Group Composition
Sinan Pasha
Hassan Karrar
Yasir S. Khokhar
Nabil Kirmani (Yogi)
Hammad Qazi
Mohammad Ali (M. Ali)
Ali Akram (me)
Monday, 15 July 2002
It is about 7:50 pm and still quite light. Today was our first day of
walking -- Askole to Korophone.
The walk was tedious. I have done it before (Concordia, 2001). And I found it a bit tedious - like last year - generally level, desert terrain. After crossing the Biafo Footbridge there is a long flat desert table after which comes the terminal moraine of the Biafo glacier. Both Hassan and I reckoned that the path on the terminal moraine is a bit different this year - I reckon we arced around it a lot more (see diagram).
The walk took from 9:15 am to 1:30 pm for Qazi and myself (4 hrs 15 mins). Korophone is green and pleasant - a bit cool. Tomorrow we head to Jhola or maybe a bit beyond.
There are two other groups here at the moment - a bunch of lahoris (8 - 9 of them) and a group from Peshawer Medical College (PMC). The PMC people are dong a trek to Concordia - and are doing so in quite a bit of style - 16 members and 60 porters. It's funny to compare them to us - 6 people with only 4 porters!
Nabil is feeling a bit ill but seems better now - he reached camp last and dropped off in my tent immediately.
Tomorrow's walk is also quite tedious and uninteresting - Jhola (or slightly beyond).
We have four porters. One of them Zaman Ali probably reckons he is quite something - doing up his hair a while back to impress the PMC girls!
Sinan has the amazing ability to talk a lot. It truly is staggering how much he can talk! But very interesting/entertaining on the whole
The porter sardar of the PMC group has serious doubts
about whether they'll get to Concordia. Although it must be said that
they are going about it in a big way - mess tents, porters, cook - the
works. They also have sponsors - Panadol, Alpine Club of Pakistan from
what we can guess.
Image for moscows skamla essay
Tuesday, July 16 2002
It's been a long day today. It is 8:50 pm at the moment and we woke up
at 6:00 am in the morning - so its' been 15 hours.
Anyhow, we started walking at about 8:15 am - went to Jhola and then on to Bulla where we currently are. Last night we slept outside. Tonight we haven't even bothered setting up the tents - so we are sleeping out again. But the sky is clear so all is well.
Anyhow the walk - long, hot and tedious. I did not enjoy the walk today. The walk to Jhola was ok but after that it became uphill. An uphill desert walk - very unpleasant. We were concerned about Yogi but he did really well - good show!
After the Jhola Bridge, maybe 25 minutes walk we came to a spot where there were some mini trees growing - so we rested there for a bit and ate lunch. Then around 1:40 pm we left and walked all the way to Bulla. This is a gorgeous campsite - greenery and a clear stream flowing through it.
The walk to Bulla from Jhola was exhausting - even Hassan was complaining. An hour into that leg of the walk M. Ali and I caught up with the porters - who were resting under a big boulder. So I asked them to wait in order that the other 4 catch up and we figure out how far we want to go. We waited and waited. Eventually the porters and M. Ali left and I volunteered to wait - it was a long wait and I sort of dozed off for a bit. Anyhow Hassan showed up - so we left. The portersardar assured me that Bulla was a mere half hour away. It was actually more like one and a quarter hour away - intense walk, heat etc
Well we've all got here - so that is good. Nabil's shoe might give some trouble. Qazi's had a fair bit of trouble - I think dehydration - he talked of having hallucinated. Sinan of course is chirpy as ever.
We might double stage tomorrow as well - but maybe not given how lazy we feel and our loads.
Wednesday, 17 July 2002
It is currently 9:15 pm. We started our day as usual at about 6:00 am
(that's when we woke up) and got going by around 9:15 am - we got to Panmah
(the place, not the glacier) at around 5:40 pm.
Last night was odd. I was quite uncomfortable for most of the night - very hot. So was awake at a lot of points in the night. Although that was rewarding in that there was a beautiful night sky.
Anyhow I was not so well slept and breakfast was a bit of a struggle - I only ate half a paratha.
