Day 5 Pakistani flat
Urdukas to Goro II, 8 miles (total 44 miles), 14.3k elevation
We woke up at 4:30 as the Germans next to us decided it was time for everyone to wake up as well. They were excessively loud the entire night and morning. Last night we did a toilet trip and the sky was clear and beautiful with stars all around. Andy stayed up a bit longer to watch the shootings stars in the night sky. He said they were some of the most beautiful he has seen due to the lack of light pollution. Throughout the night we heard massive rock falls that had Andy sit up and try to locate in case we needed to shelter against the massive boulders in camp… yay. This morning, I was feeling probably the best I have felt so far in this trip, so I was very hopeful about today as Azam said, the hike will be relatively flat. Ali made us breakfast and practice snacks for a hike because we were not going to stop for lunch today.
Hiking out of the campsite was pretty steep up and I was already breathing hard, not exactly how I want to start the day. We continued on the Baltoro glacier and, let’s just say, it was not flat. There weren’t significant climbs, but they were definitely decent ups and downs, making me have to regulate my pace and breathing as we were expecting 6 to 8 hour tracking day. However, the clouds were out and it was a perfect temperature for hiking, so it really helped me make some decent time.
Then we turned a corner and that’s where we saw even more of the majestic Karakorum mountain range. We saw G4 in the distance. We also saw a lot more of the glacier and the streams created from the melting glacier all around us, which was really beautiful. We were mostly hiking on rough black rock on the glacier and when we started to cross over to the left side, that’s where the rock glacier was a very light brown. It was really interesting to see the immediate contrast of the black and the tan rocks on the glacier. Besides our porters, we were the only hikers on this trail today, so it was very quiet and peaceful. There were large mountains of white glacier throughout the valley. It made the scene even more surreal… and again more donkeys littering the path.
Although the hike itself wasn’t that strenuous, I arrived at camp with another massive headache and nausea. This was really getting old. I just sat there and breathed and cried (not Andy’s fault), which actually helped relieve the stress. By dinner I was so nauseous I could not eat anything. I made the mistake of not drinking a lot of water once we arrived. Hydration is the most critical factor, we are hiking a ton, high altitude, altitude sickness pills that are also a diuretic, and the aftermath of issues with our stomach. I think when I get home I will Google, “beautiful hikes that I can do at low altitude”, my body chemistry is clearly not made for this. The mountain scene all around the camp sight was getting more and more beautiful with every stop.
