The route to Goro II
We pick our way across crystal clear glacial streams and rocks rocks rocks. What else can I say about rocks? They are everywhere.
Last night avalanches and landslides rumbled through camp. Horses scattered and donkeys brayed. The slides seemed close. They woke me from my sleep and I was only vaguely aware of what was happening. The rest of the camp remained silent and so I shivered mostly from cold and a little bit from fight from inside my sleeping bag and, after a while, fell back to sleep.
Looking back over the morraines. If you compare this photo with the following you can get a sense of how enormous those mountains are.
Today we landed at Goro 2 – a rocky and uneven campsite with full view of Gasherbrum IV and the tip of Broad Peak (SO HUGE!) and Masherbrum lurks behind us, but has been hiding in the clouds for most of the day.
Picking our way over the morraines There was always about 6" to 2ft of shale and rock over the ice. It made walking quite difficult!
We got our first view of huge ice boulders today sitting in the middle of the moraines. They are nothing short of huge. They are white. They are cold. And they look as if they were set down on the rocks intentionally.
The path is still rocky and rolling and each rise gives way to an even more magnificent view. Glacial formations rise up and melt away and look like carefully balanced fortresses in a field of rock.
(r-l) Ibrahim, Murad, Zohoor and the Chairman play cards.
GO TO K2 