Found this racy travel account here – the pictures are stunning and the narrative right from the heart and informal.
Our friend Kelly Cordes, who tests gear and writes copy for us, wentclimbing in the Charakusa Valley of Pakistan last summer and sent us
some photos to share. Though Kelly and his climbing partner, Scott
DeCapio, were unsuccessful on their attempt at a new line on K7, they
returned with some spectacular images — enjoy!
[Photo: Arrival into base camp in Pakistan’s Charakusa Valley, late August, 2007, with K7 in the background. All photos © Kelly Cordes]
Arrival at the Islamabad airport. Things look calm here, but generally it’s mass chaos, which sounds intimidating except that everyone’s super friendly. This was my third time to Pakistan – the place grows on ya, in large part because of the incredible people, especially in the villages. In all my travels, nowhere in the world have I been greeted with the kindness and warmth of the people of northern Pakistan. The spectacular mountains feed the attraction, too.
Our jeep at the airport in Skardu – from Islamabad, we lucked out and caught the 45 minute flight to Skardu. They don’t have radar at the Skardu airport, so they only fly when the weather is perfect. The other option for getting to Skardu is a 20+ hour drive on the sketchball Karakoram Highway… Oh yeah, let the skies be clear, Inshallah! From Skardu, it’s about a 6-8 hr jeep ride to the village of Hushe, from where we hire porters and begin trekking into the Charaskusa Valley.
Killing time in Pakistan. Always an important skill on expeditions. Here, we wait a few hours for the other jeep and the rest of the team en route to Hushe – turns out that our military Liaison Officer (if you have to have an L.O., apparently it’s way better if you go to an area/peak that allows you to have a civilian L.O.) wanted to drive up the road to hang with some of his Army buddies. I’d never gone for a peak requiring an L.O. before, as I figured paying someone to sit around and do absolutely nothing might irritate me, but in a moment of weakness I decided I shouldn’t be so closed minded…now I’m back to being closed minded. Some good came of having an L.O., however, as it answered a burning life question for me – “young man, what do want to do with your life?!” I want to become a Liaison Officer. I have all the job requirements: I’m lazy, demanding, and I want to get paid. Anybody have any connections?
Our friend Hussain, the porter Sirdar, at a rest stop during the approach to base camp in the Charakusa Valley.
Balti porter saying hello at a rest stop during the approach to base camp. It took two days to trek into base camp. Each day was fairly short, which was fine since we were all sucking wind. I think Hushe sits at about 10,000′, and b.c. was about 14,000′.
Arrival into base camp, late August, 2007, with K7 in the background. The Charakusa…wow. A climber’s paradise. I think Scott and I spent about a week hanging near b.c., hiking, etc, until we felt well enough to do much more. Altitude’s really not so fun.
The joys of acclimatization…Scotty not feeling the love on Sulu Peak. I didn’t feel any better – neither of us feel especially strong at altitude.
We bivied partway up Sulu (here) on the first night, then spent our second near the summit (about 18,000′). A storm started brewing the second night and so we packed up pre-dawn and bailed before things got bad. In retrospect, we probably should have tried to acclimatize more.
Scott near the top of Sulu Peak on the second day of our acclimatization mission.
Maxime Turgeon (L), with an escort from Scott, descends toward base camp after his solo first ascent of East Farol peak. The massive north and west aspects of K6 rise in the background.
Max, understandably psyched after his awesome solo – his line climbs the peak directly above his head via steep ice and mixed climbing.
Scott DeCapio working up the complex glacier below the east face of K7, where we’d spotted a cool-looking line. After the icefall, we bivied next to a rock wall just below the bergschrund, chowed a big dinner and slept for a few hours.
Scott leaving the tent and gearing up on the morning of our attempt, in mid-September.
About 1,000 feet up the east face of K7, Scott leads a long simul-climbing pitch on calf-burner ice toward a mixed runnel below the “Fortress” (the big rock wall above).
Scott DeCapio at a belay, day one of our attempt. This pitch brought us to a nice, protected rib where we rested in the sun for about four hours. We couldn’t believe the heat, stuff falling down everywhere and waterfalls running. Once the sun left, things chilled out (ha, chilled out…).
Scott leading a pitch of steep ice after our rest stop. This began a really cool section of maybe 800 feet of ice and mixed climbing. Later in the day, after dark, after climbing about 3,000 vertical feet, we joined the Japanese Route and then climbed off to a snow rib where we made a small bivy spot.
Scott leaving our bivy site, near the junction with the Japanese Route, morning of day 2.
On day two we came across this fixed ladder, a relic from the first ascent of the Japanese Route. K7 is a spectacular, complex mountain and the three parties to have climbed it deserve full credit: the team of young Japanese college students who made the peak’s first ascent in 1984, Steve House’s awesome solo of a new route in 2004, and Doug Chabot and Bruce Miller’s impressive alpine-style repeat of the Japanese Route, also in 2004.
