Day 8 Glacial Highway
Concordia to Ali Camp, 8 miles (total 61 miles), 16.7k elevation
We were up early today because we have a big day ahead of us and we want to get as much rest as possible at Ali Camp. We were ready to go at 5:30 but left at 6:30 because the donkeys were going back down and the kitchen crew had to divide our provisions for the rest of the trip. It was a beautiful morning and we watched the sun peak over G4. Today was the day we parted ways with half of our porters and most of the non-essential gear that would make their way down, back to Askole with all the pack mules. Before they departed, we all got together and the guides led the team through an Islamic prayer wishing all going back and forward a safe passage. See those tarps with rocks at the base? That’s where the bad-ass porters sleep!
Once the team split up, our hike started with walking over some big boulders to get down to a rocky path that was split between two glaciers. We were now walking at the convergence of the Baltoro and Goodwin Austin glaciers. It was cold, and we were glad we had our big parkas that we were debating whether or not to take. Some of the glacier was crunchy enough to get good footing, but the other parts were extremely slippery and steep, and there was a lot of handholding to get me down it to the glacial Highway.
Initially, we started walking through a really cool corridor of two massive glacial ice walls on a rocky path with streams of water flowing all over. We had to cross over multiple streams from rock to ice and ice to rock again. Then we arrived at the “glacial highway”that would take us all the way to Ali Camp. There were no rocks on this section of glacier to give us traction. There were lots of water crossings and some crevasses, and long lines of running water that gave us a path to get some foot traction on. We had to be very careful not to slip because that could result in a broken wrist, elbow, or butt bone very quickly and seriously (trek ender). There were a few boulders that became tabletops from the snow not melting below it which just showed how powerful that sun was. The sun was out all day so we had to protect our faces from the reflection of the glacier. The walk on the glacial highway was gradual and smooth, which was the first time during the track that we weren’t rock hopping. I don’t know if it was the sun or the altitude, but I got another major headache right before we arrived at the camp. Nothing that some tears and Aleve couldn’t fix. Once we got to camp, Andy asked the crew to get out a mat and placed it up against the rock so I could relax and let my headache dissipate. Between taking pills and drinking water, there’s not much else that could be done and I was chuck-full of pain pills.
The hike to the camp took us about 4.5 hours. The camp spot was compact as it was at the foot of a mountain that had continuous rockfall down the side. Luckily, our tent was away from the base, so I was not worried about rockfall, but it was always top of mind for Andy. He had lost a ton of sleep popping up every night when he heard rockfall or avalanche, making sure nothing was headed our way. The camp had an amazing view of mountains just across the other side of the glacier which had glacier drooling off every cliff and puffy packs of snow running down it. After a late lunch, because we weren’t really hungry at this altitude, we opened our tent to let fresh air blow through and we tried to take a nap, knowing we had a big night ahead of us. Rest the heads, rest the legs.
Later, we had an early dinner and we got out our harnesses and crampons for one final fitting and gear check in preparation for our night climb. There’s a rescue team based out of Ali Camp that goes up to the pass with the trekkers to ensure everyone safety. We met the rescue person who was supposed to be with us on the trek to give us more comfort for what lie ahead. We went to bed at seven for about four hours of sleep until we would attempt the pass. It’s always very challenging to sleep before a challenging night climb, but we both feel ready.