We got going and it was promised that we'd reach Panmah (the place, not the glacier) by 1:00 or 2:00 pm. But of course that was not to be!
My walk started awfully. I had not patched up my heels that well and that meant pain. I am certain in my first hour of walking I undid a few days of healing. Apart from that I was sweating profusely - it is hot and I have a fairly heavy weight on my back.
After an hour of walking we came to this boulder field - which was a mound - so it was a climb. Anyhow, M. Ali and Hassan had raced ahead and the remaining four (myself included) were left on the "starting end" of the boulder field. Nabil and I had been following Hassan but he advised us to go to the side of the boulder field and see if we could find some route from there - he went ahead to see if he could pick something out himself. M. Ali was long gone by this point. So Nabil and I went to the side of the field and found that it ended as a cliff - at the bottom of which were standing looking rather dejected Qazi and Sinan. The two of us joined them down there. By that point I was pooped and feeling hungry and it was only 11:40 am. Apart from which we really hadn't got anywhere. So after some really pathetic bursts of half hearted walking we eventually got across the boulder field via the top and ended up in Tsok. Tsok is beautiful and big but no one was to be found there. So, much dejected, the four of us moved on and eventually caught up with the rest of the group. I was dead tired by that point and we were informed that camp was still a way away.
Panmah was a few more hours of walking. Not to unpleasant as by that point the intensity of the sun starts waning. At Panmah I found Sinan lounging around a few yards from the camp. I thought it odd as camp was just a short distance from where he was - maybe 10 yards or so. Later it turned out that he had been sitting there for quite sometime and whistling in order that he may be guided to camp but no body had responded. Panmah is beautiful. Trees cover the campsite - so our tents have been set up under trees.
Hassan was quite p-ed off today and by evening he was threatening to stick things up the behinds of the porters for forcing us to double stage again. Although I suppose it has to be done - we only have so much food and time.
This was a long day - really sapped me. I hope to get a good night's
rest as tomorrow we get onto the Panmah (the glacier, not the place!).
Friday, 19 July 2002
I missed yesterday's journal entry - will give that in a bit. First, today.
Today has been a bad day. It started out great. I was feeling good and walking well as my heels weren't troubling me. Today we crossed the Panmah and have arrived at the other side - up till this point we had been travelling on the left side of this valley, now we have switched to the right. We are about 4000 metres above sea level. It is fairly cold here where we are camped - probably because we are next to a stream. This stream goes a little further than our camp and drops down to feed a large and growing glacial pool. Anyhow, as I said the day started out well. Within an hour we were at the point in the ridge from where we were to cross.
Nabil was having trouble from the beginning and when we started the glacier crossing his condition deteriorated.
I quite like the new terrain - I am walking better and actually enjoying it. My load has also been considerably lightened.
Nabil's conditioned deteriorated - bad to worse. Eventually Hassan and I were escorting him. He was unable to keep anything down - vomited everything out. So he was weak. Every time we would stop for a break, he would find it hard to get going again.
I could see it was hard for him but it was important for him to keep going.
Eventually only I was escorting Nabil. Ali Zamin came and took his bag from him - that made going a bit easier.
After a bit more of walking we got off the glacier and got onto the moraine - it was already 4:30 pm or so by this point. Once on the moraine there was a near vertical scramble up a crumbling wall. Both of us got down to ascending it. It was tough going and as I was further up I managed to dislodge quite a few rocks that headed Nabil's way. I felt awful about that. Anyhow, I got to the top first. Nabil was stuck some way down. So I uncoiled the rope, anchored it to a boulder and passed one end to him after which he managed to pull himself up.
Right now he is sleeping in M. Ali's down sleeping bag. We tried to give him some Energile but he threw that up as well. He will definitely need to go back.
Our campsite is a bit odd. Our tents are on one side of the stream while the porters and the food is on the other side. We have to do a little hopping-dancing-balancing act to get across.
Description of camp yogi
Saturday, July 20 2002
Today three of the porters and I went to Skinmang (Skinmang means a place
with numerous markhor) to make a food and equipment dump.