Line of our attempt on K7, starting with 3,000 feet of previously unclimbed terrain from the east to join the Japanese Route, then continuing for another 500-1,000 feet. The dotted lines below the ridge indicate spots that are hidden in the couloir. For the upper dotted lines leading to our high point (X), we were on the opposite side of the Fortress.
Thinking ourselves clever, we figured we could traverse around the Fortress, rather than climb over it. A man wiser than us once said there’s a fine line between clever and stupid, and we proved it. We dead-ended and, wilting in the sun under our too-heavy packs, gasping in air-too-thin, and getting sloppy from fatigue – in other words, suffering from lameoitis – we retreated from about 19,000′ and descended the basin to the west (where Steve House’s solo goes). Though it was probably the right call, naturally we were disappointed in ourselves.
We realize that opinions vary on what constitutes a new route (like joining an existing line or reaching prominent landmarks), but as we whimpered back to camp it seemed quite clear who got the better of our little exchange with K7.
Departing base camp in late September, with K6 in the background.
Departing base camp – the pyramid-shaped peak is Nayser Brakk.
Porters packing out loads as we leave the Charakusa. As with my past trips to Pakistan, everybody was overwhelmingly kind and generous. No doubt some craziness happens there, as in any country, but the areas where we traveled were all tremendous, and the mountains breathtaking in their beauty. If I hadn’t heard any news before or after our trip, I’d think that Pakistan is the most peaceful place on earth.
Hussain and his family at home, in the village of Kande – Hussain insisted we stay with him on the way out, rather than camping or getting a hotel. His boys are just like little boys anywhere – rolling in the dirt, chasing each other, wrestling – but they were also super excited to practice reading to us in English.
A school in Kande, built by the Central Asia Institute. Everywhere we went, villagers rightly saw education as the key to a better future for their children and their society. It was awesome to see their enthusiasm for learning.
The world’s a helluva place, and I’m so grateful for these opportunities. Still, as always, it was great to get home, where our lives are so good it’s almost unbelievable. We’re so fortunate.
[Huge thanks to Kelly for sharing these amazing photos with us.]
4 Comments
March 23, 2008 at 1:01 am
Some beautiful pictures
November 17, 2008 at 3:50 pm
(MOUNTAIN HISTORY PAKISTAN)
Skardu, the headquarters of Baltistan, is a popular camping site for all explorers and mountaineers going to the major Karakoram Mountains via the Baltoro glacier and the Khaplu valley. It is a beautiful town located on a broad basin of the Indus River in the lap of high mountains. Its height from sea level is about 2,438m, in Skardu Bazar It is here that one cannot miss seeing local Baltis wearing American jeans, English balaclavas, Italian climbing shoes and Japanese parkas. In 1834 that J. Henderson, a traveler, reached Leh via the Baralacha pass and then traveled to Skardu. In this way he was perhaps one of the first Europeans to visit this town. He then traveled from Skardu to Sri Nagar through the Alampi pass; Astore valley and Burzil pass (4,195m. He was followed the same year, by G.T. Vigne who passed through Skardu. In 1838 H. Falconer visited Skardu on his way to Braldu valley. He had entered this valley after crossing Skoro pass. The first scientific explorers, interested not in potential chinks in the British Empire’s borders, but in a wide range of natural and anthropological phenomena were the schlagintweit brothers, Hermann Adolf and Robert Recommended to the British East India Company by Alexander von Humboldt; they traveled the Karakorum between 1855 and 1857. Among their achievements were the description of the Deosai plains ,Nanga Parbat’s glaciers, and of the chogo Lungma ,Biafo, Baltoro, and Bilafond glaciers, Adolf reached Concordia and was first to explore the Muztagh pass. The scientist explorer of the survey of India continued to map the region, establishing a triangular network from Ladakh to Hunza by 1863. In 1856 Captain TG Montgomerie recognized K2 (8611m) as the highest Karakoram glaciers traveling up the panmah, Biafo and Baltoro glaciers in 1860 and 1861. The final step to link the British survey with that of Russia was begun in 1913, supervised by Lieutenant colonel Kenneth mason. The schlagintweits work was surpassed only by the scientist Giotto Dainelli who first came to the Karakorum with Filippo de Filippi’s 1913-14 expeditions.
