggs, bread, and cheese toast. It was all so lovely and perfect. I don’t think we have ever been so excited to eat cereal. We hit the trail by 7:00am, trying to get out before the Europeans. they are a large group, and have really fancy hiking gear. A dude asked Andy where the showers were at the camp. Not here for the next 12 days buddy. You might be on the wrong trek.
We started the hike and light rain and that was also very exciting. After being in the sun I’m Skardu, we are all now hoping it is overcast or slightly rainy every day until we get to camp. Once that sun comes out, it is going to be brutal. The hike today was a good one to warm our legs up and remember what it is to hike at altitude (also the assessment day for the guides). Over the next 20 kilometers (13 miles), we ascended about 1400 feet and descended 500 for a net of 900 gain. We walked incredible rushing rivers from glacial melt running so hard you could hear massive boulders booming as the river water carried them downstream. There also some more rockfall down the mountain, although it wasn’t major or a big concern for us being on the other side of the river. Nonetheless, we remained ever vigilant of falling rocks. This place ain’t stable in the slightest bit. Kristen got her donkey/horse (a honky… that is no joke) to ride so that she could make sure she’s feeling better once she starts hiking. Andy was a beast hiking today, like always. I was being sure to go slow to mitigate any altitude sickness problems. The hike was really nice with the tall snow covered peaks behind the immediate mountains we were hiking against. You could catch a glimpse of them every now and then when the clouds would part. Kristen said it reminded her of the Alaska.
The people on our team consisted of 12 porters, three mules, a goat and multiple chickens. The goat and chickens will disappear as we go. We are not trying to give the goat too much attention as we know its fate is mutton, the other camps all have a similar situation. Our camp set up is pretty nice. We have Summit Series North Face tents, the real North Face rents so high quality and very roomy with lots of vents (the sun is wicked intense up here). The tour group also has large dining and cooking tents as well. Azam wanted to bring a tent for each of us, so we could have personal space. He initially thought Andy and I were dating, and of course, dating people sleeping in one tent isn’t OK in their eyes. Kristen reassured him we are married, and a couples sleeping in one tent was plenty of space gave and less for them to carry.
We stopped three hours in for lunch, which was also our midway point. They made a Pakistani version of Trail mix, noodle soup, fruit from a can (safe), soup in a can, and a chocolate cake in a package for dessert. Again, it was just what we wanted.
We continued on our hike for another two hours, and I saw tents in the distance, but didn’t want to get excited because I thought we had much further to go, but it was our camp! We hit it just in time as I was starting to get a bit nauseous and have a headache. The first group here so we had plenty time to relax in the cool weather as others arrived. An important point to note is that the camp we were supposed to stay at was completely taken out by a landslide. Our guide assured us that nobody was there. The ‘inshaAllahs’ are starting to make sense.
After napping for a couple of hours, we ate dinner at six. Dinner consisted of Pakistani chicken korma, chicken Szechuan, egg drop soup, and a special surprise for Andy’s 50th birthday. Azam took notes yesterday when I said it was Andy’s 50th birthday. Ali, our chef, cooked up a delicious fluffy cake with Nutella icing. He improvised an “oven” by placing a bunch of small rocks on a naan cooking pan and once heated, he added a pot lined with aluminum nicely oiled and then added a wet towel just under the lid and topped it with a large rock. The cake was extremely tasty and moist. To top it off, there was white piping on top that said “Happy Birthday Andrew 50th”. Our primary team came into the tent and played happy birthday on their phone while we sang and Andy blew out the candles. We shared the cake and enjoyed Andy’s 50th birthday altogether. Truly a perfect first hiking day in the Karakoram.