It is 7:40 pm at the moment and Qazi, Sinan and I are sitting on a large boulder - nicknamed "philosopher's rock" (!?). Talking, messing about. Hassan has just joined us.
I woke up at 7:00 am and by 7:15 am was out of the camp. M. Ali, three of the porters and I left for Skinmang. I hadn't eaten or drunk anything. M. Ali turned back after a bit - the porters were moving at an astonishingly fast pace. For the first 2 hours I was able to keep up with them but then I got tired. Got to Skinmang in 3 hours 10 minutes. After resting just 10 minutes at Skinmang we turned back. It took me forever. The porters returned in about the same time as going. But it took me from 10:45 am to 2:45 pm - 4 hours. I was drained.
The porters are quite a clever lot - sort of scheming. Ali Zamin asked me to allocate cooking pots to him and asked me not to tell the others. Farman Ali asked me to get some sort of letter of recommendation sent to David Hamilton and not for the others. Anyway...
Nabil managed to keep down the noodles we cooked. Tomorrow we push for Skinmang.
Our creativity and our desire for good food have reached new heights - the phrase "veni, cooki, vici" was coined today.
Route description from schinan biafo to skinmang
Monday, 22 July 2002
Again I missed an entry yesterday. But yesterday (Sunday 23rd July) was
a nothing day - we walked 40 minutes and got to Shinshah Biaho (or name
to that extent): Nabil just couldn't walk more. So we decided to camp
there. About 4:00 pm Yasir Khokhar showed up - quite an event. We were
immediately treated to biscuits and cheese and koftas. Our party was low
on food as all our food was in Skinmang. So Yasir's joining us was a treat.
Yasir had started a few days after us and had finally caught up with us
today - I must say that my ego was much hurt by the fact that what took
us about four days to do he did in a mere three!
Today (Monday 22nd July) we set out for Skinmang and indeed are here. It is about 9:00 pm right now and really cold. The walk wasn't too bad - one of the shorter days we've had so far: 3 hours 20 minutes. Anyhow upon reaching Skinmang it started to rain. It was quite cold and miserable and setting up tents was interesting because for the first hour or so the altitude made me a bit sluggish. We are at 4300 metres.
We have enormous amounts of food. Tomorrow we will divide as much of it as we can and leave a small cache here in case we are unable to cross Skam La. But there is a tonne of food. Today we ate like kings - cheese, biscuits and hunter beef for lunch and excellent daal, roti and pudding (good idea Nabil!) for dinner.
Today was also a day of much change. Paying of the Yasir's porters and Ali Hassan has officially made us bankrupt. We parted company with Nabil - he heads down with Ali Hassan. We have called Maheen to send some money to Skardu so that Nabil can get back from Skardu.
Money wise we are also in some trouble - but we will be able to manage once in Hunza.
The sun did come out for a bit - had some great views.
The injuries in my heels are just as bad as always - even though I figured with a rest day yesterday they might improve.
The stream next to our camp is dry - so in order to get water you have to go down to the glacier - quite painful.
Pudding is fantastic!
July 23, 2002
11:30 am: it is an absolutely miserable day today. Woke up at 7:30 am
and it was snowing/sleeting. It has been raining and snowing/sleeting
on and off since. Ever since we have done not a lot. Been lazing about
in my tent. Yasir has performed a massive operation on his walkman to
try and get it to work on AA as opposed to AAA batteries. It works - we
have music! Intentions for the day include sorting out the food. And we
need to scope out a route onto the Nobande Sobande. Visibility isn't too
good.
2:50 pm: Have sorted out the food - about 40 kg of food. I reckon there is another 25 kg of equipment.
Listening to U2 on Yasir's "equilibrium machine" (the revamped walkman) and the rain pattering on the tent. Yasir's equilibrium machine uses Sinan's patented "joining wires by using matches" technology.
And now for the "What profound thing will you say at this juncture in space and time?" contest!
Hassan: "It's raining outside" Qazi: "Of all the things we have lost along the way, including Yogi, I truly miss my mind the most--and PMC!"
Sinan: "I miss my mum and the car"
Yasir: (shakes his head knowingly)
M. Ali: "I'd like to open my legs" (eh?)