Subsequently, in 1861 Captain (later Lieut-Colonel) Godwin-Austen, a tough military surveyor of the Survey of India, visited Skardu. It was from here that he crossed Skoro pass for entering Braldu valley. He was followed in 1892 by the famous explorer of the time, Lord W.M. Conway, who, after climbing the Pioneer peak, visited Skardu on his way to Sri Nagar, in 1899 that the famous couple, Dr. and Mrs. Fannie Bullock Workman passed through Skardu on way to Biafo glacier area. Mrs. Workman climbed the Golden Throne peak, at the head of Chogolungma glacier, which remained the highest record in mountaineering for women for a long time. The climb was, however, contested by female members of American Alpine Club, who refused her the Club’s membership. Incidentally, the Club was not open to ladies at that time, Much of the region‘s exploration was accomplished by such expeditions to high peaks and glaciers, Sir W Martin Conway’s expeditions to the Central Karakoram which in 1982 first cross the Hispar La, was on such expeditions, as were Workman’s seven expeditions., to the Chogo Lungma, Biafo Hispar Aling, Masherbrum, Gondogoro, Bilafond, Siachen and Kondus glaciers between 1899 and 1912. The vissers made four expeditions between 1922 and 1935 on one of which they made the first crossing of the chafchingol and Mai Dur passes through the Ghuzherav Mountains .The pivotal shipton Tilman expeditions to shaksgam and shimshal in 1973 and to the Biafo and Hispar glaciers in 1939 provided the basis for today’s maps of the area. The Baltoro Glacier was accurately mapped by Norman dyhrenfurth’s 1935 and 1939 expeditions and Ardito Desio’s 1954 expeditions which made the first ascent of K2. therefore not surprising that mighty mountains of the Karakorum’s should but attract the mighty adventurous persons from all over the world to make them feel stronger.
November 17, 2008 at 3:56 pm
(MOUNT MASHABRUM PAKISTAN)
In 1856, Captain Thomas George Montgomerie of the Survey of India sighted a cluster of high peaks from a survey point 1 37 miles away. He took measurements and entered them in his log book as K-I, K-2, K-3, and K-4 and so on — “K” standing for the Karakoram Range. Later K-i turned out to be Masherbrum peak. James Wailer and his party attempted this peak in 1938 from the Hushe and Shyok valleys and set up camp V at about 6,858m. Camp VI was set up at about 7163m. On the 16th June, J.B. Harrison, R A. Hodgkin and Dawa Tsering climbed, in deep snow, the south face of the main peak at an estimated height of 7,498m and set up camp Vii. On the 17th June, Harrison and Hodgkin reached an estimated height of 7,620m but were exhausted. Wind and cold forced them back to camp VII which was hit by an avalanche that night. They, therefore, abandoned it and fought their way back towards camp VI which they found after spending the night in a crevasse. Both men were badly frost-bitten. Harrison lost all his toes and most of his fingers. The pair was, however, able to discover a potential route to the summit for the benefit of future mountaineers. In 1955, a large New Zealand expedition tried to climb the peak by the 1938-route of Wailer’s expedition. The party reached the plateau between Serac peak and Masherbrum. Several members were hit by an avalanche but luckily no one was seriously hurt. One porter, however, died of pneumonia. The attempt was abandoned. The party was of the opinion that upper part of the route, as recommended by the 1938-party, was not feasible. They felt that altitudes’ estimates of WaIler’s expedition were too high and that the expedition did not reach 7,620m. The 1955-party also thought that Masherbrum was a very difficult mountain to climb. It was also in 1955 that members of the Harvard Mountaineering Club, U.S.A.visited Masherbrum glacier. In 1957, members of the Rucksack Club reached a height of 7,681 m on the mountain. They lost one member; one porter also fell seriously ill and ultimately the mission was given up. At long last the peak was climbed, in 1960 by Pak-American expedition. Dr. George Bell was its leader and N.B. Clinch its director. Willi Unsoeld and George Bell were the first summit team.
http://WWW.ADVENTUREGUIDE.COM.PK
climb@adventureguide.com.pk
November 17, 2008 at 3:59 pm
(Climbing Mount Amin Brakk Pakistan)
Amin Brakk is one of the most well known rock wall in Nangma Region, The mount Amin Brakk is situated in inaccessible Northern Area of the Karakorm Baltistan, There more attempts during the summer of 1999 and remarkably tow of these were brought to a successful conclusion. West face of Amin brakk (generally quoted as 5850m but thought possibly higher) close to the head of a side branch of a Nangma Valley, Amin Brakk was first attempted in May ‘96 by the Basque climbers, Jon Lazkano, Lazkano first saw the wall during a visit 1998, when he attempted a line on the adjacent North West Face of Nawaz Brakk during possibly the first serious climbing expedition to this hidden peak, it is on of the most complex and extended wall, it is hardest than Trongo Tower, The face formed the target for a group of a British climbers first saw the wall during a visit previous year, but they found the initial section to be objectively dangerous and instead turned their attention to the walls of Nawaz Brakk, where they established a new British line. There also anther peak the Peak name called Shingu Chatpa (Great Tower 5600 m) First Ascent was in 2001 by American, in 2004 Austrian and Slovenian, Amin Brakk and Shingu Chatpa, which both contain hundreds of beautiful granite spires. Most of the rock within Nangma valley is either granite, gneiss, or schist, however, the predominant rock type is granite, The couloirs then dog – legs left parallel to the face and the routes follow this to a ssmall saddle and Camp one, and there lots of it, No peak permit is require, Travel with your guide and have a life Experience.
http://www.adventureguide.com.pk
climb@adventureguide.com.pk