Asia

[Visited: September 2019]

When we drive up to the trailhead, everyone is a little quiet. We will start hiking at arond 2900m and will end up at 3500, for many, it is the first time to hike this high. Above us, a dark blue sky, and when we drive past Borith Lake, the snow-and-ice topped giants are reflected perfectly in its quiet waters. Shortly after that, we reach the trailhead, and before we know it, we are on our way. After a short climb, we hike on a trail of black slates, with Passu glacier on our right. We can see it end near the Hunza valley floor. When we get higher, the massive Batura Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram mountains, comes into view, with the Passu Peak as its top at well over 7000m. After a short break, we continue going up, and then traverse Passu glacier, an exciting hike across sharp peaks of ice, jumping over deep crevasses; streams of water and small pools, big rocks, the occasional sound of collapsing ice and falling stones. Reaching the other side is a pity: we take off our crampons or ice grips, and walk up the steep side wall shaped over the centuries by the glacier to reach camp at around 3500m.
The next morning. we hike up the steep mountain rising sharply from Passu glacier. The higher we get, the more spectacular the views, until Shispare Peak comes into view, a monstrous mountain at 7611m altitude. Shortly after reaching a gently sloping mountain, we reach a small camp where we stop for drinks and snacks. When we look over the northern ridge, we see Batura glacier deep below us. The sixth largest and longest glacier on the planet with 57km length, outside the polar regions, it stretches to the left as far as we can see, snaking through a valley defined by enormous mountains. Much of the glacier is covered in rocks and stones, with only a white stripe of ice in the middle. We take few hours to rest and take in the far reaching views: we are at around 4200m altitude, so we can see far, but are still dwarfed by 7000m+ peaks all around us. Meanwhile, one of the guides explains the route to climb Shispare, and it is not hard to imagine that this is considered one of the most difficult climbs in Pakistan.
When we set off again, we continue up the ridge. The going is easy, until we climb another hill, where three of us continue up to the next, and last, peak of the ridge. It is a steep climb over loose slates, and we now feel the altitude, the lack of oxygen making us breath faster and faster. When we reach the top at 4570m, we see some frozen snow on the ground, and take out all the layers we have: the sun is gone, and the wind makes it feel really cold. This is the highlight of the trip: the setting sun casts a surreal light on the mountains and glaciers around us, with plucks of clouds sticking to the jagged mountain peaks. There is little light left when we finally start our descent, and make it down as fast as we can. We are surprised by a birthday party over dinner in which the cook even managed to make a cake. The next day, we break up camp, hike across the glacier which has patches of frozen water, and continue hiking down to the trailhead again. We have been away only for three days, but after being right in the wild nature of the Karakoram mountains, stepping on our van somehow feels strange.

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Patundas (Pakistan)

Patundas > Pakistan > Asia

[Visited: September 2019]

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